Politics
Utomi Blames Nigeria’s Woes On APC, PDP
Former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Pat Utomi, has blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the hardship Nigerians are going through.
He said Nigerians had been duped by the nation’s two dominant parties in their quest for a good government to cater for them.
Utomi stated this while appearing on “Politics Today,” a programme on Channels Television which was monitored in Port Harcourt.
Drawing from the economic and social figures released by local and foreign organisations over the years, Utomi, a Professor of Political Economy, argued that there might not be any difference if the ruling APC and the PDP remained people’s choices in subsequent polls.
He lamented the gradual slide of Nigeria into collapse with little or no effort from a government that promised to fight corruption to a standstill.
“Did you see the numbers just this week on leakages out of OECD figures about corruption in West Africa? You don’t even have to try. You can see it every day.
“You know, what pains me is that many of us threw everything we had into this business, because we thought we’re going to create an anti-corruption regime. We ended up with a more corrupt regime than I think we have ever had in Nigeria. I can prove it. I can bring you the numbers from everywhere OECD reports and so on,” Mr Utomi noted.
With an emphasis on President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, Prof. Utomi, a member of the Third Force Movement, which seeks to reposition Nigeria, said the country had not really been governed with a sense of direction.
“Nigeria is not being governed. And if you look and listen to the conversation that you’ve been having, it shows you the tragedy of the fact that it’s a triumph of politics. Nigerian people are hardly in these conversations. Political parties don’t have programmes, they don’t have exactly a direction to make a difference in people’s lives that they have set up.
“In that kind of situation. You can only get what we have today in Nigeria. Now, for the avoidance of doubt, whether it’s PDP, APC, the truth of the matter is this is the most miserable place to live on Earth today. All the statistics say so,” he said.
Mr Utomi, who was announced last week as President of the Shadow Cabinet set up by the National Consultative Front (NCFront), questioned the constant exchange of blame by the APC and PDP rather than policies for national growth.
He challenged both parties to start addressing the issue of the collapse of culture and moral standards among its members.
Given the prevalent realities of the country backed by indices and statistics, he also accused Nigeria’s political class of lack of empathy.
“If they had empathy, you would see, look, all these numbers that we are throwing out about the poverty rates; if politicians running Nigeria are politicians, they would respond in terms of their behaviour, to the fact that poverty is the number one thing ruling Nigeria.
“But look at the motorcades of governors. Look at their presidential jets as they fly around the place. It shows that there is a complete disconnect between the political class and the people and the pain that people suffer.
“Look, President Obasanjo, as military head of state when oil prices came down, he says look, we’re going to cut our coat according to our clothes not according to our size. And he comes down as president to Peugeot 504 and that’s what he rode as president of Nigeria and everybody else was Peugeot 504 and below,” he said.
The Rivers contest is expected to draw heightened attention in the oil-rich state, as political actors position for influence in a district long regarded as strategic to the balance of power in Rivers State.
INEC disclosed that the by-elections will hold concurrently with the Ekiti State governorship election, underscoring what promises to be a politically charged day across several parts of the country.
Beyond Rivers, the electoral body listed other affected constituencies to include Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, Ondo South Senatorial District, and Enugu North Senatorial District.
The vacancies, according to INEC, arose from a combination of deaths, resignation, and other constitutional developments. In Nasarawa, the demise of Senator Godiya Akwashika has left a gap in a district considered a stronghold of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In Enugu, the passing of Senator Okey Ezea has set the stage for a competitive race in the South-East.
Similarly, the Ondo South seat became vacant following the resignation of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who now serves as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa seat in Kano opened up after the death of Hon. Muhammad Danjuma Hassan.
Analysts say the Rivers South-East by-election, in particular, could reshape political alignments in the state, as parties jostle to fill the void left by Sen. Mpigi and consolidate their foothold ahead of future electoral contests.
Stakeholder from Bayelsa East Senatorial District, on Monday, endorsed the incumbent Senator representing them to run for a second term.
