The United Front (TUF), a group within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday alleged that a former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun is fuelling crisis in the Oyo State chapter of the party.
The group alleged that Amosun is working hard to hijack the party’s structure in Oyo.
TUF, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the party to intervene and stop Amosun from causing more crises in the party.
The group stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday.
It accused Amosun of sponsoring members of the Unity Forum in the state, which include Prof. Adeolu Akande, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Bayo Shittu, Dr. Ismail Adewusi to divide the party.
“Amosun takes absolute delight in the fragmentation of Oyo APC for the purpose of extending the web of schism he established in Ogun APC to other parts of the South-West. His divisive ego-trip in Oyo State can be traced to the build-up to the 2019 elections when he extensively bankrolled Unity Forum to tear the fabrics of the party’s wholeness apart – a move that triggered the inevitable lacklustre performance of the party in the gubernatorial polls.
“When Oyo APC restricted his petulant kicks aimed at opening cracks in the party’s leadership, Amosun later established a strong foothold in the ADC along with his bedfellows in the Unity Forum to scuttle the chances of his own party. It is on record that he channelled a large junk of Ogun State resources to finance the mobilisation and campaigns of ADC candidate, Senator Femi Lanlehin. However, his dream to glide ADC to power was built on illusionary hopes, as the party fell flat in the senatorial election which made Amosun’s camp to become completely rattled. With no other options up his sleeves, he lent formidable support to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Engr Seyi Makinde,” the statement reads in part.
The group also alleged that Amosun had given out a huge amount of money to Unity Forum to allow them to take over the party.
It said, “Recently Amosun’s political hatchet men have returned to the drawing board with a view to sowing seeds of discord among the age-long party faithful. It has been revealed that the former governor has released up to 200
Million Naira to the likes of Prof. Adeolu Akande, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Barr. Shittu, Senator Ayo Adeseun, and Dr. Ismail Adewusi with a mandate to either take over the party structure in the state or cause endless crises that will mar the chances of the party in the 2023 elections.”
The group while recalling the role played by the former governor during the 2019 general elections in Ogun State said, “Amosun has consistently shown, with his divisive inclination and high-handedness that he lacks the requisites expected of managing a party even at the ward level. We can’t forget in a hurry how he almost succeeded in running Ogun APC into a state of inoperable rigidity, as he openly backed Adekunle Akinlade of APM in the 2019 gubernatorial polls. His eyes are kept on devising the same template in Oyo State.
“We hereby appeal to our revered leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and all esteemed leaders of APC in the South-West to look critically into all contentious issues in Oyo APC and prioritise oneness of all party members. Oyo APC might start swinging in a downward spiral unless the likes of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Prof. Adeolu Akande, Barr. Bayo Shittu, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Dr. Adewusi, Sen. Adeseun, Senator Akanbi and other divisive elements are made to sit out of the party’s affairs.”
The group also urged the APC CECPC to investigate the alleged forgery of sensitive documents by some party chieftains in Oyo State, which led to the postponement of the October 16 state congress in the state.
“APC CECPC must investigate the matter with a view to bringing the erring members of the party to book. Punishment of the fraudulent members will serve as a deterrent,” the statement concluded.
The United States said Friday it has offered to pay unspecified compensation to relatives of 10 people in Afghanistan including seven children who were killed by mistake in a US drone strike as American forces were completing their withdrawal.
In a statement the Pentagon also said it was working with the State Department to relocate to the United States any of those relatives who wish to leave Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The offer to pay these people was made Thursday in a meeting between Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, and Steven Kwon, the founder and president of an aid group active in Afghanistan called Nutrition and Education International, the Pentagon said in a statement.
That organization employed Ezmarai Ahmadi, who was wrongly identified as an Islamic State militant by US intelligence on August 29 during the final days of the chaotic US evacuation from Kabul.
US intelligence tracked his white Toyota for eight hours before targeting the car with a missile, killing seven children and three adults, including Ahmadi.
US Central Command commander General Kenneth McKenzie said at the time that American intelligence had seen the vehicle at a site in Kabul that had been identified as a location from which IS operatives were believed to be preparing attacks on the Kabul airport.
