PDP Reps Demand Automatic Tickets For 2015

Wary of the threat posed by the rising influence of the All Progressives Congress in the House of Representatives, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, met with its lawmakers on Tuesday evening at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.

The meeting which was still on as at 10:00 p.m. last night was attended by governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Mu’azu, led members of the party’s National Working Committee to the meeting.

The governors at the meeting include Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom, PDP), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo, Labour Party), Peter Obi (Anambra, APGA), Emmanuel Uduagham (Delta, PDP), Theodore Orji (Abia, PDP) Babangida Aliyu (Niger, PDP) Liyel Imoke (Cross River, PDP), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna, PDP), Usman Darkingeri (Kebbi, PDP) and Acting Governor Garba Umar (Taraba State, PDP).

The deputy governors of Kogi and Jigawa states were also in attendance.

Members of the lower chamber from the three parties were also present at the all-important meeting, which comes on the heels of APC’s directive to its lawmakers in the National Assembly to shut down government if President Goodluck Jonathan does not put a stop to the reign of lawlessness in Rivers State.

What would be a major revelation from the meeting was when the House Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, in her welcome address reminded the PDP of its promise to offer all its lawmakers automatic tickets for 2015 election, ostensibly to deter them from defecting to the APC. She asked the PDP not to renege on that promise.

She said: “Members of this House will want to be reassured of the party’s promise of automatic tickets in the forthcoming elections, their welfare and opportunity to nominate membership of the various committees from their respective constituencies whenever the need arises.

“All these measures will no doubt go a long way in soothing frail nerves, engender unflinching loyalty and indeed utmost commitment to the cause of the party”.

On his part, Akapabio admitted that the ruling party was facing difficult times, but said if all members worked together, “we believe we can pick up the pieces”.

He also noted that most members of the PDP in the House and their governors do not seem to be on the same page soon after the lawmakers assumed power in Abuja.

He added that the meeting was actually the initiative of the PDP governors’ forum to correct the mistakes of the past.

Akpabio added, “We are determined to bring closeness to the PDP family so that we can forge a closer working relationship.

“The outcome of this meeting will determine the exit or return of some of you from the House of Representatives.

“Whatever we seal here will become the Abuja Accord”.

On the presence of Obi and Mimiko at the meeting, Akpabio, who is chairman of the PDPGF, said it was to assure the lawmakers that the PDP was no longer alone.

“You should understand political language and you know what I mean”, he added.

Screening Of Service Chiefs: Our Senators Did Not Disobey Party’s Directive – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as quite misleading reports in the media on Tuesday that its Senators disobeyed the party’s directive to its members in the National Assembly to block all Executive Bills until the restoration of law and order in Rivers.

The party was reacting to media reports that its members attended the screening of newly appointed Service Chiefs on Monday.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the opposition party said the reports were borne out of the gross misunderstanding of filibustering as a veritable democratic tool to impede legislation by obstructive tactics.

“We never directed our members in the National Assembly to boycott the chambers’ sessions, whether it is screening of appointees or plenary. What we said is that they should block Executive Bills. In any case, a Senator or an Honourable member can only filibuster when he is in attendance. Fillibuster does not equate to boycott or non-attendance”, APC said.

On the screening of the Service Chiefs, APC said it was fully aware that its members would participate in the process, “just as we are sure they will be part of any debate on the issue, and we have no problems with that. After all they were elected to attend the National Assembly sessions and fully participate in its activities. But their contributions will help swing things one way or the other. That is the crux of the matter”.

PDP: Rivers Is Broke

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Rivers State government have disagreed over the financial status of the state as the former alleged that the state is broke and cannot meet its obligations.

The Rivers State chapter of PDP argued that despite the contrary view of the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, evidence had shown that the state was bankrupt.

A statement signed by Jerry Needam, the media aide to Rivers PDP chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah, described the state government’s denial as laughable.

It urged Semenitari to explain why the state government owed officers and men of the State Transport Management Agency for about six months.

