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I rejected Labour Party, APC guber tickets to support Peter Mbah – Ex-minister, Nnaji

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A former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji has disclosed that he rejected a governorship ticket offered to him by the Labour Party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, among other political parties in Enugu State because of his resolve to support the People’s Democratic Party candidate, Dr. Peter Mbah.

Nnaji was one of the aspirants for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial ticket in Enugu State. The election was won by Barr. Peter Mbah.

The ex-minister said the Labour Party, the APC and indeed other political parties approached him freely with their tickets after the PDP primary election.

He, however, said he turned them down having resolved to support the governorship aspiration of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Peter Mbah ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He spoke in his hometown of Umuode, Nkanu East local government area when Mbah paid him a courtesy visit, noting that he remained a staunch supporter of the PDP gubernatorial flagbearer.

He stressed that he was bound by the memorandum of understanding (MoU) he signed with Mbah and other PDP governorship aspirants before the May 25, 2022, primary election to support whoever emerged from the party’s primary.

The former minister who recalled how many political parties pestered around him, offering their governorship tickets, said he emphatically told them he would not be contesting against Peter Mbah whom he had earlier assured of his support.

Citing the importance of leadership and integrity, Prof Nnaji said he would never join those working the opposite direction from their collective agreement, saying the letters of the MoU prepared by the Nkanu East Leaders Consultative Forum, a body which he led ahead of the primaries, and signed by the gubernatorial aspirants of the PDP in the state was binding on them and should serve as their conscience.

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According to him, “you don’t abruptly abandon your direction for another direction”.

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Nnaji who went memory lane on how the journey towards the Nkanu East gubernatorial project was conceived leading to the voluntary signing of the MoU, said he was asked to lead the Consultative Forum that lobbied stakeholders and the people of the state to consider the state of underdevelopment of the council area, adding that he would never abandon the project for anybody.

“My colleagues on that journey are here. We bonded together. We worked hard. We consulted people, and we visited our governor as part of that. We visited him before we started and we visited him after we had finished to report to him. It was a very wonderful thing.

“And when he (Peter Mbah) was selected, I sent out a message and I stood by the message. You can’t imagine how many parties have been coming to me, offering me their tickets, and I turned them down. I told them we had an agreement and we all voluntarily agreed to honour it. I didn’t take the ticket of Labour Party. I didn’t take the APC ticket. I didn’t take the ticket of APGA. It’s all about principles. I went back to my business. I’m in support of what we agreed to do”, he said.

He added that, “I wasn’t unhappy when my brother (Dr. Peter Mbah) was selected. I was totally blessed as I did bless that night. That night I sent you a message congratulating you and pledging to support you. That agreement, that support stands.

“People say all manner of things on social media and if you’ve not been around in the political terrain, you’ll just swallow what you think to be the truth. If you’ve been around long enough there are things you don’t even need to respond to, listen to because they are just what they are.”

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While congratulating the Enugu State governorship hopeful, Nnaji said he would continue to work with him and further charged his followers and supporters to join the PDP moving train for the successful prosecution and successful outcome of the election.

Dr. Mbah in a handshake with Prof Nnaji during the visit

Speaking earlier, Mbah expressed his profound gratitude to Prof Nnaji for the reception and for his support, stressing that history would not forget the invaluable role he played in ensuring that the ticket came down to Nkanu East.

Mbah said: “when the eligibility argument was raging, when we had people from all parts of the state; we had people from the West who said it was their turn to become governor. We also had some people from Enugu North senatorial district clamouring. And in the East we were also ardently advocating we were blessed with people with capacity. At that point you took a very critical step. You did not only acknowledge that it was the turn of Enugu East senatorial zone, but you actually went a step further.

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“The Nkanu East Leaders Consultative Forum was constituted and you became the face of that Consultative Forum. You had a mission and that mission was clear. That mission was that because you assumed that the issue of the next governorship coming to Enugu East was given, it was also very important to you that it was narrowed down. You went on arguing about years of deplorable state of infrastructure that we had to endure in Nkanu East.

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“You got people to buy into that mission and you went with your team talking to the political stalwarts that we have in Enugu State, convincing them on why it should be the turn of Nkanu East. You got people in the state to buy into this mission. That mission grew and became bigger than even the members.

