Saraki, Oyegun, Others Shun Tinubu @ 64

The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to be far from coming to end, even the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and some Senators loyal to him have refused to felicitate with the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on his 64th birthday.

Saraki and his loyalists within the party were also conspicuously missing at a conference organised in Abuja on Tuesday to honour Tinubu.

The national chairman of APC John Oyegun, was also said to have refused to congratulate the former Lagos state governor, Tinubu, because of the plots to remove him as the APC national chairman.

As it is a practice for political office holders to issue a statement congratulating the caliber of Tinubu during a celebration like birthday, the Senate President, unlike the Speaker of House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara, refused to say a word in the media as regard Tinubu’s birthday celebration.

Among the prominent politicians who have issued statement were the President, Speaker Dogara, some governors, including main opposition PDP Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state.

It will be recalled that Tinubu and Bukola Saraki renewed their rivalry when the latter had his way to become the Senate President against the wish of his party and the interest of Chief Tinubu.

Credit: 247ureporters

2016 Budget May be Ready in Weeks

Contrary to the claim by the National Assembly that it had concluded work on the 2016 budget last week, the legislature was still putting finishing touches to the document, lending credence to the growing suspicion that Nigerians would have to wait for a few more weeks before works is concluded on it and it is signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, THISDAY learnt wednesday.

THISDAY checks revealed that the Senate Committee on Appropriation was striving hard to round up work on the budget wednesday.



It was also confirmed the allegation by the presidency that the National Assembly only transmitted the highlights of the budget to Buhari for his information with the intention of transmitting the comprehensive budget when it finishes work on it.

However, the legislature was said to have erred by merely transmitting highlights of the document without giving any explanation on why it did so, a development which led to the reaction from the presidency that the document could not be assented to.

It was also learnt that the National Assembly could have saved itself the embarrassment had it sent a note to the president that it was tidying up the budget and would transmit it to him soon.

But the lawmakers were said to have failed to explain the true picture of the situation to the presidency, thus giving rise to the perception that the National Assembly was playing on the president’s intelligence.
When journalists visited the office of the Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, yesterday, they saw some members of the committee work intently on the budget.

Among those sighted were the Vice-Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji, and Deputy Chief Whip and a member of the committee, Senator Francis Alimikhena.

The meeting confirmed findings that work was yet to be concluded on the budget because it is against the norm of a bill’s passage for the lawmakers to keep meeting on the same bill after it has been duly passed.

Under normal circumstances, the clerk of the committee would forward the bill to the Senate President after it has been certified okay by the legal department for his signature.

The senate president would thereafter send it back to the clerk of the Senate who would in turn forward it to the clerk of the National Assembly who would later transmit it to the president for his assent.
However, a situation whereby committee members who ordinarily should be on Easter recess were still meeting on the budget yesterday, strengthened the suspicion that the legislature had not concluded work on the budget and only declared that it had been passed to ward off pressure from the public.

By implication, said an observer last night, the lawmakers will use the highlights, which were announced last week, to work towards an answer (that is the budget details or breakdown).

Several efforts made by journalists to seek Goje’s view on the actual status of budget yesterday proved futile, as he did not only fail to pick his calls, he also refused to reply to any text messages sent to his phone.
When Goje came out of his office and encountered journalists in his reception, the former Gombe State governor could not conceal his irritation.

On bumping into them, his countenance darkened as he turned to his aides and asked in Hausa: “Wa ya kira su? Wa ya kira su?” meaning, “Who called them? Who called them?

Then facing the journalists, he said: “Wa ya kira ku?” meaning, “Who called you?” as he walked away.
THISDAY learnt further that it would take no fewer than two weeks for the comprehensive budget to be ready for transmission to the president.
Efforts made to speak with Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, also yielded no result, as he could not be reached.

However, while the Senate chose to be evasive over the status of the 2016 budget, discordant tunes became the order of the day from the House of Representative, when House Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, said that the normal tradition of the National Assembly was for the budget, when passed, to be transmitted to the president for his assent, alongside all details, adding that it was not possible that only the highlights of the N6.06 trillion budget was sent to Buhari.

This contrasted with the admission by the lower legislative chamber later yesterday that it did indeed transmit only the highlights of the budget to the presidency after its passage on March 23 due to the urgency of the situation, adding that the details would be sent within the next one week or two.

Ogor, speaking with THISDAY, dismissed news reports credited to sources in the presidency that the Buhari was yet to append his signature to the 2016 Appropriation Bill because of lack of details.

The minority leader, who has spent 12 years as a House member, said the report was the work of mischief makers.
“Normally, we do not send highlights to the presidency. What we send is a detailed budget through the clerk of the National Assembly. So unless the presidential spokesman can tell us that only the highlights were received, then I consider it simply speculative, coming from sources.

“The clerk of the National Assembly is a very experienced man, who cannot make that error. If I were to follow the custom of the House where I have been a member for the past 12 years, I can draw the conclusion that the information is fabricated,” he said.

Ogor also noted that while the report might not have been politically motivated to tarnish the image of the National Assembly, it was mischievous.

“This is a non-issue. It is like a storm in a teacup, we have never sent the highlights to the presidency. I also say it’s non-consequential because it is not from a credible source from the presidency. I am surprised that today it is on the front page story of many newspapers, and that is embarrassing,” he added.

Another lawmaker who spoke to THISDAY off record, echoed the minority leader, insisting that it was not possible for the National Assembly to have sent only the highlights of the budget to the presidency.

The lawmaker, who like Ogor is a ranking member in the House, said: “It is totally impossible that the National Assembly would send just highlights. That is not possible. The president is already aware that the budget was passed, and there is a procedure for transmitting it.

“If for any reason just highlights were sent to him, he cannot append it, because that would be like signing a document without reading it. So why would we then send just highlights to him?”

But the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumim, at a press briefing yesterday, contradicted his colleagues when he confirmed that the National Assembly was still working on the details of the budget.

He said that it was the normal practice for the budget highlight to be sent to presidency, while work continues on the details within the parameters of the budget estimates.

“It is not abnormal for the president to assent to the highlights sent to him, it happened in the era of President (Olusegun) Obasanjo, but if President Buhari has said he will only give assent when he receives the details, so be it,” he said.

Abdulmumim said the president could not have accused the National Assembly of any ulterior motives by not sending the details alongside the highlights, going by the challenges the National Assembly faced before the budget estimates were eventually passed.

“This is my fifth time working on budget… this is the most difficult budget we ever worked with… With all the challenges, I doubt the presidency, knowing fully what transpired in the last few months, would be throwing stones at the National Assembly. I do not believe that the statement came from the presidency,” he said.

Abdulmumim recalled the controversies surrounding the budget, starting from the delay in the submission of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework; the delay in the submission of the budget estimates; submission of multiple budgets; and the errors and omissions in the budget, all of which he said resulted in the lawmakers working day and night to ensure its speedy passage.

The budget envelope was retained, he noted, adding that the N17 billion reduction was made at ten per cent across board for all budget proposals of all the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.
“With all we have done, I expect the executive to be thanking us… We worked day and night, we have been very generous with the executive,” Abdulmumim said.

Supporting him, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, also confirmed that the National Assembly did not transmit the details of the budget.

“We didn’t send the details. Budgets are passed in two ways, you either pass the details, await the figures, or pass the figures and await the details,” he told THISDAY.

