POLITICS
APC Diaspora Chairmen Fault Congresses in UK, Canada, S/Africa
The APC Committee of Diaspora Chairmen (APC -CDC) on Friday said that congresses for executives held in Canada, UK and South Africa did not follow laid down procedures, and therefore illegal.
The chairmen also urged the party’s leadership not to recognise outcomes of such congresses but insisted that it must align with APC’s constitutional provisions.
Amb.
Stephen Tella, the APC-CDC General Secretary and Chairman of APC Spain chapter, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Lagos.“The APC-CDC is gravely concerned about the recent illegal and unconstitutional congresses held by some individuals who claim to be party representatives in various diaspora chapters of the party in UK, Canada, South Africa, etc.
“These congresses not only undermine the party’s constitution but also stand in direct opposition to the mandate given by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to the committee of diaspora chairmen.
“The APC-CDC led by Mr Tunde Doherty is urging the general public to be cautious and avoid associating with individuals claiming to be representatives of the party abroad.
“These impostors have been engaging in activities that do not align with the values and principles of our great party, and we urge all loyal party members to distance themselves from such fake representatives,” Tella said.
He noted that over the past months, the APC leadership in Nigeria in collaboration with the APC-CDC had been working tirelessly to investigate and expose these fraudulent individuals who had been falsely claiming to be party’s representatives in various countries.
According to him, their unauthorised actions have misled and confused many loyal party members and supporters living abroad, tarnishing the image of APC and jeopardising our collective efforts to build a stronger and more inclusive party.
Tella commended the leadership of the APC in Nigeria for their unwavering commitment to ensuring accountability and necessary steps to bringing the culprits to justice.
“Their prompt and decisive actions have demonstrated the party’s zero-tolerance policy toward any form of misconduct and their commitment to protecting the party’s reputation both at home and abroad.
“To address these challenges and streamline party activities in the diaspora, the APC has mandated the CDC to organise and oversee operations of the various diaspora chapters.
” This committee, comprising dedicated and trusted party members, will be responsible for ensuring that diaspora chapters abide by due processes and in accordance with the party’s constitution.
“In addition, the activities of the APC diaspora chapters must align with the party’s goals and objectives,” he said.
Tella said that the APC diaspora party chairmen committee recognised the significant contributions of Nigerians living abroad to the growth and development of the nation.
“We acknowledge their unwavering support for the party and the aspirations of our great leader, ensuring that the voices and concerns of our compatriots in the diaspora are heard and addressed.
“We, therefore, urge all genuine party members abroad to stay connected and engage directly with their respective diaspora chapters through the official channels provided by the APC.
“By doing so, you will contribute to the collective efforts aimed at strengthening the party and furthering its agenda of progress, prosperity, and good governance for all Nigerians,” he added.
Tella said the APC – CDC assured members that trust, integrity, and transparency would be restored within the diaspora chapters.
He said the committee remained committed to promoting unity, cooperation, and effective representation for all APC members living outside Nigeria.
The secretary said,: “With the mandate given to us by the NWC, we are committed to advancing the objectives of the APC, fostering unity, and harnessing the vast potential of the Nigerian diaspora.”
According to him, the APC-CDC primary focus will be to solidify the party’s image overseas, ensuring that the ideals, policies, and achievements of the APC are effectively communicated and recognised by compatriots residing abroad.
He said that all party members and stakeholders should remain vigilant, and uphold the APC values.
“Together, we can ensure that our party continues to serve as a beacon of democracy, progress, and good governance,” he added.
Tella said the APC – CDC had a full legal team made up of diaspora chapters chairmen to handle all grievances as approved by the APC leadership.
He listed the party’s diaspora membership countries to include , United kingdom, Spain, South Korea, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Togo and Liberia.
Others are India, Poland, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Gambia, South Africa, Scandinavia, France, Switzerland, UAE, Mexico, Belgium Australia and Morocco. (NAN)
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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