The Lumine News

Author: News

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (IV)…

    Opportunity Statement

    It is on record that in the past 10 years, over N1.5trillion has been appropriated for constituency projects in Nigeria, yet the impact of such huge spending on the lives and welfare of ordinary Nigerians can hardly be seen. Peeved by the ugly development, the ICPC in May 2020, declared that it would prosecute recalcitrant legislators, who are gifted to diverting funds meant for constituency projects.

    The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said in an interview that the Commission, in its bid to look at the kind of corruption that affects ordinary people, would investigate the execution of constituency projects.

    While informing Buhari of this ugly development during a visit in 2020, Prof. Owasanoye told the President that: “Sir, we discovered that some agencies of government are favourites for the embedding of constituency projects irrespective of their core mandate and capacity of these agencies to deliver or supervise projects. Most notorious in this regard are the Border Communities Development Agency, and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.

    “Duplication of contracts with the same description, narrative, amount, location awarded by the same MDA to bring the amount allocated within approval threshold of the executing agency, or to expend allocation to sponsor of the constituency project.

    “Many of the contracts were inflated yet poorly executed. Substandard items were used against specifications in the Bill of Engineering Measurements and Evaluation thus diminishing the value of the projects to the intended beneficiaries. Many projects were also not built to specification.”

    He also pointed out that: “Empowerment and capacity building projects are very popular, but are highly prone to abuse and very difficult to track. We find that almost 50 percent of budgetary allocation to zonal intervention projects goes to these opaque activities. Empowerment items are sometimes stashed away by sponsors and not distributed till the next budget cycle while in some cases, the same items are re-budgeted and duplicated.

    “Many community members believe that sponsors pay for projects from their funds, rather than from public treasury. Thus they are beholden to the sponsor rather than claim their rights.”

    Propositions

    1. Instead of stuffing a few notes into envelopes and distributing on camera to constituents as constituency bursary intervention, why not commit such funds into starting properly managed Educational Trust Funds, open to public donations and scrutiny? This isn’t difficult. It begins with a meeting of your team of professionals and a team from the State Scholarship Board.

    2. There is an urgent need for the amendment of the Federal Scholarship law to allow sub-national scholarship boards to explore and expand their funds net and accountability feedbacks, with a view to broadening their scope of intervention. Someone has to draft that amendment.

    3. Instead of waiting for phone calls from desperate sick constituents asking for help for emergency medical bills, why not collaborate amongst the members going to the 10th NASS from Cross River State, to kick-start a subsidized health insurance scheme for vulnerable members of our communities? A pilot scheme can begin with an HMO and a hundred subscribers from each Federal Constituency and Senatorial District, mostly women of child bearing age, and expand the net there-upon. This will grow to cover other constituents over time.

    4. Instead of giving handouts to people to pay rents, can we begin to consider a legislative framework for alternative and affordable mass housing options and models for our communities? Things like, fire proof, affordable, prefabricated settlements that will solve the housing problem on a sustainable and incremental basis?

    5. Can we also begin to consider legislation that will support the building of hi-tech functional innovation and entrepreneurship clubs and centers and clubs, in our constituencies and ensure they function efficiently by challenging them to produce implementable products on realistic timelines?

    These are actually things that require discipline to do, and they tarry before maturation, and politicians generally believe that such things don’t help them to win the next election. Yet in the long run, it is the mushrooming of these structures that will solve society’s problems on a sustainable basis.

    The only person I know who ever commanded his followers to cast their burdens on him and meant what he said was, Jesus the Christ. But he was not voted into power. The people we vote cannot solve our problems by themselves. They solve them through systems and structures. Without building systems, there is little they can do on their own. That’s why they haven’t been able to solve any of our problems because they keep trying to do it through personal bank alerts and their back pockets. But they are actually meant to midwife the building of structures, systems and processes that will perpetually solve our problems, even when they leave office.

    And today, they have so pauperized us that we no longer know the difference between service and charity. But may God give us understanding to discern the difference and be able make our leaders serve us accountably.