Namdas added that the details would be sent “very soon” to the presidency. He however did not give an exact date.
“It is normal practice, because of the urgency of the situation. The details must be in tandem with the reports of standing committees of the House. The standing committees interfaced with the MDAs and submitted to the Appropriation Committee before harmonisation.

“The details cannot be done in a hurry. But the most important thing is that we have retained the size of the envelope of the MDAs,” the House spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Hon. Suleiman Abdulrahman Sumaila Kawu, also confirmed that the presidency was yet to receive the budget breakdown.
In a statement yesterday, Kawu said one week after its passage, the president was still waiting for the National Assembly to finish with the details.

The statement read in part: “First, the usual tradition of the budget processes by the legislature and the presidential assent is that if the two chambers pass different figures, they would then constitute a harmonisation committee to harmonise their various positions, after which the appropriation committees of both chambers will work out the details. After working out the details, they will forward it to Mr. President for his assent.

“But this time around, the legislature has passed the same figures. Once the president gets the budget, he and his team will look at the details of what the National Assembly has passed.

“If there is any observation, he will send it back to the National Assembly, and if not, he will assent to it.”
Kawu added that this has been the practice since the return of democracy in 1999.

“Moreover, we wish to thank the National Assembly for working day and night to ensure the successful passage of the budget, although we are still waiting for the details,” he added.

Credit: Thisday

CCT Trial: Saraki Flies in US, Israeli Forensic Experts

 PDP senators vow to produce next senate president if Saraki loses
In his determination to win his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for alleged false declaration of assets, Senate President Bukola Saraki has flown in experts from the United States and Israel to team up with his legal team led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN).

However, it was learnt that the experts are not lawyers but crack investigators, forensic and handwriting specialists with the mandate to provide information on witnesses and documents presented at the tribunal by the prosecution.

The experts who were said to have arrived Lagos on Monday, would leave Lagos for Abuja to join Agabi’s team and commence work soon.



A source in the Senate, who disclosed this yesterday, said the information to be provided by the experts would assist Saraki’s legal team make a credible defence at the Tribunal.

“The investigators will ferret out and scrutinise thoroughly, all available information on the eight prosecution witnesses, including their school records, service records from the past and present, places of employment and personal information that may help the defence team in the course of the trial.

“Most of those so-called witnesses will not be credible when information concerning their life is presented publicly before the tribunal.

“It is also expected that with the fear that the prosecution may present forged documents, our team needs to be vigilant and pro-active considering the manner in which the proceedings before the tribunal is being conducted.
“Our people believe that with the way properties that have nothing to do with Saraki are being put on the charge sheet, there is the suspicion that the documents to sustain their claims may have been forged.

“All these, the experts will screen and help the lawyers with information that may help them,” he explained.
The list of witnesses lined up against Saraki are said to be officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc.

Credit: Thisday

APC, PDP senators set to clash over Saraki’s seat

There are fresh indications that the Peoples Democratic Party members in the upper chamber have perfected strategies to produce a successor to Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President if he is removed as a result of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

But the All Progressives Congress senators have vowed to resist any attempt by their PDP colleagues to take over the red chamber from them.

Our correspondent learnt that the PDP senators met for several hours on Monday night to take a final decision on the issue.

It was not clear whether the current Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, would be allowed to take over the top Senate seat.

A source at the meeting claimed that some people were of the opinion that Ekweremadu should resign alongside Saraki as a sacrifice while an APC senator from the North-Central would emerge as the deputy.

Confirming the development to journalists on Wednesday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaboshi, said the PDP would produce the next Senate President.

He said, “Should the incumbent, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, is forced to vacate the office, we have perfected necessary arrangements to take over the upper chamber.”

He said the PDP was ready to replicate the current system in the United States of America, where the Republicans are in charge of the parliament, while the Democrats are in control of the executive.

He said, “Well, I wish the APC the best of luck if they are on a wild goose chase. But I want you to mark what I am saying. I was the first to address the press in Port Harcourt and I told them that Saraki was going to win the Senate Presidency and I gave them my reasons.

“Then, nobody ever thought that Saraki was going to win. People were saying that APC had decided. But it was clear to me that he was going to win and I had to address the press. Eventually, we went there, he won. If, but God forbids, because we don’t see it coming, by chance, Saraki is removed, I can tell you that the PDP will produce the next Senate President.”

Speaking on how the PDP intends to get the support of other lawmakers to produce the next Senate President, Nwaoboshi said, “We only need three and we have them.”

He added, “The calculation is very clear to me; the calculation is very clear to the PDP. When I told them that Saraki was going to win, I did a lot of mathematical calculations based on the facts on the ground and it is even clearer to me now that the PDP will win it.

“If anybody is thinking that a PDP man is going to vote against a PDP candidate, he is telling you a lie. We have people and we know how to get the people from the APC. We will win and that will be very interesting. What is happening in America is going to happen in Nigeria. America has a Republican Senate but the executive is led by Democrats.

“In any case, my party, the PDP, we have resolved in our meeting to support him (Saraki). So, there is no basis for him to resign.”

However, senators, elected on the platform of the APC, are not taking the plot of their PDP colleagues lightly as they held a meeting last week in the house of a former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aliyu Wammako, in Abuja.

Although the meeting was initially said to have been called with a motive to get all Senators of the APC to unite behind Saraki, it was later learnt that senators at the meeting were more concerned about the embarrassment disunity was causing the ruling party in the Senate.

According to sources close to the meeting, the lawmakers wanted a situation in which the interests of government would be promoted at all times in the Senate.

The meeting was said to have resolved to work in the interest of the party to ensure that the opposition party never had its way on any matter.

But the APC was sharply divided in the Senate along the lines of those supporting the Senate President and those against him.

The unity forum senators had worked against Saraki after he emerged the Senate President in a controversial election but the like-minded senators were on his side.

Spokesperson for the SUF, Senator Kabir Marafa, confirmed that the two factions of the APC in the Senate met last week to close ranks and resist any attempt by the PDP to call the shots in the red chamber.

He said, “We sat for four days last week, brainstormed, agreed and at the end of the day, we came out with a three-point agenda. We felt if they are agreed upon, the APC caucus in the National Assembly can become one.

“Number one issue is the illegality of our committees. We said we must constitute the committees in tune with the Standing Orders of the Senate. Number two is that the APC members, especially the Unity Forum elements, who are marginalised in the formation of the committees, should be accommodated.

“Number three is the issue of leadership and how it affects our party.

“President Muhammadu Buhari talked about party supremacy and how we must obey. These are the three issues that were deliberated upon.

“Number one item in the list was agreed upon. We agreed that we will amend the rules to accommodate all committees of the Senate. Number two on the agenda was also agreed upon; that is the issue of committees, with a view to giving our party members what they deserve.

“We have a government in place and we are senators elected with that government. We are under the same canopy. We have a moral duty to support our government, President and our party.”



Copyright PUNCH.

Why we fled Ekiti, by lawmakers

Line members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday stormed Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to brief reporters on their alleged harassment from law enforcement agencies.

At the Iyaganku Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at 6.30am, the lawmakers said security agents  were trailing them.

Led by the Deputy Speaker, Adewumi Olusegun, they appeared to be on transit as they hurriedly addressed reporters and drove away.

The Chairman, Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan, assisted by Dr. Omotoso Samuel and the Chief Whip, Akinniyi  Sunday, alleged that there were offerred $1million to impeach Governor Ayodele Fayose.

