“Jonathan is not Amaechi’s prefect” – Rivers Government replies presidency

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi says President Goodluck Jonathan has no right to threaten him.

Amaechi said this as a reply to the statement from the office of President Jonathan, which accused him of “Political rascality”.

Reacting to the comments, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Ibim Semenitari said Governor Amaechi is an elected official and not a mere prefect.

Semenitari also faulted Abati for failing to get his facts right before publishing the statement despite his wealth of experience.

She added that Amaechi never mentioned the name of the President nor his wife during his speech at the rally.

Semenitari said, “I would want to say that the Presidential Spokesman should be careful for the kind of threats he issues to an elected Governor.

“He should remember that the President is not a prefect of the governor. He was elected as President just as the Governor was elected as a governor, and Nigeria is a federation.

“And please, Abati should know his limits and need not attempt to cross his boundries.

“It is a bit strange to hear the kind of comments coming out of the Presidency and this showed that that statement was already prepared before governor Amaechi spoke.

“At no point in his speech did Governor Amaechi make any references. His wife was not even discussed because she is not an official of government.

“I do not understand where or how Mr. Abati got his story, so we just take it that this is one of those clear indications of rascality with the Presidency trying to call a dog a bad name and hang it”.

DAILYPOST

One German Killed, Another Abducted In Sagamu

Gunmen have opened fire on two vehicles carrying German nationals in south-west Nigeria, with one killed at the scene and another abducted, police and the construction firm Julius Berger said Monday.

“About four armed men emerged from the bush near Sagamu (in Ogun state) on Friday morning and attacked,” police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi told AFP. “A bullet hit one German and he was confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital, while the hoodlums abducted another German.”

A Julius Berger spokeswoman in Nigeria said the two were travelling in two separate vehicles, without their security escort.

AIT

2015 Elections: We’ll Flush Out PDP Like Ebola – APC

Rotimi Amaechi, John Odigie-Oyegun, Bukola Saraki, Rochas Okorochas, Muhammad Buhari

THE leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that the party will take over government at the federal level in 2015.

Chieftains of the party made this known at a mega rally held in Port Harcourt, on Saturday, to mark the seventh anniversary of the Governor Rotimi Amaechi-led administration in Rivers State.

APC national chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun, assured that the party would sail to victory in the 2015 elections, not only in Rivers, but also at the federal level.

He likened the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the dreaded Ebola disease, noting that Nigeria would be made free of what he said was the PDP virus in 2015, just like the war was won against Ebola in the country.

“During the PDP South-South campaign, he (President Goodluck Jonathan) told the whole nation that APC does not exist in Rivers State; that it is only a poster party. We were worried and we concerned. Your governor, a fantastic man, was challenged.

“So, today, he brought all of us here. The entire leadership of APC is lined up here today. I want to tell you that we have come. I want to tell you that we have seen; I want to tell you that we are convinced, that your great governor, Chubuike Amaechi, controls Rivers State; that APC is in charge of Rivers State.

“Finally, those of you who will work for and will make sure that we get a permanent voter card so that they can vote on that day so that we can make Nigeria PDP-free as Rivers is today Ebola-free, give me a great big o yeah”, he said.

Former military Head of State and an APC presidential aspirant in the 2015 elections, General Muhammadu Buhari, said the people of the state had been very lucky to have Amachi as their governor in the last seven years.

He also assured that APC would, from 2015, meet the yearlings and aspiration of Nigerians for adequate security and development.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakr, who is also contesting the presidential election, said Rivers had witnessed tremendous and unsurpassed growth and development under the Amaechi administration.

“Do you want the progress to continue? Do you want to feel the projects? Do you want to eradicate poverty? Do you want to go to good schools? Do you want good roads? Do you want power? Vote APC, vote APC, vote APC”, he added.

Another presidential hopeful, Givernor Rabiu Kwakwanso of Kano State, congratulated his Rivers State counterpart on his developmental strides in the state, assuring that other parts of the country would work together with Rivers for sustainable peace and growth.

Nda Isaiah, publisher of the Leadership newspaper and APC presidential aspirant, also attested to the developmental efforts of Governor Amaechi and warned that anybody that planned to rig the 2015 elections would have to contend with great resistance from the people.

Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, said APC represented the change Nigerians were yearning for and assured that the party would present a presidential candidate devoid of religious or tribal sentiments.

“Let me say to all of you, when John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness, he was saying to the PDP people, ‘repent, repent for APC is coming. PDP you came and gave my people poverty and disease. But this party coming after you which is called APC, shall provide the dividends of democracy”, he said.

