Frontline leaders and politicians yesterday agreed to back President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term come 2019.
They said they will only gun for the plum office after expiration of the president’s second term.
These were the highpoints after a brainstorming session in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The decisions came on the heels of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s clamour for Igbo Presidency in 2019.
At the well attended meeting, a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, emerged leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southeast.
It was also disclosed that three current governors in the zone will be joining the APC soon.
Those in attendance at the meeting held at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) were: Ken Nnamani, Emeka Offor, Ifeanyi Araraume, George Moughalu, Tony Eze, Ebuka Onunkwo, Jombo Offor, Eze Madumere, members of the National Working Committee of APC, as well as other prominent politicians from the zone.
Speaking after a closed door meeting, the host governor, Rochas Okorocha, said: “Now that Igbo leaders are together in APC, Nigerians will hear us.
“There is a vaccum of leadership in the South-East APC. I am a Governor. My brothers Chris Ngige and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu are ministers.
“Hence the importance of Ken Nnamani coming at this time. I declined leadership of Ndi-Igbo in APC.
“With Ken Nnamani, the question of who is the leader of APC in the Southeast has been answered. Ken Nnamani is the leader of APC in the South-East.”
He went on: “Senator Nnamani should then work with other leaders like Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Jim Nwobodo and a host of others to give Ndi-Igbo Political direction.
“Those who have joined the Party or who want to join should do so to build the Party and not to cause Confusion. APC is the right Party for the Igbo and the only Party that can guarantee Igbo Presidency”.
He went: “We are going to support President Muhammadu Buhari for the eight years he is going to lead the nation.
“This is the time for Ndi-Igbo to come and work together. We are also going to use the Anambra election to show that APC has arrived Southeast.
“The Igbo played bad politics in 2015. Today we have lost a lot. We are not anywhere because of our bad politics.”
Okorocha also disclosed three governors in the zone were in touch with him to join the APC soon.
He added that being the only APC governor in the Southeast does not give him joy and advised that other political leaders in the geopolitical zone should take “advantage of the moment and come into APC.”
Nnamani said the Igbo need more of their leaders at the National leadership of the APC where decisions are taken and at the National Assembly and other strategic areas.
The former Senate President stressed: “Some of us going into APC are not doing so because of hunger but in the interest of the Igbos.
“We should play politics of ideas and avoid abusive words. Ndi-Igbo do not have the ingredients for opposition politics.
“We do not have the media or business or money to play opposition politics but we won’t ask for handouts.”
He continued: “How the Yorubas voted in 2015 should be an eye-opener. They voted both sides but the South-East put their eggs in one basket.
“I am not of the view that everybody should be in APC but those have seen the need should do so.
“If Governor Okorocha has realised that he needs more hands in APC, he should be commended. We are worst enemies of ourselves.
“If we work together we will go very very far. This is the time to play national politics.”
Nnamani said: “Some people could say we have the Deputy Senate President but he does not attend the meeting of APC caucus where important decisions are taken.
“We must think ahead. The benefit of that office is therefore personal and does not enhance the political fortunes of the South-East people”
The Ekiti Government on Friday gave seven days ultimatum to defaulting Federal Government agencies occupying its property to vacate.
The government insisted that the agencies must comply with its directive by either buying the property they are presently occupying or pay the normal rent on the property.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose gave this directive in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka.
Mr. Fayose said that the state government evicted the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Ekiti State Command, and other federal ministries and agencies from their various offices.
“Yearly, budgetary provisions are made for payment of rent by federal government agencies, which has no permanent offices across the 36 states of the federation
“We then wonder why those that have been occupying property belonging to the Ekiti government for over 10 years do not want to pay rent or make the properties theirs by buying them,”
The governor said that some of the agencies had purchased the properties they are occupying while others like National Population Commission had promised to pay.
“As at today, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency have already paid N5.5 million and N10.8 million respectively for outright purchase of the property they are occupying.
“Even the NSCDC is already offering to pay N18 million instead of the N27 million it ought to pay.
“The Nigerian Prison Service, which is also occupying property valued at N108 million is insisting that it won’t pay.
