The Lumine News

Tag: #APC

  • C’River APC Caretaker Committee Disowns Legor And Others Micro-zoning Committees

     

    The Cross River chapter of the All Progressive Congress APC, has witnessed a lot of infighting since the defection of the governor, Sen Ben Ayade from the PDP to join the ruling APC.

    Ahead of the nation wide state congresses, the State Caretaker Committee had named the Sen Victor Ndoma-Egba led zoning committee to recommend for approval the zoning of all party positions in the state.

    Just recently, Hon Legor Idagbo, member representing Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku federal constituency hosted party stakeholders in his country home, Ijobor – Bekwarra Local Government Area, and release a zoning format of positions in the Northern senatorial district of the state.

    The self assumed committee headed by Hon Legor Idagbo announced that the state party chairmanship that the Ogoja Local Government had vyed for with over eight qualified sons indicating interest and consulting for, was zoned to Yala.

    A development that stirred controversy across the entire state with party supporters lamenting on social media, accusing the governor of possible highjacking the party.

    In swift response, the Caretaker Committee in a release sighted by LumineNews and signed by the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Bassey Ita, disowned the micro zoning committee and said he never authorized or consented to the zoning as currently conducted across the senatorial district.

    The releases reads in full;

    “All Progressives Congress

    Cross River State

    Office of the State Publicity Secretary

    “MICRO- ZONING OF PARTY POSITIONS SHOULD BE DISREGARDED.

    “The State Leadership of our great party, is taken aback at the news of the micro-zoning of party positions for the State Executive Committee(zoning of positions to local government chapters)

    “The State Chairman, Sen. Matthew Mbu Jr has also affirmed that he has not authorized nor consented to the zoning process as currently conducted across the senatorial districts.

    “In the light of the development,the State Caretaker Committee wishes to dissociate from the exercise.

    “The report of the Zoning Committee recently submitted to the party is still being reviewed by the leadership and will soon come up with a ratified arrangement on the exercise.

    “The leadership has a well intended plan to sustain the existing stable climate within the party by involving all interests in the party administration and will therefore not compromise this position.

    “Stakeholders are to therefore disregard whatever is done in the guise of zoning to local government chapters which is without due authorization by the leadership.

    Thank you and God bless!

    “BASSEY ITA
    State Publicity Secretary
    October 5,2021”.

  • UNICAL Drums Support For Godwin Nyiam As C’River APC Chairman

     

    The Association of Nigerian Universities Professional Administrators, University of Calabar chapter has called on the leadership of the All Progressive Congress APC, in Cross River State to give Comrade Godwin Nyiam the opportunity to serve the party as Chairman in the soon to be conducted state Congress.

    The association made the call at its Secretariat on Tuesday September 28th, 2021 during a media briefing.

    The Chairman ANUPA UCB, Barr George Igbikikuno hinted that Comrade Godwin Nyiam is one of their constituents having served as an Administrative Assistant in the University and was appointed as the Protocol Officer to 12th Senate of the University, where he served creditably. He noted that “Comrade Godwin Nyiam has the requisite capacity to galvanize the needed support to reposition the party”

    Speaking further, he maintained that “Nyiam has revamped, reinvigorated, remodeled and reformed the Cross River State Traffic Regulatory and Management Agency.

    “He was employed by the University of Calabar as an Admin Assistant and participated very actively in the association. While he was here, he was very positive, unique and integrity based force to be reckoned with. For Prof Zana Akpa to recognize ant found in him the qualities that his administration could invest in and subsequently appointed him as the Chief Protocol Officer of the University of Calabar, barely shows that he has in him very well known leadership qualities. He is a go getter, he is a transformer. He is an uncommon achiever, very sociable and principled.

    “When there were internal some internal contradictions within the university system, he was able to take the bull by the horn and brought in innovations that gave the management some respites. In our association, he is a force to be reckoned with even though he is now with the Cross River State government. We still treat him as one of our members because of his immutable contributions to our association.

    “He is a man with sound organizational skills. His capacity, competence, pedigree to deliver on assigned duties couple with antecedents of his previous leadership qualities are very outstanding. He is a man who speaks truth to powers. He is a detribalized comrade. All he want is the ability to deliver.

    “We are fully aware and supported his intention when he wanted to represent Cross River Northern Senatorial district after the death of Sen Rose Oko, but the political gladiators schemed him out though our voice as an association was heard and that is why we have decided to come out to appeal to these powers brokers to give him the opportunity to unify the party”

    This call came barely two days just as the National Association of Unified Commercial Transport Workers, Cross River State had call on the party stakeholders to consider the aspirations of Comrade Godwin Nyiam as the state party Chairman of APC.

