Politics
Imo Lawmakers’ Defection Fuelled By Corruption – Okupe
An ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, has backed President Muhammadu Buhari’s views on corruption in Nigeria but frowned at his approach in tackling the menace.
Okupe noted that corruption was the reason for the recent defection of the Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress, following the Supreme Court judgment that sacked the PDP government in Imo State.
Recall that the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chiji Collins, alongside seven other members from the PDP, had defected to the APC.
He also noted that what happened in Imo will likely happen in majority of the states of the federation, adding that churches and mosques are not left out in the issue of corruption.
The politician who shared his views on Facebook, said he was not surprised at the gale of defections of PDP lawmakers in Imo to the APC.
He said, in truth, those defectors were never members of the PDP, adding that they were only politicians who contested and won their elections on the platform of the PDP.
The ex-presidential aide pointed out that the reality of Nigeria’s political situation is that only “very few real politicians remain in the political space.”
He said that people shop around for political platforms which will sell party tickets to them to be elected into political offices from where, as businessmen and women, according to him, “they can do their trade and make huge returns.”
Okupe said, “All parties in Nigeria without exception are actively engaged in this new business. It also involves all levels of competition. “
He also insisted that perpetrators in the act range from presidential candidates to councilors, adding that it also involves the majority of the electorates, electoral and security officials, describing the situation as “a national craze.”
Okupe, a former Special Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Media and Publicity, “It is endemic, it is pervasive and it is generally accepted across the board as normal, though, like the issue of policemen collecting tolls from commercial drivers, we all pretend it does not exist.
“Buhari was right on corruption, but wrong in the execution of the war against it. Transparency international was also right about our falling rating of corruption perception index.
“Those who accuse others of corruption in Nigeria, are themselves corruption personified. Those who pursue corrupt people are themselves corrupt. The citizens who clap when corrupt officials are nabbed are themselves embroiled in corrupt activities.
“They bribe their ways to get all things done. They also receive bribes before they can do anything for anybody. They collect huge sums of money before they can vote for any candidate. They care less often, about who wins.
“People or electorates in every state collect N6B N7B N10B from gubernatorial candidates before giving’ massive’ support and victory is to the highest bidder.
“We are all liars, pretenders, and hypocrites. We have accepted money as the common social denominator. Even our religious institutions are not spared. Church leaders received bribes to promote church workers or post pastors to lucrative churches.
“Mosques are not different. We are not at the end yet but very close to it. Our politics like every other facet of our collective social endeavors have been completely destroyed.
“We all need to come together on a nonpartisan, nonethnic and nonreligious basis. Humbly accept where we truly are, and collectively take a bold decision to draw the line, retrace our steps and rearrange the operating machinery of this country. Kenya did it a few years ago and they are better for it.
“Rwanda also did a similar thing and today it’s all a different story. How many more of our people need to continue in this perilous state because we are all deeply entrenched in activities that benefit us individually but collectively destroy our country, its manifest destiny and the future of its children.”
Okupe cried out that Nigeria is going down as a nation, adding that, although we have not hit the bottom yet, “we are close. We can collectively avert the impending national catastrophe and calamity.”
However, he said that the problems facing the country cannot be solved, “by scapegoating, hate, unforgiveness, clannishness, dishonesty, injustice, insincerity, unreasonable partisanship and lack of leadership commitment.”
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
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
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.
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