POLITICS
Go Out and Vote, Ohanaeze’s President Tells Imo People
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and the Imo State Council of Elders has called on the electorate in the state to go out and vote urging them to ignore scaremongers who do not want the November 11, 2023 governorship election to hold in Imo.
They made the appeal on Thursday while reacting to what they described as the circulation of “all manners of falsehood” to destabilise the Imo governorship election.
Speaking first, the Chairman of Imo State Elders Council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, said, “In Igboland, an elder does not stay at home doing nothing while the she-goat delivers in her tethers.
As Elders, we have a sacred duty to ensure that the right things are always done and that there is peace, love, unity, and stability in our State and country.Unfortunately, we have noticed of late, especially since last week, an unnecessary politically motivated gang-up against the Imo State government and the constant circulation of all manners of falsehood aimed at destabilizing the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the State.
“From our investigations, we discovered that there is a determined effort by some faceless persons to blackmail the State government and security agencies in the State, intimidate those saddled with election duties, and create a false picture of heightened insecurity to scare away Imo people from exercising their constitutional right to vote in the forthcoming election.
“We are indeed, baffled at what the sponsors of these fake alarms and unpatriotic actions at this material time, intend to achieve even when the people have already resolved to participate fully in the November 11, 2023 governorship election. As we speak, many people have started relocating to their respective places of voting, just as there is credible evidence of mass returnees into Imo State who want to vote.”
They said: “That Imo State is very peaceful, hospitable and fully ready for the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
“In Imo people are very excited about the forthcoming governorship election in the State and are not even aware of any factual evidence or proof of the childish rumours of insecurity or any form of public unrest at all, which some disgruntled folks who are desperately pursuing self-serving interests are bandying about.
“That the Imo State Council of Elders therefore, wishes to assure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Staff conducting the election as well as all security personnel to be deployed for the election, of the maximum cooperation of Imo people, who are naturally very hospitable.
“That the Council is, however, disturbed at deliberate attempts by some persons to foist hardship, and create rancour among Imo people. The council views this attitude as condemnable and must stop forthwith. The Council further strongly advises anybody who is averse to democracy to rethink because democracy is the most representative form of government anywhere in the world.
“Finally, we want to thank the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma, CON, for not only assuring a level playing ground for all political parties and their candidates but for also practically seeing to it. We appreciate him for marching his promises of ensuring a free, fair and credible election with proven actions, and for not being self-centered even as a candidate also contesting the election.”
It was their views that “By all indices, Imo people are pleased with the preparations by both INEC and the security agencies ahead of the election. We also urge them to be neutral and fair to all parties, and candidates.
“Once again, I thank you gentlemen of the Press and also solicit your cooperation towards ensuring a free, fair and credible governorship election in Imo State. This is because there is no democracy without the Press.”
Also, the President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, said: “The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, “I am happy now. I went to the villages and I saw some people very excited and they were waiting for the election. If anybody thinks he loves Imo, that person must not obstruct the election.
“Just like about our son, Nnamdi Kanu, we even discussed in the meeting where we agreed that I should make an effort for the release of the IPOB leader, that meeting was financed by Governor Hope Uzodimma. Yes, he financed that meeting.
Now, I have the mandate of our people to relate with the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to hold a meeting with the Igbo leaders. So, I can tell you for sure, that nobody is working against the release of an IPOB leader and just like we are saying nobody should work against the Imo election.”
Some of the stakeholders present at the meeting were the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Maurice Iwu, Former Ambassador of Nigeria to Congo, Greg Mbakwe, Professor Maurice Iwu, former INEC chairman, Senator Chris Anyanwu.
Former Vice Chairman of the PDP Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu, Major General Sunday Chikwe Rtd, and Former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, among others
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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