  • CRS APC Chairmanship Tussle: Group Drums Support For Godwin Nyiam

    By Admin

    As preparations for the nation wide state congresses of the All Progressive Congress APC gain momentum, a group of commuters under the umbrella of
    Unified Commercial Drivers Association of Nigeria, Cross River State chapter has called on the leadership of the APC in the state to support the aspiration of it Director General, Comrade Godwin Nyiam, for the Chairmanship position of APC during the forthcoming state congress.

    The group made the call through it Chairman, Pastor Thomas Effiom Okon during a press briefing held on Sunday September, 26th 2021 at Transcorps Hotels, Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

    Okon appealed to the leadership of the party through the zoning committee to zone the Apc State Chairmanship to Ogoja and support the aspirations of Mr. Godwin Nyiam.

    Okon noted that “Nyiam, a one-time aspirant of the North senatorial seat and the DG of Traffic Management and Regulatory Agency (TRAMA) is very qualified outstanding and Young among other contestants for the position, having the pedigree and experience to deliver on the Job as State Chairman”

    He added that “zoning the Chairmanship to Ogoja and supporting Nyiam’s candidature is critical to ensuring the party’s success and Unity considering the stability he has brought to the agency under his watch”

    Speaking further, he maintained that “Nyima was among the first persons the governor reappointed in his second term in office, which is premise upon his sterling performance during the concluding part of his first term in office. He as held various positions in the state, from Student Unionism, to serving in the University of Calabar. His wealth of experience as a grassroots politician will move the party forward and his leadership will bring about love, unity, and progress for the overall interest of the party”.

    Recall that the State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Bassey Ita had signed a release on the 21st where the party announced the composition of the zoning committee.

    The committee has Sen Victor Ndoma-Egba as Chairman and Chief Peter Ojie as Secretary.

    According to the release “The leadership of the party has appointed the following leaders into the Zoning Committee for purpose of zoning positions regarding the State Executive Committee of the party”

  • Cross River APC Ward Congresses Marred With Irregularities – Odey Oyama In A Petition

    By Sylvia Felix And Abuh Rachael, In CrossRiverWatch

    The recently concluded APC ward congresses in Cross River State has been said to be “seriously marred with widespread irregularities, malpractices, corruption and blatant disregard for the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    Mr. Odey Oyama in a complaint to the APC Ward Congress Appeals Committee said, the outcome of the exercise carried out in the 196 political wards in the State, July 10, 2021 and July 31, 2021 is fake.

    According to him, “To prevent a multiplicity of Court actions provoked by this unwholesome outcome, it has become pertinent to recommend the nullification of the fake results/lists of Ward Executive Committees that were presented to the Governor and the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), in respect of the said events. This conclusion constitute the principal focus of this complaint based on the following principal grounds.”

    See petition where Mr. Oyama said he petitioned because of the blatant abuse of the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the party below.

  • Converting Our Secretariat To APC Is Illegal, Immature Politicking – PDP

    By Admin

    STATEMENT ISSUED AT THE WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE HELD BY THE PDP CARETAKER COMMITTEE, CROSS RIVER STATE, IN REACTION TO EVENTS FOLLOWING THE DEFECTION OF GOVERNOR BEN AYADE TO THE APC

    1. On Thursday, the 20th of May, 2021, Senator Ben Ayade, Governor of Cross River State elected on the platform of our party the PDP, defected to the APC. His defection was unprovoked. The reason given by the governor for his action being his admiration for the way President Buhari is running the affairs of the country with absolute integrity. It is Buhari’s sterling management of the Nigerian economy and the affairs of the country in general, especially the handling of herdsmen farmers crisis, that so impressed Governor Ben Ayade that he feels drawn to support the President by decamping to the APC.

    2. Members of the PDP in Cross River State, even nationally, are not in the least surprised by Governor Ayade’s decision to decamp; he openly admitted that he has been sitting on the fence and dancing. We are relieved that the Governor has finally, we hope, come down from the fence on the side of the APC. This will allow our party some space to regenerate the internal peace and cohesion that existed in the Cross River PDP family before Governor Ayade happened upon us. We respect Governor Ayade’s choice and wish him and the APC peace and equanimity.

    3. On 22nd May, 2021, two days after defecting from our party, Governor Ayade, now a full-fledged APC member, invaded the state secretariat of PDP at 42A Murtala Mohamed Highway, Calabar, with thugs under the cover of armed men of the Nigerian Police force, Cross River Command. Governor Ayade forcefully took over the secretariat and on his instructions the building has now been repainted in the colours of the APC. We understand that the building now serves as one of the several state secretariats of the APC in Calabar. The building currently stands, under guard by the police, painted in APC colours, flying the APC flags, as monumental signpost of impunity, political rascality and absolute disregard for law and order.

    4. We had earlier raised alarm that vital documents, sensitive party membership registers and other facilities are being carted away or destroyed. That situation has not abated.

