INEC now under APC control, PDP alleges

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission is now under the firm control of the All Progressives Congress.

Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus

It cited the piecemeal release of results of the March 19 rerun election in Rivers State by the commission, which it alleged was done to satisfy the ruling party, as an example.

The Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, made this allegation in an interview with reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.

He alleged that the electoral body was taking instructions from the ruling party on what to do with the outcome of the Rivers rerun which he claimed his party won convincingly.

Before the suspension of announcement of the results, the commission had released the results in nine state constituencies and one federal constituency.

But in the results made available on Tuesday in Port Harcourt and signed by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, the PDP maintained its lead by winning three federal constituencies while it shared two state constituency seats with its main rival, the APC.

Secondus, who also appraised the conduct of elections by INEC since the assumption of office by the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, expressed concern that all the elections conducted by the electoral body since then were inconclusive.

He cited the Kogi, Bayelsa and the recent Rivers states’ rerun elections as examples.

Secondus said, “Now in Rivers, because the PDP won all the elections despite the intimidation by the military, the results are being released piecemeal because the APC has failed woefully in all the constituencies.

“It is apparent that the commission has become a department in the APC. The commission is being controlled by the APC. The commission has lost its independence and we have empirical evidence on this.”

Secondus further alleged that the commission had yet to fix a date for fresh election in the state in the areas that were cancelled because it “was waiting for instruction from the APC.”

He said, “They haven’t fixed a date for rerun because of the APC. INEC is now being supervised by the leadership of the APC and the Buhari administration.

“They are no longer independent and we are losing confidence in INEC. In the Federal Capital Territory, election date was announced but suddenly, because they knew the APC was going to lose, they postponed the election after we had spent money and time.

“All these show that INEC is now a parastatal of the APC. The danger is that this current leadership that will conduct the general elections in 2019 has been compromised.

“The forthcoming Edo and Ondo states’ governorship elections are in danger. With what happened in Rivers, Nigeria is in danger.

“There may be no election in 2019 with the way INEC is conducting itself as a parastatal of the APC.”

The commission has however dismissed the PDP allegation, saying it would not be forced to announce result of inconclusive elections.

The Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity at the commission, Mr. Nick Dazang, who spoke with our correspondent, also denied the allegation that the electoral body was being controlled by the APC.

He said elections were stopped in Rivers because of many reasons.

He said, “As of the time of the suspension of further action by the commission, the exercise was at different stages.

“For example, the elections had been concluded in some constituencies with the declaration of results and return of winners by the respective Returning Officers; results declared and/or returns made under duress or by unauthorised persons;  collation had been concluded but no declaration or return made; voting had been concluded and collation was ongoing but yet to be concluded; voting concluded but collation yet to commence; and /or no voting at all or voting commenced but was disrupted before conclusion.”

He said these were the reasons why the election was stopped. Dazang called on the PDP, which he described as a formidable opposition, to stop peddling unfounded rumour.

INEC now under APC control, PDP alleges

Amaechi blames FG for inability to pay salaries, pensions

The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has again declared that Nigeria is broke and blamed the inability of the state and others to pay workers’ salaries and pensions on the nation’s current poor financial condition.

Amaechi said that the nation’s economic condition could be noticed through the dwindling statutory monthly allocation usually received by the state from the Federal Government.

Speaking during a thanksgiving service organised by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and his campaign outfit, the Greater Campaign Organisation in Port Harcourt on Sunday, the governor recalled that he was described as an alarmist last year when he cried out over Nigeria’s poor financial state.

Amaechi pointed out that the nation’s economy had continued to fall since he made the statement in December 2014.

“When I said sometime last year that Nigeria’s finances was in a dire strait, some people referred to me as an alarmist. Since I made that statement in December last year, the statutory allocation to the state has continued to decline.

“Now, almost all the states are finding it difficult to pay salaries. The state government owes civil servants their April salaries and pensioners’ four months’ salary arrears because the state does not have the money to pay them,” the governor said.

Amaechi explained that he decided to channel financial resources towards the completion of ongoing projects, which he promised would be completed before the end of his administration on May 29, 2015.

He said, “Some people have chosen to make an issue of the difficulty we are currently experiencing in paying the salaries of civil servants as well as the arrears of our retirees. It is not our making.

“No government will deliberately refuse to pay the salaries of its workers. We will pay as soon as we receive our share of our statutory monthly allocation from the Federal Government.

“It is not easy to joggle the payment of salaries and the implementation of capital projects that are actually geared towards developing the state, creating jobs and improving the economy of the state because more monies go into the society when you award contracts and pay the contractors on time so that they can also pay their workers on time.”

Amaechi blames FG for inability to pay salaries, pensions

Buhari will in prison his perceived enemies - Patience Jonathan

Ahead of the general elections, the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has charged the people of Rivers State not to vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Mohammedu Buhari(retd.), to avoid being sent to jail.

Mrs. Jonathan said Buhari would not hesitate to put his perceived enemies in prison if he wins the forthcoming presidential poll, holding on March 28.

Speaking during the Peoples Democratic Party’s women rally in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, the President’s wife argued that Buhari was a dictator in the past and would never change.

She pointed out that the former Head of State did not possess the quality needed to fight corruption, maintaining that Buhari did nothing for the people of the state when he was the head of state.

The President’s wife appealed to women not to sell their Permanent Voter Cards for any amount of money,  adding that it was within their capability to vote out the APC in the state.

“Whenever he (Buhari) comes to you again, ask him what he did for Rivers State when he was (the) Head of State. It is within your power to vote out this ‘expired drug’ called APC,” she said.

