POLITICS
APC National Chairmanship: Party Govs Worried over Too Many Contestants- Gov Sani Bello
From Daniel Amasingha, Minna
Governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) are uncomfortable with the large number of aspirants contesting to lead the party ahead of its National Convention slated for February 26, 2022.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State and Chairman of the North central Governor’s Forum dropped the hint when his State’s caucus at the National Assembly paid him a visit at Government House, Minna to solicit for support for the aspiration of Senator Sani Musa as National Chairman.
In a release made available to DAILY ASSET by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Mrs Mary Noel Berje, it was disclosed that Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Abdullahi Aliyu Sabi led the delegation to present Senator Musa to the Governor.
Governor Bello hailed the Caucus for the visit explaining that the last few days have been disturbing, considering the boldness being exhibited by terrorists in some parts of the state.
Governor Sani Bello also expressed delight over the aspiration of the lawmaker whom he described as a friend and brother noting that with about six aspirants from the North Central, the Zone is obviously prepared to produce the National Chairman of the ruling party.
He said, as a leader in the North Central states, he was open to all aspirants especially from the zone.
The Governor commended the caucus for the unity amongst them and solidarity for Senator Musa.
“As a chairman, a responsibility bestowed on me by my colleagues, am open to everyone from the North Central.
“I can not be seen as openly disregarding some, but of course your own is your own and pulling this crowd makes a statement”, he said.
He however, disclosed the APC Governors are concerned about the many aspirants for the top position of the Party at the national level saying, plans are underway to ensure the situation is done to managed the number to the satisfaction of all.
The Governor assured the Senator of his support to achieve his desire as it was for the good of the party, state, zone and country believing that the Lawmaker would provide a purposeful leadership that will give the party a good direction.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Senator Sabi said that their visit was to first commiserate with the Governor over the recent attacks by terrorists in some parts of the state assuring him that he is not alone in it as they will not relent in giving there support particularly at the National Assembly so as to ensure the situation is addressed.
He said their coming was also to present and intimate the Governor on the aspiration of their colleague Senator Sani Musa, seek his support as well as have him lead in the actualisation of Senator Musa’s intention.
He told the Governor that they had duly notified the leadership of the party at the state level and were assured of all the needed support.
Senator Sani Musa in his remark explained that his desire to go for the national Chairmanship position of the APC is to build ideology for the party and to ensure that the party becomes an institution.
The Lawmaker maintained that APC being the largest political party in Africa, must have a leadership that is coherent to ensure good governance in the country.
While calling for discipline and tolerance among memebers of the party, the Lawmaker said he is not worried by the arrays of contestants of the top position of the ruling party.
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
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