    5. This building has served as the state secretariat of PDP for over 22 years; it was the secretariat of the PDP even before Governor Ayade joined PDP. The current rent for the property has been paid and the tenancy of PDP subsists. The rent receipts issued to our party, in the name of PDP, are available in proof. The Lessor who rented the property to the PDP, has issued a statement to the effect that PDP is the lawful tenant, and there is not arrangement to have APC as tenant on the property. Clearly the invasion and occupation of the building is immature politics, unnecessary provocation and outrightly illegal.

    6. In an official statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Governor Ayade defended his invasion of the PDP secretariat on the ground that he paid the rent for the current year. We do not know who governor Ayade gave money to; he can ask for his refund because PDP paid the rents and we have the rent receipts to show. Governor Ayade can bring his own proof of payment. Neither Governor Ayade nor the APC are privy to the tenancy agreement between the PDP and the Lessor.

    7. Even if PDP were in breach of any term of the tenancy (which we are not), there are laid down processes and procedure for ejection of tenants and recovery of premises which need to be followed. A third party has no right to forcefully move in and occupy a building with a sitting tenant still in lawful possession. It may be necessary for Governor Ayade to seek some education in this elementary area of law so he may mitigate his embarrassment.

    8. Upon decamping to APC Governor Ayade declared pompously that in Cross River once the Governor moves everyone follows. To Governor Ayade’s consternation and embarrassment, nobody followed. Governor Ayade has now adopted unconstitutional methods to compel his cabinet and appointees, and other public office holders to follow him to the APC against their choice of remaining in PDP. Members of the House of Assembly have been offered 2 million naira and an SUV each if they agree to decamp. Commissioners in Ayade’s cabinet are being offered 3 million naira and a car each to defect to the APC. Local government chairmen and councillors are under threat of removal from office unless they defect. All appointees of the governor have been instructed to produce their APC membership cards before they can receive salaries.

    9. The defection of Governor Ayade to APC is to cost Cross Riverians 2 Billion naira. This is what Ayade needs to buy defectors from even his cabinet to follow him to the APC. Even this filthy lucre put forward by Governor Ayade is not enough to compel obedience as several commissioners from his cabinet, and majority of members of the House of Assembly and other political office holders have elected to reject the Greek gift and stay with the people of Cross River State in PDP.

    10. Governor Ayade can readily expend 2 billion naira to fund his defection to APC because he has ready cash from the almost 19 Billion naira recently paid to Cross River state as refund for federal road maintenance undertaken by the PDP administrations of Governors Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke. Governor Ayade has refused to declare this money to the people of Cross River state and is frittering it away on purposes other than the common good of Cross Riverians.

    11. We call on Governor Ayade to declare this 19 billion which is the single largest revenue flow to Cross River State since the creation of the state, and to apply same in infrastructure like rural roads, urban road network and water which benefits the common man. We are all embarrassed that governor Ayade inherited the best public water supply systems developed by the PDP administrations of Governors Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke across the state, and has allowed them today to all fall into disrepair. Our people have gone back to streams and wells for water.

    12. Magistrates in Cross River state have been demonstrating at the gate of Governor Ayade’s office demanding 2 years unpaid salaries. Two days ago teachers were on the streets of Calabar demonstrating in demand for 5 years of unpaid salaries. Pensioners in their old age were forced to block the Murtala Mohamed Highway in protest for non payment of pensions. This is at a time that Governor Ayade received almost 19 billion windfall from the federal government.

    13. Governor Ayade’s exuberance to impress the APC leadership has led him down this path of impunity, illegality and flagrant abuse of the mandate of the people of Cross River state. But as Governor Ayade plunders the state ostensibly to please the APC, we notice the deafening silence from the state and national leadership of the APC. Silence means acquiescence; an endorsement of the shenanigans being perpetrated on behalf of the APC by Governor Ayade. The people of Cross River State now know how the APC intends to run the affairs of the state and are getting ready for the worst.

    14. We again appeal to the APC leadership to call Governor Ayade to order and remind him that Nigeria is a country governed by laws in spite of nation’s experience in the last 6 years. While we continue to appeal to our teeming party members to remain calm in the face of extreme provocation, this should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness or cowardice. We are acutely aware of all the legal remedies available to us in the circumstances, and we intend to engage the appropriate processes to propagate the rights and interest of our party.

    15. The Cross River State police command provided cover for thugs sent by Governor Ayade to invade the PDP secretariat and forcefully occupy same. Currently the police have stationed an armoured personnel carrier (APC) at the gate of the PDP secretariat. In an official statement, the police command explained their actions; that the police were merely giving cover to the owners of the building to carry our renovation works on the building.