Speaking earlier, Governor Amaechi called on the people of the state to punish PDP with their votes in 2015, alleging that President Jonathan hated the people by not executing any project in the state since the inception of his administration.

Faulting the claim that the Federal Government had neglected the state because of his quarrel with the president, he queried the alleged neglect of the federal road that link Akwa Ibom with Cross River, two PDP-controlled states.

Amaechi accused the Federal Government of frustrating efforts to distribute the 715 megawatts which he said his administration had developed, adding, “They don’t care for you; they want you to die of water-borne diseases. Punish them with your votes; punish PDP with your votes.”

AIT

Aminu Tambuwal Lobbies Reps Against Impeachment

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, is making moves to ensure members of the House of Representatives will not impeach him when he finally defects from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

There had been speculations that Tambuwal might defect from the PDP, on which platform he was elected to the House, to the APC.

On Monday, the Speaker attended a meeting of APC members convened by the Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, to discuss the political future of the state.

Tambuwal, however, said he was still consulting and would brief Nigerians very soon on his final decision.

The Office of the Speaker had claimed that a reconciliatory mission of the Board of Trustees of the PDP to Sokoto on Monday did not invite Tambuwal to a meeting of the PDP stakeholders in the state.

The BoT members were said to have been led by the Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih.

A statement by Tambuwal’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Imam Imam, stated that the Speaker obliged the invitation by attending the Wamakko meeting.

Tambuwal’s romance with the opposition is said to be puzzling to the Presidency, the representatives and leadership of the PDP.

Findings showed that Tambuwal, who is in the last lap of his consultations on the issue, might likely defect on Thursday this week.

AIT

Minimum Wage: TUC Gives Nigerian Senate One Week Ultimatum

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Saturday gave the Senate a one-week ultimatum to clarify its position on the removal of Minimum Wages Laws from the Exclusive List.

In a communiqué jointly signed by the President of the union, Mr Bobboi Kaigam, and the National Secretary, Mr Musa Lawal, TUC said this was necessary before a follow-up action. The communiqué came at the end of an emergency meeting of the TUC Central Working Committee (CTW) in Lagos State.

According to the communiqué, the purported amendment by the Senate, if allowed to stand, would produce a number of undesirable implications.

The communiqué reads in part, “we observed a sharp difference in the position of the National Assembly on the matter. There is a conflict on Senate and House of Representatives positions on the minimum wage.”

“We give them one week to resolve their positions on the matter. We will take necessary actions by next week if our demands are not met.”

The CWC noted that if the wage removal proposal was allowed, the issue would be hijacked by the politicians, which might results in multiple wage scales.

“By implications, there will be no more minimum wage across the 36 states in the country including Abuja. Politics will be introduced to determine wages, especially in times of elections.”

“The minimum wage is a product of Collective Bargaining which must not become a state law because both private and public sectors are included. The amendments passed by the Senate will effectively negate the spirit and practice of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 131 which the country domesticated in the 1979 Constitution.”

Continuing, the CTW said, “While we give them one week, our mobilisation has commenced. Immediately after the expiration of the one-week, there will be follow-up action and nothing more. We will not get back to them anymore. We want the Senate to be very explicit,”

Meanwhile, the communiqué commended the House of Representatives for voting to retain the minimum wage on the exclusive list in its amendment.

AIT

APC Reps to challenge Jonathan’s eligibility in court

Following the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan to run for Presidency in 2015, a group of lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives have said they will challenge his eligibility in court.

Jonathan, after declaring his intention to run last Thursday, set up a team, chaired by former Minister of Defence, Dr Bello Haliru, to handle his campaign.

One of the lawmakers, Nasiru Sule Garo, representing Gwarzo/Ikabo Federal Constituency of Kano State, spoke on the pending action.

He said: “People are ready to go (to court). We are just waiting for him to declare. For now, he is not a candidate. He is just being endorsed, like it happened during (the late Gen. Sani) Abacha’s regime, when selfish individuals were just coming out to say that Abacha was the sole candidate of every other party.”

The lawmaker hinged the fresh agitation to contest Jonathan’s eligibility on the Supreme Court ruling on former Adamawa State Governor Boni Haruna, which quashed his re-election bid after completing the tenure of his predecessor and another four years.

He said: “By the Constitution of Nigeria, I don’t think the President (Jonathan) has any right for now to contest. He has been sworn in twice and our constitution says that a person shall occupy the Office of the President for two terms of four years, which makes it eight years. This President has occupied this position for two years and he contested an election and he is occupying for four years, which makes it six.

