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Ishaku Using State Apparatus to Muscle Opposition, Taraba APC Candidate Alleges

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Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku
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By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

House of Representatives member, Hon Usman Danjuma’s Shiddi, who is the All Progressives Congress, (APC) candidate in the forthcoming Senatorial election for Taraba South District, has accused the State Governor, Darius Ishaku of using state powers to muscle opposition in the state over his fear of imminent defeat.

Hon.

Shiddi, a serving member of the House of Representatives is going head-to-head with the incumbent governor in the Senatorial race, and has decried the manner in which the governor was deploying State apparatus to hound and persecute APC supporters in Southern Taraba, with a view to making the political space uncomfortable for opposition.

The Lawmaker who cried out that democracy was currently in danger in the state while briefing House of Representatives Correspondents at the weekend, in Abuja, stated that three APC stalwarts were currently languishing in jail on trumped-up charges orchestrated by governor Ishaku-led PDP administration in the state.

“I want to say today that democracy is about to somersault in Taraba. Governor Ishaku Darius has been so impatient with the opposition and is assaulting democracy in Taraba, particularly southern Taraba. And to us he is testing the waters. And if he goes scot free in what he is doing, we do know what we would do as the election approaches.

“As I speak today, my campaign DG, Dantani Danazumi Meshach is still under detention in prison. After the bail was reviewed, the magistrate court granted him bail. The high court issued another warrant again for his custody for charges that were political.

“They called my DG a lot of names, comparing him to Gana in Benue, and there are no records to show where he kidnapped, killed or did anything wrong anywhere.

“This same fellow, assisted them, was working for them and he won election in 2019 and now because he does not work for them, he has become a bad person.

“He did not stop there, as I speak again today, my LG coordinator of Wukari, the coordinator of our governorship aspirant, Ibrahim Danji Jibatswen and the party chairman of the LG, Isa Ma’aji Shekarau Masa-ibi are in prison today.

“They were summoned to the court some few days ago and were taken to police custody and later to prison. For the singular fact they reported to the police…because there was an attempt to attack us during the coronation of the two traditional rulers in Takum and Donga and Wuakari”, he said.

Hon. Shiddi expressed dismay at the seeming travesty of justice being perpetrated against the APC in the state, using law enforcement and the judiciary that’s supposed to be the last hope of the common man. He wondered why the governor would resort to intimidation and harassment if truly he’s popular among the people like himself (Shiddi), to win the election.

“We don’t know what will happen next again. We are being intimidated all over. And all these are geared towards the 2023 election. If he knows that he is grounded, why is he afraid of opposition? If you know you are on ground, why use state powers and resources to muzzle up opposition?

“It is obvious that the governor of Taraba knows he is losing. That’s why they have this fever and make all the harassment all over the place. APC is waiting for election even tomorrow that February is even too long for us. 

“If they say the election is tomorrow, I am prepared for it and for your information I am a Senatorial candidate for APC I’m Southern Taraba. The governor is the Senatorial candidate of PDP in Southern Taraba and because of that fever, I am becoming a nightmare for him. Because of that fever, they use the state power to harass and suppress my supporters. That is the fact about it. I am ready for the election. Maybe he is not prepared. I am prepared,” he said.

He lamented that those cited in the petition as hatchers of the plot were neither arrested nor invited for questioning, not by the police or the court. He therefore called on president Buhari and heads of security agencies, as well as the National Judicial Council (NJC), to wade into the matter by calling all involved to order.

“I have not seen where you write a petition where you are alerting security agencies of a crime that is about to be committed and now instead of the police investigating the matter, they turn against you that wrote the petition.

“Even the police that arrested them were invited by the court and from there, the court granted them bail that they should bring a permanent secretary as surety, which is still not even possible. As they could not achieve that they could not provide the perm sec, they now took them to area command for detention. They kept them there and the next day, to court and from court back to prison. They are now in prison for the singular fact they are law abiding citizens of Nigeria by reporting a crime that was planned against us.

“While those reported by the petition had not even been invited neither were they taken to court. Everything is targeted at opposition, especially in southern Taraba. As I say i should update you on what is happening in our state. So you can further help us. I am crying out to the commander in chief of the arms forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, the security agencies, the security high command, the judiciary, to quickly rise to the occasion to save democracy in Taraba. If nothing is done, I don’t know where we are heading to.

“The government is arm twisting the judiciary in the estate. So i am calling Mr president and the CJN and NJC to wade into this matter to stop the breakdown of law and order,” he added.