    …. _To be continued_ …..

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Re: Ethnic Attack On The Effiks By The PDP Governorship Candidate In Cross River State, Can Cross River State Survive A Prof Sandy Leadership?

    RE: ETHNIC ATTACK ON THE EFIKS BY THE PDP GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE IN CROSS RIVER STATE, CAN CROSS RIVER STATE SURVIVE A PROF. SANDY LEADERSHIP?

    Our attention has been drawn to a write up with the above title written by one Ekpenyong Isaiah-isababa, who regards himself as Commander, Infantry Pen Battalion, and a video of Sen Sandy Onor, purported to have denigrated the Efiks, while responding to a question filed during an interactive session with the Efik Youths, under the auspices of the Progressive Southern Alliance.

    Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered about responding to his fictitious claims and write up which is capable of creating ethnic bigotry, unrest, chaos and social malady.
    But for the purpose of putting the records straight and to strengthen the confidence reposed on our principal by both the Efiks and non-Efiks alike, as a build up to the governorship election that comes up few days from today, we make bold to state emphatically, that the allegation is false and has no correlation with what transpired during that interactive session.
    The claim is a complete misrepresentation, and a misinformation of the response offered by our principal, Sen Sandy Onor, on why the central always contest for the position of University of Calabar Vice Chancellorship and governorship positions with the south.

    Mr Ekpenyong Isaiah-Isababa probably was not in attendance during that said town hall meeting, else, he would have had a full knowledge of what transpired. A background check on the person of our principal and his contributions during his stay as the State Chairman of the National Centre Party and the enthronement of Mr Donald Duke, as governor of the state in 1999, on the basis of his competence, an Efik son against his Atam brother, clearly confirms his disposition to promote unity in the state.

    While touring the 18 local government areas of the state, our principal was very vocal about promoting our commonalities that unite us other than the contemplating ethnicity that divides us.

    The video in circulation on social media is an abridged video from the main video, with the malicious intent to dent the reputation of our principal, whose support and acceptance has become unwavering.
    The writer’s intention not to publish the complete video for Cross Riverians to watch and understand what really transpired, can only be best explained by him.

    For the records, the full video from which the purported anti-Efik video was extracted from, lasted for about 40-45 minutes and watching the video will give you full grasps of what Sen Sandy Onor said. We want to clarify that Sen Sandy Onor was only responding to a question “Why is the Central always opposing the South in the VC’ship elections and same thing transpired in the PDP primaries”, asked by a southern youth.

    Our principal listed names of Southerners who have been Vice Chancellors, and spoke in the context of the question, and so should not be quoted out of context that he tried to incite ethnic hate.

    We want to state unequivocally that at no time during that interactive session or any session that our principal made mention of the Efiks derogatorily or disrespectfully. Whoever claim so should provide such evidence.

    The attached edited video shows our principal responding to the question where he mentioned the former Vice Chancellors of the University of Calabar, from Southern Senatorial District numbering 4 and mentioned that only Profs Kelvin Etta and James Epoke had occupied the position from central senatorial district, before the current Vice Chancellor, Prof Florence Obi. Our principal wondered why, it must always be the south.

    We want to remind the public that when Donald Duke contested elections from the South, he was fully Supported by Sandy Onor, even though he had his own candidate in his then party from Atam, running for the same position. If Sen Sandy did not play ethnicity or was not anti-Efik then, is it now that he is on the ballot, campaigning in Efik land and looking for their votes that he will suddenly become an anti-Efik? If he is an anti-Efik as they claimed, he should not have chosen his deputy from amongst the Efiks.

    It is no longer news that Sen Sandy Onor has insisted that the BACKtoSOUTH, mantra as theorized and widely advocated by some persons, is not healthy for our state, and that Cross Riverians should interrogate his past records on the basis of competence and support him to be governor of the state.

    We call on the public to ignore the cheap blackmail against Sen Sandy Onor. If it were not a blackmail and a cheap way of trying to get sympathy for their candidate, they would have posted the full video of the said occasion. But why will they post when they know that Sen Sandy Onor is loved by the people including their own sons and daughters?