“If he seeks a re-election, it means he is going to be sworn-in for the third term. That one too can be contested. Is he going to serve for two years and then we do another election, or is he going to violate the constitution and serve for four years, which would make him the President of Nigeria for 10 years? So, there are a lot of questions that need to be clarified by the court before he even contest for that position.”

NATION

Pirates Again Attack AGIP Tugboat

Barely 48 hours after policeman escorting a boat belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) were killed by suspected pirates along the creeks of the Niger delta, another boat belonging to the company was once again attacked by gunmen on Sunday.

As at press time there was no word on possible casualties.

The boat was also conveying oil equipment to the Brass oil terminal and tank farm, the largest oil facility in the country, when it came under attack. Like that of Friday, the  incident occurred in broad daylight about 10am.

The captain of the tugboat identified as Famous Abrakata was reportedly abducted and whisked away to an unknown location even as sources refused to disclose the fate of the security operatives aboard the vessel.

The bandits were said to have double-crossed the tugboat, which was coming from Onne in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at an area called Juju Fish Town along Nembe-Brass waterways.

THISDAY

Six Kidnapped Policemen Killed in Bayelsa

Six policemen who were kidnapped over the weekend by dare-devil pirates operating along the creeks and waterways of the Niger Delta have been killed, THISDAY has learnt.

The policemen, who were among the 12 persons kidnapped in separate operations in Nembe area of Bayelsa, were stripped naked with their rifles and uniforms taken away along with their gunboat.

The bodies of the slain policemen, yet to be identified at the time of filing this report, have been recovered and deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, it was also learnt.

THISDAY gathered that the pirates had made away with a gunboat belonging to the police, in an attack which occurred in broad daylight, at about 1.30pm on Friday. The gunboat was said to have been escorting a barge owned by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) when it came under attack.

It was gathered that the hoodlums, who operated on a speedboat, laid ambush for the gunboat and opened fire on the policemen.

They were said to have overpowered the policemen and later took control of the gunboat along Santa Barbara and Nembe waterways caused panic among travelers.

The incident also caused a delay in the movement of persons travelling to Okpoama, Brass Local Government Area, for the funeral of former Governor Timipre Sylva’s uncle. Most of the guests for the burial were said to have waited at Ogbia jetty till the gunmen had finished their operation.

A security source who pleaded anonymity said the hoodlums were not interested in the Agip barge and its occupants.

“Policemen escorting Agip barge were attacked on Friday. The gunboat and the policemen were all taken away. The policemen were three including the driver of the boat making them four.
“The barge and its occupants escaped because the gunboat was the target of the pirates. This incident happened along Santa Barbara and Nembe route at about 1.30pm. The pirates were after the gunboat and the police arms.”

In a separate incident, the source confirmed that six persons working for a company identified as Icon Xearex were abducted at Oluasiri in Nembe. He said the pirates attacked a boat owned by the company in the early hours of Friday and took the workers away. According to him, the company is suspected to be an oil-servicing firm.

“There was another incident at Oluasiri. As a matter of fact six persons were kidnapped. They were in a boat called Icon Xeareax. Six persons were abducted from the boat belonging to that company. The company is suspected to be an oil-servicing company”, he said.

All efforts to confirm the incident from the police proved abortive as the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, said he was in Abuja for a programme. Also, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, sent a message, claiming to be in a meeting.

THISDAY

PDP Sweeps Delta Council Elections

The candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) have swept the local government elections held in Delta State at the weekend.
The party won 23 out of the 25 council areas. The PDP in a landslide victory, defeated all the opposition parties, including  the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) which participated in the polls.

Announcing the results at the state Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) headquarters in Asaba yesterday, the Chairman of the commission, Mr. Moses Ogbe, flanked by the commission’s returning officers from the 23 council areas, said the role politicians played in some parts of the state during the exercise was uncalled for.
Ogbe,  who said the election was free and fair throughout the state,  pointed out that  some  politicians who attempted to disrupt the smooth conduct of the elections in Ethiope East and a few other areas were quickly checkmated with the assistance of security officials.

According to him,  “We have reports from few areas where some politicians attempted to disrupt the exercise. It is unfortunate that we have not learnt our lessons from past elections. We envisaged that this election would serve as litmus test for 2015 general election in the state but it is regrettable that a few unscrupulous elements complicated the matter.”
THISDAY checks revealed that from the results declared so far, the ruling party has won 23 council areas, including the two unopposed ones – Ethiope West and Patani Local Government Areas-where opposition fielded no candidates, even as Ogbe pointed out  that the election was inconclusive in Ethiope East.