In their prepared speech, they unequivocally restated their loyalty to Fayose as they maintained that “no amount of intimidation, arrest, detention, harassment and monetary inducement will make us dance to the tune of those whose only interest is to truncate the Fayose-led government and return to power through the backdoor”.



The lawmakers said: “They should stop trying to get into power through the backdoor. They should stop this harassment, intimidation and use of federal power to oppress innocent Nigerians.”

They alleged that their lives were being threatened  “and we no longer feel safe in our homes in Ekiti State”.

“We want Nigerians to help us ask the police and their collaborators what the arms they claimed were stockpiled during the election used for? Could arms have been stockpiled and no violence, death or attack recorded during and after the election? “Why is the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State willing to ridicule all government agencies? Why have the police not arrested the APC Chairman, Jide Awe, who is wanted for alleged murder and Temitope Aluko, who was declared wanted by the court for perjury, and instead providing security cover for them?

“Even though we believe that the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, a thoroughbred professional, cannot be part of this clandestine plot, we call on Nigerians to impress it upon the police not to allow themselves to be used by desperate APC politicians. This is because doing so will further expose the penchant of the Buhari-led administration for dictatorship.

“No member of the Assembly is remaining in that state. It is not a question of nine of us here with you. All of us, the 26 members, were targeted but they were trying to arrest 11 of us. Some of us seated here have our names on the hit list.

“We are not going to hide for them. We will resist them with the last blood in our vein, we won’t be coerced. Let it be known to them that we won’t shift ground, no matter the amount of intimidation and harassment. We won’t go into hiding.”

On whether or not the incident is affecting their parliamentary functions, the Deputy Speaker said the lawmakers were still working and passing bills as at Tuesday.

Our problem with the budget, by lawmakers

Details of the budget will not be available for President Muhammadu Buhari until mid-April, lawmakers said yesterday.

Presidency sources said Buhari will not assent to the document unless the details are attached because the lawmakers merely sent a summary to him.
House of Representatives Appropriation Committee Chairman Abdumumin Jubrin said there was nothing unusual in passing the budget and sending the details to the President later.
He said this was done during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure.
According to him, given the “lots of omissions” and being the most difficult budget we’ve ever dealt with”, the least the executive should do is to be grateful to the lawmakers.

 ”I think if they’re not thanking us, they cannot throw stones at the National Assembly,” he added.

Jubrin said: “We in the National Assembly believe that this is the most difficult budget we have ever dealt with. Of course, you all recall that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework ( MTEF) came very late; we accepted it, we dealt with it. The budget itself came late; we accepted it and we dealt with it.

“The budget has had a lot of challenges, which have to do with multiple budget details and, of course, ministers, heads of MDAs coming to disown their budgets. There were other key omissions in the 2016 budget that the National Assembly had to deal with.

“ In some instances, we discovered that budgetary allocations were  not in tandem with the policy thrust of the Federal Government, which is part of the responsibility of the Appropriation Committee, to look into that and try to align the allocations to match the policy thrust of government.

“And, of course, we saw a lot of omissions, inadequate provision for personnel across board.

“I’ve explained to you several times that the case of Prisons ration that was reduced far below the federal Government approved rates. We talked about the NYSC where only 210,000 members were captured as against 260,000. All these we did our best to see how to address these issues and a lot also could not be addressed.”

He said other areas the National Assembly intervened was to align the budget with the security thrust, anti- corruption drive and economic diversification Programmes of the government

 Most members of the Senate Committee on Appropriation met for over two hours yesterday to harmonise the controversial budget.  Many of the 14 members attended.

The meeting was held in the office of Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, its chairman.

A member of the Committee claimed that “the intention of the National Assembly was to transmit highlights of the 2016 budget while work continues on the details.”

The committee member who spoke in confidence further claimed that “there is no doubt that the budget as presented by Mr. President was full of errors and repetitions which made work on the Appropriation Bill more cumbersome.”

He said: “ We were in a fix few days to the passage of the 2016 budget when the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO) brought copies of the booklet they published, which contained errors they discovered in the 2016 budget.

“We had to agree that highlights of the budget be passed and transmitted to the Presidency while we withheld the details so that we can cross check the claims of NABRO in the booklet. From the look of things, it will take another two to three weeks for us to conclude work on the budget. We are not alone; financial experts are also involved in the scrutiny.

“As has been said by a top government functionary on some other national issues, we too are not magicians to correct an Appropriation Bill full of errors and outright distortions in a day.

“You can see that we are working round the clock to give the country an implementable budget.”

The NABRO booklet contains errors, repetitions and padding in the fiscal document.

It involved alleged fresh padding of over N500 billion contained in the budgetary proposals for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and  the Service Wide Votes.

NABRO said it published the document to give technical support to members of the legislature by pointing out some errors in the budget.”

It said: “Given the current challenge of abnormalities in the 2016 budget proposal where projects are repeated more than once in the budget, and others undefined, NABRO rose to the occasion by providing the legislature with an accurate and inclusive review of the line items in the 2016 appropriation bill.”

Goje declined to speak with reporters yesterday on the fresh round of controversy on the budget.

How PDP ’ll produce Oshiomhole’s successor — Rep Edionwele

Joseph Edionwele represents Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.  In this interview, he says Edo people have passed through pains under the APC administration, expressing optimism that the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP would be victorious in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

In the next few months, Edo people will elect a new governor. How prepared is the PDP for the exercise?

It is not an issue of how prepared we are. In Edo state, we are ready for change. We have passed through a lot of pains and troubles. PDP will take over certainly by September. Governor Adams Oshiomhole has not done anything. Nothing has changed. On roads, nothing has changed. In the health sector, nothing has changed. There is no legacy the governor is leaving behind.

But people have been praising the governor. What is your take on that?

What are they praising him for? Is it that he paid bursaries to students? Or that the university is running well? Or workers are being paid? What has he done? What are the things you think will work against APC in the election? The taxes are too high. Everyone is under the burden of heavy taxation. There is no employment in the state. Pensioners are not being paid. There is no infrastructure whatsoever in the state. There are no industries, either new or deactivated. Capacity to employ: There is no sector you can point at and say Oshiomhole has performed well. Even in the health sector, there is nothing. We have less than three surgeons in the whole of Edo state.

What are the programmes the PDP intends selling to the electorate?

Edo State is an agrarian society. In the area of agriculture which ought to be main stay of the state’s economy.  Oshiomhole has not done anything. You know that the sector has the capacity to employ a number of people in the state. Even the Okpella cement factory is right there in his domain. The last we heard about it was that Dangote was going to take over. We do not know what the situation is right now. Oshiomhole has not built any hospital. Even the ones he said he is building are collapsing everyday. The only major road he is doing is Airport Road in Benin City and that road was not in bad shape.

On loans:

It is not just enough to take loans. He should be able to tell us what he did with the loans. When you are leaving government, you should be able to tell us one thing you did. Even the Lucky Igbinedion they are blaming, he established so many polytechnics and colleges of education. He built hostels in the state university and built roads in the school. He built a library. He built the biggest hospital in the state that was named after Stella Obasanjo. Where are Oshiomhole’s projects?
The only thing he is trying to do is the establishment of another university in his own village. Is it that we do not have a state university already? That is after increasing the school fees of Ambrose Alli University. I even wrote a petition to the House of Representatives committee about the loan he applied for. Beside, it was not a new loan.
The truth is that it is a good loan. What we have issues with is the implementation. The first one he took, what did he do with it? It is a good loan that would have helped stimulate the economy. But the manager of the loan is our problem.

