NEWS
Benue PDP Crisis: We Have Issues Dividing Our Party in Benue- Suswam, Ortom
From Attah Ede Makurdi
Former Governor of Benue State and leader of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, Samuel Ortom and his predecessor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, on Thursday, admitted that there were contentious issues confronting the peace and unity of the party in the State.
The two leaders further said that there was need to address the root cause of the problem that had bedeviled the party thereby causing disaffection amongst members.
Both leaders spoke during the expanded stakeholders meeting of the party that was convened by the State Caretaker Committee of the party held at the party secretariat in Makurdi.
Although discussions at the meeting were expected to revolve around the forthcoming chairmanship and council elections in the state, issues of the crises that had come on the party took center stage.
But at the end of the day, all parties including Ortom, Senator Suswam and Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South senatorial district and the speakers from the three senatorial zones resolved to close ranks and move forward.
Declaring the meeting open, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, AVM Napoleon Bali, said the meeting was to brief members of the party ahead of the forthcoming Local Government (LG)elections in the state.
Although he confirmed that there were issues on ground, he was confident that such issues would be resolved and put behind the party in no distant time from now.
While he encouraged party members to pick forms and contest the election, he said he was hopeful that despite all, the PDP would make an impact in the election.
Bali, who advised members of the party to play by the rules, pledged that it would ensure that the right thing was done at all times.
In his remarks, Senator Suswam observed that “If we pretend here that there are no issues and go into the local government elections, the same issues that are on ground will resurface.
In his remarks, the leader of the party in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom insisted that, “We (PDP) are a strong force; till tomorrow PDP remains a big party that can win elections at any time.
“And by the grace of God we have seen the power of uniting together to win elections, but when we are divided we lose and that shows a big lesson that we must not fight to fulfill our personal interest or boost our ego but we should fight for the interest of the party. That is what will make things work for us.
“And where things are wrong, we should be bold enough to confront them (leaders) because the end result will be where we have found ourselves today; being complacent and sitting on the fence will not help us.
“I also agree as leader of the party that things are not well with us and there is need for us to sit together; if we sit together we can be able to iron out our differences; those areas that are conflicting with our interest and then we can come out with solutions that will project and promote the People’s Democratic Party.
“We are on ground and if we are united, I can assure you that we are going to win elections anytime and any day.
“You (Caretaker Committee) have additional work to do; as our leaders we must work closely because we know how elections at the local levels are done and here I think we can win with a little bit of careful strategy.
“In our party, we have always had conflicts but we have always found ways of resolving it and that is why in the Constitution of our party it is embedded in the conflict resolution mechanism; internally we sort out our problems.
“We can still do it; we can do that at individual levels, discuss with ourselves. Where we cannot, there are others we can call to help us resolve it. That is life; that is politics; you cannot run away from conflicts
Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South senatorial district who appealed to leaders of the party not to meddle in the selection process, insisted that the emergence of the right candidate was key to the PDP winning the local government polls in the state.
Speaker after speaker, from each of the senatorial zones, stressed the need for the PDP to have a united house that was capable of winning any election in the state.
While they pledged that they would continually support the party to succeed, the speakers also pledged to extend the same support to the Caretaker Committee to ensure a smooth transition.
They also appealed to the Committee to work towards ensuring that peace was restored in the state chapter of the PDP, stating that the move would grant the PDP victory, come 2027.
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Chairman, Senate Services, Sen. Steve Karimi has expressed concern over the spiraling insecurity in the country, which has threatened and diminishes the “good work” done by the administration of President Bola Tinubu in the last two years.
Karimi in an interview with DAILY ASSET cited the resurgence of killings across the Federation, especially in states like Benue, Plateau, Kogi, banditry in the North-West and the renewed attacks by Boko Haram in the North-East, saying they must be investigated immediately. “This rise in insecurity is all over the country; on all sides, even in the North-East, there is the resurgence of Boko Haram; at some point, everything became calm, but now they are coming back.“Check other parts of the country, there is kidnapping now on the rise again, whether in the South-West, South-South or South-East; it is happening all over the place.“Almost on a daily basis, there is one reported incident of banditry or another in the North-West.“I consider this resurgence an attempt by desperate groups and individuals to discredit the good work this government of President Bola Tinubu has done in the last two years, especially now that talks about 2027 elections have started”, Sen. Karimi said in a statement in Abuja.Karimi, who represents Kogi-West Senatorial District, commended security agencies for the sacrifices they had made so far in service to their fatherland to guarantee the safety of lives and property across the states.However, the lawmaker called on heads of the agencies to confront the new challenge squarely by thoroughly investigating the factors responsible for the “regrettable development” and proffer urgent responses.“This government worked so hard over the last two years to contain the porous security situation it inherited, including the scaling up of the defence and security budget.“At the National Assembly, there has been collaboration to ensure that the targets of the government are met through the existing Legislative-Executive harmony, which is to guarantee safety for all Nigerians.“This was achieved at some point. Unfortunately, there is this sudden resurgence, which is threatening to spoil the President’s records. I suspect sabotage that calls for immediate investigation”, Karimi added.The senator’s intervention came amid plans by the Senate to convene a National Security Summit as an expression of further legislative response to the renewed security challenges.