Leading the stakeholders, the former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism and Special Adviser to Governor Douye Diri on Political Affairs (iii), Dr Iti Orugbani, said the reason for the endorsement was based on the federal lawmaker’s trajectory of good deeds and massive execution of projects across communities of the Senatorial district.
Dr Orugbani highlighted some of the projects to include landing jetties, telecommunication masts and town halls amongst others, noting that Sen. Agadaga’s performance has exceeded those of others who hitherto represented the oil rich area.
Bayelsa East Senatorial District comprises Ogbia, Brass and Nembe Local Government Areas of the State.
The Governor’s aide who called on the State’s Eastern political enclave to respect the 2022 new zoning agreement, which guaranteed second term for Senators from the District, stressed the need for political tolerance and peace in the forthcoming 2027 polls.
“In 2022 the leaders and stakeholders across party lines from Bayelsa East held a meeting and altered the old single term for Senators from the district’s agreement and signed that begining from 2023 any Senator emerging from the district must serve for a minimum of two terms.
“In 2023, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, then an incumbent Senator representing the Senatorial district under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was given a second term ticket by the party. Though he lost to the PDP.
“Now that the entire state is now APC and the District has an APC Senator in the person of Benson Agadaga from Ogbia LGA, why not also give him a second tenure?
“The stakeholders in 2022 changed the old political agreement because they saw that it wasn’t beneficial to the district any longer. And so, because it was Ogbia Local Government Area that started the old zoning arrangement by producing the first Senator in 1999, I want to plead that let Ogbia also begin the new two terms zoning agreement”, he said.
Also speaking, the duo of woman leader of a support group, ‘Agadema Women’, Mrs. Owadaba Jokori and the Information Officer of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Central Zone, Comrade Ikio, stated that the incumbent Senator has done well for the district in the past three years that he has been in office.
They lauded the federal lawmaker for his infrastructure projects, especially the construction of landing jetties in select communities of the three local government areas of the district, commending stakeholders for supporting the lawmaker in his second term bid.
In his remarks, Senator Agadaga thanked the stakeholders for the confidence reposed in him and the endorsements he has received lately from constituents and admirers across political parties.
The lawmaker noted that within the past three years that he has been Senator, he has delivered dividends of democracy to his constituents across the Senatorial District, emphasizing that the call for him to be senator from the Brass Senatorial District came to him as a surprise, noting that he accepted the clarion call when the clamour became so loud.
“I was Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, when various groups from the zone came calling on me to contest the 2023 Senatorial polls.
“Ever since winning the elections as a senator, I’ve continued to deliver on my mandate in both representation, lawmaking, oversight, project execution and support for constituents when called upon. And I shall continue to do more if elected for a second term”, the Senator said.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set May 15 as deadline for definite hearing in a suit filed by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The judge on Monday shifted the hearing date following the absence of the plaintiff, Mr Jideobi, and his lawyer in court without any information.
Apart from the absence of the plaintiff, who is a legal practitioner, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, who are 2nd and 3rd defendants in the matter, were also not in court.
Following the absence of the plaintiff and the two defendants, Chris Uche, SAN, representing Dr Jonathan, applied to the court to strike out the suit for lack of diligent prosecution.
Having joined issues with each other, Mr Uche said, the suit is liable for dismissal with a N5 million cost to be awarded against the plaintiff and payable to Dr Jonathan.
He argued that from all indications, the plaintiff has abandoned the suit and ran away upon sighting the preliminary objections raised against the suit, adding that the court is a busy place and not for unserious matters.
Justice Lifu, however, noted that there was no evidence of service of hearing notice on INEC and AGF to appear in court for the suit, adding that lack of service of hearing notice is fundamental.
The judge said rather than striking out the suit, he prefers to bend backward to accommodate the plaintiff and the two defendants for the last time.
While adjourning the matter to May 15, Justice Lifu ordered that hearing notice be served on the plaintiff and the 2nd and 3rd defendants who were not in court on Monday.
The plaintiff, Mr Jideobi, had filed the case seeking an order to restrain Dr Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as an aspirant for the 2027 election.
He is also asking the court to stop INEC from accepting, processing or publishing Dr Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
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