GRPolitics
Fascism: Get ready to defend your country, PDP charges Nigerians
By Oliseama Okwuchukwu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on all Nigerians to brace up for the February 16, 2019 Presidential election as the only way to defend and save the nation from the fascism being plotted by the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, Kola Ologbondiyan, director, Media & Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, said that Nigerians are already aware that the APC and the Buhari Presidency are not serious with campaigns ahead of the Presidential elections.
“They know that the APC and its candidate, President Buhari are seeking ways to enmesh the election in crisis, stalemate the electoral process and pave the way for rigging and actualization of plots to perpetuate President Buhari in office.
“With the prevailing state of our polity; the flagrant violation of our constitution, continuous attacks on institutions of democracy and principle of separation of powers, consistent abuse of human rights, erosion of personal freedom, uninhibited extra-judicial killings, illegal detention, attack on peaceful protesters, clampdown on the media and vocal members of the Civil Society, as well as the unleashing of brutality on innocent citizens, that have characterized the Buhari Presidency; it is manifestly clear that our nation is on a rapid descent into fascism, which we must all resist with our votes.
“The PPCO urges all compatriots to note that any vote for APC is an endorsement of fascism and allowing President Buhari another tenure will be a pathway to full totalitarianism, where citizens would be treated as vassals in a conquered territory.
“Today, our freedom and personal liberty as a people are under threat. Our rights as constitutionally guaranteed as citizens are about to be completely taken away. Our last lines of defence as a free people; our legislature and our judiciary are also under siege.
“We are all witnesses to the unrelenting assault on the institution of the judiciary and the courts by the Buhari Presidency and the APC. This siege on the Judiciary has now come to a climax with the widely condemned attempt by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to forcefully remove the Chief Justice of the Nigeria, (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen.
“In spite of widespread condemnation, President Buhari and the APC have refused to show remorse. If anything, they have carried on as if Nigerians are already a conquered people.
“This ignoble act is with the view to replace Justice Onnoghen with a pliable CJN that will execute the plot to annex the court and use them to curtail freedom of expression and to silence opposition members as well as perceived opponents of the Buhari administration ahead of the February election.
“Such attempt at annexations is to subject judicial officers under the control of the Attorney General to determine and even write judgments on political and human rights cases and cover atrocities of anti-democratic forces.
“The world can recall how the Buhari Presidency, in a widely condemned ‘sting operation’ in 2016, used the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to hound and round up sitting Supreme Court and High Court judges in Nigeria.
“Since that ‘sting operation’, our judiciary Nigeria has remained under siege with the agents of the Buhari Presidency and the APC directly interfering in cases and trying to direct the rulings of courts.
“Nigerians and the world can recall also how agents of the Buhari Presidency and the APC, last year, besieged and attempted to forcefully remove the elected leadership of the National Assembly; the symbol of our democracy.
“Nigerians will also recall how the APC and the Buhari Presidency used apparatus of state powers to seal the legislative complex, unleashed thugs to invade the Senate chamber, disrupted legislative proceedings and forcefully carted away the mace, the emblem of the sovereignty and authority of the people.
“In our slide into fascism, Nigerians are daily falling victims of extreme torture, illegal detention, extra-judicial and arbitrary killings, forceful crackdown on peaceful protesters and mass burial by unrestrained agents of the state, as detailed in the 2017/2018 Amnesty International (AI) Human Rights Report.
“In the same vein, there have been concerted efforts by the government to gag the media leading to the manhandling of journalists and invasion of media houses over reports considered unfavorable to government.
“Furthermore, Nigerians can recall how the Buhari Presidency attempted to inject crisis into the electoral process with the delay in the presentation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) election budget and the refusal by President Buhari to sign the amendments to the Electoral Act which eliminates openings for rigging.
“This is in addition to the widely condemned foisting of Mrs. Amina Zakari, President Buhari’s relation by marriage, as head of the collation of results of the Presidential poll as well as plot to use the Police as suppressive tool to intimidate voters and assist APC agents to unleash violence and manipulate the process, for which “President Buhari is bent on retaining the overtly partisan Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris even when his tenure had expired.
“This administration has turned out to be the most vicious in the history of our nation. Nigerians and the world must therefore rise in condemnation of this dangerous drift towards, Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, Idi Amin’s Uganda, Charles Taylor’s Liberia and Than Shwe’s Burma.
“Perhaps, President Buhari has forgotten that Nigeria is a democratic state, and needs to be reminded that as a people, we have chosen democracy as a form of government with the personal freedom, liberty and rule of law that it guarantees. Nigerians will never accept any kind of draconian rule and dictatorial tendencies.
“We therefore charge all Nigerians; all victims of injustice and brutality of the Buhari Presidency; all victims of the mindless killings encouraged by the insensitivity of the Buhari Presidency; all those impoverished by the corruption and incompetence of the Buhari administration and all lovers of democracy in Nigeria to get ready to defend our nation and save her from fascism by voting out President Buhari on February 16, 2019. “The February Presidential election is therefore a referendum for our freedom. We make a clarion call on Nigerians to vote in defence of our nation. We must vote in defence of our rights and lives as free citizens; we must vote in defence of rule of law and resistance of repressive forces and political bandits seeking to foist a fascist regime on our nation”.
