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Ohanaeze Declares Support For Atiku/Obi Ticket
In what appears to be a direct response to the feeble opposition of the Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has asked Ndigbo to accept the choice of Mr. Peter Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, as running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in order not to upset the political arrangements ahead of the 2019 general elections.
President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo body, Chief Nnia Nwodo made the appeal in a telephone interview with newsmen, yesterday.
He spoke against the backdrop of the claim by Umahi, who is also the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, that the zone’s leaders were not consulted before Atiku, a former Vice President, nominated Obi as his running mate.
“As the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, I am a father to all the political parties. My appeal is that Igbo leaders in the PDP should let bygone be bygone and accept whoever has been nominated. We should not upset the applecart. We should accept Peter Obi so that we can move ahead, politically. This is both my prayer and appeal,” Nwodo said. In a related development, Obi’s emergence as PDP vice-presidential candidate may have begun to clarify the PDP permutations of its zoning of the nation’s six top political offices.
The six offices are President, Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker. With the North-East and South-East already settled for the offices of President and Vice-President, there were indications that the office of Senate President had been zoned to the North-Central with Senator Bukola Saraki in pole position for it.
As part of the bargains between Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, and Atiku, the South-West, our correspondent gathered, is to get the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, in addition to the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The office of Deputy Senate President is to go to the South-South while the office of Deputy Speaker could be zoned to the North-West. ‘No rift’ Also, yesterday, the PDP denied the existence of a rift within its ranks over the choice of Obi as running mate to its presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.
A party official, who declined to be named, told newsmen”There are no issues as far as the choice of the running mate is concerned,” adding that the decision on who gets on the ballot with Atiku is exclusively the prerogative of the former Vice President to make. “There are no issues. Everything is alright. Yes, there are insinuations and speculations but there are no problems, no issues.
Our presidential candidate has the right to choose whoever he feels comfortable to work with.” ‘Breathe of fresh air’ Friends of Obi described the former governor’s nomination as vice presidential candidate as the breathe of fresh air into Nigerian politics judging by what they described as tremendous feats Obi achieved in Anambra State as a two-term governor.
Speaking on their behalf, a former Chairman of Orumba North local government area, Chief Okey Enekwa, thanked Atiku for anointing Obi as his running mate , pointing out that friends of Obi across South-East, Anambra and Orumba North would support the nomination to actualize the dream of a better Nigeria.
‘’Peter Obi is an enigma. Love him or hate him, he is an achiever and once he sets his eyes on the ball, forget the distractions because he comes out glorious judging from his Anambra experience where against all odds , he served for 8 years and demystified leadership.
Obi is an architect of good governance and democratic reformations in Nigeria when he challenged his stolen mandate, impeachment and term of office.
The records are there in public”, Enekwe said. Bishop of Awka Anglican Diocese, Most Reverend Alexander Chibuzor Ibezim, who also spoke to journalists, yesterday, described the nomination of Obi as running mate, as a good omen for Ndigbo. Ibezim, while thanking God that Obi was nominated, asked God to help him actualize his dream, insisting that it is good for Igbo nation if the joint ticket succeeds in the 2019 general elections.
‘No consultations’ Meanwhile, leaders of PDP in the South-East, yesterday, insisted that they were not consulted before Atiku picked Obi as his running mate.
The leaders, who met in Enugu, said they only heard about Obi’s choice in the social media and felt humiliated by the former vice president. The Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, Umahi, who addressed newsmen after the meeting, however, said that Atiku will meet with Igbo leaders over the choice of his running mate.
The Ebonyi governor revealed that Atiku sent a message during their emergency meeting informing them that he was out of the country on a short period and pleaded with them to remain calm as he will be coming down to the zone to dialogue with leaders. “We saw news flying up and down saying that our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has picked a running mate from the zone.
We were shocked because we were not consulted. While we were meeting, Atiku sent message that he travelled out of the country for a short period. He promised to come down and meet with South East leaders”, he said.
The meeting was attended by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Senators Sam Egwu, Theodore Orji and other members of the National Assembly from the zone among other major stakeholders.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.