    Cross Riverians should please go about their normal electioneering businesses without fear because Sen Sandy Onor, has once supported the south to be Governor of Cross River State and will not turn around to be anti-Efik now. Sen Sandy has convinced Cross Riverians to vote for him based on his double barreled experiences both in the Executive and Legislative arms of government, which puts out his competence as shown in his previous positions of assignment and the projects facilitated as spread across the Central Senatorial District, during his stay in the senate.

    Let’s vote for a man that will not look us into the eyes and lie to us, someone with a clear vision for CRS, let’s vote Sen Prof Sandy Ojang Onor, let’s vote PDP, let’s vote the Umbrella, because CRS will truly survive and her lost glories returned, under the leadership of this seasoned administrator.

    Caterpillar Movement Media

  • RE: I Will Resign As Running Mate to Sandy Onor of PDP before 18th March

    RE: I Will Resign As Running Mate to Sandy Onor of PDP before 18th March

    Our attention has been drawn to a malicious and inciting post circulating on social media by agents of the All Progressives Congress, in an attempt to brandish a false narrative that the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate and his Deputy, Lady Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe are not on the same page. This could not be more untrue.

    Ordinarily, the person of Lady of Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe does not join issues with overzealous errand boys, who earn a living by spewing lies and unfounded falsehood, in a frail attempt to deliberately misinform the public and garner goodwill from unsuspecting electorates. However, it is pertinent that we state the facts clearly for the benefit of unsuspecting Cross Riverians.

    The said publication has no element of truth and is nothing but a figment of the writer’s own distorted imagination. For the avoidance of doubt, there has never been a time where Lady Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe has said privately or publicly that she will resign her position as running mate to the Governorship Candidate of the PDP. Senator Sandy Onor has nothing but love for the people of the South, and respects all his Southern alliances, especially due to the fact that he has a Southern matrilineal heritage.

    It is not a new thing in our political culture for failing political Parties to engage the services of spin-doctors and propagandists to sell lies to gullible members of the public, in an attempt to reignite the dying embers of a terminally ill Party.

    The electorates are wiser now, and their votes will count in the coming elections!

    Emana Media

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (III)…

    Opportunity Statement

    The Obudu Dam Resort, (Not the Ranch), is a multi purpose facility that provides recreational as well as the essential commodity, water to communities around its environs.

    Located in Ukwel-Obudu, (my mother’s village), less than 10 kilometers from the Obudu central bus terminal, the dam was destroyed by flood back in 2005 according to Patriot Abohson Sunday, who works at the resort.

    “Since then, people only visit the dam during festivities like Valentine’s day and may be Christmas” he says.

    The Federal Government on Wednesday 14th August 2012, at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, approved the contract sum of N1.165 billion for the rehabilitation of the dam.

    Briefing State House correspondents after that particular FEC meeting, former Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Stella Ochekpe, (currently in jail for corruption), accompanied by her former Information counterpart, Labaran Maku, lamented that the dam, which has a storage capacity of 1.25 million cubic meters, had been in an awful state, thereby affecting regional urban water supply in some communities in the area.

    She said a memo was raised and submitted to the Council to enable the government of Cross River State embark on its regional urban water supply project, which will cover four communities: Obudu, Ogoja, Ikom, and Calabar.

    She further revealed that, “The Cross River State government has, since 2005, gotten an International Development Association (IDA) loan to develop the regional water scheme that will meet the needs of these communities in Cross River. But because of the state of Obudu Dam, it has been impossible for that project to commence. The contract was awarded at the cost of N1.165 billion.”

    The contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to Consolidated Construction Limited, CCL. In another development, the World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and the Cross River State Water Board Limited, CRSWBL contracted Lilleker Brothers Limited, LBL to construct a water treatment plant, with the second phase being the construction of reticulation channels to benefiting neighboring communities.