GRPolitics
PDP Crisis: Saraki, Dickson, Dankwambo Storm Enugu, Meet with Gov Mbah
… South East is important to PDP, says Saraki – REPORTER: SANDRA ANI
In a clear bid to stem the tide of crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the PDP Special Reconciliation Committee chaired by former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Friday, met with the governor of Enugu State and leader of the party in the South East region, Dr. Peter Mbah.
Other members of the Committee present at the meeting, which held behind closed doors at the Government House, Enugu, were former governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, and former governor of Gombe State, Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo.
It is recalled that the leaders of PDP in the zone had in a communique issued after the South East PDP Zonal Executive Council, ZEC, meeting a fortnight ago announced the re-nomination of former PDP National Youth Leader, Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye, to serve out the remaining tenure of the National Secretary, threatening possible exodus should their decision not be respected.
“In the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the communique stated.
But addressing newsmen after the closed-door meeting with Mbah, Saraki said, “We are members of the PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee that was set up recently by the PDP Governors’ Forum to work towards ensuring that our upcoming National Executive Council meeting and also likely convention is rancor-free and and works smoothly.
“In line with that, we are here in Enugu State to consult with one of our leaders, Governor Peter Mbah, who is the leader of South East PDP.
“This is the first state we are coming to because we appreciate the importance of the South East in our PDP family. As you all know, the South East has played a key role as the bedrock of the popularity and the strength of our party.
“In recognition of that, we are here to consult with him and first to commend him on the leadership role he has been playing in the party. More importantly also, to commend what he is doing in Enugu State, which is a reflection for Nigerians to see what happens when you have a PDP government.
“In doing that, we discussed how we will ensure that we carry out the assignment given to us and go ahead to have our NEC and our convention. We will have one that is rancor-free and smooth, peaceful and lays the foundation for the PDP that we all are wishing for.
“We have had a very good discussion. Frankly, we have had a very, very useful discussion. We are going away with some of the suggestions that we have here and hopefully work on that.
“With this, we can say here in Enugu we laid the foundation for a greater new PDP that is coming.
“What we have also seen today is that there is nothing insurmountable in the challenge ahead and the spirit, the commitment of all of us, especially our leaders, is very very inspiring,” he stated.
… It’s time to stand together – Mbah
… We’ve been trampled upon – Wabara
… We don’t want to be taken for granted – Achike Udenwa
The crisis currently rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has worsened as the South East caucus of the party has threatened mass exit from the troubled party if its choice of Hon. Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary is not respected for the umpteenth time.
This was even as the governor of Enugu State and leader of the PDP in the zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, said it was time for the zone to speak with one voice, while the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, expressed fury over what they described as the party’s disrespecting and trampling of the region.
The zone vented its displeasure in a communique read by the Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, at the end of a meeting by the South East Zonal Executive, ZEC, at the Government House, Enugu on Wednesday.
It said the meeting was convened to nominate a candidate to complete the remaining term of the position of National Secretary in line with the directive of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, during its 600th meeting in Abuja.
Rendering the communique, Odefa said, “The South East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party. Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
The South East PDP, however regretted that it had to go through the process of nominating Udeh-Okoye severally since October 2023, and urged the NWC to not only immediately ratify his nomination, but also ensure that Arch. Setonji Koshoedo effectively occupies the Office of the National Secretary in acting capacity pending Udeh-Okoye’s ratification by the NEC.
The South East PDP, however, threatened to review its continued membership of the party should its position suffer further delay despite its agelong loyalty to the PDP.
“The South East has consistently served as a stronghold of the PDP from inception. In PDP’s near three-decade existence, we have given our loyalty and all to the party.
“Currently, while the party has been losing key members post-2023 general elections, the South East PDP is at the vanguard of strengthening the Party by rallying major opposition figures such as in Enugu where the Labour Party, LP, gubernatorial candidate, two LP House of Representatives Members, numerous members of the House of Assembly, among other stalwarts into the PDP fold.
“Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves. This would bring to a closure to the needless lingering dispute over the matter.
“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” the communique concluded.
Wabara, on his part, said it was in order to review the region’s relationship with the party should what he described as trampling of the zone by the party persist.
“We have been trampled upon, not taken seriously. If such a position were vacant in the South-South, it would not be like this. And now, it came to us. I mean, the usual thing is to play politics with the Igbo man. Yes, we may have to reconsider our stand as far as the party is concerned. But I trust the NWC,” he stated.
Udenwa, on his part, Udenwa said, “We are expecting that this issue will be finally ironed out once and for all. We do not want to be taken for granted by anybody again.”
GRPolitics
2nd anniversary: Nsukka leaders score Gov Mbah’s administration high
…as Nsukka retired army generals, DSS, police throw weight behind Mbah’s security reforms
Leaders of Enugu North Senatorial District, also known as Nsukka Zone, have scored the administration of the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, very high and satisfactory, stating that the governor’s second anniversary in office deserved commendations.