“I also know that in the process when you got a lot of people who also became proponents of the mission, some of those people also began to take bruises because they believed in and argued for it. These are not people from Nkanu East but elsewhere.

“When on the 25th day of May, 2022, your wish and indeed of that mission which you led eventually came to fruition, I recall vividly that you were one of those who did a press release congratulating me and also pledging your unflinching support.

“I think it’ll be difficult for history to be written without posterity recognizing the role you played, if by the grace of God, we eventually become the next governor of Enugu State come May 2023.”

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Aburi was not a single’s tennis match between Gowon and Ojukwu – Professor ABC Nwosu

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Aburi was not a single’s tennis match between Gowon and Ojukwu - Professor ABC Nwosu
Former Health Minister, Prof ABC Nwosu
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Former Minister of Health and eminent statesman, PROFESSOR A. B. C. NWOSU, in this interview responded to some of the issues raised by General Yakubu Gowon in his recent interview, on his roles in the Nigeria – Biafra War.  He is of the view that there are critical issues that the former Head of State did not address, warning that “Nigeria will continue to be an unstable state until we restructure.”

You must have read General Yakubu Gowon’s interview; as a person close to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and final year undergraduate who was politically active, how did you feel at the time?

I felt sad.  Very sad because I had expected that Gowon would reveal at least some of the things which have bothered me and Ndigbo from 1966 till now.  Gowon’s interview was not only sad for me because of his self-serving half-truth but for the major things not said. I don’t think that Gowon believes that total deviation from the Aburi agreement was the cause of the civil war but everybody, and I mean everybody who was a “Biafran” at the time, doubted that it was.  That’s why ‘On Aburi We Stand’ was the war cry from the East.  If Aburi had been implemented there would have been no Nigeria – Biafra War.  I thank the respected Journalist, Chuks Iloegbunam, for his masterful response to General Gowon published in the Vanguard.

For example, when General Gowon said that he didn’t call his Secretary to Government to the Aburi meeting whilst Ojukwu did, I said to myself that General Gowon has lost it because Aburi was not a single’s tennis match between him and his so-called friend, Ojukwu.

Why is Aburi critical for Nigeria?

Aburi was critical because every other discussion on what had happened namely, the January 15 coup, May 29 pogrom and the July 29 counter coup had failed to resolve the matter as the various delegations had feared for their lives and would not attend further meetings. Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s meeting with Ojukwu on May 5th and 6th, 1967 did not succeed in bringing the Eastern delegation to the meeting. As Gowon correctly said, the East could not attend any meeting in Nigeria because they feared for their lives. As Gowon also said, a British war plane as well as a Naval war ship were considered but rejected by the East because of the involvement of Britain in the conflict.  So the acceptable venue was General Ankrah and his offer of Aburi in Ghana.  It was not a meeting between Gowon and Ojukwu, that’s why I insist it was not a single’s tennis match between the two of them.  It was a meeting between General Gowon, who came with the federal cabinet secretariat; General Hassan Usman Katsina and the Secretary to the Northern Government; Governor David Ejoor, who came with the Secretary of the Midwest Government; Governor Adeyinka Adebayo, who came with the Secretary of the Western Nigerian government and Governor Odumegwu Ojukwu, who came with Eastern Nigerian government.  So, it was a full-fledged Nigerian meeting to avert a war and not a meeting between Gowon and Ojukwu.

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One of the key unanimous decisions at Aburi was that the conflict would not be settled through a war.  Therefore to say that we fought to live together is not true since all of them had agreed that fighting was not necessary and would not be used to settle the matter. In any case, the matter of dividing Nigeria into 12 states was neither tabled nor discussed at Aburi. What was discussed was devolution of powers from the centre to the federating units including coercive agencies of State like Police, Army etc.  What was discussed with unanimity was in making appointments to  “Super Permanent Secretaries”, Inspector General of Power, etc.   This greatly irked the super permanent secretaries at the time, who submitted an anti-Aburu agreement memo.