Three days earlier an Islamic State-Khorasan suicide bomber had killed scores at the airport, including 13 US service members.
But last month US officials conceded the drone attack was an error.
In the meeting Thursday “Dr. Kahl noted that the strike was a tragic mistake and that Mr. Ezmarai Ahmadi and others who were killed were innocent victims who bore no blame and were not affiliated with ISIS-K or threats to US forces,” said a statement attributed to Defense Department spokesman John Kirby.
“Dr. Kahl reiterated Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s commitment to the families, including offering ex gratia condolence payments,” he added without saying how much money was offered.
Last month relatives of the people killed in the attack demanded compensation and a face to face apology.
Austin has apologized for the botched attack. However, Ahmadi’s 22-year-old nephew Farshad Haidari said that was not enough.
“They must come here and apologize to us face-to-face,” he told AFP in a bombed-out, modest house in Kwaja Burga, a densely populated neighborhood in Kabul.
Haidari, whose brother Naser and young cousins also died in the blast, said on September 18 that the US had made no direct contact with the family.
In the meeting Thursday NEI chief Kwon spoke of how Ahmadi worked with that aid organization “over many years, providing care and lifesaving assistance for people facing high mortality rates in Afghanistan.”
The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), in partnership with some other bodies will hold a lecture and public presentation in commemoration of the first anniversary of #EndSARS protest on Tuesday.
The lecture and public presentation, in partnership with Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, National Consultative Front (NCF), PLAYYA and MILID Foundation, will also be about Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices – a book of sixty essays by sixty young Nigerians which salutes sixty years of Nigeria’s independence and points the way towards a better country.
Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, according to SaharaReporters.
According to the statement, the event, which will start at 10am at NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Way, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, is themed: “One Year After #EndSARS, 35 Years After Dele Giwa and the Quest to Remake Nigeria.”
The #EndSARS advocacy made global headlines last October when young Nigerians across the country and in major cities around the world embarked on protests against persistent brutality and rights violations by the Nigeria Police Force.
“One year after the protests and the reprehensible violent response by the Nigerian Army which led to the death of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, it is important to cast a critical eye on that incident and see what lessons have been learnt and what needs to be done going forward,” Onumah said in the statement on behalf of the group.
Significantly, the first-year remembrance of these protests coincides with the 35th anniversary of the murder via letter bomb of the celebrated journalist, Dele Giwa, editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine.
“It is a measure of the acute dysfunction of the Nigerian state that till date, no one has been arrested let alone brought to trial for this heinous crime,” Onumah noted.
The statement further read, “All of this and more including the rise of separatist agitations which has fuelled the search for a new direction for the country will be dissected at this event which will be chaired by renowned public intellectual, Prof. Pat Utomi.
“The keynote speaker is the irrepressible human rights lawyer and social crusader, Femi Falana. Other speakers include Richard Akinnola, journalist and executive director, Centre for Free Speech (CFS); Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, founding director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre; and Lanre Arogundade, journalist and executive director, International Press Centre (IPC).
“On hand also is a panel of discussants featuring Motunrayo Alaka, Olanrewaju Ogunmefun (Vector), Inibehe Effiong, Rasheedat Adeshina and Femi Adeyeye. Moderator is Anike-Ade Funke Treasure.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission has advised female voters in Anambra to avoid using makeup during the November 6 governorship election in the state.
The commission said the advice becomes necessary because of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System the agency would deploy to capture voters’ faces during the poll.
The INEC State Deputy Director, Gender Desk, Chika Osuji stated this in Awka, Anambra State at a voters’ education and sensitisation forum for Persons With Disabilities And Women’s groups.
The programme was organised by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, United States Agency for International Development and the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening.
Osuji, said “The BVAS will be used during the Anambra gubernatorial election to enable voters to use their fingerprints during accreditation at the polling units.
“I know many women may not be able to engage makeup artists due to restriction of movements; but for those who can’t do without makeups, we appeal to you to minimise the level of the painting. If we can’t read your fingerprints we can read your face, and if we cannot read your face, you are not a registered voter, and we will not allow you to participate.”