How united is Edo PDP ahead of the polls?

There is no crisis in Edo State PDP. We just did our congress and a new chairman emerged. He was re-elected. We are set for the election. We are trying to prune down the number of contestants because we are very sure that we will win the election.
The people of Edo State are tired of Oshiomhole’s government. In the next two months, we will come out with our own candidate.

How will the party manage the issue of zoning?

I am Edo Central and it ought to be our turn, but the reality on ground shows that Edo South should take a shot.

Motions on extortion of our youths

They are more in number. We sat and set up a committee. It is a consensus. It will not affect our chances. We consented to it. Wining is the issue. It is not good to zone it to a place where you will not win. How have you impacted on your constituents since your election? If you were in the House, you will notice that we have raised motions that border on our roads. We have raised motions on extortion of our youths looking for employments. We have raised a motion on juveniles being kept in regular prisons. We have also raised a motion on pensioners that have not been paid. So, we have raised a number of good motions for the wellbeing of Nigerians. In this budget, we have made provisions to ensure that some of our roads are fixed. We have made some intervention funds available whereby some of our schools will be renovated and our women will be empowered. Our youths too will be empowered.

Credit: Vanguard

Rep visits, donates food items, clothing to constituents

The Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, representing Ajeromi/Ifelodum in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Rita Orji, has come to the aid of her constituents as she donated food stuffs, including bags of rice, beans, cartons of tomatoes and clothes to her constituents during the week.

The chairman, who spoke during the kick off of the tour at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, office in Olodi Apapa, said the venture is in fulfillment to the promise she made during her campaign last year. She also visited all the wards in the constituency. Speaking at the event, she said: “This is the fourth time I am doing this since I assumed office last year, it is a quarterly programme and this is to fulfill the promise I made to the people of Ajeromi/Ifelodum federal constituency during the electoral campaign to always visit them and come to their rescue.

There is no plan to stop this kind gesture as it will continue as that is the promise I made to the people. We have also embarked on a skill acquisition programme and at the end of the programme; the graduates will be empowered both in sowing and many other things. “This is my own way of showing a little kindness to the people because many people are suffering. This is my own way to carter for them, put food on their table and clothe the naked. This is also my own way to appreciate them. What we are sharing to the people is not a party affair.”

Sen. Omo-Agege urges support for Buhari

THE senator representing Delta Central senatorial district, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has told Nigerians to continue to have faith and show support for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in its effort to end insurgency, corruption and block leakages, which have hitherto drawn the country backward.

Omo-Agege Omo-Agege, in a statement, stressed the need for Nigerians to draw strength from the lessons of Easter which, according to him, “signifies love and sacrifice,” adding: “If we make the necessary sacrifices and do the right things, the same power that brought Jesus Christ from the grave, will roll away the stone blocking the door of Nigeria’s progress.”

Urging government at all levels to tackle social, economic and political challenges confronting the nation, he enjoined Nigerians to pray to God to deliver the nation from the grave of hopelessness to the shores of joy and resurrection.

He said, “Boko Haram has been degraded and rendered incapable of waging sustained attacks, unprecedented levels of investigations and trials of corrupt government officials are ongoing and the economy has been stabilised. “Now that a budget of change in which for the first time, about 30 percent of government spending is appropriated for capital expenditure and provisions have been made to help the poorest and most vulnerable in our society as transfer payments, has just been passed by the National Assembly, we have a chance to build a better future for ourselves and our children,” he said.

Credit: Vanguard

Crisis: Police seal Kogi Assembly complex

No crisis in Assembly —Gov

Kogi State House of Assembly complex was yesterday sealed off by security agents on the orders of the National Assembly following the protracted leadership crisis rocking the House. Kogi-Assembly

This came as Governor Yahaya Bello of the state, denied any crisis in the Assembly, saying the House had been carrying out its normal legislative activities without disruption or external interferences. But contrary to the governor’s claim, the main entrance to the assembly complex was barricaded, by heavily armed policemen, preventing factional members billed to conduct ministerial budget screening from accessing the complex.

The road leading to the complex was also barricaded by armed policemen, who subjected staff of the assembly to scrutiny and only allowed them in upon confirmation of their employment status through their Identity Cards. Vanguard gathered from one of the security agents at the gate that they were acting on the order of the Commissioner of Police, following a directive from the Force Headquarters in Abuja. Speaking on the seal-off, a member from the embattled Speaker’s camp, Aliyu Akuh, said since the crisis remained unresolved and the other faction ignored the directive to return to status quo ante by the House of Representatives, there was no other option than to seal off the complex.

However, the factional Speaker, Umar Imam, who spoke to newsmen in Lokoja said, the action of the security operatives did not amount to seal-off, insisting that the Assembly was still performing its function. According to him: “At our last sitting on Thursday March 24, we adjourned till  April 12 to give room for budget defence. So we were not even sitting because we are on recess. “We are on oversight function to speak with MDAs for their budget defence. So, as far as we are concerned, the Assembly has not been sealed because it is still functional, workers are working in the complex. “By the time we finish with our recess and budget defence, we shall continue with other Assembly businesses.”

However, the Committee on Appropriation, who were to conduct their budget screening at the Assembly complex, relocated to the Government House to carry out its function, as the Committee met with the Ministry of Information, and two other committees yesterday. Speaking with State House Correspondents  in Abuja, Governor Bello appealed to the people of the state to join him in rebuilding the state, insisting that the time of crisis was over. He said: “My House is sitting and we have absolute peace in Kogi State. I am not aware of that the National Assembly is supposed to have taken over.

The  state is absolutely in peace and the legislative activities are ongoing. “I am the executive and the executive is functioning and we are doing the best we can. The legislature is doing its own business and is on it. Members should remain calm. Kogi State has bled for long. This is not the time for crisis. “This is the time to work and I am here to work. I am not here to have any political fuss with anybody, whoever is ready should join me and let’s fix Kogi State”.

On the federal government bailout funds to states, the governor said : “We applied for it and its under processing so right now I have not gotten any bail-out yet. Well, I think to the best of my knowledge, the last administration either did not go on with the process properly, which we are doing now to correct whatever was not done properly so that we can access it for our people.”

No member will honour DSS invitation again – Ekiti Assembly

As a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Afolabi Akanni regained freedom from the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, last Friday; the state assembly has advised its members not to honour any invitation from the security agency for their safety.
Aside Akanni, the Assembly announced that its three other members: Musa Arogundade, Badejo Anifowose and Sina Animasaun, who had gone underground since March 4 when some DSS operatives allegedly invaded the assembly complex have resurfaced from hiding and are now reunited with members for legislative duties.

The Assembly, at a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, said the manner in which Akanni was detained for18 days without any cogent reason, gave credence to the widespread insinuation that the agency was being allegedly used by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to forcefully impeach Fayose.


The Speaker, Hon Kola Oluwawole said the House has resolved that members should shun any invitation from DSS, saying they heard it from the grapevine that the security agency is still after some of his colleagues over spurious allegations.

He said: “We are lawmakers and not law breakers. If the DSS has started on a good note, we would have cooperated. But going by the questions posed to Hon. Akanni during interrogation that why was he resisting Fayose’s impeachment shows that they have a sinister motive.

