POLITICS
Kogi 2019: Why I want to Return to Lugard House – Wada
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Former governor of Kogi state, Capt. Idris Wada (retd) has given reasons he wants to contest the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Kogi state.
He pleaded with the people of the state to return him to Lugard House, saying that his decision to join the race for the governorship election again is to tackle the gross lack of infrastructure and depressing economic plight of the people.
Wada stated this when he formally declared his intention to contest the November governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former, who lost in 2015 said he has what it takes for the PDP to recapture the state saying the dismal condition of the state economy and the general of governance were enough to move the people to issue mandate to the party and leadership capable of addressing the problem.
Wada insisted that he would create the much needed employment opportunities, and return the state to the path of fulfilling that promise that people desired at the creation of the state.
“Within the available resources available to my administration, I made the completion of inherited projects and payment of salaries a priority. What should inform the decision as to who becomes the next Kogi State governor should be about capacity and experience. My aspiration is about the people who now see suicide as an option.
“The November 16, governorship election will present to the people another lifeline; my past administration made transparency, accountability and honesty its watchword, and i appeal for the support of the PDP executives to enable me realise more”, he pleaded.
In particular, he lamented the poor condition of workers in the state, recalling that his administration was always up to date on salary payment, save for his last three months in office, one of which he attributed to disagreement with labour leaders, as to how best to utilise dwindled federal allocation and the others because monthly allocation had not arrived before his departure.
Further, he said the welfare of the people, their progress and development of Kogi people remain non negotiable.
He urged the party executives to create a level playing field that would allow for a candidate that is passionate in actualising the dream of a better and enviable Kogi, to emerge as its candidate.
He said that it would be “suicidal if Kogi people mess up the only opportunity left in choosing a purposeful leader as governor. Our only lifeline should be well utilized and not traded off for peanuts, and for anti Kogi progress.”
Mr Martin Amaewhule (Obio/Akpor 1), the factional Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, has accused Gov. Siminialayi Fubara of planning to demolish the residential quarters of the state House of Assembly.
Amaewhule made the remark in Port Harcourt in reaction to the governor’s recent inspection visit to the assembly residential quarters.
Fubara had told newsmen during the visit that he wanted to acsertain the state of the facility for possible rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, Amaewhule described the visit as ‘unannounced and an invasion’ on the residential premises of Rivers assemblymen.
”His plan is to demolish the quarters the way he did to some parts of the state assembly complex in 2023,” he said.
The factional speaker said that the governor’s move was purely political because the Rivers assembly residential quarter was still the best in the country.
”The residential quarters were built by the administration of former Gov. Nyesom Wike in 2022.
”There’s nothing wrong with the buildings. They are in perfect condition. We have not called on the governor for any form of help.
“The governor’s undue interference is one that is unbecoming of a sitting governor who is supposed to uphold the sanctity of the law,” he said
Amaewhule further accused Fubara of always carrying out actions that were against democratic norms and principles.
”His actions show that he had declared war on all politically elected people in the state,” he said.(NAN)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the 27 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers at the Rivers House of Assembly can’t impeach Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, because they are no longer members of the House.
Mr Debo Ologunagba, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, said this at a new conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ologunagba said that the directive by the state APC chapter for the lawmakers to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor was in vain.
He said that the APC lawmakers had since vacated their seats at the House, by virtue of Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution.
“The lawmakers claiming to be APC members lost their seats after their defection from the PDP, the political party platform on which they were elected into the House.
“For emphasis, Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution provides that: a member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if … (g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political Party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.
“It should be noted that Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution is self-executory. The import of this provision is that the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who defected, have vacated their seat by reason of that defection,” he said.
Ologunagba advised APC to come to terms with the fact that Rivers was home to PDP and that the people of the state were not ready to leave the party.(NAN)
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
Senators yesterday during plenary continued complaining about their renovated chamber, with the Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Ali Ndume at one point describing the reconfigured chamber as a Conference Room.Recall that a week ago, bickerings about sitting arrangements led to a rowdy session which lasted for about 15 minutes, eventually forcing the Senate into executive session.
However, issues over alleged inadequacies in the Chamber once again took center stage yesterday during plenary when Senator Ali Ndume, through Order 42 of the Senate Standing rules pointed out that what was supposed to be a Chamber had been turned into a conference hall, stressing that was unacceptable. ”Mr President, I rise to make disturbing observations on this supposedly renovated chamber through order 42 that deals with personal privileges.”Since day one, precisely last week Tuesday when we moved into this Chamber that is supposed to have been renovated, there have been complaints here and there.”First was on sitting arrangements, followed by the echoing of voices by microphones that are not even audible. No voting device and the required facilities are not yet provided.”We need to correct all these anomalies for the Hallowed Chamber to be what it is supposed to be,” he said.Aligning with Ndume’s observations, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio said the observations were well noted and the point of Order upheld.He however explained to Ndume that complaints on sitting arrangements among Senators have been sorted out 99.9%, reminding him that the contract for the renovation work was not done by the 10th National Assembly.”This is not our contract and not even the National Assembly contract but that of the Federal Capital Development Authority ( FCDA), the landlord of the National Assembly Complex.”Observations on inadequacies in the renovated chamber are welcome from time to time for required perfection but what we should be aiming at in the long run is for us, as federal lawmakers, to have proper autonomy on the National Assembly Complex and not continue as tenants of FCDA,” he said.
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