“We have given a 7-day ultimatum for all the federal agencies to purchase the property, pay rent or quit.
“We are yet to evict them, we only gave them notice of one year and we have now giving another seven days of grace, there is no going back,” he was quoted in the statement.
The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has asked the Deputy Senate President , Ike Ekweremadu , to call the bluff of the All Progressives Congress senators who asked him to defect to their party in order to retain his seat.
The APC senators , who are in the majority in the Senate , had asked Ekweremadu to defect from the PDP to the ruling party so that he could continue to have their support.
The majority senators said this after they had seamlessly removed the Senate Majority Leader , Ali Ndume , and replaced him with Ahmed Lawan.
However , the PDP asked Ekweremadu , who is the highest political office - holder from the opposition party, not to dance to the tune of the APC senators.
The PDP assured Ekweremadu that nothing would happen to him.
The spokesperson for the Senator Ahmed Makarfi -led Caretaker Committee of the PDP , Prince Dayo Adeyeye , said this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
Adeyeye said it was wrong for Senator Kabiru Marafa of the APC to have called on Ekweremadu on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday to defect from the PDP to the ruling APC.
Adeyeye said the call on Ekweremadu was unconstitutional and undemocratic.
He said , “ Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Senator Kabiru Marafa on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday , January 11, 2017, in which he advised Senator Ike Ekweremadu to defect to the APC in order to remain as the Deputy Senate President.
“ This call is unconstitutional , undemocratic and, to say the least , unbecoming of Senator Marafa . ”
While calling on Ekweremadu to defect, Marafa had said , “ I am using this medium to call on Ekweremadu to simply defect . Section 68( G) of the 1999 Constitution captures this . ”
Adeyeye , however , said there was no section of the constitution that stipulated that one must belong to the ruling party to hold an elective office in either the Senate or the House of Representatives.
The former Minister of Works said , “ There is no section or clause of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 ( as amended ) that provides that one must be a member of the ruling party before he/she can be elected into any position in the Senate or the House of Representatives .
“ Equally, it is very distasteful and uncharitable for any senator to stand on the floor of the hallowed chamber and ask his colleague to violate the constitution by cross - carpeting from his own party to join the ruling party.
“ Note that it is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not the Senate of the APC . ”
Adeyeye insisted that Senator Marafa was wrong in using the crisis in the PDP as an excuse to call on Ekweremadu to defect .
The PDP is currently divided into two factions.
While Makarfi is leading a group , a former governor of Borno State , Ali Modu Sheriff , is leading the other faction
But Adeyeye maintained that the PDP was not factionalised.
He said , “ It is indeed laughable for Senator Marafa to cite the internal issues in the PDP as a reason for Senator Ekweremadu to defect .
“ For the umpteenth time , let us reiterate that there is no faction in the PDP.
“ A party is only factionalised when its organs are in disarray but this is different from what we have in the PDP where all the organs are intact behind the National Caretaker Committee under the chairmanship of Makarfi.
“ A mere rebellion by a small interest group within the party cannot be referred to as factionalisation of the party. ”
In view of this , he said any member of the PDP who used the current leadership disagreement caused by “ the rebellious group led by the former Borno State governor , Senator Sheriff to defect is doing so at his or her peril . ”
“ Senator Marafa or any other member of the APC has no power to make such demands on a member of the PDP, ” he added.
He reminded Marafa that Ekweremadu was elected as Deputy Senate President by majority votes from both the PDP and the APC senators.
“ Any attempt to remove Senator Ekweramadu for being a member of the opposition party and not because of a constitutional breach or incompetence is a call for anarchy , ” he added .
Adeyeye also said the current situation in the Senate where the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President were from different parties should not continue to appear strange to Marafa and his likes in a democratic system.
A former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his Gombe State counterpart, Senator Danjuma Goje were among the 39 senators that signed the sack of Senator Ali Ndume as the leader of the Senate, a document obtained by our correspondent has revealed.
Ndume was sacked on Tuesday following a letter by the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus, which was read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Our correspondent reports that 39 out of the 63 senators who are of the APC appended their signatures to the statement sacking Ndume.