A couple is currently seeking the dissolution of their 10-year-old marriage before an Ikeja High Court in Lagos. This is on account of a bottle of ‘holy water’ the wife brought into the house without her husband’s approval.
The aggrieved husband, Olaniyi Oluwaseun Oladepo, is asking Justice Christopher Balogun to dissolve his marriage with his wife, Adeyinka, claiming that he was provoked to violence over the strange prayer-water, which the wife brought into her matrimonial home without his knowledge.
Oladepo has since left his matrimonial home, maintaining that his life is under threat and as he was being provoked, he would not want to do something he might later regret.
The petitioner, Oladepo, in his explanation on why he wanted the court to dissolve the marriage, narrated to Justice Balogun that he left his home because he was incited to aggression. He accused his wife of being fetish.
He said: “I feel threatened. I was being provoked to violence, but I left the house. I saw a liquid content in the house.”
Responding to the allegation, Mrs. Oladepo said they got married in October 15, 2011. “We have two children who are five and seven years old.”
She explained that her husband told her in 2015 that they were no longer compatible. “My mother brought holy water she collected at a Catholic Church programme. And I only collected the water; I have not used it for anything. I travelled from work and upon returning home, I discovered that my husband had absconded. He left our matrimonial home.”
The judge adjourned further hearing of the matter.
IN another development, a Protocol Officer of a company, Mrs. Adeyinka Olasunbo Raheem, has told a court that her eight-year-old marriage has broken down irretrievably. She asked the court to dissolve the marriage over allegation that her husband is a womaniser.
In her testimony before the court, she said they got married at the Ikeja Marriage Registry on September 20, 2013, and that they lived at No 12, Sunday Agbedo Street, Park View Estate, Ikoyi, where both cohabitated for over two years. She, however, explained that the problem started, when her husband started bringing another woman to their matrimonial home.
She said: “My relationship with my husband was not cordial at all. I had given birth to a baby boy and that was what bonded our relationship. He used to bring different women to our matrimonial home. Whenever I complained, he would place himself on permanent night shift in his work place.
“In 2016, he called me that he did not want to waste my time. So, I left our matrimonial home on August 7, 2018 and enrolled my son in a popular school in Surulere. I want the court to dissolve the marriage and give me custody of the boy, but he (husband) should be responsible for the child’s maintenance and welfare.”
She confirmed under cross-examination that the relationship was not cordial before the court adjourned further hearing till November 6, 2021.
President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday condemned as “inexcusable” a deadly crackdown by Paris Police on a 1961 protest by Algerians, the scale of which was covered up for decades by French authorities.
Macron told relatives and activists on the 60th anniversary of the bloodshed that “crimes” were committed on the night of October 17, 1961, under the command of the notorious Paris Police Chief, Maurice Papon.
He acknowledged several dozen protesters were killed, “their bodies thrown into the River Seine” and paid tribute to the memory of the victims.
The precise number of victims has never been made clear and some activists fear several hundred people could have been killed.
Police attacked the demonstration by 25,000 pro-National Liberation Front (FLN) Algerians protesting against a curfew imposed on Algerians.
The march was repressed “brutally, violently and in blood”, Macron’s office said in a statement.
Macron “recognised the facts: that the crimes committed that night under Maurice Papon are inexcusable for the Republic”, the Elysee said.
“This tragedy was long hushed up, denied or concealed,” it added.
The rally was called in the final year of France’s increasingly violent attempt to retain Algeria as a North African colony, and in the middle of a bombing campaign targeting mainland France by pro-independence fighters.
Papon was in the 1980s revealed to have been a collaborator with the occupying Nazis in World War II and complicit in the deportation of Jews. He was convicted of crimes against humanity but later released.
‘Much Further’
Macron, the first French president to attend a memorial ceremony for those killed, observed a minute of silence in their memory at the Bezons bridge over the Seine on the outskirts of Paris where the protest started.
His comments that crimes were committed went further than predecessor Francois Hollande, who acknowledged in 2012 the protesting Algerians had been “killed during a bloody repression”.
