Dr Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Sept. 21 governorship election, has advised the party to close ranks and strategise to permanently defeat Nigeria’s development nemesis.

Ighodalo gave the advice at a meeting hosted by former Minister for Solid Minerals, Sen.

Odion Ugbesia, leaders and stakeholders of the PDP in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday in Benin.

He said “PDP is the only party that can rescue this nation because we have capable members with the right vision, focus and patriotic zeal to reposition Nigeria “.

While thanking the party’s leadership, he commended them for the honest analytical report and suggestions on ways and means of moving the party forward and resolving other internal issues.

He said: “PDP remains the only party since 1999  that is still standing, while other parties have since either collapsed, fragmented or become amalgamation of strange, odd and unhealthy bedfellows, a contraption of  complicated forced union.”

Ighodalo advised on the need for the party to close ranks and strategise, to permanently defeat Nigeria’s development nemesis.

 Ighodalo said that  verifiable data showed that PDP was far ahead of other parties, saying “the party’s campaign structure will soon be unveiled”

He advised that square pegs be put in square holes, to guarantee total electoral victory and warned that sentiments should not be the basis for party appointments.

The candidate also emphasised the need to accommodate women and the youth in the campaign structure, “including the Obedient Movement.”

Earlier, Chief Olu Fashanu who spoke for the forum, said the meeting was convened to deliberate on how to ensure total victory for the party’s candidate and also map out other campaigns in Akoko-Edo.

Fashanu said the gathering was to avail the leaders of thought to productively engage and interact with Ighodalo, to ensure his victory by maximising the potentials of the party’s structure for the Sept. 21 election.

He said the party’s commanding political structure, using the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis, would be brought to bear in winning the local government for the party.

He said the goodwill and opportunities necessitated the need to proactively build and develop strong campaign teams with experienced political leadership at ward levels  in Akoko-Edo and beyond.

This, he pointed out, would neutralise voters’ intimidation being orchestrated by the so-called ‘federal might’. (NAN)

A chieftain of the APC in Ondo State, Mr Femi Adekanmbi, says destiny has placed Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa as a governorship aspirant over others jostling for the seat in the state.

Adekanmbi, in a statement on Tuesday in Akure, said the governor was ordained to lead the state, especially at this crucial time.

 The chieftain who pledged support, promised to work tirelessly for Aiyedatiwa in the party’s governorship primaries and the poll.

“We have received the signal to give  Aiyedatiwa  absolute support for both the primaries and the main gubernatorial  election.

 “Other aspirants  are eminently qualified to lead the state as the  governor but destiny has placed  Aiyedatiwa ahead of them.

“Divine  providence has made Aiyedatiwa the governor of Ondo state, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

“The governor is doing well, and I am giving him my support to secure a fresh mandate to enable him to continue his development strides.

“I’ve directed my team across the state to go all out and work for him,” he stated.

He appealed to other aspirants not to see the party’s primary election  as a war but rather, as a family affair where only one person would be elected as its   candidate.

 Adekanmbi urged all party members to stop the campaign of hatred presently going on among  supporters of the governorship  aspirants.

“We should not be seen fighting one another . This primary election should not divide us.

“I also urge Aiyedatiwa to be cautious of those claiming to love him now.

“Those who have suddenly become his accidental supporters now are those that wanted him impeached before the death of former Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

 “I urge the governor to continue the good works started by him, and lay down lasting legacy for himself in the state with developmental projects and programmes,” he said. ( NAN)

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) to reconcile the N45 billion unremitted operating surplus recorded from 2007 to 2021.

Chairman of the committee, Rep.

Bamidele Salam, gave the directive on Tuesday in Abuja, during the committee’s public hearing on leakages of government revenue.

The FRC dragged SEC before the committee for not responding to its report issued in 2022, where N45.

013 computed liability of unremitted funds was recorded against the SEC.

“We have written SEC on December 20, 2022 intimating the commission of our computed liability for the period 2007 to 2021 and the said liability amounted to N45,013,010,229 only.

“Up till now, we have not received any response from them, so as far as we are concerned they have accepted the liability and that is what we have recorded against the commission,” Mr Bello Aliyu, a representative of FRC, told the committee.

He added that between the period and now, the SEC had not made any attempt to reconcile the figure as contained in the report.

Aliyu said by law, balance of any operating surplus should be paid into the consolidated revenue fund of the Federal Government in less than one month of the statutory deadline of publishing any corporation account.

Mr Lamido Yuguda, the Director General, SEC, while reacting to the allegation, however, said that the commission had reconciled its operating surplus with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation(OAGF).

“I think if the FRC had actually done a little more work, they would have really seen from the OAGF all the efforts that we have made to reconcile the surplus figure from 2007 when FRC came into being,” Yuguda told the committee.

In his comment, the committee chairman said the FRC was empowered by law to ensure that all agencies and government corporations listed in its enabling Act behave responsibly with regards to remittances and management of their revenues.

“I don’t know why SEC is more comfortable with the Accountant General office and I don’t want to insinuate anything, but I want to assure the FRC that from now on, all that will stop.

”We are going to ensure that all agencies make FRC the major body of government that should ensure compliance with the provision of the act,” Salam said. (NAN)