Politics
2019: APC Dares INEC, Vows To Field Candidates In Zamfara
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday clashed over the primaries of the APC in Zamfara State.
INEC had, in a letter, said it would not allow the APC to field candidates in any election in Zamfara State except for the presidential poll.
But the APC, in a letter to INEC, insisted that it would field candidates in all elections in Zamfara State.
INEC, in the letter, signed by its acting Secretary, Okechukwu Ndeche, and addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, explained that its decision was hinged on the fact that the APC failed to conduct primaries for National Assembly, governorship and state assembly, adding that the October 7 deadline had lapsed.
INEC added that its stance to declare APC ineligible to field candidates was premised on the provisions of sections 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010, stressing that “the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidates from Zamfara State.”
But the APC, in Oshiomhole’s reply to the letter by INEC, faulted the electoral commission.
Oshiomhole said the grounds upon which INEC based its conclusion was faulty and as such could not be relied upon to deny the APC the opportunity to present candidates.
He said the party held primary elections for the said positions and that the APC electoral committee sent to the state to conduct the exercise had submitted a comprehensive report.
He said, “The summary of the report, as you will find, is that following the high level of friction, disagreements and threatened violence by various political camps before the primaries, all the aspirants met at City King Hotel, Gusau, to find a truce.
“After hours of intense horse-trading, a consensus was reached within the spirit and context of the Electoral Act and the constitution of our party on the basis of which a list was produced which was confirmed/affirmed by all delegates present. This was done in strict compliance with Section 87 (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as Amended).
“Therefore, the claim in your letter under reference that ‘no primaries were conducted by your party in the state, notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and deployed’ could only be referring to their observation that actual voting did not take place, which is not the only mode prescribed for producing candidates in the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).”
The APC said it was perplexed that INEC did not wait for it to submit the names of its candidates in Zamfara State “considering that the time within which such submission should take place has not elapsed” before raising its observation in the letter under reference.
The APC noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not also hold primaries in Kano, but no such letter was written to the PDP.
The Zamfara APC had been engulfed in a serious crisis in recent time as parallel primaries had been held by factions of the party, none of which was monitored by INEC.
The two persons at the centre of the crisis are Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who is also a senatorial aspirant, and Senator Kabiru Marafa, a governorship aspirant.
While Yari wanted his Commissioner for Finance, Mukhtar Idris, to succeed him, Marafa insisted that there must be a level playing field. This led to the conduct of parallel primaries across the state which produced different candidates.
The National Working Committee (NWC) led by Oshiomhole subsequently suspended the state executive of the party to allow for a rancour-free exercise, a decision which did not go down well with Yari.
However, the electoral panel sent to the state by the party’s national leadership announced that it was unable to organise primaries in the state.
Meanwhile, the PDP and civil rights groups supported INEC on its stand on the Zamfara State governorship and legislative primaries.
The PDP called on the electoral commission not to allow the APC to intimidate it over its position, and not to bend the rules in favour of the APC, warning that doing so would amount to an illegality.
National Publicity Secretary, PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, gave the party’s position at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said, “Our position has not changed. You remember that after our national convention, we alerted the nation that the closing date for primaries and congresses was October 7, and as of that day, the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress had not held a singular congress to elect candidates into various positions that will be contested in 2019 general elections.
“We warn INEC because we are aware of underhand measures and moves by the leadership of the APC who summoned the INEC chairman and the Governor of Zamfara State to a meeting.
“As such, we are warning that INEC must not allow itself to be subdued by the APC.”
Also, Director, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, said “It does not matter whether it is the ruling party or any political party that is found wanting in meeting the deadline of the electoral commission. The party has to produce evidence that INEC was aware and represented in the primaries.”
President, Campaign for Democracy, Usman Abdul, said “The rule of law must be enforced. There is no APC executive that can say that there was a peaceful and conclusive primary in Zamfara. No, that did not happen. INEC should stick to the rules and avoid being partisan.”
Also, a northern elder statesman and Second Republic lawmaker, Dr Junaid Muhammed, said, “My opinion on the Zamfara issue is one, the APC has not behaved responsibly in Zamfara. But while what the APC did was bad and irresponsible, the electoral umpire cannot simply use some technical language to somewhat disenfranchise the people of Zamfara.”
Credit: PUNCH
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Politics
Stay in your lane or be sued – ADC threatens Abaribe
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Abia State has threatened legal action against Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) over alleged interference in the party’s affairs.
The party accused Abaribe, who is not a member of the party, of convening unauthorized party meetings and sponsoring a parallel executive committee in opposition to the leadership of the ADC in Abia State.
Abaribe’s media aide, Mr Uche Awom, in reaction said his principal would not respond to the allegations.
The state’s Publicity Secretary of the party, Chiamaka Ohaka, in a statement stressed that Abaribe has been undermining the party’s leadership and warned him to desist from such actions or face legal consequences.
The ADC also demanded that the lawmaker immediately remove all affiliated agents and hire individuals posing as ADC members in the state within 48 hours.
“For clarity, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is not a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and is therefore not affiliated with any level of the party from the ward to the national level. He has never obtained a membership form, attended any meetings, or contributed financially to the growth of our party.