However, as expected, he did not issue a formal apology. He also did not give a public speech with the Elysee issuing only the written statement.
The President, France’s first leader born after the colonial era, has made a priority of historical reconciliation and forging a modern relationship with former colonies.
But Macron, who is expected to seek re-election next year, is wary about provoking a backlash from political opponents.
His far-right electoral opponents, nationalists Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, are outspoken critics of efforts to acknowledge or show repentance for past crimes.
Historian Emmanuel Blanchard told the AFP news agency that Macron’s comments represented “progress” and had gone “much further” than those made by Hollande in 2012.
But he took issue with the decision to pin responsibility on Papon alone, saying then-Prime Minister Michel Debre and President Charles de Gaulle had not been held to account over the ensuing cover-up or the fact Papon would remain Paris police chief until 1967.
‘Looking With Lucidity’
The 1961 protests were called in response to a strict curfew imposed on Algerians to prevent the underground FLN resistance movement from collecting funds following a spate of deadly attacks on French police officers.
Some of the worst violence occurred on the Saint Michel bridge near the Notre-Dame cathedral where witnesses reported seeing police throwing Algerians into the River Seine where an unknown number drowned.
The Police arrested about 12,000 Algerians, beat several to death and shot others at the time.
Macron’s comments come during an ongoing diplomatic row between Paris and Algiers fuelled by comments attributed to the president describing the country as ruled by a “political-military system” that had “totally re-written” its history.
A report commissioned by the president from historian Benjamin Stora earlier this year urged a truth commission over the Algerian war but Macron ruled out issuing any official apology.
Another historical commission set up by Macron also found that France had overwhelming responsibilities over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, in a finding that has led to a certain thawing in ties between Paris and Kigali.
“France is looking at all its history with lucidity and recognises responsibilities that have been clearly established,” the Elysee said.
Reported cases of violence and protests marred Saturday’s conduct of congresses in 34 out of the 36 states of the federation by the governing All Progressives Congress.
While Ogun and Osun states recorded clashes between suspected thugs and loyalists of factional leaders, there were speculations that the exercise was suspended in Oyo State following reports that congress materials were forged by unknown persons.
Parallel congresses reigned supreme in states such as Osun, Ogun, Kwara and Enugu. In Ogun, hoodlums attacked the venue of the factional congress being held by loyalists of former governor Ibikunle Amosun in Abeokuta.
Pandemonium broke out when armed thugs invaded the Ake Palace ground, venue of the exercise, shooting indiscriminately into the air forcing party members to run for dear life.
One of our correspondents who was at the venue shortly before the violence started, gathered that the venue had earlier been sealed by the police, but was later reopened.
Amosun’s loyalists had barely settled for the business of the day when the thugs invaded and launched an attack.
Members of the state chapter of the transport union were accused of perpetrating violence. The policemen drafted to the venue to ensure peace were overwhelmed.
Some of the party loyalists resisted the thugs and also charged towards the policemen whom they accused of failing to perform their duty.
Police reinforcements later arrived and started shooting into the air to disperse the crowd who had then become unruly.
However, the MKO Abiola Stadium, where loyalists of the state Governor Dapo Abiodun held their congress was generally peaceful.
The two factions later held their congresses and announced parallel executives as members of the State Executive Committee after declaring that the leaders emerged via a consensus arrangement.
Abiodun’s loyalists announced Chief Yemi Sanusi as the new APC state chairman while Amosun’s loyalists picked Chief Derin Adebiyi.
Osun State
A similar situation was recorded in Osun State as loyalists of the state Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, and those of Interior Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, clashed.
Two persons sustained injuries when suspected thugs clashed with another group of armed men near the entrance of the venue of the parallel congress held by Aregbesola’s loyalists.
Trouble started when at about 12:50pm, Aregbesola’s loyalists under the aegis of The Osun Progressives, started their congress. Gunshots rent the air forcing party members, residents and passersby to scamper for safety.
A car with about five armed occupants was seen driving along Osogbo/Gbongan Road heading towards the entrance to the venue of the congress.
It was learnt that another armed group stationed outside the venue of the congress resisted the invasion which led to a fire fight that left two persons injured.
