Politics
Peace talks suffer as Wike descends on Atiku’s men
• You cannot go to Abuja and hold meetings against me, Wike tells PDP chieftains
There were indications on Monday that the reconciliation talks between Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, had suffered a major setback as Wike again threatened to disappoint those underestimating his state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Orochiri-Worukwo (Waterlines junction) Flyover, the Rivers governor explained that the dynamics of contemporary politics had made it unwise to just gift votes away without the assurance of derivable benefit for the people.
The governor, in a veiled reference to Atiku and the PDP national leadership, said nobody could take Rivers’ votes for granted.
A former lawmaker, Senator Lee Maeba, berated the governor for portraying himself as a superhuman being. Maeba, in an interview with The PUNCH, said his problem with Wike was because of his closeness to Atiku.
Last week, the governor sacked the Governing Council of the Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola in Port Harcourt led by Maeba.
Things have not been rosy between Wike and Atiku following the former Vice-President’s decision to nominate Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate.
Wike and his associates were reported to have demanded the resignation of the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for him to work for Atiku. However, some leaders in the party dismissed Wike’s demand.
The Rivers governor, who was expected to have been picked as the vice-presidential candidate of the party, has since been hobnobbing with some governors of the All Progressives Congress.
On Monday, the governor invited his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; to inaugurate some projects in the state.
In a veiled attack on the national leadership of the PDP, the Rivers State governor said no one should expect to get the votes of Rivers State without at least giving something in return.
Apart from his veiled attacks on Atiku and the PDP, the governor was said to have gone after politicians in the state that were close to the PDP presidential candidate.
Some of them were said to have visited Atiku without Wike’s permission.
On Monday, Wike stated, “If you say Rivers State does not matter, Rivers State will tell you that you don’t also matter at the appropriate time. If you don’t like us, we will not like you. If you like us, we will like you. Nobody will use our votes for nothing. Our votes will matter and Rivers State must benefit from anybody that we are going to support.
“Politics now is no longer just voting for somebody; it is about what you will do for the people of Rivers State,” Wike stated.
He pointed to how difficult it would be for any conspirators to upset the voting pattern of Rivers State.
Wike reiterated that those who looted the treasury of the state would not be supported to become governor of Rivers State.
“My guest from Lagos State; let nobody tell you story that anybody will come here to win as governor of Rivers State. It will not happen. Those who looted the treasury of the state will not come here to be governor of Rivers State and I have challenged them.
“I am fully in charge. I am not that kind of governor people will go to Abuja and hold meetings against. I am fully in charge here,” the governor said.
News
KOGI GUBER: Former Dep. Gov Achuba endorses Muri, urges Kogites to reject Gov. Bello’s violence, 3rd term agenda
…Says Bello brought his cousin, Ododo of APC, to elongate his grip on Kogi resources
Ahead of the November 11 governorship poll, a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba, has declared his support for the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Yakubu Murtala Ajaka.
Achuba, who served under Governor Yahaya Bello, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), told journalists in Abuja at the weekend that he decided to back Ajaka because of his pedigree and capacity to retrieve the state from maladministration.
He charged voters not to be intimidated by the spate of kidnapping and killings that has permeated the state since the commencement of the electioneering.
Also, he tasked the people of Kogi East in particular to desist from causing mayhem against the people because of political gains.
Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, Kogi SDP Governorship Candidate
According to him, Governor Bello brought his cousin, Ahmed Ododo, of the APC, to elongate his grip on the resources of Kogi State without any commensurate development.
“If this is allowed to go through, his wife may become our Governor in 2027. God forbid!!!. We call on all well meaning Kogites irrespective of political ethnic and religious divide to rise up and resist the evil seed being plotted in Kogi State.
“It has been 7 years and 8 months of reckless plundering of our state resources without any tangible legacy to show for his two tenures.
“Rather, all legacy projects by his predecessors has been sold off without reinvestment. I know as a matter of fact that about fourteen billion was paid to Kogi State by the Federal Government for a road constructed by his predecessor.
“Can the successor of Bello expect such legacy fund? It is like daydreaming to think so. He had the opportunity to write his name in gold but turned it down. He will be remembered for bad governance and violence perpetrated in Kogi State.
“Kogites have mastered your tactics and are at the game wisely. The result of the election come November 11 will prove to you that you have so much to learn.
“As you continue to receive decampees, we wish you state the disappointment that follows. Take note that your antics of violence and manipulation not withstanding, this time around will fail.”
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to be diligent in the discharge of their functions.
“We wish to call on INEC to be free and ensure that the election is free and fair. Thank God we have BVAS, Glory to God.
“Anywhere there are votes beyond what the BVAS has accredited the agents are expected to protest.
“On the issue of security, we wish to call on the inspector general of police and the chief of army staff to keep a close eye on Kogi.
“When I was a still the deputy governor in 2019, the State House of Assembly raised the alarm over importation of military software. What concerns a civilian government with military software? Sincere then, there has been killings and kidnappings. We cannot continue like that.