What was required in order to keep good faith was a follow-up meeting by all those present at the original meeting where the original agreement was reached.  The other members cannot implement their version of the agreement without consulting and getting the concurrence of the Eastern government that wore the shoes that were pinching them on all sides – refugees and  rehabilitation, burial of so many dead bodies and fleeing citizens, etc. So, it was wrong to have implemented the civil servant-mutilated Aburi Agreement.  If one checks the sequence of events leading to the Nigeria – Biafra war, the creation of 12 states on 5th May 1967, which was not part of Aburi, was done to take the wind off the sails of the urge for the creation of Biafra. This was clearly bad faith shown by the federal government.  Unfortunately, this was the impetus that accelerated the declaration of Biafra on 30th May, 1967 because people of the East feared that the federal government could declare a state of emergency and invade the East.   Biafra was not declared before the creation of the 12 states, which was not in the spirit of the Aburi agreement.

One of the major agreements of the Aburi was the repatriation of soldiers to their states of origin.  The West continued to whine over this until the Nigeria – Biafra war, where they joined the fight against Biafra.

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But Aburi will continue to hunt Nigeria in the form of RESTRUCTURING of the Nigerian polity along the intentions of the founding fathers of the republic, where there are no senior or junior Nigerians, and where the federating units are coordinate government, not this nonsense of sub-national government.  Sub-national government implies that Tafawa Balewa was senior to Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Dr. Michael Okpara.  To me that is arrant nonsense, and all these people using the term Sub-national government don’t know what a federation is.

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You told me that you are worried about Gowon’s silence over January 15 coup in 1966 and the counter coup of July 1966, what are your worries?

I am worried about the January 15th coup because I know it was fully investigated by the special branch of the police under late Inspector General of Police MD Yusuf and the report up till now is not public, even though some people have managed to lay their hands on it.  The report was said to have been submitted to the Chief of Army Staff under General Ironsi (which would be General Gowon) but Gowon has said nothing about it so far.  I would have liked to know how many people were investigated; the statement that they made and in particular, whether it was an Igbo coup. I know for certain that the report indicated that Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna and Demola Ademoyiga were the central figures of the coup and that Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogu was involved towards the later part of their planning.  There are rumors that others were involved but Nigerians would like to see what the report was like.  It was also sad that General Gowon kept total silence on the counter coup of July 29 and how he became Supreme Commander.

That interview by Gowon was also totally silent on the pogrom and killing of civilians in the North and West of Nigeria.  Easterners, especially Ndigbo, would wonder why he was silent because these were the bases of fears of insecurity by Easterners, especially Ndigbo, about their lives and property in their own country without being protected by their own government. Knowing the reason why people get killed and their properties seized when they venture out of their states of origin, is critical for stability in Nigeria.

 Gowon stated that he gave specific instructions on the rules of engagement for the Nigerian Army for the war…(cuts in)

Really, and were these rules enforced?  I never read of the tribunal and trials of those behind the Asaba Massacre for example.  Meanwhile, “Asaba still mourns” and have erected a memorial to give their sons respectable rest. The other day Ogbomosho people wanted National Honours for their son and hero, Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle. I wonder whether it was the same Brigadier Adekunle, the Black Scorpion, who ordered that anything moving should be shot, even the dogs, but I leave that for now.  And the West still feels that Colonel Emma Nwaobosi should be publicly hanged for killing Governor Akintola and his wife whilst idolizing Chief Awolowo.  It perplexes me.  ,

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Finally, on war crimes, I am still to come to terms with the fact that starvation of new born children, their mothers and toddlers could be a legitimate instrument of war.  Is that part of the UN Convention?  And yet nobody talks about these things, just wishing that those who lost their loved ones should just hide in the corner and shut their mouths.  And Gowon kept quiet on this in the interview.

It is obvious, from what you said, that you expected more from Gowon’s interview…

Yes.  As I would have expected from Ojukwu, if he ever gave an interview in the later part of his life.  In three months it will be 55 years since the war ended and Nigerians are living together but the same problems that were to be solved by Aburi are still very much with us.  We keep having conferences upon conferences on how to live in a more stable united country. We even had under Obasanjo a Truth and Reconciliation Commission under the renowned jurist, Chukwudifu Oputa with also renowned Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah as Secretary, but nobody was ready to talk. Nobody also had any regrets. Governor Usman Farouk, Governor of Northwest State when Nigeria was a 12 state structure and member of the investigative panel of MD Yusuf Panel for the January 15 coup, wrote his book titled, “There were Victors and There were Vanquished”.  Some of us have copies. Nobody is still ready to talk and say exactly what happened.  Even when these national conferences agree on issues like State Police, Devolution of Powers, Less funds for the Federal Government, more percentage on Derivation Principle, they don’t get implemented either by a president who throws the report into the trash bin nor by a president, who is supposed to be an  apostle of true federalism and fiscal federalism.  The consoling issue is that we shall all go the way of all mortals  whether we like it or not.  And Nigeria will continue to be an unstable state until we RESTRUCTURE.