Men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, who were also at the scene, also shot into the air to scare the invaders and restore normalcy.
In a statement issued after the confrontation, the state chairman of TOP, Adelowo Adebiyi, said, “Two members of the APC, Adedapo Atobatele and Ismail Akinyede, were directly shot by hoodlums, allegedly led by a notorious thug, at the state congress of the party held at Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo.
“Atobatele and Akinyede were shot in the leg and arm. The thugs invaded the premises of the state congress with about eight vehicles.”
He said officers of the NSCDC repelled the attackers. The faction later announced Mr Rasaq Salinsile and Lani Baderinwa, as the state APC chairman and secretary respectively.
However, the governor’s loyalists returned the incumbent state APC chairman, Mr Gboyega Famodun, for a second term. The congress leading to his election was conducted by a committee headed by Mr Gbenga Elegbeleye. The event was held at Osogbo City Stadium.
Soon after the congress, the governor, while congratulating the new party executive, appealed to party members to extend the support they had been giving to his administration to the new leaders.
He said, “I appeal to you to extend the same to the newly-elected party officials. I appeal to those who lost out not to lose hope. I assure you all of a better tomorrow. The APC emerged on the strength of unity and progressive ideals. We are still committed to these ideals regardless of some of the narratives making the rounds.’’
Also speaking at the event, the congress committee chairman, Elegbeleye, announced that voice vote was adopted for the congress due to the large number of the accredited delegates, which he put at 1,840.
It was gathered that Aregbesola, Senate Spokesman, Ajibola Basiru and the senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Adelere Oriolowo, were among party leaders absent from the event.
Aregbesola’s Media Aide, Sola Fasure, could not be reached for comments on the reason for his principal’s absence. A response to a text message sent to his mobile was still being awaited as of the time of this report.
When contacted, the media aide to Oriolowo, Niyi Isamotu, explained that his principal was out of Osun Stater on an oversight function.
Similarly, the state Commissioner for Local Government, Taiwo Akeju, said Basiru was the chairman of Delta State Congress Committee, held the same time Osun held its own.
Abia, Niger States
Parallel congresses were equally held in Abia State where two factions announced separate chairmen, secretaries and other party officials for the state.
A faction of the party led by Chief Ikechi Emenike elected Mr Enyinnaya Harbour as state chairman. The faction announced that Harbour polled 1,260 votes out of a total number of 1,277 to emerge victorious. The event was held at Ugwunchara suburb of Umuahia, the state capital.
However, another faction of the Party led by the APC Caretaker chairman, Chief Donatus Nwankpa, held its congress at the indoor sports complex in Umuahia Township Stadium.
In Niger State, two groups of state executives emerged from separate congresses held by factions of the APC in the state, in Minna.
Aggrieved party members held a separate congress in Tunga-Minna while loyalists of Governor Sani Bello held theirs at the Legbo Kutigi open field also in Minna.
The aggrieved faction of the party announced Nasiru Ubandiya as the new state APC chairman at a time supporters of the governor had yet to commence accreditation.
When the governor’s loyalists eventually held their congress, they announced Aliyu Jikantoro as the new state chairman.
The governor, alleged to be worried at the turn of events, arrived in a coastal bus through the back gate after which he spent about 20 minutes and left the venue without leaving the vehicle.
It was gathered that he later returned in his Black bulletproof Sports Utility Vehicle to continue with the exercise.
Parallel Congresses In Akwa-Ibom
The crisis rocking the opposition APC in Akwa Ibom State played out during the conduct of its state congress on Saturday.
One of our correspondents reported that while the group loyal to the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill conducted its congress at the Kara Event Centre along Stadium Road, the Senator Akpan John Udoedeghe-led group elected its officials at Sheer Grace Centre, Uyo the state capital.
Speaking during one of the congresses held at Kara Event Centre, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Major Gen Mohammadu Buhari (retd), on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, said the different congresses were working for the party’s interest.
He stated that people must always disagree to agree amongst themselves, adding that at the end of the day APC would be positioned to take over the Hilltop Mansion House in 2023.