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Hon. Olatunbosun Tijani has disclosed that the federal government is set to convert the famous Joseph Gomwalk House Jos into a national outsourcing job hub in the country.Tijani during his inspection visit in Jos the Plateau State capital said installation of fibre cables and renovation works is expected to be completed in six months to come, adding that the centre is going to provide proper technical training for young people in the North Central region of Nigeria.
In his words, “As you know, we’re an extremely youthful country about 70% of our population is under the age of 30. For us, it’s a priority to ensure that we provide meaningful job opportunities for these young people.”While we’ve done extremely well with our 3 Million Technical Talent program, which focuses on training 3 million young people across the country, it’s also important that we find avenues to help them secure jobs. That’s why we’re in conversation with the governor of Plateau State, it’s one of the states we’re focusing on to see how we can accelerate the introduction of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) jobs here.”Companies all over the world are looking to outsource job opportunities. Historically, they’ve done this with countries like India. But Nigeria actually has an advantage, we speak better English and we’re well-positioned to handle many of these jobs. That’s the direction we’re heading in,” he explainedTijani noted thus, “the goal of today’s visit is to assess the possibility of converting this historic building, the Standard Building, into one of the headquarters for BPO in the country. Our aim is to work with the state government to refurbish the building and then engage with companies that hire young people for BPO work.”Let me be clear, Plateau is not the only state we’re focusing on, we’re implementing this in a number of states. The federal government’s goal is to ensure that our programs reach everyone, everywhere.”Plateau State is unique, it stands out because education here is strong, the people are hardworking, and they speak high-quality English, an essential requirement for BPO jobs. Importantly, the governor is also forward-thinking. He’s been actively engaging with us to make this a reality in Plateau State, and we appreciate that kind of leadership.” He statedThe Minister commended the landmark development recorded in the state within the shortest possible time. “The structures on the Plateau under the Time administration are impressive. The governor is clearly committed to restoring Plateau’s glory, and that’s exactly what we need. This state has so much to contribute to national development.The Commissioner for information and communication Rt. Hon. Joyce Ramnap who accompanied the Minister on the inspection visit noted that the Plateau state government will continue to create an enabling environment for remarkable investment as they work closely with the federal government in the interest of Plateau people and the country at large.
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Director General of the Prosperity Cup, Ono Akpe has declared that the Bayelsa State Governor’s Football Tournament is achieving set results.Akpe made the declaration while speaking to journalists shortly after the Yenagoa Local Government final encounter between Bayelsa United Feeders and Eternal Grace Ministries (EGM) FC.
He said he is very excited that within the space of seven years the tournament has grown so big and that some players scouted from the competition are now plying their trade within and outside the country, pointing out that was the whole essence of the Prosperity Cup, which is unarguably the biggest grassroots football tournament in the country. According to the DG, “I am excited that a product of the 2023 edition of the Prosperity Cup, Precious Benjamin, who plays for Hoffenheim in Germany, is presently part of the national Under-20 football team that won bronze in the just-concluded AFCON U-20 Championship in faraway Morocco.”We are particularly excited that our players are getting the recognition they deserve. That is the whole essence of the Prosperity Cup. Our dream is that the tournament will serve as a springboard for our youths to play for big Nigerian club sides just as some will ply their trade abroad. We are fulfilling that dream and hopefully we will do more at the end of the tournament. I am super excited that our efforts are yielding dividends”.No fewer than six Prosperity Cup products are currently with Bayelsa United. A sizable number are scattered across club sides in Nigeria while plying their trade abroad. The women are not left out as Harmony John who played for the grassroots club; Golden Sun Sports Club is now a proud member of the Bayelsa Queens squad.Speaking of the quality of play in the Yenagoa finals, in which EGM defeated Bayelsa United Feeders by two goals to one, Akpe said “We are very thrilled, it was a very technical game, you could see both teams are young, youthful and very vibrant, and were eager to take the prize. We are impressed because we are seeing quality football at every stage of the competition”.Giving an insight into what spectators should expect in the Prosperity Cup final, Akpe said “it would be explosive and would be as good as any football competition final, even the F.A. Cup final. We are having both the male and female finals. There is going to be a lot of excitement and a lot of entertainment. It is going to be a potpourri of music, culture and football.The Director General also said “In furtherance of our desire to have more of our players going out, His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri has approved the invitation of 10 coaches from across the country, including the Director of the Technical Department of the NFF, Austine Eguavoen. They will be in Yenagoa one full week before the final. They will be coming to watch the quarter finals, semifinals and the grand finale. It is our expectation that more Bayelsa youths will be picked up by club sides across the country”.The grand finale of the Prosperity Cup has been scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 31.
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