POLITICS

INEC Yet to Set Date for CVR Resumption- Official

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that no date has been set for the resumption of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).The commission also clarified that there is no schedule for the transfer and replacement of lost Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) at this time.

This clarification was made by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, via the commission’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday.
Oyekanmi also urged the public to disregard fake, anonymous statements circulating online claiming that the services would resume on May 27.He emphasised that the commission would make an official announcement about the resumption date through its verified channels at the appropriate time.
(NAN)

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POLITICS

I Ran As Atiku’s Running Mate Against The Will of My People, says Okowa

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Barely twenty-four hours after he formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has confessed that he ran as the vice-presidential candidate alongside Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election against the will of his people.

The former goveror admitting that his joint ticket with Atiku contradicted the zoning arrangement, power rotation and wishes of his people.

Speaking on Arise Television, Okowa described his acceptance of the role as a misalignment with the prevailing sentiments in Delta State — an issue he said he has deeply reflected upon.

He said, “Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power.

“But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party (PDP) and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”

He also fired back at former Senate President Bukola Saraki for criticising his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Okowa has been harvesting negative comments from Nigerians since his defection from the PDP after benefiting immensely from the party since 1999.

Okowa, former presidential running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in the 2023 general elections, said that Saraki lacks the moral standing to comment on or criticise his defection.

“I did not expect that someone like Senator Bukola Saraki should be able to speak concerning me, because he knows that he had also moved to APC before and eventually returned,” Okowa said. 

“So he has had movement to and fro. So, I don’t think that he has the moral right to even speak about my defection at all.”

Okowa explained that the decision to defect was not taken lightly and was a collective resolution by key political figures in Delta State. 

He said it was necessitated by internal crises and a lack of strategic direction within the PDP.

“Several things have been going on in the party. While I do not want to join issues with people, as stakeholders, our leaders in this state have sat down to look at the events in the last several months,” Okowa noted. 

“Because of the events that we see and the communications coming out from the leadership of the PDP at the moment, it did not appear to us that that was a proper political vehicle for us to continue in.”

He further pointed to the PDP governors’ resistance to forming a coalition and the ongoing leadership crisis as clear signs that the opposition party is not prepared for serious political competition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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NEWS

PDP Mocks Gov Okpebholo Over Endless Suspension of Gov’t Officials

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja 

Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken Governor Monday Okpebholo to the cleaners over serial suspension of top government official over alleged “financial infractions.

In a statement signed by Chris Osa Nehikhare

Publicity Secretary,

Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, the party described the serial suspensions as “a tragicomic drama stuck on replay” without any Credible investigation.

The PDP stressed that Governor Okpebholo’s tenure has become synonymous with a string of headline-grabbing suspensions of his top cabinet members—each more bewildering than the last.

 

“The latest in this parade of purges is Dr. Caulson Osoikhia Oahimire, Executive Secretary of the Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, suspended over alleged “grave financial infractions.”

“Since assuming office, Okpebholo has embarked on an unrelenting spree of suspensions, throwing one official after another under the bus—often amid sensational accusations of corruption and misconduct. 

“Yet, in all this noise, Edo people have seen no credible investigations, no legal conclusions, no public accountability—only whispers of quiet reinstatements through the backdoor.

“From his own Commissioner for Justice and Chief Law Officer, Samson Osagie, to the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Damian Lawani; the Head of the Public Safety Response Team, Kelly Okungbowa; the Commander of the State Security Corps, Friday Ibadin; the CEO of FEWMA, Ahmed Momoh; and now Dr. Oahimire—the list reads like a script from a badly managed soap opera. What we are witnessing is not governance—it is chaos masquerading as reform.

“Edo people are left asking: Is this simply a case of a workman constantly quarrelling with his tools? Or did Okpebholo knowingly assemble a team riddled with questionable characters—people who see public office not as a platform for service, but as a shortcut to self-enrichment?

“What is clear is that this endless cycle of suspensions has laid bare a troubling reality: either the Governor is completely out of his depth and incapable of managing his own appointees, or he is overseeing an administration deeply compromised by rot, failure, and corruption.

“If these appointees were handpicked or imposed by his party’s power brokers, the time has come for Okpebholo to take full responsibility. 

“He must clean house—decisively—and assemble a new cabinet built on competence, integrity, and a genuine commitment to the progress of Edo State.

“Enough of the drama. Edo deserves serious, focused, and transparent leadership.”

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