Kwara State
Loyalists of the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq and those loyal to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, conducted parallel congresses and elected state party officials in their separate APC secretariats in Ilorin, the state capital.
While the governor’s faction elected Sunday Fagbemi as chairman, the minister’s faction retained Alhaji Bashir Bolarinwa, a former factional APC chairman as the new state chairman.
Fagbemi, at the congress attended by the governor, Speaker, Yakubu Salihu-Danladi, three senators and other officials elected on the platform of APC, pledged that his team “would lead by example and work with everyone to strengthen the party.’’
In the minister’s faction, Bolarinwa alongside other new members of the executive, emerged through an affirmative process in a congress held at the party’s secretariat, located along reservation road, GRA, Ilorin.
Exercise Postponed In Oyo
The APC Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee announced a postponement of the congress in Oyo State.
The postponement was announced at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan by the congress official.
The party’s spokesperson, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, said the postponement followed a directive from the party’s national secretariat.
Olatunde said “The congress has been postponed and we have to get another date from the national executive of the party.
“There are some people that are supposed to do screening of the aspirants and they have not concluded the process. And after that, we have to get all the zones into agreement and sensitise them on the consensus arrangements.
“Up till this morning, Oke-Ogun 1 zone has yet to resolve on the person to occupy the chairmanship position zoned to the area.’’
Also, Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi, a chairmanship aspirant, told journalists that they would abide by the party’s position, saying the party’s rules and regulations were supreme.
Gbadamosi urged members of the party to be patient and endure for the party to reach its destination in 2023.
It was gathered that the party’s CECPC had also directed the state congress committee to return to Abuja for further directives.
Our correspondent learnt that the suspension became necessary to ensure credibility of the process that would lead to the emergence of new leaders in Oyo State.
Lagos State
In Lagos, 35 out of 36 candidates were returned unopposed.
The Chairman of the Election Organising Committee, Adebayo Adelabu, said this at Onikan Stadium, Lagos Island, where the congress was held.
Present at the congress were party leaders which included Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and the lawmaker representing Lagos Central district, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, among others.
Adelabu said, “35 out of the 36 positions were returned unopposed. Although 37 forms were received for the office of the state chairman, only two candidates were screened for the position. One candidate was disqualified, so the committee was left with the option of one candidate for the position of the chairman.”
Thereafter, a former Commissioner for Rural Development in Lagos State, Cornelius Ojelabi, emerged as the APC state chairman.
The lawmaker representing Eti-Osa 2 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Gbolahan Yishawu, described the APC congress as a demonstration of internal democracy.
Earlier, the Lagos APC had released the list of its consensus executive council members where Ojelabi was penned as the state chairman to replace the former chairman of the party, Mr Tunde Balogun.
Katsina State
The Katsina state chapter of the party also elected its officials via consensus.
The new executives have Alhaji Sani Ali-Ahmed as chairman and were sworn in by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, El Marzuq Ahmed.
A similar situation played out in Edo State where Col. David Imuse was returned as the state party chairman via consensus.
Addressing party delegates earlier, the Chairman of the Congress Committee for Edo State, Alhaji Ahmed Ramalan, said their mandate was to conduct a free and fair state congress to elect a state executive to run the party for the next four years, noting that their primary task was to return the party to power in the state.
Cross Rivers State
An aide to the state Governor, Ben Ayade, Alphonsus Eba, was elected as the new state chairman along with 35 others through consensus. The 2,300 delegates from the 18 local government areas in the state affirmed their election via voice vote.
Until his election, the new chairman was the Director-General of the Due Process office.
The Chairman of the seven-man state Congress Committee, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, called for the voice vote which was resoundingly in support of the 36 executives who had earlier been picked through consensus.
He said the consensus option was in accordance with Article 20 of the party’s constitution.
Malami said, “APC’s constitution recognises consensus. The exercise was conducted with utmost transparency. APC is more transparent. The party is committed to serve.”
Imo State
The immediate Past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha and the board chairman of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Ifeanyi Araraume, were absent from the APC congress held across the state.