“We have collectively resolved that based on that suspicion, we may not be able to honour any invitation by DSS because of our safety”.

A speech read by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, praised the National Assembly, traditional rulers and concerned Nigerians for their swift response, leading to the release of Hon Akanni.


Aribisogan advised the DSS to stop subjecting the lawmakers to unnecessary trauma , saying what they were made to pass through during the trying period didn’t portray Nigeria as a democratic and civilized nation.

“The three members and some governor’s aides had to go into hiding when it became obvious that the DSS was desperately after them too and their fear became further heightened when the DSS refused to obey an order of the court for the immediate release of Hon. Akanni,” he stated.

Saraki donates N5m to victims of Kano market inferno

Senate President Bukola Saraki has donated N5 million to victims of the recent fire incident at Sabon Gari market in Kano State.
The Chairman, Senate committee on Works, Sen. Kabiru Gaya, announced the donation when he paid a sympathy visit to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje in Kano on Wednesday.

Gaya, who represents Kano South Senatorial District, said that the magnitude of the inferno would impact negatively on economic lives of the victims.


“The Senate president was so much worried and concerned about the unfortunate incident; this is the reason why he asked me to represent him to bring the donation.

”We, the three senators from the state, will also sponsor a motion on the floor of the house for the urgent assistance of the Federal Government to victims of the disaster,” he said.

Gaya, who commiserated with the affected traders, prayed God to prevent future occurrence and replenish what they lost in the inferno.

He also commended Ganduje for setting up committees to facilitate return of business activities in the market as well as for the steps so far taken by the government to provide immediate assistance to the victims.


Ganduje commended the senate president for the gesture and assured him that the money would be used judiciously for the purpose it was donated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Gaya had earlier inspected Tamburawa bridge, being threatened by erosion, and promised to ensure its immediate rehabilitation by the Federal Government. (NAN)

Rivers Legislative Rerun: " Sen. Magnus Abe Lied About Violence In Rivers South East"

Former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly and present Commissioner for Chieftancy and Local Government Affairs in the state Prince Dr. John Bazia has reacted to allegations by Sen. Magnus Abe a Senatorial candidate in the Rivers South East Senatorial district rerun elections that the Peoples Democratic Party PDP perpetrated violence in the last elections leading to its cancellation.

John Bazia while speaking to Parliamentary Info TV in a yet to be broadcast documentary programme on the Rivers Rerun Polls said it was disappointing that the former Secretary To the Rivers State Government has opted to duel in falsehood.
He said rather than accuse PDP of being the aggressor in the polls, Abe and the APC should rather see themselves as the aggressors in the rerun elections. " They came with military men despite a subsisting Court order against their presence and when the military men were brought in, they did not come for peace rather they came to kill innocent citizens of the state especially as was the case at Tai".

Dr. Bazia who was the PDP agent for the election in Tai Local Government Area of the state condemned the conduct of INEC. He said the conduct of the Independent National  Electoral Commission INEC was deplorable during the election. "It is disheartening that after all the last administration under Jonathan and Attahiru Jega did to bring about credibility in our elections, the present INEC is destroying it with lack of preparations and inconclusiveness in most elections held so far. This will not take us anywhere and will end  up making a mockery of us in the international community he said".

The Rivers state commissioner of Local Government Affairs while reiterating his angst against the deployment of soldiers in the Rivers rerun said it was wrong for politicians to denigrate the Nigerian Army the way the APC did during the last elections. " Anytime you bring the Army for divisive purposes then you are among those who do not want Nigeria to get to the height it ought to get to" He said. John Bazia while insisting that Sen. Magnus Abe brought the military to feather his inordinate ambition of making it back to the Senate at all cost, urged patriotic Nigerians to condemn the impunity of the APC led federal government in drafting the Army to the election in disregard of court orders. "If your people have offended you and you can't find a way to forgive them all you need to do is invite the police who are trained to handle such civil situations. Inviting the Army whose major training is to kill into civil matters is wrong. It only shows one thing which is 'kill them to lead them'.

This is exactly what Magnus Abe intended to achieve and this is why the people have rejected him" John Bazia posited.
On the statement credited to President Muhammadu Buhari that Rivers State is the bloodiest state in the country, John Bazia said as much as he has utmost respect for the President he believes he is human and is prone to imperfection. "The president gave in to party sentiments when he made that statement but Nigerians know that Rivers state is not bloody as the President had posited. If Rivers State is the most bloody state in the country then what about the bloodletting in states in the north east and the massacre in Benue and Plateau states. I don't think the President was right to have made such comments. Even ONELGA which has been painted as the most violent area in the state witnessed a peaceful election despite all the propaganda" Hon. Bazia said.

On the yet to be rescheduled elections in the Local Governments and wards  cancelled by INEC, John Bazia urged the people to maintain the peaceful disposition they maintained during the rerun and remain vigilant. He said the love the people have for PDP is a movement which cannot be suppressed even with a thousand tanks and expects that the people will exude such character whenever INEC finally decides to conduct the elections. He also advised INEC to be up and doing and not to put the country into shame by presiding over a sham election.

Factional Anambra PDP Reps candidates protest at INEC

House of Representatives candidate of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra state and their supporters have stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Abuja to protest the continued delay of the commission to act on the Supreme Court judgment in respect of the rightful winners of the National Assembly seats in Anambra state in the 2015 general elections.

The protesters, who took up positions at the entrance to the commission on Wednesday chanting solidarity songs, displayed placards which called on INEC to issue certificates of return to the representatives in order for them to resume at the National Assembly.

They also accused the national electoral body of bias in the way it is handling the matter.

Bauchi governor signs N135 billion budget into law

Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State has signed into law the 2016 appropriation bill of over N135 billion tagged “The Budget of Revival”.
The governor said the budget was formulated in line with the manifesto of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.

According to a statement on Sunday by his spokesperson, Abubakar Al-sadique, ” the N135, 303, 100, 010 budget in the 2016 fiscal year, is made up of capital expenditure taking N70, 407, 990, 843 and recurrent expenditure having N64, 895, 109, 167.”
The statement said the governor assured of judicious implementation of the budget in accordance with the rebranding programme of his administration in clear departure from the culture of the past.

Mr. Abubakar thanked the legislature for the speedy passage of the bill; an action, he said, confirms the Assembly’s concern for the plight of the people and its determination to support the executive to improve the life of the common man.
“The appropriation bill, which is the first by the administration of Governor Mohammed Abubakar was presented to the Bauchi State House of Assembly early in the year and was just passed into law last week, few days before the National Assembly passed the 2016 appropriation sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari,” the statement said.

