POLITICS
Benue PDP Crisis: Stakeholders Pass Vote of Confidence on Damagum, Moro, Ortom
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State yesterday, called for a cessation of all outward ventilation of grievances by members of the party, and enjoined aggrieved members to channel their actions inward.
They also called for peace, and enjoined members to close ranks and show adherence to the authority of the laws of the party in the spirit of the principle of party supremacy.
The stakeholders therefore, passed a vote of confidence on the national chairman of the party, Amb.
Umar Damagum, the senate minority leader and senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, the immediate past governor of the Benue State and Samuel Ortom for their efforts towards strengthening the party both at national level and in the State.The vote of confidence was passed on the leaders at a peace and unity press conference addressed by the party’s stakeholders in Makurdi in respect of the party’s local government congress that was peacefully conducted across 17 out of 23 LGAs of the State.
The stakeholders particularly commended the National Working Committee of the party under the leadership of Damagum for the direction and support given to the party in State through the congresses conducted thus far.
Leader of G-9 and chairman of Benue PDP Elders forum, Dr. Laha Dzever who read texts of the press conference, said as critical stakeholders of the party, they acknowledged the challenges that have arisen from the conduct so far of the ongoing elective Congresses to put in place executive structures for the party in the state.
He said the aim of the peace and unity press conference was to shed light on topical issues, and by doing so douse tensions and reinforce confidence in their members and the general public who look up to their great party as the most viable alternative political platform.
“As attested by the National Local Government Congress Committee to the state, the exercise under its watch was successful in all of the 17 local government areas where it was held.
“We await the judgment of the court and hopefully the eventual conduct of the exercise in the remaining 6 local government areas, even as we are expecting the arrival of the National Local Government Appeal Panel. We trust that the Panel will receive and attend to the complaints as may arise from the conduct of the recent exercise, with the same or even better sense of duty and astuteness as the Ward Appeal Panel.
“None of these could not have been achieved without the collective will, determination and selflessness of the party’s college of leaders under the capable leadership Samuel Ortom who is Benue PDP’s Leader and the Senate Minority Leader, Distinguished Senator Patrick Abba Moro, as well as His Excellency, Senator Gabriel Suswam.
“We urge the Benue PDP family to more than ever before, close ranks and place the interests of the party above those of individuals or groups within its ranks. “The umbrella of the party is large enough to accommodate the aspirations of its members at the various opportunities for elective offices as will arise from time to time” Dr. Dzever said.
The stakeholders congratulated those who were elected into the Ward and Local Government Executive Committees so far, and charged them to be magnanimous in victory, by reaching out to those who aspired alongside them, saying that the spirit must be that of “No Victor, No Vanquished”.
“We call for adherence to the laws of the party which copiously provide for safeguarding the rights of its members and the obligations they owe it. As members of the PDP, we must, even when aggrieved, be guided by provisions of Section 58 of the party’s constitution (as Amended in 2017) which prohibit the sponsoring of subversive activities within its ranks, publication of its internal disputes and resort to litigation without first exhausting the dispute resolution modalities provided in its domestic forum”
Speaking on behalf of PDP Benue State Assembly Caucus, member representing Agasha State Constituency, Williams Ortyom, said members must remain united, promote the party through stakeholder’s activities.
He admitted that there are factions within the party and urged aggrieved members to use internal mechanisms available within the party for resolving issues.
“We must put our house in order so as to be able to have a good outing in the forthcoming Local Government elections slated for November”, he said.
Lady Veronica Yaji, who spoke for the women, called for peace and stability in the party, saying if members are not united, the party cannot be able to reinforce ahead of 2027.
She stressed the need for members to always listen to leaders of the party for advice.
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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