“We urge Kogites to face the evil and terminate it. November 11 is by the corner. We urge the people to reject bad administration through the ballots.
“We call on INEC to check what is happening. I want to ask the youths in Kogi East why have they accepted to be agent of the devil? They should stop destroying the property of their brothers and sisters. The intention of this is to make sure that the votes in Kogi East are suppressed.
“If you endorse it, your children will suffer it . You may enjoy it for now but later you will suffer it. Instead of using the money to develop the state, he has pocketed it. This time the voices of the people will be loud and clear,” he added.
…extends hands of fellowship to opposition
…restates commitment to campaign promises
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has lauded the decision of the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which dismissed the petitions of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and the Labour Party (LP) candidates challenging his victory in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, describing the decision as victory for democracy and the people of Enugu State.
Dr. Mbah, who also extended hands of fellowship to the opposition candidates and their political parties, said the task to build Enugu remained a collective one, adding that he was committed to working with all, irrespective of political persuasions.
The tribunal chaired by Justice Kudirat Akano, had earlier in the day dismissed the petitions of the governorship candidate of the PRP, Chris Agu, and the candidate of the LP, Chijioke Edeoga.
Addressing the state, at the Government House, Enugu, Mbah said: “This is another memorable day in the anal of our dear state, as the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal affirmed the mandate, which you freely gave to us on 18th of March this year.
“This is victory for Ndi Enugu. It is also victory for democracy.
“It is a victory for massive development for Ndi Enugu. It is a victory for exponential growth for Ndi Enugu. It is a victory for Enugu’s greatness. It is a victory for the ban on Monday sit-at-home. It is also victory for our determination to restore water in all your homes in the next 68 days”.
While thanking God for making the victory possible, Dr. Mbah also commended the tribunal for painstakingly dissecting the petitions and “for coming out with fair and just decision that resonates with Ndi Enugu”.
According to him, “the verdict has further strengthened our confidence in the judiciary as the temple of justice and the last hope of the common man”.
Extending hands of fellowship to his opponents, Mbah said: “There is time for everything under the sun. There is time to strive and time to unite. We all put ourselves forward to serve Ndi Enugu. The people have spoken and the tribunal has also affirmed. If service was the motivation, then it is time to rise above partisanship and come together because there is so much work to be done.
“Our arms are wide open and I beckon on my brothers, who ran this race with us, to join us in the onerous task of building a new Enugu State of our dreams.
“In the same vein, I enjoin all our supporters to be magnanimous in victory. Politics is over. Governance began on 29th May when we were inaugurated. It is time to unite”.
Governor Mbah, who reiterated his resolve to deliver on his campaign promises, further stressed that the tribunal’s decision was an elixir to do more, and urged the people to hold him to account on those promises.
“Once more, I immensely thank the good people of Enugu State, who not only believed in us, but also vested their mandate in us. Above all also above, they have stood by us every step of the way.
“I want to assure them that I will work for them with every fibre of my being. I stand by every campaign promise I made as espoused in our Statement of Purpose. I also stand by the Citizens Charter that I executed on my first day in office. The Enugu people should hold me to account. I will not let them down”, he concluded.
…Edeoga’s petition lacks merit
Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) had approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration on the grounds that Mbah wasn’t qualified to stand for the election.
He alleged that he forged his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC certificate and cases of over-voting in Udenu, Nkanu East and Enugu East local government areas.
The Tribunal chaired by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano dismissed all grounds of petition saying his petition lacked merit.
The panel held that NYSC isn’t a requirement for contesting for the office of the Governor and there’s no where that the NYSC Certificate was attached to the documents Mbah submitted to INEC by the respondent.
On the issue of forging NYSC Certificate, the panel discountenanced all the evidences by the DSS, NYSC official and others because they weren’t in compliance with paragraph 4, sub-section 5D of the evidence act.
Only the witness of the pw26 which was described as a hearsay by the panel and those not help the petitioners and therefore resolved the issue of Certificate Forgery in favour of Mbah.
On the issue of wrong computation of results of the Labour Party in Udenu local government, the panel said they petitioners failed to prove his case and the witnesses they called gave the same report from different polling units and wards and wondered why their testimonies are the same even from different locations.
The panel also said that the witnesses presented by the Labour Party weren’t duly accredited agents by INEC and makes their testimony invalid.
The panel based on the witnesses from the right agents in 3 polling units, deducted 51 votes from PDP and added same to Labour Party.
The tribunal held that the deduction isn’t enough to Overturn the election of Mbah.
In Amagu polling unit in Nkanu East the panel cancelled the votes for all parties because the witness pw10 proved he was there and the right person.
In the remaining 11 polling units, the tribunal held that the witnesses didn’t sign the result sheet and their witnesses is discountenanced because they can’t prove they were party agents
After resolving all the matter, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.
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