Ekiti House passes LG functionaries remuneration law

According to a statement by the Special Assistant (Media) to the House Speaker, Stephen Gbadamosi, members of the House were unanimous in their support for the passage of the bill “because it will make the local government political functionaries perform their constitutional duties as entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”
Ekiti State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that will enable local government political functionaries to perform their constitutional roles, while earning commensurate emoluments.
The bill was unanimously passed by all the members of the Assembly.
According to a statement by the Special Assistant (Media) to the House Speaker, Stephen Gbadamosi, members of the House were unanimous in their support for the passage of the bill “because it will make the local government political functionaries perform their constitutional duties as entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”.
The Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Alagbada Adeniran, moved the motion for discussion and approval of the bill.
Adeniran was seconded by Hon. Titilayo Owolabi-Akerele.
Members of the House, including the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Chief Olugboyegar Aribisogan; Ekundayo Akinleye; Sunday Akinniyi; Olatunji Akinyele; and the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Dr. Samuel Omotoso, all canvassed for a speedy passage of the bill, noting that Ekiti State was the only state that had elected representatives at the local government level and whatever would make political functionaries at the local level perform their functions should not be held with levity.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole, who presided over the plenary, said the importance of the bill could not be overemphasised.
Oluwawole added that the bill was structured in accordance with the guidelines of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

SENATOR ABE CALLS ON SUPPORTERS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES, RESIST BEING KILLED

Senator Magnus Ngei Abe,All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate in the Rivers South East Senatorial District re-run election has called on all APC supporters across the Rivers South East Senatorial District to take whatever step necessary to defend themselves and protect their lives and property if attacked by PDP thugs and supporters.

Speaking at a Press conference  in Port Harcourt, Abe said that the decision was taken after a careful review of the security situation in the district where PDP had armed their supporters with automatic rifles and dynamites.

"From today, if anybody opens fire on members of the APC anywhere in my senatorial district,there will be a response. Anybody who has two heads should bring out his second head to do whatever he wants to do within the senatorial district that would affect the lives or threaten the lives of members of the APC. We will no longer tolerate it. We are not women only. We are not children only. We are men, women and youths that are members of this party. From now on, we will defend ourselves; we will protect our members and do whatever is necessary to secure our lives and secure the lives of our members”.

Abe recalled that in Gokana, where Mr. Kenneth Kobani was arrested for disrupting the election that hell was let loose when PDP supporters opened fire with assault rifles on everybody who was there and threw dynamites and bombs in the INEC office.

He stated that if not for the presence of soldiers, it would have got out of hand.

The former Secretary to Rivers State Government said that after the incident, armed thugs of PDP matched with their guns and dangerous weapons in B-Dere and several communities, destroying property of members of All Progressives Congress (APC).

He further stated that when he heard about adequate security presence in the state for the election, he had thought that there would be checkpoints everywhere, but was surprised that only few policemen were at INEC office while, the rest of the local government area were without police presence.

"We expected that given all that have been said about the expectation of violence in Rivers State that the entire state will be in lock down, there will be checkpoints, police and soldiers everywhere, unfortunately, that did not happen. There was zero security presence. Even when it became clear that lives of INEC Adhoc Staff were being threatened and in jeopardy, nothing much was done to protect their lives not to talk of our own supporters of the APC, who have become an endangered species in Rivers State”.

Abe said despite this lawlessness, there had not been any meaningful investigation by the security agents.

He stated that in the light of this, that he was faced with two alternatives, either to withdraw or for APC members and supporters to defend themselves.

"Therefore, in the light of the present situation, we have no other option than to either withdraw from the race or call on our members to defend themselves as we go forward. Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, given the overwhelming support that I enjoy from the people of the Rivers South East Senatorial District, I cannot withdraw from the race. We are on a journey that can only end in victory because we have the people with us”.
The APC leader revealed that immediately after the shooting incidence at the INEC office, that PDP thugs had the effrontery to match towards his house open fire around the premises.

He thanked God and the policemen attached to his residence who resisted them, pointing out that it would have been a different story.

Abe narrated what he had suffered while trying to maintain peace and be a gentle man such as the burning of his building at Bori, carrying of coffin written with his name on it as well as  attack on him and his supporters on three occasions during rallies.

He also mentioned the cases of attack on his supporters such as Mr. Pabbi, who was abducted in front of his family and had not been seen till today and Mr. Court, who was killed in obnoxious manner.

Abe advised Governor Nyesom Wike to direct PDP thugs to stop the destruction of billboards in Rivers South East Senatorial District and not to attack APC supporters again.

"The governor has said that he is going to start his campaign from my senatorial district. On behalf of members of APC, we welcome him and the PDP team to come and campaign in our senatorial district. Nobody should harass them and nobody should try to stop them or do anything to them. They should be allowed to carry on their own campaign. In the same vein, I want to appeal to Gov. Nyesom Wike to also appeal to his own supporters to stop the destruction of our billboards in my senatorial district. They should also stop any attack on any member of the APC in our senatorial district. People have talked about people calling for a State of Emergency. I don't want to call for State of Emergency. But, he has his own army. It is time that he advises his army in the interest of the state, which he governs not to operate in Rivers South East Senatorial District. If they do so, our people will respond and respond overwhelmingly”.

Abe  commended his supporters for believing in his principles.

"I thank our supporters who have cautioned, restrained and conducted themselves beyond measure. In the face of death and threat, they have been compelled to behave like women and children, when they obviously have the capacity to defend themselves, out of respect for me”.

"Today, I hereby call upon them to please respond in any situation where any member of our party is threatened. To please respond in any situation where any member of our party is killed. To please respond in any situation where property belonging to any member of APC in the Rivers South East Senatorial District is destroyed”.

N5m falls off moving bullion van along Lagos House Of Assembly Complex

Money recovered by Task Force

Men of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit, (Task Force) have recovered N5 million that fell-off  a moving bullion van along Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, Alausa, Ikeja.

Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force Superintendent of Police, SO, Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed that two Police officers attached to the agency recovered the money.
The two officers, Sergeant Ogunbiyi Agbabu and Inspector Eheziekia Abiona, recovered the money which fell of the van when it sped past the agency’s headquarters at Alausa.

He therefore, implored the Police and Lagos State Government to commend the officers for their honesty and integrity.

The chairman however, requested that the owner of any bullion van that drove through the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex between  November to December 2015 with missing N5 million should come forward with cogent proof of ownership.

Wike: INEC’s Failure to Release Re-run Elections Results Breeding Suspicion, Conflict

Warns Amaechi creating problems for Buhari
· PDP dismisses calls for state of emergency
· Party Senate Caucus insists INEC must release results


Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release outstanding results of the March 19 rerun elections in the state was breeding unnecessary suspicion and conflict.

He also expressed concern that the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, was creating problems for President Muhammadu Buhari by his activities during the re-run elections in the state.

This is even as the Senate Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, insisted that INEC must release the collated results of the March 19 re-run elections.

Speaking during a solidarity visit by the PDP Senate Caucus, Wike said the Minister of Transportation lost his local government area and Federal Constituency, hence his desperation to cause a delay in the release of the results.

He said: “Any person who loves Mr President won’t be causing unnecessary crisis for him. We have problem in the North East, problem in the South-East, so there is no need for another problem in the South-South.

“It is good that the elections were held so that Nigerians will know the truth about the polity. If elections are held 20 times, PDP will win”.

These came as the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah, described those calling for a declaration of state of emergency in state as “mischievous idlers”.

Wike spoke on Tuesday when he received the Ogbakor Ikwerre, United States and Canada Branch, at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

Wike said that the continued delay in the release of results of constituencies where elections was concluded breeds unnecessary suspicion and conflict.

Political leaders, civil society groups want Saraki’s CCT trial dismissed

SOME political leaders in the North-Central zone and members of civil society organizations, yesterday called for the dismissal of the ongoing trial of the Senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.

The political leaders on the platform of Leaders of Thought, North Central Zone, at a briefing in Ilorin, rejected the CCT’s judgment of March 24, 2016. The spokesman of the group, Senator Ahmed Mohammed, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, not to be care-free to the alleged injustice and abuse of legal system in the country by the chairman of the CCT.