Ogbe also announced that the ruling party was returned unopposed in 96 wards, out of the 466 wards across the state.
He listed the council areas where PDP won to include Warri South, Sapele, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, Ika South, Ika North-East, Ukwuani, Ndokwa West, Warri North, Okpe, Udu, Ughelli North, Warri South-West, Bomadi, Ughelli South, Burutu, Patani, Ethiope West, Uvwie, Aniocha South, Isoko North and South, and Aniocha North.
Ogbe said the “election in Ndowka East was annulled following the crisis of non-conduct of the exercise in the locality.
“Elections in Ndowka East have been slated for a later day,” he said.
He recounted how the crisis in Burutu, where the son of the First Republican Minister of Information and foremost Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Ebikeme, emerged the winner, forced the Returning Officer of the council to escape to the Government House (Annex), Warri, to collate the results.

Besides Ebikeme Clark, other winners of the election include, Chief Isaac Anwuzia (Aniocha South), Hon. Ejaife Odebala (Sapele), Mr. Mofe Matthew Edema (Warri South), Mr. Chuks Oseme (Aniocha North), Mr. Ofume Fred (Ika South), Francis Eboka (Ika North East), Mr. Malik Ikpopo (Isoko South) and Mrs. Benedicta Ndudi (Ukwuani).
Others are, Mr. Ifeanyi Osakwe (Ndokwa West, the son of Senator Patrick Osakwe), Mr. Chuks Obusom (Oshimili South), Mr. Francis Mauka (Warri North), Francis Eyiyere (Okpe), Solomon Pome (Udu), Kesena Kenneth (Ughelli North), Mr. Olukarefemi Felix (Bomadi), Paul Otega (Ughelli South), Baro Henry (Uvwie), Emmanuel Ebagbor (Isoko North) and the brother of Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo, Mr. George Ekpemupolo (Warri South-West).

THISDAY

Dr Emmanual Eweta Udughan, DSIEC, and Greedy Ijaw Leaders from Egbema conspire to disenfranchise The Impoverished people of Egbema of Warri North local Government Area

PRESS RELEASE

EGBEMA IJAW COLLECTIVE AGENDA (EICA)

commited to politcal liberation of egbema people

 

Dr Emmanual Eweta Udughan, DSIEC, and Greedy Ijaw Leaders from Egbema conspire to disenfranchise The Impoverished people of Egbema of Warri North local Government Area

Democracy and its fundamental principles are premised on the basic foundational definition of being a government of the people for the people and by the people.  It is also widely an acclaimed fact that the beauty of democracy is the ability of the citizenry, to from time to time elect their representatives through their votes. This engender accountability, probity and commitment to serve, knowingly fully well that elected officials from time to time will have to seek the support of the electorates to regain their confidence, validate their leadership and show their popularity among their people.

All these was wished away by Delta State governor, Delta Emmanuel Uduaghan who denied the Ijaw people of Egbema in Warri North Local Government Area( the home LGA of Governor) their right to exercise  their votes in the local government elections slated for October 25,2014.  It will be recalled that in a peace meeting at the peak of the Warri Crisis, the governor had mentioned in a meeting with Egbema Ijaw Leadership that as long as he lives, Ijaws of Warri North will never have a political voice since the Itsekiris( His own Ethnic Nationality) has lost the battle to the Urhobos and the Ijaws in Warri South and Warri South-West Respectively. He has not repented nor stepped back in actualizing this commitment. The governor invited Ijaw leaders, led by Chief Ladina Yebu, High Chief J.C.Taylor, Elder Gabriel Lelekumo, Lucky Tiemo and a few others on the 24^th of October 2014, a day before the local government election, to his country home in Warri and handed them N6m (Six Million Naira) with a mandate to ensure that no electoral material leaves the water front of Koko to any Ijaw community. The leaders arrived in Koko at about 9pm, mobilized their loyal youths settled the vocal ones and shared the balance of the money among themselves. The sharing in itself generated a lot of misunderstanding among these self-seeking leaders on who is to take the lion share.

Uduaghan went further to instruct DSIEC officials to ensure that they fill in necessary forms and documents in Koko, which is what they tried to do. This angered and attracted the wrath of opposition parties that resulted in the destruction of vehicles at the premises of the Divisional Police Headquarters in Koko.

So as it stands today no election has taking place in any Ijaw community in Warri North Local Government area.

EICA decided to put this information in the public domain to let everyone know that Uduaghan’s avowed commitment to peace and security in Delta state is a fluke. Sugar- coating of ethnic jingoism and promotion of ethnic agenda in Warri and its environment.

Tobolayefa Ebiama

For:

THE COLLEGIATE LEADERSHIP