    When completed, the dam was expected to facilitate the irrigation of about 100 hectares of agricultural land, boost fisheries and promote tourism in the northern part of the State. Details of the contract were headlined across the country and hopes were again high that life will return to the dam in no time, though some stakeholders had cautioned residents not to be too optimistic.

    True to the caution, the contract sum was misappropriated. But the good news is that, some of the thieves, former Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, Evans Leo, Sunday Jitong and Raymond Dabo, are in jail, after the EFCC secured their conviction.

    *Propositions*

    1. Immediate fact finding and on-the-spot visit to the Obudu Dam site by a powerful delegation led by the Senator for Northern Cross River, Jarigbe Agom and the House of Reps Member-Elect, Peter Akpanke, and other colleagues.

    2. Immediate fact finding visit to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    3. Produce a public report on the current state of facilities at the dam, the state of the IDA loan, the whereabout of the FG contract money, and what is currently required to revamp the Dam.

    4. Present same to the relevant oversight committees of the NASS and lobby for urgent attention, including headlining same in the same manner the news of the contract award made headlines.

    5. Lobby the relevant committees of NASS to make adequate appropriation in the next cycle for commencement of work at the Dam.

    This effort should be led by Senator Jarigbe Agom, Peter Akpanke and all their colleagues from Cross River, going to the 10th NASS.

    Content from CrossRiverWatch/Jonathan Ugbal.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Ogoja Diocese Releases Funeral Arrangement For The Late Arch Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ekpo

    The Catholic Diocese of Ogoja has released a funeral arrangements for the late Arch Bishop Emeritus, the Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ukpo.

    In a release signed by the Chancellor/Chairman of the funeral committee, Very Rev Fr Matthew Otuji, indicates that his body will be received at Mbok junction on Monday, 20th March, 2023 by 2:00pm and on Tuesday, 21 March, 2023, mass will be at the cathedral by 8:00am.

    The release reads in parts “I have the directives of His Lordship Most Rev Dr Donatus Edet Akpan to publish the burial programme of our patriarch – Arch Bishop Emeritus, Most Rev Dr Joseph Edra Ekpo, as follows”

  • That Fake Communique From The So Called Southern And Northern Leaders Of Thought

    THAT FAKE COMMUNIQUE FROM SO CALLED SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN LEADERS OF THOUGHT

    If not that in Nigerian politics one must respond to every barking dog, including the ones that are afflicted with rabies and canine influenza, there should have been no reason to ingratiate this flimsy piece of vomitus with this response that it does not by all means merit, in proper consideration of the substance and personages involved.

    But we must respond in other that innocent citizens of our dear state are saved the great peril of believing that the real man inside the mask is a member of the dancing troupe, not knowing that the fellow is merely a wayfarer that lost his bearing long before harmattan came and made his feet white and scaly. This response is therefore a social service to save the innocent from believing the guilty.

    To begin with, there was no meeting of Northern and Southern political leaders anywhere in the world on the 2nd of March, 2023, neither physical nor digital, nothing. No venue, no signatures, no truth. Secondly, there were no elected political office holders from the North mentioned at the fantom meeting. Not one! Just a continuation of the regime of lying and blindfolding that has crippled our dear state, misled our vibrant youth and made our corporate name a laughing stock throughout the federal republic.

    The people purported to have been at the imaginary meeting who are said to have signed the communique are quite frankly what one may safely describe as politically irrelevant as at today, even if you may admit that some of them may have held some kind of sway in time past, who unfortunately have detoriotated into the inelegant toga of food-on-the-table politicians.

    This assortment of have-beens, ethnic jingoists and ex-convicts clearly do not and cannot have the mandate of the people for whom they are posturing to speak. They are people who have condoned mediocrity and criminality in exchange for a mess of potage. For almost eight years they have watched the most brazen and dastardly attack on our commonality, our heritage and our common patrimony without so much of a righteous wimper or indignation. They represent no one in the South and certainly no one in the North. What they represent, to say the truth, is the length of their throats and the depth of their stomachs. It is the quest for more free food and unmerited patronage that spurs them on.