According to them, “We have refrained from speaking about the trial of the President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal because of our belief that it was an issue that would stand the test of truth, equity and justice. But it has become significant to raise our voice at this juncture not only for posterity, but because of the pronouncement of Justice Danladi Umar which established clearly that double standard is reigning supreme”.

Justifying their call for president president’s intervention, Mohammed noted that Saraki did not only deliver Kwara State 100% to All Progressives Congress, APC, in the last general elections, he was a pillar in the North central. Also speaking, the secretary general of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisation, Basambo Abubakar, said the senate president represented the face of Nigerian youths and students, contending that Dr. Saraki was the face of tomorrow for Nigerian students and youths.

Abubakar, said “In the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, APC used to have only one Governor in Nasarawa before Kwara joined. Today APC rules in all the states of North central for the party, courtesy of the outstanding role he played with others. There is no other zone that came from one out of six governors to six over six today. APC also has the most number in National Assembly, state Assemblies and local councils.”

‘Intervening factors’ stall publishing of Imo Assembly yearly reports

The expected yearly report of the Imo State House of Assembly Service Commission has run into arrears, following what the establishment’s Chairman, Chief Emeka Okoronkwo, called “some intervening factors.” Okoronkwo made this known while submitting the Commission’s 2014 Report to the Speaker of the State Assembly, Chief Acho Ihim, in his office. “The delay in presenting the 2014 Annual Report was necessitated by the change of leadership of the Assembly Service Commission”, Okoronkwo said.

According to the Commission’s Chairman, the former Chairman, Chief Emma Ibediro, who doubled as the State Secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, was encumbered with the 2015 general elections. “There was also the interregnum experienced at the commission, which lasted for about six months. All these realities engineered the late submission of the 2014 Annual Report”, Chief Okoronkwo explained.

While promising that the 2015 Annual Report would be submitted shortly to the Speaker, the Chairman also appealed to the Speaker to facilitate the speedy completion and furnishing of their new office complex.

Speaking after receiving the report, the Speaker charged Okoronkwo to instill proper work ethics and discipline in the Commission’s staff, stressing that the incessant industrial action over minor issues could have been discussed through dialogue. While calling for quick submission of all subsequent annual reports, the Speaker also promised to assist the Commission succeed in its constitutional assignment.

The bad example from Rivers

​

THE run-up to the federal and state legislative election re-runs in Rivers State had been marked with much bloodshed running up to the dozens. So it was not totally surprising that last Saturday’s elections were also characterised by much violence. At the last count, at least five persons, including a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Samuel Okonta, had been killed.
We are especially concerned that since the advent of the Prof. Mahmud Yakubu- led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) most of the re-run elections have either been marred by violence or officially declared inconclusive. The outcome of the Kogi governorship election remains a sore that is still a challenge to the judicial authorities.

The Bayelsa governorship election was turned into a theatre of war, and like the situation in Kogi, required a re-run to acquire a modicum of acceptability. The problems we dare say are not only centred on the conduct and competence challenges of the Yakubu-led election management body.

The provision of security, which is a service rendered by the Federal Government, has been remarkably uninspiring particularly in Bayelsa and Rivers States, where the military, Police and other security agents were massively deployed. The failure of the security agencies to secure the electorate, INEC officials and ad-hoc staff, law-abiding citizens and electoral logistics emboldened some politicians to violate the processes.

It is a sore point to note that perpetrators of election violence are not prosecuted in Nigeria, a fact that has continued to sustain the cycle of electoral impunities in the country. Had the security agencies made strong examples of the perpetrators of the electoral violence and their sponsors it would have helped to deter the high rate of bloodshed and reign of hoodlums during elections.
We are disappointed in the roles played by the leadership of the two main political parties – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly Governor Nyesom Wike and Minister Rotimi Amaechi, whose utterances and conducts aggravated the situation.

We also fault the continuing hesitation of President Muhammadu Buhari to name the full complement of National Commissioners for the INEC. By failing to name all the Commissioners, the President has inadvertently denied the electoral body the full complement of human resources and personnel required to articulate and drive policies and programmes towards more credible and acceptable elections under his watch.

We call on President Buhari to immediately fill all the vacancies in the Commission and take adequate steps to address the security gaps that have now soiled our electoral culture which, during the President Goodluck Jonathan/Professor Attahiru Jega years, had come to be reckoned with as among the most promising in Africa.

Rivers Legislative rerun: Chikere, Chinda Nsiegbe announced winners... Anabraba wins for APC in State House

• Other results are being probed, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Port Harcourt Federal constituencies 1 and 2 and that of Obio/Akpor winners of the March 19 rerun National and State Legislative Assemblies elections in Rivers State.

INEC also declared the party’s candidate for Port Harcourt state Constituency 2, Adoki Tonye Smart, winer of the election.

The national electoral umpire announced the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Benibo Fredrick Anabraba, winner of Akuku-Toru state Constituency 2.

The results were announced last night in Port Harcourt, the state capital, by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Aniedi Ikoiwak.



Ikoiwak said PDP’s candidate for Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 1, Kenneth Anayo Chikere, got 18, 904 votes to defeat his closest rival, Igo Aguma, of the APC, who polled 6, 035 votes.

The election results also showed that PDP’s candidate for Port Harcourt Constituency 2, Mrs. Blessing Nsiegbe, polled 6, 968 votes to defeat Collins A. N. Owhondah of the APC, who got 3,154 votes.

INEC announced that PDP’s candidate for Obio/Akpor state constituency, Kingsley Chinda, polled  27, 895 votes to defeat his closest rival, Tony Okocha, of the APC, who polled 9, 514 votes.

Thus far,  the PDP has won four Federal and eight state constituency seats in the rerun; APC has won two of the state constituency seats.

Ikoiwak said the decision to announce the results was reached last Wednesday at the Abuja meeting of the electoral umpire.

The REC said other constituencies, which had conclusive elections  but with their results yet to be announced, were being investigated.

He added that they would be released the moment investigations into their conducts were concluded.

Saraki calls for improved diplomatic ties between Nigeria, Colombia

The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday called for a closer collaboration between Nigeria and Colombia in order to improve diplomatic ties and enhance democratic governance in both countries.
Senator Saraki, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Sanni Onogu, in Abuja and made available to DAILY POST, said this when he received a Parliamentary delegation from Colombia, led by Senator Edinson Delgado in his office.

He also said that the National Assembly is open to relationships with other advanced parliaments across the globe to broaden its legislative experience and knowledge of its lawmakers.


He noted that Nigeria and Colombia have a long standing relationship that needs to be oiled and improved upon for mutual benefits just as he canvassed for strong investment in the Nigeria economy by the Colombian investors.

He said; “We are happy that you are here. I believe your visit will further strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and Colombia.

“For many years, lots of opportunities have not been harnessed by both countries in spite of the fact that Nigeria and Colombia have a lot of things in common. Here in Nigeria, we have two chambers just like you have in Colombia.

“We are very identical, we must build this relationship and that is why I am encouraging this visit particularly at this period of diversification of our economy,” Saraki said.


The Senate President extended invitation to the parliament of Colombia for cooperation and exchange of programmes that would improve the quality of law making in both countries.