The list of the senators that signed it was contained in the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, which was adopted yesterday.
A copy of the Votes and Proceedings tagged “Vote of no confidence/notice of change of leadership” seen by our correspondent showed that Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Ibrahim D. Abdullahi, Senator Francis Alimikhena, Senator Suleiman Nazif, Senator Donald Alasoadura, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, Senator Mustapha Bukar, Senator Rafiu Adebayo, Senator Jibrin Barau, Senator Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai, Senator Usman Nafada and Senator Kabiru Marafa signed that Ndume should go.
Others are Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Senator Tijjani Kaura, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Senator Ubali Shittu, Senator Shehu Sani, Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Senator Umaru Kurfi, Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, Senator Joshua Dariye, Senator Ibrahim Gobir and Senator Shaba Lafiagi.
Also on the list are Senator Isa Hamma Misau, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Senator Mallam Ali Wakili, Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima, Senator Sabo Mohammed, Senator Ahmed Lawan, Senator Olarenwaju Tejuoso, Senator David Umaru, Senator Abdullahi Gumel, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu and Senator Binta Masi.
During the adoption of the Votes and proceedings, there was a mild drama as Senator Kabiru Marafa, who moved for the adoption reaffirmed his call on the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to decamp from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC.
Moving for the adoption, Marafa said, “I move for the adoption and appeal to the Deputy Senate President to heed to my call.”
Seconding, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa) also asked Ekweremadu to decamp to APC.
“I second the adoption and urge the Deputy Senate President to as a matter of urgency decamp to the APC,” he also said.
However, in approving the Votes and Proceedings, Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, dodged the call on him to leave the PDP for the APC.
This is the first time in the Senate under this dispensation that a senator from the opposition clinched the position of deputy Senate president.
“I hereby adopt the Votes and Proceedings with all other issues removed,” Ekweremadu said, apparently saying he still belongs to the PDP.
I offered thrice to resign — Ndume
Immediately after the adoption, Senator Ali Ndume, raised a point of order and expressed reservation over the way he was removed.
“I want to thank you my colleagues for the confidence you had in me. I thank God that throughout my service as the Senate leader, most of the times my colleagues casually said ‘leader, we are proud of you.’
“I was not found wanting for anything that I know. Because of the unity of this Senate that is more important than myself, thrice I offered to resign if that will bring peace but I believe that God’s time is the best.
“You (referring to Ekweremadu) are one of those that even warned me to stop saying that I should resign but yesterday (Tuesday) I was not around when a change of leadership was announced. In fact, if the number of those that lost confidence in me is not up to this number and I am made to know, I will resign,” he said.
Ndume, who said he was not contacted before his ouster, added that “at least you should be confronted with allegations on what you have done and be given the chance to defend yourself.
“This Senate is an institution that we must protect; how do you protect the institution? It is through obeying the rules and tradition. If it is Ndume today and it’s okay, it may be Ekweremadu tomorrow, God forbid,” he said.
Ekweremadu, in his remarks, thanked Ndume for his service to the Senate and for congratulating the new leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan.
“You will continue to serve at different capacities and we would all continue to work together with you,” he said.
Senator Marafa, however, raised a point of order, countering the statement of Ndume on violation of the Senate rules. He said the removal of Ndume was done in line with the rules of the Senate.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has been told in clear terms that he risks losing his coveted seat unless he defects from his party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ekweremadu was elected into that office in 2015 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Daily Sun gathered that APC Senators, predominantly those in the Unity Forum, are making a daring move to wrest power from Ekweremadu.
It was learnt that some APC Senators are already scheming to battle Ekweremadu, if the current efforts to convince the Deputy Senate President to defect to the ruling APC do not materialise.
Giving an insight into the scheming against Ekweremadu, Senator Kabir Marafa, a formidable member of the Unity Forum, told The Daily Sun that if the Deputy Senate President defects to APC, there might be no need to make a move for his seat.
Marafa insisted that Ekweremadu’s continuous stay in office was depriving the APC of what rightly belongs to it.