    We in the People’s Democratic Party are not surprised at their latest tantrums because we understand their fears. They have calculated correctly that the coming election will be different from the last one where they where allowed to rig freely without counter measures on the part of our party. They are also afrighted by the gale of adoptions by various interest groups including the PFN and 10 other parties who have seen that the candidate of the PDP is the only one with the vision, workplan and moral standing that can return Cross River State to the path of honour and prosperity.

    The Calabar-Ogoja-Accord has served its purpose and all three Senatorial Zones of the state have had their chance to lead the state or to ruin it. What we need today is a leader with the vision to heal Cross River from the rape and devastation it has endured and move it quickly forward to where it ought to be and not pieces of paper from food eaters who’s silent acquersence and duplicitous relationship with Ayade’s government helped the heist to pull through. Thank God the masses of our people know better and have chosen to cast their lot for Senator Sandy Ojang Onor come March 18,2023.

    CATERPILLAR MEDIA

  • C’River Guber Race: Coalition Of Opposition Political Parties Adopts, Collapse Structure For Sandy Onor

    By Admin

    Gale of defection has continued to gather momentum as the Coalition of Opposition Political Parties (COPPS) Cross River state chapter has formerly adopted and endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sen Sandy Onor, ahead of the governorship polls.

    The Coalition made up of not fewer than 10 political parties, said they decided to collapsed their structures in support of Onor’s candidacy after their extra-ordinary meeting held yesterday to review state of affairs.

    A few days back, Sen Sandy Onor had also secured the endorsement of notable religious, social-clutural and political groups including the Ejagham Stakeholders Forum, (ESHF), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and the Obi-Dients Movements.

    In a statement by the Chairman of COPPs, Mr Ntami Esege, on behalf of ten of them, it said that the decision to team up with the PDP candidate is to support the man with the right credentials to led the state to an enviable height.

    He noted that the decision to support the PDP candidate was arrived at, after a careful assessment of all the candidates with focus on competence, capacity and character

    He pointed out that Onor’s antecedent placed him above every other candidate for the job of leading the state for the next four years.

    “Conscious of what the State has gone through in the last eight years, we unanimously resolved to support a man with the right credentials to lead the Stale to an enviable height,” he stated.

    The political parties include ADC, ZLP, AA, APGA, APP, APM, NRM, ADP, BP and Accord.

  • John Ifere, Labour Party Candidate For Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency Adopts Sandy Onor For Governor

    By Elijah Ugani and Obeten Emmanuel 

    The Labour Party candidate for Abi/Yakurr federal constituency election in the just concluded presidential and national assembly election, Mr John Ifere has endorsed the candidacy of Prof Sandy Onor for the March 18th governorship election in Cross River State.

    The endorsement took place at his country home, Ugep Yakurr local government area, where his supporters and members of the Labour Party had converged to receive the governorship candidate of the PDP, Sen Sandy Onor.

    Mr Ifere had lost the election to Hon Alex Egbonna of the All Progressive Congress APC.

    Watch the video attached

    https://www.facebook.com/emmanuelenang.obeten/videos/176410948481538/?d=w&mibextid=qC1gEa

     

  • Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (II)… BY AGBA JALINGO

    Propositions For Cross River NASS Members To The 10th NASS (II)…

    Opportunity Statement

    In February 2017, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Cross River State launched a waste-to-wealth program in Calabar. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, laid the foundation for a plant to process waste-to-wealth at the Idundu Industrial Layout in Calabar. The project was also targeted at the production of biogas, organic waste, and feeds for aquatic culture in the State as well as create thousands of jobs and livelihoods.

    Since the ground breaking was done, the project has remained stalled. This writer reliably gathered that funds that were released for the project never made it out of Abuja and the answers to where the funds ended can best be obtained by our 10th Assembly NASS Members as part of their duties.

    Propositions

    1. As part of their oversight functions, the NASS committees both in the Red and Green chambers, that have individual or over lapping oversight roles over the Ministry of Science and Technology needs to be engaged immediately.