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APC wins 21 LG chairmanship, 239 councillorship seats in Kogi

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The ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Kogi state has cleared the 21 chairmanship positions and the 239 Councillorship seats in the Saturday Local Government elections in the state.

Announcing the final results, late  Saturday night, the chairman of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, (KOSIEC) Mamman Nda Eri, commended the people of the state for the peaceful conduct of the polls.

The KOSIEC chairman noted that results had earlier been  declared on the field by the various Local Government returning officers for the election.

He added that the Commission had ensured timely deployment of election materials to the various pulling units across the state which he said was largely responsible for the hitchi-free exercise.

According to him, in all the places visited along side his officials, the electoral Officer ensure that the election was free, transparent on strict adherence to the guidelines and the modalities adopted were acceptable to the electorates irrespective of their political divide.

Eri , while thanking the security agents for ensuring compliance with the guidelines,  also commended Journalists for keeping vigil from the commencement of the exercise to to the declaration of results.

The chairman called on the newly elected local government officials to justify the confidence reposed on them by delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state in their various councils.

“As elected officials, you must justify the confidence reposed on you by the electorates by taking advantage of the autonomy grant the Local Governments by the supreme court to deliver the dividends of democracy to your people.

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“I must also thank the governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo for the support he gave to the commission in terms logistics, ensuring a level playing fields for all the participating political parties and creating the enabling environment, which resulted in a peaceful, credible and transparent election across the state.

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” As we earlier promised, the Commission carried along all stakeholders, includes the civil society groups in the state and outside the state, from the beginning to the end to ensure a credible exercise, whose out Will not only be acceptable to the people, but meets national and international best practices in the conduct of elections.

Reacting to the exercise, the Apex civil society organization in the state, the Kogi NGOs Network, (KONGONET), said the election was conducted in a generally peaceful atmosphere, which they said is commendable.

In the post election statement signed by the Chairperson of the group, Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, said they noted instances of late arrival of election materials in some polling units, particularly in Lokoja, the state capital, but however noted that reports from Ajaokuta, Ijumu, Olomaboro, Adavi, Okene and other local government indicated timely arrival of materials in some polling units, contributing to a smooth electoral process in those areas.

While noting that the overall process displayed modest improvement compared to previous elections, he however said there are critical areas that require attention and improvement.

Ambassador Idris listed those areas to include, the insufficient visibility of the voter register at polling units, which hindered voter verification,  Ensuring the early arrival of election materials to all polling units which he said is essential for a seamless voting experience.

Speaking further he said, “While we commend the robust deployment and availability of security personnel across most polling units visited. Strict adherence to movement restrictions must be enforced to maintain order, integrity and encourage voter turnout during the election process in future engagement.

SEE ALSO:  Aburi was not a single’s tennis match between Gowon and Ojukwu - Professor ABC Nwosu

The group added that the commission needed to up its game in the area of publicity and Sensitization of Voters to improve election turnout.

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Ambassador Idris concluded that “the electoral process observed thus far indicates a positive trend towards improvement, particularly in KOSIEC’s engagement with civil society. However, to enhance the integrity and efficiency of future elections, we urge the electoral commission to address the highlighted areas for improvement

A member of the main opposition party in the state, Eseyin Oluwakayode Emmanuel, a
PDP Youth Leader in Kabba Bunu Local Government also praised the process put in place by the State Independent Electoral Commission in today’s election, which he said was largely responsible for the free fair, credible and transparent LG elections.

The PDP Youth leader described the peaceful conduct of the election as commendable, pointing out that lessons learnt in previous elections has served as a guide for KOSIEC, saying there was a great departure from the past.

He advised the opposition parties always come out enmass to vote for their preferred candidates, instead of staying away, insisting that the electoral body has justified the confidence reposed on them.

The Youth leader described the massive turnout in the area as an indication that the people want to elect their representatives and not selected for them as was the case in the past.