Mrs. Jonathan listed the achievements of the Federal Government in Rivers, promising that the PDP would install Chief Nyesom Wike as the next governor of the state.

She said, “PDP will install Nyesom Wike as governor because President (Goodluck) Jonathan is a lion and he gave birth to a lion.”

The President’s wife, who spoke on the attack on APC rally in Okrika Local Government Area, explained that she was not ready to join issues with APC members, saying, “They are rascals and I will not respond to them.

“Don’t let me open my mouth to talk about these rascals. The Rivers monorail will not be completed until hundred (years). It will remain like that until my great grandchildren are born.

“We did not vote for these people. We in Rivers State voted Celestine Omehia, but these people came and took our mandate away and today they are abusing us. They don’t have respect for elders.

“They are busy abusing me and my husband. I will not answer them. In Rivers State, we respect elders but these rascals have no respect for their elders. We must vote them out in April.”

Buhari will in prison his perceived enemies - Patience Jonathan

Threat to Amaechi"s life unacceptable - APC

0

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has described as totally unacceptable, the kite being flown by the Federal Government about the possible arrest and trial of the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in connection with some of his recent public statements in his capacity as Director General of the General Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation (GMBPCO).

Rotimi Amaechi

“We have every reason to be worried about the safety of our dear Governor in view of the lessons of history, especially with regard to the late Chief MKO Abiola, who was unjustifiably detained, only to die under mysterious circumstances while in government custody. We are, therefore, reluctant to dismiss reports in various media outlets suggestive of a threat to the life of Governor Amaechi in connection with his current assignment as Director General of General Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation,” Rivers APC said in a statement issued Friday in Port Harcourt by the State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.

The party strongly condemned the threat issued to Amaechi on Monday by the Department of State Security (DSS), which described Amaechi’s recent allegation of corruption in the Nigerian military as inciting and unguarded. “This is nothing but an attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. There is nothing inciting, unguarded or treasonable in Governor Amaechi’s statement. The governor, while expressing his views on the factors militating against the success of the Federal Government’s war against Boko Haram insurgents in the North Eastern part of the country, blamed the challenges on corruption in the military hierarchy and not on inadequate funding as the public is made to believe. It is unfortunate that, rather than accept the challenge of fighting corruption, the Federal Government has chosen to ignore the message and go after the messenger,” Rivers APC said.

The party warned that nothing must happen to Amaechi for patriotically exercising his freedom of speech as a citizen of Nigeria in line with the Constitution of the country. “We understand why the sinking PDP-controlled Presidency is resorting to intimidation as it has read the handwriting on the wall in the countdown to the 2015 presidential polls. We, however, wish to make it clear that both Gov Amaechi and his supporters will not be cowed but remain resolute in leading the struggle to uproot PDP from the Aso Presidential Villa as the first step towards salvaging Nigeria from the doldrums occasioned by the inept 16-year maladministration of PDP,” Rivers APC said.

According to the party, “Nigerians are yearning for change and that change we must give them by ensuring that the PDP Government is peacefully voted out come 2015. If any of our security agencies need to arrest anybody, they should start with associates of President Goodluck Jonathan, particularly Chief Femi Fani- Kayode, President Jonathan’s Campaign Director of Media and Dr. Doyin Okupe, the President’s Aide on Public Affairs, who has being making inciting and unguarded statements both against the vision of APC and our presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, whose well-known stand on corruption has sent cold shivers down the spine of the present corrupt leadership in Aso Rock.

“We wish to assure Gov. Amaechi that he has nothing to be afraid of, as God, who has in the past years protected him despite the evil machinations of the PDP and the Presidency, will surely see him through this time around and protect him from every danger as he leads the patriotic battle to rescue Nigeria and Nigerians from the vice grip of PDP through the instrumentality of the ballot box.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Viewed 1 times
Threat to Amaechi"s life unacceptable - APC

Rivers poly students batter guards, raze Rector’s office

Confusion enveloped the Rivers State Polytechnic in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, on Thursday as students engaged private security guards, attached to the institution, in a free-for-all.

The tension that eventually led to the closure of the school began on Wednesday when members of the National Association of Akwa Ibom State Students in RIVPOLY prepared to elect a new executive of the union.

It was gathered that the private security guards had, for an undisclosed reason, decided to interrogate one of the members of the association, identified as Effiong, while the election was ongoing.

The development, according to sources, did not go down well with Effiong, even as the chief security officer of the institution raced to the scene when some of the students began to threaten to make trouble.

Though Effiong’s crime was not mentioned, it was learnt that the student was beaten up by a group of policemen before he was taken away in a Hilux van.

However, speculation that Effiong had passed on in police custody worsened the tension in the institution as the students and members of the association spoiled for war on Thursday.

While security personnel on duty assured the angry students that Effiong was not dead, the situation became uncontrollable as the students expressed their annoyance over the ill treatment of their brother.

“We are not happy because we could not find our brother within the school premises today (Thursday). We learnt he died yesterday after being beaten up by the police,” one of the students, who preferred anonymity, said.

As the students began to protest and called for Effiong’s immediate release, the private security personnel attached the polytechnic appealed to them for calm, promising that their colleague would soon be released.

The youth immediately began to beat up the chief security officer of the institution and other security personnel while a group of persons seized the opportunity to loot the ICT Centre of the school and set the office of the Rector and Bursar ablaze.

It took the intervention of policemen from Bori Area Command and operatives of the Joint Task Force, who came some minutes later, for the riotous students to leave the scene.

The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Dan Bature, who confirmed the incident, explained that some students had a disagreement with the chief security officer of the institution as a result of the arrest and detention of their colleague.

Viewed 1 times
Rivers poly students batter guards, raze Rector’s office