The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom, has announced plans to kickstart its campaigns for the Oct. 5 governorship election in the state.

Sen. Ita Enang, the Chairman, APC Campaign and Election Planning Committee in the state, disclosed this at a press conference in Uyo on Tuesday.

He said that the rally to kickstart the party’s campaign for the election would hold on Sept 18, at the Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium.

Enang expressed confidence that APC would win all the chairmanship and councilorship positions in the state.

He expressed hopes that the state Independent Electoral Commission would provide a level play field to all political parties.

 “On Sept. 18, the APC in Akwa Ibom will formally begin local government elections campaigns at the Township Stadium, Ikot Ekpene.

“The president has taken the bold step to approve autonomy for local governments in the country, so we shall participate in the poll.

“We are confident that we are going to contest, we are also going to win the elections in all the 31 local government areas.

“We have the number to win. We want to display our majority, our strength, and our capacity in the local government elections,” he said.

Enang said that an APC-controlled third tier government in Akwa Ibom would deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

“I am sure that the people are not satisfied with the performance of the local government councils in the state, we shall make the difference,” he said.(NAN)

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Aondona Dajoh has identified with his Kogi State counterpart, Alhaji Aliyu Umar Yusuf on the conferment of chieftaincy title as the “Badakoshi of Lokoja” by the Lokoja Area Traditional Council of Kogi State.

Dajoh who is also “Atonko u Mbatiav” spoke at the palace of Maigari of Lokoja, Kogi State.

The speaker acknowledged the dexterity of Yusuf in leading the Kogi State House of Assembly successfully without chaos and for maintaining cordial relationship with other members of the house and for ensuring smooth working relationship with the Executive arm of government which had brought good tides to Kogi State.

He added that the honour done to the speaker by the traditional rulers was a true reflection of the uncommon visionary leadership disposition of Alhaji Yusuf, stressing that the people made no mistake in electing Yusuf into the Kogi State Assembly.

Dajoh who is also the Vice Chairman North Central Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, maintained that Lokoja people have added another responsibility to the member, stressing that “this, further would spur him to do more for his people”.

According to him, all the speakers of the 36 States of the federation have decided to come and celebrate with one of their own as a mark of honour for Kogi State in particular.

Dajoh further stated that the Lokoja traditional council took a wise decision by honouring the speaker and promised that the entire speakers in the federation would always support their son to succeed in office.

He charged the new Badakoshi of Lokoja to always encourage members of his state assembly to initiate bills and embark on oversight functions that have direct bearing on the generality of Lokoja people and Kogi State at large.

The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, in a statement in Makurdi said, Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly who is also the Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Adebo Edward Ogundoyin attended the event.

He further stated that Dajoh was accompanied to the occasion by Saater Tiseer, Majority Leader, Peter Ipusu, Majority Chief Whip and Michael Audu, Minority Leader.

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been asked to wash off its hand from the alleged destructive plans of Edozie Njoku who has determined to assert himself in power as the National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) by disobeying court orders that have removed him from office.

INEC was also asked to act fast in order to preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy by removing the name of Chief Edozie Njoku from its records and formally reinstating Sly Ezeokenwa as the authentic APGA National Chairman.

Addressing a Press Conference in Yenagoa, the Executive Director, The Inspired Leadership Doutimiye Dan Pipa said the time to act is now if Nigeria democracy must be protected from those who seek to undermine it for personal gain.

Inspired Leadership Group is a Civil Society Organization deeply committed to the promotion of justice, good governance, and the rule of law in the country. “We are a group that believes in the power of leadership rooted in integrity, transparency, and service to the people. Our guiding principle is simple: leadership should inspire, not divide; it should uplift, not suppress; it should build, not destroy”.

According to him, “let it be categorically stated that, after an exhaustive study of all relevant judgments passed by the courts on this matter, there is no single court ruling that pronounced Edozie Njoku as neither the National Chairman of APGA, nor any that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize him as such”.

“In fact, a recent Supreme Court judgment clarification, clearly obtained by the Inspired Leadership Group, stated unequivocally that at no point did its judgment pronounce Edozie Njoku as the APGA National Chairman. It also affirmed that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, did not disobey any court judgment by refusing to recognize Edozie Njoku as APGA National Chairman”.

“The time has come for INEC to revert to their earlier recognition of Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa as the authentic National Chairman of APGA. By doing so, INEC will not only uphold justice but also safeguard the internal democracy of our political parties, which is essential for the health of our national democracy.

“At the core of our mission is the protection of democratic values, ensuring that our institutions, particularly political parties, uphold the tenets of fairness, inclusivity, and accountability. We stand as a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, and as advocates for the preservation of internal democracy within political parties, which forms the bedrock of national democracy,” he said.

Speaking further said, despite the clear clarification and declaration from the apex court, free of any ambiguity, INEC continues to recognize Edozie Njoku, whose so-called Owerri Convention was not monitored by INEC, neither was it conducted by the then APGA National Chairman, nor endorsed by the then APGA National Leader, Dr. Willie Obiano, or attended by the then APGA NEC, BOT, or any other party organ, and INEC never had any reports on such an unknown convention.

Saying this bizarre situation raises concerns that INEC may be acting under pressure from anti-democratic forces. “We therefore warn INEC not to behave in a manner that suggests compromise. It is crucial that they prove the naysayers wrong by recognizing Sly Ezeokenwa as leader of APGA, a decision they had previously upheld until certain anti-democratic elements took the center stage”.