ELECTED NEW COUNCIL CHAIRMEN AND VICE CHAIRMEN IN 21 LGA OF KOGI STATE

1. Adavi – Hon. Rasheed Okatengwu Chairman, Hon. Hawawu Aanazuo Vice Chairman

2. Ajaokuta – Hon. Haruna Aliyu Chairman, Hon. Zainab Salihu Vice Chairman

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3. Ankpa – Hon. Adamu Yahaya Chairman, Hon. Halimat Ima Vice Chairman

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4. Bassa – Hon. Adama Theophilus Daruwana Chairman, Hon. Aisha Aliyu Vice Chairman

5. Dekina – Hon. John Urah Chairman, Hon. Rashida Abdullahi Vice Chairman

6. Ibaji – Hon. Emmanuel Onuche Chairman, Hon. Victoria Okolo Vice Chairman

7. Idah – Hon. Alfa Halilu Chairman, Hon. Nafisetu Oseni Vice Chairman

8. Igalamela/Odolu – Hon. Cosmos Atabor Chairman, Hon. Khadijat Muhammed Vice Chairman

9. Ijumu – Hon. Haruna Ibrahim Chairman, Hon. Olumiyiwa Tunde Vice Chairman

10. Kabba/Bunu – Hon. Barr. Zacheaus Dare Chairman, Hon. Bosede Olumeyan Vice Chairman

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11. Kogi – Hon. Musa Abdulmalik Chairman, Hon. Rabiyat Yusuf Adam Vice Chairman

12. Lokoja – Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Chairman, Hon. Patricia Balogun Vice Chairman

13. Mopa-Muro – Hon. Ademola Bello Chairman, Hon. Dalumo Joy Dada Vice Chairman

14. Ofu – Hon. Musa Muhammed Lawal Chairman, Hon. Joy Ojali Amaga Vice Chairman

15. Ogori/Magongo – Hon. Rosemary Ohiezuchah Chairman, Hon. Williams Alao Vice Chairman

16. Okehi – Hon. Amoka Monday Chairman, Hon. Halimat Abdulwahab Vice Chairman

17. Okene – Hon. Enesi Ahmed Nuhu Chairman, Hon. Mabel Ovaiozao Vice Chairman

18. Olomaboro – Hon. Ameh Williams Chairman, Hon. Christiana Oguche Vice Chairman

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19. Omalla – Hon. Edibo Mark Chairman, Hon. Adijetu Usman Vice Chairman

20. Yagba East – Hon. Joshua Dare Monday Chairman, Hon. Kudirat Abdulraheem Vice Chairman

21. Yagba West – Hon. Olokun Tosin Chairman, Hon. Roseline Adebayo Mayowa Vice Chairman

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Kogi LG poll: No restriction of movement for travellers – KOSIEC

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There will be no restriction of movement for travellers passing through Kogi state during the Saturday local government elections.

Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) Mr Mamman Nda-Eri, stated this in Lokoja on Friday.

Nda-Eri assured travellers of their immunity from the statement earlier issued on Friday by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo on restriction of vehicular movement between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. of Saturday.

Fanwo had said that the decision to restrict vehicular movement on Saturday was to ensure hitch-free council polls in the state.

“The decision is also to guarantee the security of voters and citizens across the 21 local government areas of the state.

“Already, the state government has directed security agencies to enforce the order in the interest of the people and to ensure that offenders are punished,” the commissioner had said.

However, the KOSIEC chairman explained that the restriction order was only for residents of the state and not the travellers passing through Kogi.

“We are aware that Kogi is a gateway state and we can’t stop people from travelling across the state.

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“The election is very crucial though, but we understand the fears of travellers. They can pass without any problem,” he said.

Nda-Eri also disclosed that the deployment of sensitive electoral materials to LGAs had commenced, adding that they had been released to the electoral officers in all the 21 local government areas of the state.

The chairman, who monitored the release of the sensitive electoral materials at the headquarters of the commission, said they arrived at the headquarters of the commission around 9:00 p.m. of Thursday.

SEE ALSO:  Aburi was not a single’s tennis match between Gowon and Ojukwu - Professor ABC Nwosu

He said that the election would take place in the 239 wards of the 21 council areas simultaneously on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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