“Yet, in a brazen display of political impropriety, he has established fake parallel executives, improperly influenced vulnerable party officers, and propagated malicious falsehoods—all aimed at creating discontent and dismantling the legitimate structure of the ADC in Abia State.
“We hereby firmly warn Senator Abaribe to allow the ADC in Abia State to function without interference and to stop sowing discord with the intent to hijack the party for selfish interests,” the statement read in part.
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Politics
PDP crisis: “Nigeria’s democracy under threat” – Ex-presidential candidate
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate and member of the Peoples Democratic Party has declared that Nigeria’s eemocracy is under threat.
A founding member of the PDP, Olawepo-Hashim said the nation’s democracy is currently being threatened by the lingering crisis within the hierarchy of the opposition party.
The crisis tearing party leaders apart took a fresh turn following the controversial PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A faction of the party members organised the event despite multiple conflicting court orders over the party convention.
Highlighting the need for the urgent resolution of the crisis, Olawepo-Hashim in a statement on Sunday said the PDP which is a merger between 13 different associations was built on dialogue, broad consultation, and a deep spirit of inclusion.
”The founding fathers of the PDP deliberately built a platform capable of preventing further military intervention in governance, safeguarding national unity, and strengthening federalism.
“This inclusive foundation gave the PDP an early advantage, enabling it to win nearly two-thirds of elective positions in the December 1998 local government elections, a milestone that helped stabilise Nigeria’s returning democratic order in 1999,” Olawepo-Hashim said.
He further called on all members of the PDP to invest their time and resources towards mending the fragmented party for the good of the nation.
“We must strive to bring all sides back to the table to save the PDP and save Nigeria’s democracy. We must not leave anyone behind,” he added.
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Headline
‘We’re Up To The Task,’ Turaki Assures Nigerians After Emerging As PDP Chairman
…Mutfwang, Fintiri Fault Expulsion Of Wike, Fayose, Others
Following his election as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the party’s National Convention in Ibadan on Saturday, Kabiru Turaki has promised to live up to the expectations of party faithful and Nigerians at large.
Turaki emerged as the new chairman at the convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, where delegates from 17 states across the country cast their votes to choose national officers.
The former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs scored 1,516 votes at the exercise held at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
Senator Ben Obi, who supervised the election, announced that Senator Yakubu Danmarke came second with 275 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Turaki acknowledged that the task ahead is enormous but expressed confidence that the party’s new leadership is capable of delivering.
“The cross you have given us means that you watch us also take it to the Nigerian people, and that we shall do. We are not under any illusion that the task placed on us is a simple one. Our party is at a crossroads now, but we are up to the task; we are up to the challenge,” Turaki said.
He added, “Very soon, we shall be rolling out what our guiding principles will be and the modus operandi for achieving them. When we do that, we shall be hitting the ground running from day one.”
Turaki assured members and supporters of the party that the confidence they have reposed in him would not be taken for granted, promising to faithfully discharge the mandate given to him.
He said: “Today, as I talk to you, the only political party that has retained its name is the Peoples Democratic Party. This has been possible because this is the party of the Nigerian people. Make no mistake about it; we are returning the party to you, the people. There will be no more impunity.”
The convention, which drew over 3,000 delegates from across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, commenced on November 15 and ran into the early hours of November 16.
Meanwhile, governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has formally distanced himself from the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He also dissociated himself from the expulsion of a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and other leaders of the PDP.
The party unanimously voted to expel them for anti-party activities and fostering disunity with series of litigation against the interests of the party.
In a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, the governor explained that the issue was neither discussed by the PDP Governors’ Forum nor the National Executive Committee (NEC) before the motion was presented.
He stated that the proposal did not reflect his position on the matter.
Governor Mutfwang further noted that expelling the party leaders at this crucial time was not a strategic step toward resolving the internal challenges currently confronting the PDP.
He said there was a need for unity, dialogue, and collective effort in rebuilding and repositioning the party.
Mutfwang is the second governor to distance himself from the expulsion of the PDP leaders at the national convention in Oyo.
The Plateau governor’s comment came shortly after his Adamawa State counterpart, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, distanced himself from the expulsion of the former Rivers State governor, Fayose, and nine others.
In the same vein, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has dissociated himself from the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to expel the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from the party.
This was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, on Saturday.
Fintiri, who is also the Chairman of the PDP 2025 Elective National Convention, noted that the decision was not in the best interest of the party.
He said he would not be party to any attempt that could further plunge the PDP into unending crisis.
“As a faithful party member, my position is clear: I stand for the peace and stability of the PDP, and I will not support anything that could lead to its disintegration.
“I believe that peace and reconciliation are the only ways forward for our great party,” the governor was quoted as saying.
Fintiri urged all stakeholders to work towards healing the divisions within the party and to strive for unity and cohesion.
He stated that as a party man, he remained committed to supporting efforts that promote peace, stability, and progress within the PDP.
The governor reiterated that his position was guided by the desire for peace and reconciliation and will continue to work towards achieving this goal.
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