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Kogi Election: APC’s alleged plan to use herbicides procured as FG’s palliatives for vote buying uncovered
The move by the All Progressives Party, APC in Kogi State to distribute herbicides to voters willing to cast their votes for the party’s governorship candidate, Usman Ododo during Saturday’s election has been exposed by some concerned leaders of the state.
Reports from different communities in Kogi East, on Thursday, indicated that the chemicals meant for grass weeding by farmers, which were procured as federal government’s palliatives by the Kogi State Government, were withheld and kept for distribution on election day.
“The strategy adopted by the APC to distribute chemicals (herbicides) to voters as condition for voting for their candidate is well known to us. As we speak, the chemicals are in all the communities across the local government areas in Kogi East senatorial zone. This is purely a case of vote buying and the INEC and security agencies should take note.
“These chemicals were bought with the subsidy palliative funds from the Federal government and the Kogi state government withheld them from being distributed to the beneficiaries only to hand them over to their campaign coordinators to distribute during the election as a way to getting undue advantage for their candidate. We must resist this and anyone found with such chemicals at the polling booths should not be allowed to go scot-free as such will be against the letters of the Electoral Act,” a political stalwart stated this while addressing voters in Ibaji local government area on Thursday.
“If they meant well for the people, they should have distributed these chemicals before the election. This cannot be regarded as palliatives as they are purely intended for vote-buying. We are used to this strategy being adopted by the APC to cajole our people into supporting an unpopular candidate and they can’t have their way in this election,” he added.
The Advocate reports that members of the three major political parties in the contest namely APC, SDP and PDP, on Thursday, intensified their campaigns for the Saturday’s election in the state as many of their campaign teams were seen at the grassroots level mobilizing voters to support their respective candidates.
However, it was observed that political violence and thuggery that preceded preparations for the election, appeared to have subsided following heavy deployment of security operatives to different parts of the state especially local government areas within Kogi East where several lives and property had been lost to politically-motivated mayhem.
The federal government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have vowed to fight fake news in Nigeria to a standstill.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and the Chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, gave the assurance while officially commissioning the EFCC Radio, 97.3 FM, in Abuja.
Idris said the commission should be commended on its ardent and result-yielding war against economic and financial crimes, adding that no Nigerian today can ignore, deny or dismiss the impact of the EFCC.
He particularly praised the initiative of a Radio Station by the commission, explaining that it would be empowered to fight false narratives, fake news and jaundiced presentation of its works.
He assured the EFCC of increased support and collaboration in the working of the radio station and other works of the commission.
On his own part, Olukoyede went down memory lane concerning the conception and crystallization of the idea of a radio station for the commission, describing its commissioning as a milestone.
The EFCC boss denounced the scourge of fake news and its attendant disservice to the works of the EFCC, maintaining that the radio station would help the commission tell its own stories more accurately.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udende, described corruption as a monster crippling growth and development of the nation.
The chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, Honourable Kayode Akinolu, called on all Nigerians to make the EFCC Radio as their preferred station as public enlightenment is needed in the anti-graft fight.
The days of Rivers State local government chairmen in office are numbered, Governor Siminalayi Fubara warned yesterday.
He said their threat to stay in office after July 17 is without basis, dismissing as a ruse the extension of their tenure by the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.
The governor who spoke during the kick-off of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road project in Elegba, Emohua Local Government Area, urged the youths to shun violence.
Also speaking during the 56th anniversary of the death of Ijaw activist Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, Fubara said he had defeated “Rivers’ enemies,” stressing that the detractors are now victims of their plots.
Lamenting that miscreants attacked some people at the inauguration of the Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road project, he warned that any disruption of public peace would not be tolerated in the state.
He said: “Nobody has the monopoly of violence. I should even be the one who should come out and shout that I will do this and that. But I don’t need to do that because both sides belong to me. I have taken oath to protect all.
“So, I am advising those people who call themselves local government chairmen: you have a few days in office. Please, conduct yourselves in a peaceful manner.”
Fubara spoke on the reality of life after office, saying it should help them to exercise caution.
He said: “Politics will come, politics will go, but we will still live our lives. Let nobody deceive you. If you deliberately hurt anybody, because you are expressing your useless support, nobody will forgive you. You will pay for it.
“So, I’m begging everyone. Please, conduct yourselves. As a matter of fact, I am the one that is most hit, and abused as a governor who doesn’t know what to do with power. Is it not? Have I said anything?”
Fubara added: “We have made our promise to our leader, who happens to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that we will take the path of peace and that is the part we are taking.
