POLITICS
Tinubu has Moves to End Political Marginalization of South East- Ganduje
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje has said that the government of President Bola Tinubu was working out the modality to bring to an end the political marginalization of the South East.
Ganduje spoke on Wednesday when he received members of the Anambra State chapter of the party who came to pay him a courtesy visit in his office.
He said he was delighted to receive the key stakeholders of the party in the South East state including senators and members of Tinubu’s cabinet, Uju Ohanenye as well former members of the National Assembly.
“I am so delighted and very happy.
Today is like a Sallah day for me and Christmas day for the Christians. It is like the day of swearing-in for a victorious politician. Today is just like that for me because I never thought I would see the calibre of politicians from not only Anambra but also from the South East zone in the name of APC.“Let me announce to you that President Tinubu has approved the blueprint for the political liberation, political emancipation and political de-marginalisation of the South East.
“The blueprint will make your voice to be heard, louder, wider on the APC platform to be able to negotiate for the political leadership of the country. You could not achieve that because there was no unity among you. We need you to be united for the delivery of the party in Anambra state. The liberation has started in Imo and will continue in Anambra in 2025”.
Also, the governor of Imo State and Chairman of the South East APC Stakeholders, Hope Uzodinma said he was happy with the new spirit in the Anambra State chapter of the party which he noted, has been on the rise in recent times.
Uzodinma urged the stakeholders to always work with unity of purpose adding that it would benefit the state and indeed the South East the more to pitch their tent with the ruling APC.
“I want to urge our supporters and leaders of our party in Anambra state to learn from the history of the events of the past to be guided by two items. First, unity of purpose, be in position to tolerate each other because anybody bitten by a snake is always afraid of the head of a lizard.
“We should be able to learn from our past. Anambra is a strategic and critical state in the country that has produced important men and women that have created history for this country. I have never seen in any tradition where the man who is always first should be counted last. We need to rise and take our destiny into our hands. I urge all of you brothers and sisters to forget the past, forgive yourselves, unite and represent our people for the interest of the country”.
“I invite you to go home and recover our people. I don’t want our zone to go extinct in national politics. The South East which ordinarily should be the citadel of Nigerian politics is being left behind of late. We should be able to advise and set targets for ourselves and drive our target to fruition. I am encouraged by the number of men and women here”.
In his address, the Chairman of the party in Anambra state, Chief Basil Ejidike said the party was working hard to ensure that it forms the next government in the forthcoming off-cycle election in 2025.
Ejidike who was full of praise for the National Chairman on how he has been handling affairs of the party said he was confident that he would equally provide the needed guidance that would help the party deepen its roots in the state.
“The Party at the state level is poised to go to the election with increased vigour, and is ready to deploy all democratic arsenal as well as deploying the enormous human capital available, to secure the victory which is very important in an election.
“We appreciate the importance of Anambra State as a socio-political and economic melting pot of the South East and therefore cannot afford to gamble with the coming opportunity to take over the AGU-AWKA Government House Awka. It is pertinent to inform you. Sir, that our periodic Stakeholders meetings have restored the hope and confidence of our stakeholders in the Party”.
He said the recent entry into the party by Sen. Ifeanyi Uba from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Sen. Uche Ekwunife, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as Director General of South East Governors Forum, Hon Mike Ugwa and Hon John Nwokeji.
“We also set up a Strategic Membership Drive Committee, with the intent of reaching out to persons with the wherewithal, as well as harnessing the grassroots in order to improve the fortunes of the Party. The Committee is tremendously discharging its duties and responsibilities to the benefit of the Party in Anambra. The heavyweights that we received last weekend will definitely assist them further in this regard”.
However, the State Chairman complained that there were some people at the Presidential Villa who were collaborating with the state government controlled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) whom he alleged were compromising the interests of the state.
“These persons in the past compromised the interests and frustrated the aspirations of the APC in the state. This evidently manifested in the 2017 and 2021 governorship elections: thus preventing the Party from winning despite all the efforts we put in. We are now very optimistic that with the change of guard in the Villa that saw the emergence of a committed party man, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Party under your able leadership, we believe the tide has turned in our favour.
“One major request in this regard, Sir, is for Your Excellency to ensure and guarantee a free fair and transparent primary election in Anambra State. This will help the Party in no means in going into the election as a united body, APC Anambra possesses the human and material resources to win the election”.
Ejidike equally hinted on the news for the party to organize a fundraising exercise ahead of the next governorship election in the state.
“On this, Sir, it is common knowledge that for a party to thrive, heavy and consistent funding is required. We have no major source of funding in APC Anambra, hence this appeal for special financial assistance.
“To change the narrative, the Party has recently, in line with the Constitution, set up and inaugurated a Finance Committee to spearhead fundraising for the Party Sir, may we also suggest that the Party at the national level work out modalities to support states without APC governors. We propose that states without APC Governors be attached to some APC Governors for financial assistance,” he said.
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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