A member of the House of Representatives, Cyriacus Umeha, has blamed the wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling party on a lack of leadership.

Umeha, representing Ezeagu/Udi Federal Constituency, told newsmen that opposition parties were experiencing a leadership crisis.

“Labour Party, which I belong to, is in crisis at both ward and national levels.

The PDP and even NNPP are also facing leadership crises,” he said.

The lawmaker stressed the need for opposition parties to unite and speak with one voice, saying that only then would defections stop.

He emphasised that every politician was committed to working under a harmonised and united political party leadership.

According to him, the opposition lacks credible and united leadership, forcing members to seek stability in the ruling party.

Umeha regretted the leadership tussle within the Labour Party, saying it had caused divisions and weakened the party.

“The Labour Party was seen as a third force with great expectations from Nigerians. Unfortunately, it is now in crisis,” he said.

However, he reaffirmed his dedication to delivering the dividends of democracy to his constituents through developmental projects.

He stated that he had provided water to rural communities and constructed rural roads to improve livelihoods.

Umeha also urged INEC to fulfil its duty of replacing vacant seats in the National Assembly without delay.

He criticised INEC’s failure to conduct elections within 90 days as required by the constitution, calling it unhealthy for Nigeria’s democracy.

Report says that there has been a wave of defections in the National Assembly, particularly from opposition parties to the ruling party. (NAN)

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

A Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Tuesday raised the alarm over alleged plot to tamper with last Friday judgment of the Supreme Court on Rivers State political crisis.

According to the political activist, there were plots by some persons loyal to a former governor of Rivers State to import the issue of defection of 27 Lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is still at the Appeal Court, into the recent judgement to undermine the ongoing cases. Frank, who raised the alarm through a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, described the move as a “desperate lobby to smuggle into the Judgment an aspect which was not decided.”He accused some loyalists of a former Rivers State governor as brains behind the move.He said: “There is an ongoing plot to doctor the Supreme Court Judgement on Rivers and insert issues of defection that were not litigated by the parties by the pro-Wike group to help destroy the pending cases on defection before the Appeal Court and Federal High Court.”According to him, the issue of defection and legal battle to decide whether they were right or wrong is presently at the Appeal Court and Federal High Court, where Nigerians are waiting to see the judicial interpretation of the illegal act of cross carpeting at a time there was no division which was also backed by a court affidavit sworn to by the defected lawmakers.He said: “We are calling on the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the Panel of Justices who heard the case to ensure that the desperate attempts of the Wike group do not taint their Judgement and that the issue of defection, which is still at the Appeal Court, is not imported into the Judgement to undermine the ongoing cases.“We are confident that the eminent jurist who delivered the Judgment knows the issues at stake and will not fail Nigerians by ensuring that a check is put on the Wike group’s political madness and desperation, which is threatening constitutional democracy in Nigeria.“I have just been reliably informed of a last minute desperate moves by Former Gov.Wike and his lawyers working with some elements in the Supreme Court to use the ongoing writing of the recently delivered Judgement of the Supreme Court on the issue of Rivers LGA election and presentation of budget to smuggle an item which was never the substantive matter that the Supreme Court decided and which was never part of what was read in the open Court, the issue of the legality of the decampment of the Wike loyal lawmakers from PDP to APC at a time there was no crisis.“This desperate move, which will rubbish the integrity of the Supreme Court if not stopped by our respected jurist, will do irredeemable damage to our nation’s apex and respected Court.“The move is to insert several pages of strange ruling on defection, knowing fully well that the illegal defection of the Wike group of lawmakers was not the subject matter before the Court, but rather on the issue of conduct of LGA election and issue of budget presentation and seizure of federal allocation to Rivers State based on cases they filled even before their defection.“What they want to push into the Judgment secretly was never part of the ruling of the lower courts or the Supreme Court. “They are already celebrating, and my contact in the chamber of one of their lawyers has shown me a draft of what they are confident will be inserted today ahead of the release of the typed CTC of the Judgment today or tomorrow.”

Delta Government says former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege can not drag Gov.

Sheriff Oborevwori into myopic politics now when he is concentrating on good governance of the state.The State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, accompanied by Executive Assistant on the New Media, Felix Ofou, stated this at a news conference on Monday in Asaba. Aniagwu said that because the oppositions were idle and lacked adequate information about the myriads of achievement of the Gov. Oborevwori led administration, they needed to be educated and as leaders, they needed to be patriotic in their statements.According to Aniagwu, the former deputy Senate president had at the weekend, accused the state governor of neglecting the people of Delta South and Delta North Senatorial Districts in terms of developmental infrastructure.“Since people don’t have information, you give them so that next time they are well guided because we have been listening to them but that will not distract us from responding with projects to the issues they have raised.”He said that it was sad that the DSP who should know more was progressing in error, adding that in spite of his antics, Gov. Oborevwori would continue to reply them with more projects.The commissioner said that the current administration has impacted on education, health, roads, agriculture, various empowerment programmes through skills acquisition and all other sectors across the state.He said that the government had awarded good numbers of projects, completed and ongoing across all the local government areas in Delta South and Delta North as well as in the Delta Central Senatorial Districts.He said that various projects had been reeled out many times and they were verifiable across the the state to guide critics with requisite information.Aniagwu said the projects had been mentioned severally to educate and inform the opposition so that the former DSP and others should stop progressing in error.“With the Gov. Oborevwori approach, the state will remain solvent. The opposition have resolved to take undue advantage of the media to paint pictures that are at variance with the reality on ground.“They are pained that we are replying with projects. Because most of them are no longer in government, they are out of jobs and are idle, We have to educate them so that they can not continue in their ignorance.“We do not want to join politics now but we do not want them to wallow up in ignorance hence we are educating them on what we are doing,” Aniagwu said.Aniagwu said that the governor in line with his agenda to do more for the people, has directed all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to speed up work with the projects that they were handling at different levelsHe said that the state government has prohibited illegal mining activities at the government acquired land at the Ugbolu Community, near Asaba.According to Aniagwu, the activities of the illegal stone miners are defacing and destroying the landscape at Ugbolu , an area earmarked for development as part of expansion of our urban renewals of the capital territory.The commissioner said that anyone caught in the art would be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.He also warned that the state government would not close its eyes to any mining operation, be it legal or illegal that undermined the environmental impact assessment in any community. (NAN)