One of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state, Prince Mustapha Muna Audu, has faulted the visit to President Muhammadu Buhari by some traditional rulers, saying both the President and the monarchs can not assure governor Yahaya Bello of his re-election.
Muna Audu who is the son of late Prince Abubakar Audu, declared that he will emerge victorious both at the primary of the APC and at the general election.
At a news conference Thursday in Abuja to unveil the Kogi Prosperity Plan, his own developmental blueprint as a governorship aspirant, Audu whose father, Prince Abubakar Audu was on the verge of winning the governorship election in 2015 before dying in the process, equally berated the traditional rulers who accompanied the governor on the visit, describing what transpired at the Villa as “poverty on display”.
While he described Kogi state as Nigeria’s new metaphor for everything bad and ugly, Audu said the traditional rulers by going cap in hand to beg the president to support Bello’s reelection have betrayed the confidence of their subjects who are of different political tendencies and affiliations.
“What we saw, to be honest was a display of poverty. The traditional rulers have no business going to the president to seek support or to reintroduce the Governor to him. That was not necessary. We do not believe that the traditional rulers who were at the Villa yesterday (Wednesday) are representatives of our people or Kogi state. That is the truth and we have to be honest with ourselves. These rulers are setting a very bad example. These rulers are showing us that their pockets are more important than their people. Kogi is a state where civil servants are committing suicide. People are putting ropes round their necks and dying. So, it is better for our traditional rulers to try and go back home and alleviate the plight of the people. Bello should stop running to the president or from pillar to post because it is not the president that will save him”, he declared.
While berating Gov. Bello for spending most of his time idling away in Abuja instead of attending to governance issues in the state, Audu said the governor has become more like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, rather than the chief executive of Kogi state.
“Please go back home and work. Leave Abuja. You are not the Minister of FCT. You are the Governor of Kogi state. Face Kogi and work. The road from here to Kogi is am eyesore and the excuse they give is that it is a federal road. Kogi is today the dirtiest state in the country. If you cannot work, just leave and we will accept you. We are not after anyone. Kogi is at a tipping point. We must not lose Kogi state. We must put our best foot forward. We are ready to forgive the governor and carry him along because he is our constituent but he can no longer be governor because he is ill-prepared”, he said.
Audu also restated the earlier position of some stakeholders of the party in the state on the mode of primary election for picking the party’s candidate, saying majority of party members and stakeholders want direct primaries.
He said; “What we want is direct primaries. We do not only look forward to meeting the governor at the direct primary election but to defeating him. We are ready to extend the olive branch to him, draw the line and see the past as a learning curve”, he added.
NASS leadership : PDP to investigate role of members – Secondus
By Abdulrahman Zakariyau
The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus said the party is set to investigate the role of its members at the election of the principal officers of the 9th National Assembly (NASS).
PDP had endorsed Senator Ali Ndume as their preferred candidate for the Senate Presidency and Umar Bago for the position of Speaker few hours before the NASS election but both candidates failed to secure the expected voted of PDP lawmakers.
Secondus who disclosed this Thursday in Abuja while addressing the 86th emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Party’s National Headquarters, Wadata House, Abuja expressed his disappointment in what played out in NASS.
He said “Permit me at this juncture dear leaders to express the disappointment of our party on the embarrassing roles of some of our party members at the National Assembly during the election of their leaders.
“Party loyalty demands that you stick to your party at any given situation. When personal interest clash with party interest, personal interest should drown into that of the party, that’s what real democrats are expected to do” he said.
Secondus also noted that “Only a conquered parliament with credibility challenge can shy away from discussing a major address of a President just sworn into office, but that is a sign of what is to come when choosing legislative leadership that is heavily monetized by a regime that claims to be fighting corruption.
“The bazaar that took place during the election of National Assembly leaders clearly gives a picture of the anti-corruption status and how the APC has become home for looters. Just last week Nigerians witnessed how some corruption charges involving APC chieftains were withdrawn from the EFCC and handed over to the Attorney General for final dropping”.
Also the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara said that the just concluded final report of the European Union showed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not actually loose election the 2019 general elections but that victory was stolen from the party.
Hon Dogara who congratulated party members who had remained steadfast and worked to ensure that the party gained more states at the just concluded elections said “Its heartwarming to know that we still have people of honour, who were ready to stand with the party than sell the party under a pot of porridge.
“I sincerely want to congratulate us. The EU report showed that we did not loose that election, rather the election was stolen from us. If we continue to work with tenacity very soon we shall get there and recover our stolen mandate”.
Also Speaking the Senate Minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) lashed at the Senate leadership for shying away from debating the presidents speech which according to him were empty.
“The APC was given an opportunity to debate on the speech of the president but they didn’t want to because the speech was very empty and full of fantasy.
“We assure you that we shall do everything possible to put them on their toes. We shall speak, we shall act and we shall do everything possible to make sure that the APC did not get away with anything they wanted to”.
The meeting was attended former Gov. Babanguda Aliyu of Niger State, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Senator Adolphus Wabara and members of the National Working Committee.
PDP announces 20 million naira for Bayelsa, Kogi gov. election form
By Abdulrahman Zakariyau
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has jacked up the cost of governorship nomination form from 5 million naira to 20 million naira for the forthcoming Bayelsa and Kogi states elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed November 16, 2019 for Kogi and Bayelsa states governorship elections.
Briefing journalists at the end of the 86th emergency NEC meeting, which held at the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan added that the expression of interest fee remains 1 million naira.
He said the party was going to conduct a free, fair and credible primary in Bayelsa and Kogi states to produce credible candidates.
In a document signed by PDP National Organizing Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu (RTD), the party disclosed that sales and return of expression of interest/nomination forms will commence on Monday, June 24 and close Wednesday, July 24 at the party Waddata Plaza office in Abuja.
It also revealed that aspirants will present themselves for screening on Monday, August 19, 2019, and the primary election to take place on the 3rd of September 2019 at the various states.
Ologbondiyan also expressed confidence that the PDP will win the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
