"We Can Defeat APC, PDP Combined"

The Unity Party of Nigeria says with the help of the masses, it will defeat the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in the next election even if the two parties merged.

The UPN, which has not been registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Adedeji Salau.

The statement read in part, “Although the UPN leadership is aware of recent cases of realignment among the registered parties and defections by political opportunists, it will not be deterred in its commitment to bringing the dividends of democracy to the common man.

“If the whole of the PDP joins the APC, or the whole of the APC joins the PDP, the UPN will successfully dislodge them from power with the support of the masses who have been agonising under this present dispensation imposed by these parties at all levels of government.”

The UPN said although it had not been registered by INEC, it would still participate in the Ekiti and Osun state elections.

The party said it had fulfilled necessary requirements for registration, and expressed confidence that INEC would quickly issue it (UPN) with the registration certificate to enable aspiring members contest in the polls.

“Everything that UPN should do, it has done.  The question to ask INEC is, what is holding the UPN from registration. This inexplicable delay is causing fear and worry among the public,” the statement said

According to the INEC timetable, the first round of elections will hold this year on June 21 with the Ekiti polls followed by the Osun governorship poll on August 9.

Next year, the Federal elections open with presidential and national assembly elections slated for February 14, while the state governorship and state houses of assembly polls come up a fortnight later on February 28.

The UPN said the party would be registered early enough for the party and its contestants to take part in all the coming elections.”
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/58975.html

‘We’ll Scuttle Jonathan’s Ambition’

The residents of Odi, Bayelsa State, have vowed to campaign against the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

They cited the refusal of the Federal Government to pay the community the N37.6bn compensation, as directed by a High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as the reason for their decision.

Some of the indigenes who spoke to our correspondent on Saturday,  issued the threat during the APC’s membership registration in the community.

They also said the Federal Government’s refusal to pay the compensation for the destruction of their community 13 years ago, had left them with no option but to embrace the APC.

They vowed that they (Odi people) would rally the support of other Ijaw people to scuttle Jonathan’s ambition and that of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Odi community in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was destroyed in November 1999 by the Nigerian military on the orders of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, following the killing of some policemen by hoodlums from the area.

Following the military invasion, the court ordered the Federal Government to pay N37.6bn to Odi victims.

But instead of  paying the compensation, the Federal Government had appealed against the judgment, a development which had pitted the community against the government.

A prominent indigene of Odi and a member of the APC National Interim Committee, Mr. Timi Frank, who registered with scores of residents in Ward 2, said the APC represented a positive change in the country.

The APC stalwart, who had visited the Kala Okun III of Kolokuma Kingdom, King Agara Mozi and the monarch of Odi, before registering, said the community had resolved not to vote for Jonathan and the PDP in the coming polls because of the FG’s refusal to pay them their compensation.

He said the emergence of the APC was the only opportunity they (Odi people) had to express their anger against Jonathan-led Federal Government.

Frank said, “Our people are tired of the PDP because it has not done anything for them.”
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/58964.html

GEJ Shops for New Chief of Staff, Considers South-West Zone

President Goodluck Jonathan may consider a candidate to replace sacked Chief of Staff, Mike Ogiadomhe, from the South-West geo-political zone.

The President’s plan to pick a replacement from the South-West is reportedly borne out of the cries of marginalization by the zone in the area of federal appointments.

None of the six states in the zone is controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party of the President.

Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Oyo states are under control of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), while Ondo state is governed by the Labour Party.

However, leaders of the party in the zone have repeatedly pressed GEJ’s administration to address alleged marginalisation of the region.

Therefore, the President is determined to appease the people of the zone with the CoS position, especially with the 2015 general elections approaching.

Premium Times reported that the President was asking for nominations from top PDP leaders from the zone, has already reached some Yoruba leaders asking them to nominate suitable candidates for this position. The President has also allegedly consulted is the former vice presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the 2011 presidential election, Tunde Bakare.

In fact, President Jonathan began search for Mike Oghiadomhe’s replacement several months ago, administration insiders say.

As concerns the South-West geo-political zone then apart from a few ministerial positions, the highest positions in the federal administration ceded to the zone are those of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives occupied by Mulikat Akande from Oyo State and National Secretary of the party, Wale Oladipo from Osun State.

The zone was billed to produce the Speaker of the House in 2011, but that arrangement was aborted by the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto in the North West zone for the position and Emeka Ihedioha from Imo State, in the South East zone, as Deputy Speaker.

It would be recalled that Mr. Ogiadomhe resigned his appointment in controversial circumstances on February 10, 2014, as there were indications that he was forced to do so by Mr. Jonathan, who allegedly was no longer comfortable working with him.

Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, who confirmed the resignation of the former CoS, however said Mr. Ogiadomhe resigned to enable him to run for an elective office.

According to Mr. Abati, Mr. Ogiadomhe acted in obedience to the call by the President to members of his cabinet who have political ambitions to quit. 

GEJ Shops for New Chief of Staff, Considers South-West Zone

President Goodluck Jonathan may consider a candidate to replace sacked Chief of Staff, Mike Ogiadomhe, from the South-West geo-political zone.

The President’s plan to pick a replacement from the South-West is reportedly borne out of the cries of marginalization by the zone in the area of federal appointments.

None of the six states in the zone is controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party of the President.

Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Oyo states are under control of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), while Ondo state is governed by the Labour Party.

However, leaders of the party in the zone have repeatedly pressed GEJ’s administration to address alleged marginalisation of the region.

Therefore, the President is determined to appease the people of the zone with the CoS position, especially with the 2015 general elections approaching.

Premium Times reported that the President was asking for nominations from top PDP leaders from the zone, has already reached some Yoruba leaders asking them to nominate suitable candidates for this position. The President has also allegedly consulted is the former vice presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the 2011 presidential election, Tunde Bakare.

In fact, President Jonathan began search for Mike Oghiadomhe’s replacement several months ago, administration insiders say.

As concerns the South-West geo-political zone then apart from a few ministerial positions, the highest positions in the federal administration ceded to the zone are those of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives occupied by Mulikat Akande from Oyo State and National Secretary of the party, Wale Oladipo from Osun State.

The zone was billed to produce the Speaker of the House in 2011, but that arrangement was aborted by the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto in the North West zone for the position and Emeka Ihedioha from Imo State, in the South East zone, as Deputy Speaker.

It would be recalled that Mr. Ogiadomhe resigned his appointment in controversial circumstances on February 10, 2014, as there were indications that he was forced to do so by Mr. Jonathan, who allegedly was no longer comfortable working with him.

Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, who confirmed the resignation of the former CoS, however said Mr. Ogiadomhe resigned to enable him to run for an elective office.

According to Mr. Abati, Mr. Ogiadomhe acted in obedience to the call by the President to members of his cabinet who have political ambitions to quit.