At the congress held in Owerri, the state capital, Governor Hope Uzodimma’s aide and long-time loyalist, Macdonald Ebere, was elected as the state chairman.
Ebere, a native of Owerri in Owerri municipal council, was the General Manager of Imo Environmental Transformation Commission under the Uzodimma administration.
While congratulating him, the Uzodimma said, “I want to urge you not to betray the confidence reposed in you by the great people of Imo State.
“Go out there, carry out your political evangelism, and preach a good message. Tell the story the way it is and our party will grow from strength to strength.”
But Okorocha said that he was not aware that APC held any congress in the state. Okorocha’s media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, who spoke to one of our correspondents said, “We are not aware that there was an APC congress in Imo State. What they did today was a birthday party. As long as we are concerned, Dan Nwafor is the authentic chairman of the APC in Imo State.
Amaechi’s Loyalist, Beke, Wins Chairmanship In Rivers
A loyalist of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Mr Emeka Beke, was elected as the new APC chairman for Rivers State.
However, a loyalist of Senator Magnus Abe, Golden Chioma, who initially joined the race, withdrew, describing the exercise as a sham.
The Chairman, Rivers APC Congress Screening Committee, Dr. Abubakar Idris, delegated from the National Secretariat who announced the results, said Emeka Beke polled an overwhelming 1,575 votes of total 1,615 accredited delegates to beat Chizy Nyeomasila who scored eight votes and Japhet Ogbueri with zero vote, stating that there 32 ballots were voided.
Beke, in a brief speech on behalf of the new executives, pledged to give his best to ensure that the party takes over power from the wrestle power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state come 2023.
But Chioma, who boycotted the exercise at the last minute, expressed dissatisfaction with the exercise, saying, “I think the congress is not right at this point.
“We have also complained to the National Secretariat of our great party that there was no ward congress in Rivers and I am of the opinion that you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.’’
Besides, congresses were peaceful in Sokoto, Gombe, Katsina, Ekiti, and other states where party officials emerged via consensus. In Ekiti, the state Governor, Kayode Fayemi, while congratulating the new officials said, “This has been a remarkable event and it has gone on peacefully.”
Concensus In Borno, Gombe States
The APC in Borno returned all the 36 members of the outgoing state executive for a second term.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the election conducted through affirmation was led by the Chairman of the Congress Committee for Borno, Alhaji Uba Maigari.
Thirty-six Gombe State executives were elected through voice affirmation from 712 delegates. The election through consensus was held at the Pantami Stadium on Saturday.
The Federal government has said that it is vigorously pursuing the strengthening of the Primary Health Care system to have at least one functional PHC per ward in order to ensure that all Nigerians have access to quality health care.
Government is also reviewing its policies, strategies, plans, and operational guidelines to be more gender responsive towards improvement of the health and wellbeing of children, women, adolescents and the elderly in the country.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, who disclosed this at the 2021 Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Coordination Platform for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) review meeting in Abuja, observed that government is also keeping the secondary care in view with a functional General Hospital in every Local Council and at least a Tertiary Health facility at the state level.
He said: “The bridge in this referral linkage is effective and efficient transportation system and that is where the National Emergency Medical Treatment Committee fits in as provided for in the National Health Act. The National Emergency Medical System is designed to provide first aid at no cost, providing transportation to health centres at no cost and providing initial care at an urgent care centre at no cost. These further show the importance of coordination so our various efforts can lead to concrete positive outcomes.”
Ehanire noted that the group had made significant progress and scored some points on their main resolve on the platform. “A key deliverable that emanated from the core group was the development of an annual operational plan for RMNCAEH+N, which was launched in March this year. The plan is not aimed at replacing existing regular work plans, but to address specific bottleneck identified in the delivery of quality services to Women, children, adolescent and the elderly, including nutrition and health programmes.
“We started implementing the plan by looking inwards for better internal coordination and cohesion, so we created platforms for departments and programmes to interact.
Notable among these is the retreat involving programme managers from NPHCDA & the Department of Family Health, which has significantly smoothened our operations and is confronting the spirit of virtualization, which makes people work in silos. Programme-based technical working groups have also been significantly restructured and repositioned for better performance.”