In the words of Sen. Marafa, “Let me call the Deputy President of the Senate, Ekweremadu to defect to APC. If he defects, it will seal everything and there will not be any problems again. Ekweremadu’s seat is the only one we are contesting. That seat belongs to us in the APC. He came from the PDP to take the seat.
“If he just accepts and defects to APC, everything will be fine. Instead of moving against his seat, let him join us now. Tell him to join APC. When he refuses to join APC, you can then come back here and ask me what to do next. He has the golden opportunity to join us. The constitution says that when there is crisis in a party, anybody can defect. As a person, I do not want to move against Ekweremadu’s seat,” Sen. Marafa said.
Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, is on admission at the National Hospital Abuja, after he collapsed during church service on Sunday.
His lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that Metuh was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed while rising to sing in his church in Abuja on Sunday.
His lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that Metuh was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed while rising to sing in his church in Abuja on Sunday.
The lawyer told the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang this, while giving reasons for the absence of Metuh from court, where the ex-spokesperson for the PDP, is being prosecuted along with his company, Destra Investment Limited, for offences relating to separate transactions of N400m and $2m.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on seven counts, including fraud involving N400m which he allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014 without any justification.
In response, prosecuting counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, said the court should disregard the submission of the defence lawyer and go ahead with the proceedings because of the absence of a medical report.
LEADERSHIP gathered that Chief Ubah made his intention known on Tuesday at an APC stakeholders’ meeting in Awka, Anambra State capital.
It could be recalled that Chief Ifeanyi Ubah had solicited support for President Muhammadu Buhari, sometime in 2016.
Expectedly, Ubah will be slugging it out with other APC stalwarts like Dr Chris Ngige, Mrs Uche Ekwunife, Chike Obidigbo among others for the top Anambra seat.
On the opposition side, we have the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance to contend with in the Anambra elections.
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido has said that President Muhammadu Buhari can’t stop him from succeeding him as President in 2019.
Lamido made the comment after police officers stopped a rally in Bamaina village during which youth were urging him to contest in the next general elections.
“The desperation by those in authorities of power today must know that the same God that have made Balewa, Ironsi, Gowon, Murtala, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida and Jonathan Presidents could do the same for me if Allah so wishes,” Lamido.
“All this coercion and intimidation was because of my aspiration and I must tell them that no matter what, if Allah has destined that I will be President, they cannot stop me or deter me because that will amount to fighting against the wish of God.
“Leaders should beware of the consequences that followed tyranny, impunity and abuse of human dignity. I am their father and they are coming to greet me and you are saying they have to ask for permit, permit for what?
“All over this country I’ve never heard of a mutual gathering that requires one to ask for permit, even on Saturday, we were in Sokoto for a wedding where thousands of people attended or even naming ceremonies where hundreds attend, have you asked them to show their permit?, but because it’s Sule Lamido, whoever that is coming to see me must acquire a permit to do so.
“If your prayers for me to be the President of this country is the wish of Allah, let it be, for Allah is the One that made others like Jonathan, Tafawa Balewa, Obasanjo,” he added.
The aggrieved lawmakers elected Kennedy Njoku, representative of Osisioma Ngwa north constituency, to take over the leadership of the assembly.
Azubuike, a three-term lawmaker, was said to have fallen out with the powers that be in the state.
He was elected speaker in June; and in just the following six months, he has survived at least four impeachment threats.
Prior to the impeachment, Clinton Uba, Azubuike’s chief press secretary, said his boss did not commit any impeachable offence.
“Mr. Speaker is innocent. An attempt to impeach the speaker, who has been carrying every member along can only heat up the polity,” he had told Sun.
“The sixth assembly has been the most peaceful, despite its composition.
“The speaker has also been very supportive to the executive. Until we get to the house and see the alleged impeachment notice, I will be guided in my response but, I can confirm to you that the plot to remove my boss is no longer secret. My advice to the aggrieved members is to have a rethink and place the interest of the state above self.”