Earlier, the leader of the Colombian parliamentary delegation, Senator Edinson Delgado called for mutual cooperation between his country and Nigeria for mutual diplomatic and economic benefits.

Delgado said the team which comprises Colombian businessmen and investors was in Nigeria on a three city tour of Lagos, Yola and Port Harcourt to foster partnerships and explore opportunities with a focus on commerce, industry and agriculture between both countries.

He promised to work hard to improve the economic and parliamentary relationship between Colombia and Nigeria.

“We are keen to strengthen our diplomatic relationship and establish basic opportunities between our two countries.” Delgado said.

Ekiti Government claims APC invades state with policemen from Abuja to arrest 11 lawmakers, others

The Ekiti State government on Tuesday alleged that armed policemen from Abuja have now invaded the State to begin indiscriminate arrest of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders, top
government officials and 11 members of the State House of Assembly under funny allegation of stockpiling arms during the June 21, 2014 governorship election.
It alleged that the policemen were led by one CSP Mohammed Abubakar of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abuja.

Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, who made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the new plot was an aftermath of the failure of the Department of State Services (DSS) to achieve the plot of coercing the House of Assembly members to impeach the Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose.


The government said the indiscriminate arrest was to begin this night and that the policemen arrived Ado Ekiti, the State capital with Mr TKO Aluko and APC Chairman, Jide Awe today.

“We are aware of the arrival of policemen from Abuja to Ekiti State with the intention of arresting 11 members of the House of Assembly, two PDP leaders per local government and some other top officials of the government.

“Ridiculously, the offense for which the policemen are to embark on this indiscriminate arrest is owing to TKO Aluko malicious outburst that those listed for arrest stockpiled arms during the governorship election conducted in Ekiti close to two years ago.

“This plot is in furtherance of the APC plot to destabilize the government of Ekiti State just because of Governor Fayose’s hard stance on President Mohammadu Buhari’s APC government policies.


“The question is, what was the arms they claimed were stockpiled used for? Was anyone killed or attacked during the election?

“And why is the Police not arresting the APC Chairman, Jide Awe who is wanted for alleged murder and TKO Aluko, who was declared wanted by the court for perjury, and instead providing security cover for them?

“We, therefore, wish to alert Nigerians on this new plot and state that Ekiti people will resist any attempt to use the Police to harass innocent citizens of the State.

“Democratically, we are entitled to our views on any issue in Nigeria and we won’t succumb to intimidation and harassment from any agency of the Federal government.”

Sabon-Gari Market Fire: Bukola Saraki Concerned Over Market Fires

Sabon-Gari Market Fire – Senate President Bukola Saraki has expressed concern over the increasing incidence of market fires following the Sabon-Gari market fire. The popular market burned down early Saturday morning, and Saraki expressed his condolences as he worried about yet another market fire.

He said in a statement: “The continuous loss of merchandise and properties in many commodity markets in the country, and Kano in particular, to fire disasters has reached a worrisome level that requires urgent measures to combat the trend.

“These fire incidents have deprived our hard working and determined traders the means of livelihood and survival and these traders are expectedly breadwinners of their families.

“In addition, these losses represent the depletion of national wealth as most of the victims constitute a significant chunk of the entrepreneurial class, who are supposedly great contributors to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“This is most unfortunate to the economy of Kano State, more so, coming after the destruction of the Kurmi market, the oldest market in Kano by fire, and the recent inferno at the furniture section of the Abubakar Rimi market.

“The Senate is pained by the loss, and I seize this opportunity to underscore the need for adequate preventive measures against fire disasters in our markets.

“All markets in the country must be built with the plans to prevent outbreak of fire and equipped with fire-fighting equipment. Also, market women should be trained in fire preventive measures and drills,” he said.

Tinubu is our hero of democracy – Dogara

Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has ‎hailed the All Progressives Congress (APC) Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as he clocks 64.

He described Tinubu as a formidable political force that brought changes to political landscape of Nigeria.


Dogara said this on Monday in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, in Abuja to congratulate Tinubu on the occasion of his 64th birthday.

“On this joyous occasion of your birthday, we in the House of Representatives, salute you, great leader, for the milestones you have attained in Nigeria.

“Your feats are bold and exceptional; from business to governance and politics. As a governor, you made sweeping reforms that till date, your successors are still building on and making Lagos State proud.

“In politics, you have been a formidable force, helping to put together a great political party that won power at the centre in Nigeria.


“You have proved to be a true hero of democracy, a light that cannot be concealed.

“As you mark yet another year, my prayer for you is that God will continue to consolidate your efforts and crown them all with success,’’ Dogara was quoted as saying in the statement.

Grazing routes won’t solve herdsmen/farmers’ clashes –Reps

Members of the Benue Parliamentary Caucus at the House of Representatives on Monday again opposed calls for the creation of grazing routes across the federation as a solution to the unceasing clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

They said population explosion over time had made grazing routes a useless option in the face of the limited land available to farmers.

Lives and valuable property are being lost in parts of the country owing to frequent clashes between armed Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

In the latest attacks in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, over 500 lives were reportedly lost, while thousands of villagers were displaced from their homes and turned to refugees in tents and community school premises.

The leader of the caucus, Mr. Orker Jev, told The PUNCH in Abuja that some 50 and 60 years ago, it was possible to create grazing routes for cows because the country’s population was small, adding that people did not consider such routes an issue.

He noted that in 2016, with Nigeria’s population estimated to be “over 170 million,” there were more people occupying limited land for agricultural purposes.

The caucus argued that the grazing routes would only be a “time bomb” as the question would arise as to who would give up his land for the cattle routes.

Orker, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Rules/Business, added, “The population explosion that we have here has not expanded the land that people are living on.

“Population has been growing, but the land remains the same; no addition.

“Grazing routes were conceivable 50 or 60 years back, but you cannot talk the same way today because we have more people and less land today. Now, where will the grazing routes be?”

The caucus called on the federal and state governments to introduce a “policy on ranching,” whereby every cattle owner must have a ranch for his or her cows.

It stated that with ranches, the cows would be restricted to a particular location where grazing facilities could be provided for them all year round against the current practice of allowing them to stray into farms and destroy crops.

“The best solution is that cattle owners should build ranches; ranch your cows so that they will not go about destroying other people’s means of livelihood,” Orker said.

He also urged the Federal Government to beef up security at Nigeria’s porous borders to prevent strangers from moving in and out of the country at will.

Orker explained that this had become imperative as there were suspicions that some of the attackers might be “hired mercenaries,” who could easily blend with the local Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria.

He said, “Several resolutions were reached at meetings between Benue and neighbouring states, but the herdsmen will always deny that they know the attackers. If what they are saying is true, my thinking is that perhaps, we have foreigners in our midst.

“They are taking advantage of the porous borders to cross in and out of the country to cause damage. So, we must address the issue of our borders. For now, most of these killers may not be Nigerian Fulani and it is dangerous to have such people in your domain.”

Meanwhile, a traditional ruler in Ogun State, the Onijoun of Ijoun in the Yewa North Local Government Area, Oba Razaq Adewusi, has appealed to the federal and state governments, to, as a matter of urgency, rescue his people from the menace of Fulani herdsmen, who have been wreaking havoc on the residents of the area.

He said the herdsmen had not only destroyed farms and stored farm produce such as yam, maize, cocoa, cashew and coffee plantations, they had resorted to armed robbery and raping women.

Copyright PUNCH.