Ehanire listed these to include the Child Health technical working group, Reproductive Health & Family planning working groups, Adolescent Technical working group, Nutrition Partnership, Health Promotion Forum, and the Healthy Aging partnership.”
Ehanire stated that the extra strain posed by the sudden emergence of the COVID-19 global infection added to the challenges.
According to him, “COVID-19 exposed the weakness of the health system of several emergency maternal and child health centres.”
The minister stressed the need for partnership, adding that the myriad of issues confronting the health and wellbeing of Nigerian children and women are beyond what the health sector can handle alone. “The partnership we are showcasing today has been built on past years of troubleshooting experiences, out of which we have drawn out workable strategies.”
Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Saturday, grilled the immediate past Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over allegations of abuse of office, diversion of public funds and fraudulent allocation of government properties to cronies.
Punch reports that Kwankwaso was invited for allegedly diverting the N10billion meant for the payment of pensions and construction of houses.
Kwankwaso, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, was first invited by the EFCC in September but failed to honour the invitation.
The report stated that some retirees are believed to have written a petition to the commission demanding the investigation and possible prosecution of the ex-governor.
The retired employees had told the EFCC that the former governor mismanaged pension remittances to the tune of N10 billion between 2011 and 2015, to fund a housing project for his cronies.
“Kwankwaso came in today. He is responding to questions on alleged fraud following a series of petitions the EFCC received against him. In one of such petitions, the former governor was accused of diverting N10bn meant for the payment of pensions and construction of houses,” an EFCC detective said.
The former governor, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, is among those rumoured to be nursing a presidential ambition for 2023.
The Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Andrew Adejo, has said that a divided Nigeria cannot survive and prosper.
Adejo, who is also the Secretary, inter-ministerial Committee on “Nigeria at 60” awards, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday, while receiving an award on behalf of Boss Mustapha, the SGF.
NAN reports that the award was presented to Boss Mustapha as well as to the Permanent Secretary by “‘Say It Loud” group, organisers of the award initiative.
The Permanent Secretary said that the clamour for the division in Nigeria is not realistic.
He said “‘Nigeria’s division is not workable. Look across the country there are intermarriages, our cultures are the same because we are one. Unity involves both government and the people.
“Government has to do more to convince the people that it has their interests at heart by reducing the level of unemployment and putting money in people’s pockets through social investment schemes.
“Nigerians are very enterprising. Let people have opportunities to be engaged. If you are engaged you will not listen to advise to go and fight.”
He urged the government to continue to provide social services for people, while encouraging private investors to provide the needed support.
“The private sector should not be dependent on the government because private sector drives growth, and government should also enhance public-private partnerships,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, the Director, Mr Fasina Olakunle, Director, Public and Bilateral Relations of the OSGF, noted that 60 years of Nigeria’s independence was worthy of celebration.
“It has been 60 years of development, 60 years of growth, 60 years of learning to come together and the theme of programme, ‘Independence for Nigeria at 60’, was ‘Together’.
“The fact that we are still together in spite of all the clamour for break up is a sign of development. This is very important and that is the reason government underscores it at every given opportunity,” he said.
The director urged government to take steps to discourage those Nigerians who try to derail government from the path of growth and development.
He added that there is the need for improvement on the educational sector as well as job creation.
“Job creation is another critical area where government needs to look into. We have an army of unemployed graduates and this is a potential risk for any country.
“There are brilliant people who have been trained and tutored, but have developed skills in the negative direction. It is a potential time bomb for any country. So government should look into it,” he advised.
Responding, the Managing Director of the group, “Say It Loud” , Mr Femi Oyelade, lauded the award recipients – SGF and the Permanent Secretary – for their guidance and support.
He said that the special awards were in recognition of their contributions to the Nigerian @60 project.
He said organising the awards was challenging but fulfilling and promised a better award ceremony subsequently.
“I will take the permanent secretary’s advice to go back and be innovative and create different works for achievements and recognition awards in order to push people and also encourage Nigerians,” he said.
NAN reports that on Sept. 30, Nigeria@60 award took place and awards were given to 60 notable Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavours.