    2. Direct consultation and fact finding meetings to the Ministry of Science and Technology, should also be prioritized.

    3. If funding for the project wasn’t adequate, what can be done and done on time too, to ensure that the next NASS appropriation makes adequate supplement for the project?

    4. Was there anything that was supposed to be done by our own State government; failure of which is stalling the project and how can that be resolved?

    5. Having been grounded since 2017, fresh vigorous effort is required to bring it back to the front burner. Who needs to be lobbied or impressed or reminded of what they failed to do?

    This effort should be championed by Senator-Elect, Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr. at the Senate and Hon Bassey Akiba at the HoR, supported by all NASS Members from Cross River State to the 10th NASS.

    …. _To be continued tomorrow_ …

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Cross River APC Attack On Nigerian Military And Its Wild Goose Chase – PDP

     

    CROSS RIVER APC ATTACK ON NIGERIAN MILITARY AND ITS WILD GOOSE CHASE

     

    On Thursday, March 2, 2023, the Cross River All Progressives Congress (APC) held a press conference and rejected the defeat of Governor Ben Ayade and the party’s candidate for northern senatorial election by the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

    Sen. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (PDP) polled 76,145 votes to defeat Governor Ben Ayade (APC), who scored 56, 595 votes. Jarigbe polled the highest number of votes cast in four of the five local government areas that make up the zone.

    At the press conference, APC chairman, Alphonsus Eba, Esq, openly accused the military of connivance, undue harassment and intimidation of electorate at the Presidential and National Assembly Elections (NASS) held across Northern senatorial district on Saturday, February 25, 2023 and robbed the party of victory.

     

    Eba did not end there, he poured vituperations at the military, saying “they deployed armoured tanks through the aide of some of their sons, particularly in Ugaga community, and got us intimidated. He called for the trial and court marshaling of those who deployed soldiers for violating section 68 of Electoral Act.”

    From the above statement, it is crystal clear that Eba is on a wild goose chase because Jarigbe won the election clean and square. Pointing accusing fingers at the military as being responsible for the abysmal outing of Ayade in the last NASS election has demonstrated his level of duplicitousness.

    His incoherent accounts of what transpired at the election and how his principal and benefactor lost with a whopping 19, 550 votes to Sen. Jarigbe sounds like a drowning man looking for any object to hold on to just to survive.

    May be, APC and Eba had some sinister motives and clandestine strategies ahead of the election only to wake like a fish doped out of water to see military all over strategic locations checking and parading flash points in a very civilized and professional manner. This, Eba could not stomach because he was caught napping on seeing smartly-dressed and stern-looking young soldiers ready to take on anybody who dares to disrupt the Presidential and NASS elections in the north.

    Those who voted in the north would be quick to tell you that the election was model for a study on how to defeat demagogue in power.

    Interactions with some voters, who had a brush with death during the last Ogoja/Yala federal constituency by-election showed that they were relaxed, not afraid to cast their votes for their preferred candidates and confident that their votes would count simply because the security was guaranteed.

    And truly, their votes counted for Sen. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, Peter Akpanke and Godwin Offionio, their preferred candidates. Thus, the lamentations and subsequent blaming the military for his woeful outing in the north, where he saw as APC fortress.

    Eba’s wondering why tight security in the north, especially has shown him as a man has lost his sense of history by forgetting the traumatic experiences and human indignities his kinsmen and women have been subjected to in his and Ayade’s since the tussle to replace late Sen. Rose Oko started in 2020.

    Eba has quickly forgotten how Ayade deployed policemen, tear-gassed his people and shut out some delegates at the PDP senatorial primary election for Cross River north that produced Dr. Stephen Odey as purported winner. The election held at Ogoja local government council headquarters on October 5, 2020, was marred by violence leading to emeegence of two senatorial candidates for one seat.