This was as retired senior security chiefs, comprising army generals, directors of the Department of State Services (DSS), commissioners of police, among others, declared support for the governor’s security reforms and tech-driven policing system.
The Nsukka leaders who converged on Adada House, Nsukka, weekend, under the aegis of Enugu State Coalition for Progress, Enugu North Senatorial Zone Chapter, comprised a cross section of socio-cultural groups, senior academics, retired security officers, captains of industry, traditional rulers, association of farmers, politicians, among others, drawn from the 6 council areas, said the governor had done well in the governance of the state.
The gathering which featured a dialogue series themed, H.E Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah Administration – The Journey So Far (Education, Politics & Security), had the former Minister of National Planning and Chief Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof Osita Ogbu, delivering the keynote address.
Referring to the former Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew’s sacrifices that led to the transformation of Singapore from a third world country to a developed nation, Prof Ogbu said the country was in need of leaders that were committed to the welfare and growth of their people.
He commended the governor for substituting partisan politics for all-inclusive, people-driven governance in the state.
Noting that the governor was fulfilling his campaign promises, Prof Ogbu pointed at the revitalization and completion of abandoned projects, funding of quality education, financial independence through fiscal discipline, private sector mentality and efficiency in public governance.
Speaking on the concept of “Tomorrow Is Here,” the renowned economist said the governance philosophy had zero tolerance for lazy and unintelligent acts, zero tolerance for corruption, strive for new opportunities, adherence to strict democratic accountability, clean and green environment, and the pursuit for healthy and happy citizens with rights and responsibilities.
“We did analyses of the budgets of all the states and we did a comparison. Enugu State, in absolute terms, in relative terms, spends more on education than even Lagos State. It’s the highest spender on education across the federation,” he added.
Speaking on security, a discussant, Maj. General Victor Ezeugwu (rtd), said the retired veterans from the zone met with the governor on some of the challenges facing the zone with proposals, adding that the governor had already done almost 60% of them.
“We visited the Command and Control Centre in Enugu today, and from that centre we watched Uzo Uwani and the forests around Uzo Uwani, and other areas, and all of us were very amazed that he has brought technology to bear on security. We’ve proposed to the governor that all the senatorial zones have a replica of that spectacular innovation which he has promised,” Ezeugwu said.
The veteran, who called for a joint taskforce where all the security apparatuses would work in sync to tackle the menace of killer herders and the ESN, said Governor Mbah had provided welfare and also informed them of the planned increment of salaries for local vigilante and neighbourhood watch operatives.
Acknowledging that veterans from the zone were already working in synergy with the governor through a 5-man committee approved by him, Gen Ezeugwu called on the people of the district to support the state government to do more.
Also speaking were the Member representing Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Rt Hon Dennis Agbo, the Deputy Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ezenta Ezeani, Special Adviser to the Governor on Education Innovation, Dr. Chinyere Onyeisi, Coordinator of the group, Hon Chinedu Onuh, and the secretary, Prof Simon Ortuanya, who lauded the governor for championing landmark projects in the zone.
Justifying the significance of the gathering, Hon Agbo said the governor had done well particularly for the people of the zone which was the motive behind the discussion. He called on the people to continue their support for the administration.
Lending his voice, the Deputy Speaker said it was time to tell the world the remarkable projects the governor was championing in the senatorial zone, and to also convey a message of appreciation to him.
“From what we have gathered from our people, the governor is getting more popular on a daily basis. It’s because of the litany of development projects and it has never happened, so we’ve come out en masse to appreciate his good works. We’re a very grateful people, and we are grateful to the governor. What we’re discussing here is governance beyond politics,” he added.
On her part, Dr Onyeisi stressed that the world-class 260 smart schools in the state were an initiative of the Mbah administration to address inadequate infrastructure, outdated curricula, and equip both teachers and students with the essential soft skills for the 21st century tech revolution.
Declaring support for the governor on behalf of other security chiefs, Maj. Gen. Godwin Ugwuoke (rtd) said security comes first in any clime at all levels, saying the governor had accepted to set in motion all that was required to execute the terms and proposals made by them.
According to him, “Everything that he’s putting in place, it’s only security that will make us enjoy it – the economy, education, health, and all that the government is doing. The most important thing we from the Enugu North Zone can do is to encourage him to continue to do more, and let us not distract him unnecessarily. From afar, you’d think that the governor is unapproachable, but if you approach him with a good idea, you’ll discover that this is a leader.”
Other dignitaries at the dialogue moderated by the Chairman of Udenu LGA, Mr Aka Eze Aka, were the former Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Dr Dan Shere, the Chairman of Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, His Majesty, Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, State Secretary of PDP, Chief Chukwudi Nnadozie, foremost entrepreneur, Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju, and the chairmen of the 6 local government areas of the zone led by the Deputy Chairman of the State Chapter of ALGON, Barr Ferdinand Ugwueze, among others.
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