“We will continue to take that path. Don’t mind what they say. Don’t mind what they do. Peace remains the path to take. While taking the path of that peace, it does not mean that we won’t defend ourselves. Or let me describe it this way: we will not just be like a tree seeing someone coming to cut it down, and won’t do anything. No. We need to also protect ourselves in a lawful manner.”
Fubara said the project being executed showed that his administration meant well for Rivers.
He explained that the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku road project would be funded with savings from the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), adding that 50 percent of N80.8bn had already been paid.
He said: “We are telling the people that we are transparent; that we are a government that is ready to serve. We are a government that thinks about the people first.
“This is not different from the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President. Our mission is not different from the mission of Mr President. Mr President’s mission is to give hope to our people.
Kicking off the project, Senator John Azuta Mbata, who represented Rivers East District in the National Assembly, said the dual carriage road project, which is the responsibility of the Federal government, was undertaken by the Fubara administration.
He said: “We are, indeed, extremely delighted to have a governor of your calibre. We salute your leadership on this occasion. We salute your humanity on this occasion. We salute your humility on this occasion.
“We don’t have to talk too much about it. Anybody who is a politician understands that my standing here means I am making a grand political statement.”
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Atemea Briggs, said the state highway will connect two separate Trunk-A federal roads.
A community leader, Chief Charles Bekee, recalled how the road, which was reconstructed in 2001, collapsed a decade after because of traffic snarl.
He assured that the communities in the three local governments that will protect the project and give the contractor the impetus to achieve its mandate.
The other issues are the Contributory Pension Scheme, Ndiolu Microfinance Bank Issue, Constitution of Civil and Judiciary Service Commission, Wage award, and Non-appointment of Commissioner for Labour matters or Creation of Ministry of labour and Productivity.
In a letter dated May 15, 2024, to the governor, Chairmen, and secretaries of the two labour centres in the state, Humphrey Nwafor and Gaius Chukwuka (NLC), Chris Ogbonna and Alex Ebi (TUC), recalled a similar letter to the governor on March 5, 2024, and a communique reached between March 5 and 13, 2024, on the same issues to no avail.
Giving insight into the pending issues, organised Labour said it reviewed the issue of contributory pension “as a scam whereby workers salaries is being deducted without counterpart remittance from the government and retired workers could not access part of salaries deducted. “The deductions since 2018 were kept in government coffers without the constitution of the board to regulate the activities of Pension Fund Administrators, PFA’s. Organized Labour therefore demands immediate suspension of the deductions of contributory pension scheme from workers’ salaries and immediate refund of those monies deducted from workers’ salaries.
“The organized labour frowned at inhuman and fraudulent activities going on in the Ndi-olu Microfinance Bank. The organized labour demands for immediate dissolution of the Ndi-olu microfinance Board and calls on the government to set up a panel to investigate the activities of the bank not limited to monies deducted from workers’ salaries for recapitalization, non-remittance of shares accrue to workers of Anambra State, etc.
“The organized labour viewed the non-constitution of civil service commission, Judicial Service commission amongst others as negligence and deliberate act by the government to destabilize the system and stagnant workers from being promoted and have access from other entitlements. The organized labour demands immediate constitution of all boards that are due for reconstitution to enable workers to have access to their rights and privileges.
“The organized labour frowns at the non-appointment of permanent secretaries for two years as an act of insensitivity on the part of the government to the advancement of workers’ welfare and growth. The organized labour is dissatisfied with the usage of three permanent secretaries in running the two MDAs despite the fact; that they are the accounting officers of various MDAs as stipulated in the Anambra State Finance Act 2020. The organized labour demands the immediate appointment of permanent secretaries for smooth running and administration of civil service.
“The organized labour feels disappointed over the sudden removal of the N12,000 wage award by Anambra State government even when hunger and hardship in the land persist. The organized labour expects the government of Anambra to emulate her counterpart in the federation who are putting measures to cushion the effects of excruciating hunger, hardship, and deprivation in the country by providing palliatives and upward review of the removed wage award to her workers and sustaining the payment till the full implementation of new minimum wage commences.
“The organized labour felt neglected over the non-appointment of Commissioner for Labour and Productivity or creation of this important ministry in the state to oversee the affairs of Labour matters and its activities, as this has been hindering the advancement and progress of Labour union’s activities in the state.
“The organized labour expects the state Government to have emulated its counterparts in the 36 states of the federation in creating this all-important ministry than treating organized labour with uttermost negligence. This has been causing commotion among Labour leaders.
“Given the above issues raised, the organized labour demands that these issues be resolved within seven days from today (May 15) and after the expiration, if our demands are not met, the organized labour will not guarantee industrial peace and harmony in Anambra State,” they added.
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