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PDP Governors Lobbying to Travel with Buhari Kills Party’s Planned Protest. – Timi Frank
A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has said that governors of the People Democratic Party (PDP) are the major problem of opposition party in the country even as some of them were lobbying to travel with General Muhammadu Buhari.
Frank said aside governor Wike of Rivers state, so many of other opposition party governors are lobbying daily to be in the good books of General Buhari, hence they don’t talk on national issues affecting Nigerians negatively.
Reacting to a media report that the PDP was planning to stage a nationwide protest against the Supreme Court ruling in Imo, Frank said the move is belated.
“PDP’s planned protest is medicine after death, why didn’t they protest when the former CJN Onnogen was forcefully removed from office? Why didn’t they protest when the last presidential election was rigged in favour of APC by INEC and the Army? Why didn’t they protest when Supreme Court unjustly threw out presidential election appeal? Today Nigerians are seeing the result of the forceful removal of Onnogen from office; it’s a bit late for PDP to protest.”
The Bayelsa born activist specifically condemned in strong term the Abia state governor, who was seen on Friday travelling to London with General Buhari at a time his colleague in Imo (Emeka) was unjustly removed as governor.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, Frank said it is shameful that PDP has 16 governors and only one or two is committed to the cause of the party.
“Some PDP governors are the problem of Nigeria, some of them go to the extent of lobbying the cabal to travel out with the President so as to be on his good books, they are selfish, corrupt, over ambitious and shameless.
“Some of them betrayed the PDP during the last presidential election, and gave the APC 25% in their states in return for not being prosecuted after they leave office and to win their 2nd term.”
According to Frank, a sitting PDP governor said: “If you say you dey there (APC), know I am already there. If you go to APC, I am an APC member. If you go to PDP, I am there”, what did the PDP as a party say or do? The PDP as a party could not caution or penalize him and now they want to protest?
“Apart from the governor of Rivers state Nyesom Wike and sometimes, the Benue state governor Samuel Ortom, other PDP governors are PDP by the day and APC by night; they fraternize with the APC thereby rendering PDP incapacitated and unable to function properly and cannot play the role of an effective opposition.
“Nigerians are being taken for a ride by the APC administration and the PDP can’t do anything to checkmate government because most of the PDP members and especially some governors are compromised, otherwise they could have fought Buhari the same way the opposition governors fought Jonathan, whereas those governors refused to compromise during Jonathan’s tenure.
“Nigerians should observe that apart from Governor Wike and Governor Ortom, no other PDP governor dares to criticize Buhari and even make any statement about national issues. If there is any governor that Buhari and the APC would have loved to remove, it is Governor Wike; this is because he is not PDP by the day and APC by night, which is the reason why he has the support of his people and despite all the persecution by the federal government, he still stands tall.”
While urging other PDP governors to emulate Governor Wike so that posterity will judge them well, Frank said: “It is better for these governors to decamp to APC so Nigerians and the world can see them for who they truly are, after all once you decamp to APC; all your sins (Looting and corruption) are forgiven.
“To show you how incompetent some of the PDP governors are, the Abia state PDP governor Okezie Ikpeazu, flew to London with Buhari and some APC members in the presidential jet, barely 3 days after a PDP governor colleague of his from the same South-east was robbed through the Supreme Court and his seat given to APC. He was seen smiling and grinning from ear to ear like a child that just tasted chocolate for the first time in his life.
“Instead of telling APC the truth, Ikpeazu is fraternizing with them the same day the PDP was having its NEC meeting, He abandoned the meeting and flew with Buhari to London, as that is more important to him than attending PDP meeting, the party that gave him a platform to become governor.
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth, no amount of fraternizing with Buhari and the APC can save any looting governor when the day of reckoning comes.
“Nigerians are helpless today at the hands of APC because some PDP governors have compromised for their selfish interest but they should remember that they are not God, only God knows how all these will pan out tomorrow,” Timi Frank said.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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