    Again the APC loquacious chairman has easily forgotten how he and Governor Ben Ayade used Operation Sting to sting voters during Ogoja/Yala federal constiuency by-election in February 27, 2022 to pummel voters and PDP supporters. It was a display of political brigandage, new form of election riging and show of raw power planned and executed using ‘operation sting’ unit from governor’s security back-up.

    On that day between 3:00pm-7:00pm, two tinted coaster buses, Anti-kidnapping van and other unmarked vehicles loaded with masked security operatives in company of some cult boys stormed some polling units at Yala and Ogoja and hijacked BVAS, some electoral materials and presiding officers to an unknown destination.

    After doctoring the results, Eba-led team still had the temerity to return the “cooked results” with the same squad to INEC collation centre at Ogoja and forced INEC officials to accept it and declared APC candidate winner of that rigged election. That was new brand of winning election with newly-introduced BVAS then.

    Having won the by-election, Eba boasted to those who cared to listen that subsequent election would be worst and those who think they can stop a moving train would get crushed in 2023. And true to his boasting, three days to the general election, Ayade thugs led by one Tompolo unleashed mayhem on PDP chairman’s house and that of elder brother of Peter Akpanke’s and destroyed cars and property under the supervision of Obudu police command.

    Besides, Akpanke, the PDP’s candidate for Obanliku/Obudu/Bekwarra federal constituency was declared wanted by Ayade’s for alleged murder all in a bid to intimidate and harass Obudu people from coming out to vote. Amid all these, Eba became deaf and dumb because to him, that is how politics should be played.

    And when it was time to finally crush his people to victory, God who knows the heart of man answered ‘old Ogoja’ people prayers and behold the heavy military and police presence that made it impossible for Eba to repeat ‘operation sting’ methodology of cruising to east victory. The people rather laughed last and voted Eba’s and APC candidates out for reining insults on them, chastising them with scorpions and giving them stones instead of bread. The heavy security presence could not give him a space to perpetrate his evil machinations, leading to Ayade and his APC being trounced.

    Eba’s resort for court after being trashed thoroughly by PDP unstoppable train in the north is the last kick of a dying horse. Observers have described Presidential and NASS elections in the north as free, fair and credible. Even Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has adjudged the election in the north as one of the most peaceful and orderly. Indeed, the emergence of the above candidates has changed power configuration in the north.

    Of course, it is right of APC to seek redress in court, but one wonders what technicalities APC are going to lay claims to even when Eba and his kinsman, Dr, Steve Odey, perpetrated all sorts of electoral frauds in their Echumofana and Yache wards in Yala local government area just to see how their candidates could pull through.

    Even in the presence of the military, PDP agents at Yache ward in Yala were allegedly kidnapped by APC stalwart until election was over. In the same Yache ward, the collation officer disappeared and resurfaced almost 20 hours after election ended with a ‘cooked result’ at Yala collation centre in Okpoma. The ‘cooked result’ was intercepted by PDP agents who raised the alarm. Eba himself was alleged to have harassed PDP supporters and some voters sympathetic to PDP candidates out of their poling units and now had a free day to boost his ward election result. Eba said nothing about these in his media briefing.

    However, we wish to state categorically clear that PDP is not afraid of court. We are already assembling our legal team in readiness to challenge the charades that took place in the central and south in the name of elections. In the above-mentioned two senatorial districts, APC ran riot, intimidated voters, doctored results and employed thuggery to win elections in Yakurr, Abi, Boki, Obubra and Odukpani. Evidences abound where APC big shots were arrested for electoral malpractices. The videos and pictures are there for all to see.

    To Eba, what transpired at central and south is real election and a demonstration of democracy, which he wanted to replicate in the north before the people stood against it with their blood.

    We make bold to say that the military did a professional job in the north and we urge them to continue in the same spirit as we head into Governorship and House of Assembly elections. Anybody who has intention of coming again to rig out the people wish would be resisted. So we call on our party men and women, our supporters and entire electorate to come out en mass to cast their votes for PDP as it would definitely count.

    God Bless Cross Riverians.

    Price Mike Ojisi

    State Publicity Secretary