“The newly recruited 13,000 teachers are also owed six months’ salaries, roads and other infrastructural projects abandoned, and the delay in the release of the N300 million Christmas bonus meant for the civil servants in the state.

“The PDP also demands explanation from the Information Commissioner to justify the reason for the denial of funds for full implementation of the 2013 Budget by the various ministries if the state was not broke”, the statement read.

Debunking the claim by the PDP as absurd, Rivers State Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside explained that it was wrong for the PDP to stay on the sideline and declare that the state was broke without facts.

He said, “The state is not broke. It is absurd for the PDP to say that the state is broke. The PDP does not run the government and nobody tells the government when payment of contractors and workers are due because the state government has always lived up to its expectations.

“How do you determine that a government is broke? Is it by sitting on the sideline? Does the processing of teachers’ salaries through biometric procedure mean that the state is broke?” Peterside asked.

2015: INEC’s Timetable Hit Us Unexpectedly, Says Presidency… Denies Influencing Jega

The presidency has dismissed as false, comments that it influenced the scheduling of the 2015 general elections time-table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last week, saying it received the news with surprise like every other Nigerian.

Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State Monday, accused the Presidency of influencing the electoral umpire to schedule the presidential election first so as to create a ‘bandwagon effect’ in subsequent elections in favour of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Kwankwaso was one of the governors that defected from PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“I don’t know how they influenced the Independent National Electoral Commission to put this election and National Assembly election first and then two weeks after, they’ll do House of Assembly and governorship elections. I think the presidential election should come last”, the Kano governor was quoted as saying.

But reacting to the allegation, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, said the Presidency had allowed INEC to perform its duties without interference hence the presumption by Kwankwaso and others with same views was wrong.

The presidential aide said: “They (INEC) have a constitutional responsibility to take care of elections. It is that responsibility they have adhered to. For me, it is part of the transformation agenda that those who are given responsibilities to perform do so without let or hindrance.

“That is what the (Professor Attahiru) Jega-led INEC has done. Nobody was expecting it. If anybody was saying that they were under some influence that person is wrong in his presumption.

“It is the independent nature of the various organisations under this administration that is coming to play. We must thank the President for making sure that these organisations have a free atmosphere to function”.
On the argument in some quarters that the time table was released a little too early as the 2015 elections are still 13 months away, Senator Obi said: “It is their (INEC) responsibility to put out dates for elections, declare dates for campaigns, among others, that is what they have done.  Don’t forget they did that under a retreat. All of them cannot be making a mistake at the same time”.

On whether putting the presidential election first would not create a bandwagon effect in favour of the ruling party as alleged, Obi  said the argument was misplaced as previous elections had not followed any strict order.

2015: Akwa Ibom No-Go Area For APC – Akpabio

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday threw his weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition and called on the President to declare his 2015 intention now without further delay.

Akpabio, who is the chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, PDPGF, made the call in Abuja when he visited the new national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu in his office at the Wadata Plaza national headquarters of the party.

While promising to deliver to the President all the delegate votes from his state, just like he did during the party’s 2011 presidential primaries, Akpabio also warned that Akwa Ibom is a no-go area for other political parties in 2015.

“We have no doubt and that is why we came to let you know that in Akwa Ibom PDP, there is no shaking. We would deliver the presidency.

“Akwa Ibom is intact for the PDP and it is a no go area for other political parties”, Akpabio said.

He added: “We did it in 2011 and I assure Mr. President that Akwa Ibom will do it again. We were the first set in 2010 to announce our support for him to go for his first tenure in 2011.

“We did that and other states followed. We are again the first state in 2014 to urge Mr. President to go back for a second term in office.

“We are a monolithic group in Akwa Ibom, although you may have one or two people who want to test the political waters here and there”, he added.

Information Nigeria reports that although Mr. Jonathan has deployed delay tactics over his reelection bid, his body language over time and the various support groups springing up calling on him to throw his hat in the ring, has continued to reinforce the general belief and suspicion among party chieftains that he might be scheming to clinch the 2015 presidential ticket of his party.