Former Anambra state governor, Mr Peter Obi paid homage to his friend and former president; Goodluck Jonathan at his palatable residence in Otuoke, Bayelsa state. See pictures below;
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed through second reading a bill to grant states in the country control over minerals resources within their domain.
The bill seeks to grant the control of revenues derived from mineral resources domiciled in the states to their various governments.
The Bill is titled: “A bill for an Act to alter the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to vest the control of the revenues derived from minerals, mineral oils, natural gas in, under or upon any land in the states of the federation and for other related Matters.”
The bill, sponsored by the minority leader, Leo Ogor was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.
Leading the debate, Ogor said that the bill, if passed into law, would give impetus to the quest to diversify the economy, as states would focus on areas of comparative advantage.
He noted that every state in the country was endowed with one natural resources or the other, noting that if these resources were well harnessed, it would make the states less dependent on federal allocations.
According to Ogor, if the bill is passed into law, it will help the country function better as a federation.
Ogor said: “We are confronted with a situation where states go cap in hand every month to Abuja for federal allocation.
“When states take up resources in their areas, it will lead to specialisation. The exclusive legislative list is overcrowded.”
Supporting the bill, Fredrick Agbedi said that the bill was long overdue.
Agbedi said: “If it is passed into law, it would help to enhance the economy of the country and pull the nation out of recession.
“We need to take practical steps to see that we end this recession. We will not be able to end the recession, if states continue to come to Abuja to collect money.”
However, Sadiq Ibrahim, citing order 13 (3), argued that according to the provisions of the House standing orders and rules, the bill should not have been debated until it had passed through the Constitution Review Committee.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who presided at the sitting, sustained Ibrahim’s argument, saying: “I think Sadiq is right.
“We may just be wasting our time, if it does not scale through in the constitution amendment committee.”
Consequently, the bill was referred to the House Special Ad-hoc Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution headed by the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun.
Senators from the Southeast under the aegis of the Southeast caucus have called on the Federal Government to investigate the recent report by Amnesty International accusing security agencies in the country of killing 150 pro-Biafra agitators, The Punch reports.
The Chairman of the caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said this in a statement, in Abuja, on Thursday. Abaribe said, “It is not enough for the Nigeria military to debunk the report; we, as a caucus, demand an independent inquiry in the mould of a judicial panel and urgently too.
“It is our candid view that such a panel would reassure the Igbo that the Federal Government is alive to its responsibilities, one of which is the protection and respect of the fundamental rights of all people irrespective of tribe or religion.
“Unraveling the authenticity of the report would help to prevent a reoccurrence just as it will engender unity in our country. But the most important to us now is that the report must be probed and those implicated must be made to face justice.”
After more than two decades of silence over the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, former chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Chairman of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has opened up in a new book to be launched in Abuja tomorrow.
Despite the secrecy veiling its content, the planning committee for the launch gave an insight yesterday, saying the political class should “update itself on the story of intrigues at the highest level, as told by one of the unique players.”
Sealed lips greeted every effort to get snippets of the role the PDP chieftain played as contained in the book; his aides kept insisting the details would be made public tomorrow.
When The Guardian called Anenih, he was not available for comments. The Edo-born politician has been criticised in the past for not opening up on events leading to the annulment and alleged usurpation of the mandate of presidential candidate and billionaire businessman, Chief M.K.O Abiola, maintaining a silence that has infuriated many.
Former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, on June 23, 1993, while late Abiola was believed to be cruising to victory, announced annulment of the election, said to be the freest and fairest in the history of the country.
Babangida’s move culminated in the end of his stay in power, throwing the country into political turmoil that led to the emergence of General Sanni Abacha.
Information from the planning committee stated that Anenih “has opened up on how the bid by the political class to reclaim the now infamous June 12 mandate was thwarted by the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.”
The committee said further: “In his autobiography, titled, “My Life and Nigerian Politics”, billed for public presentation at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Saturday (tomorrow), Anenih’s narrative captures the various political events and developments that culminated in how Abiola won the presidential election, how the outcome of the election was annulled midway by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida and how the Interim National Government (ING), set up with Chief Ernest Shonekan as head to conduct another presidential election, was overthrown by Abacha.