    16. Certainly, the Cross River state police command know that the building has been the secretariat of PDP for 22 years. The police have also received letters of protest from the PDP; the police now know that they were hired to give cover while the crimes of unlawful entry, criminal trespass, malicious damage to property, theft and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, were being committed at the PDP secretariat. It tells badly on police intelligence gathering if as at today police claim to still be ignorant of the fact that they have been misused to aid criminality. The continuous presence of the police till date at the PDP secretariat signifies active mischief, rather than honest mistake, on the part of the police.

    17. We therefore call on the police authorities to call their officers and men to order, and focus attention on the apolitical responsibilities of the police.

    18. We thank the people of Cross River state, and Nigerians in general, for overwhelmingly standing by the PDP, and for pledging continuous support to the party. We are particularly elated at the show of solidarity with the party and assure fellow Cross Riverians that the development agenda which the PDP pursued under Governors Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke will be restored after the Ben Ayade era.

    LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY
    LONG LIVE CROSS RIVER STATE

    Signed:
    Mr Effiok Cobham
    Chairman, PDP Caretaker Committee
    Cross River State

  • APC Lauds Minister For Facilitating Grant For 200 Cross River Women

    APC Lauds Minister For Facilitating Grant For 200 Cross River Women

    The All Progressives Congress, APC in Cross River State has commended the leader of the party in the state and Honourable Minister of State, Power, Goddy Jedy Agba, OFR, for facilitating grant for 200 women from the state.

    In a statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mr. Bassey Ita, the party said that they were overwhelmed by the gesture and efforts of the Minister to reconnect the Federal Government and Members of the party in the state especially in the area of social inclusion agenda.

    Recall that recently, some women numbering two hundred (200) were shortlisted for payment of N20,000 each under the Special Grant for Rural (poor) Women component of the Social Investment Programme of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    The programme was organized by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and superintended by the Minister, Hajia Sadiya Farouq.

    Instrumental to the shortlisting and facilitation of the payment of the money to at least, eleven women from across the 18 local government area of the state was the Honourable Minister of State, Power
    ,Jedy-Agba.

    Excited by the development, APC said that
    under the leadership of the Minister, “in view of the responsibility given us as a party to mobilize the rural women who were mostly members of our great party to benefit from the programme,we most heartily appreciate the Honourable Minister for this great gesture.

    We are particularly overwhelmed with joy and confidence that a new dawn beacons which brings a gapping reconnect between the Federal Government and Members of our party in the state especially in the area of social inclusion agenda”.

    The party assured that “we are confident that, tomorrow counts for our party with the illumination that today’s gesture of the Honourable Minister has brought” .

    The APC added that “the grips of pervasive injustice which usually come from the outcry of isolation and neglect in earning from our central government has been relaxed as gleaned from the aforementioned.

    Our members can now heave a sigh of relief that indeed, the special largesse to our party women has open a new vista of opportunity to talk more rural women and men alike into the APC fold which had hitherto been Herculean to achieve for the pervasive injustice”.

    While noting that the party looks forward to having many more such robust gestures from the Minister and other party leaders in government, they insisted that the current party leadership in the state remains the only rallying point to appropriate developmental options meant for members.

    “The responsibility of sustaining the existing peaceful atmosphere we have so far enjoyed in the party is a burden we have resolved to shoulder, and we wish to submit that we shall continue to disallow undue sentiments whatsoever arising from distribution of opportunities to take toll on our hard earned stability.

    Honourable Minister Sir, we congratulate you once again for the gesture and for the confidence reposed in the party to mobilize our women for the special grants”.

  • Just In: Court Dismisses APC’s Certificate Forgery Suit Against Obaseki

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed the alleged certificate forgery suit filed against the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.

    Justice Ahmed Mohammed delivered the judgment on Saturday in a suit filed by the All Progressives Party (APC) and a chieftain of the party, Williams Edobor, against the governor.

    The APC and Edobor had filed the suit alleging that Governor Obaseki presented a forged certificate to seek re-election in the Edo State governorship election held on September 19, 2020.

    According to the plaintiffs, the said document was purportedly issued by the University of Ibadan, while the governor presented same to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which conducted the poll.

    Before Justice Mohammed delivered the judgement in the suit, counsels to both parties in the matter had closed their cases after they presented witnesses and evidence to the court.

    During proceedings on Thursday, lawyer to the Plaintiffs, Akin Olujimi, adopted his final written address.

    He urged the court to affirm their position that the governor presented a forged certificate to the electoral umpire and was unfit to occupy the office.

    This was, however, rejected by Governor Obaseki’s counsel, Ken Mozia, who asked the court to dismiss the suit over what he described as the plaintiff’s failure to prove their case.

    A Dramatic Switch, Yet Same Result
    Governor Obaseki contested and won the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a bid to extend his stay in office by another four years.

    Although he was elected into office for the first term on the APC platform, the governor later defected from the party after he was screened out from the party’s primary which saw Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu emerging as the APC flagbearer for the election.

    This came in the middle of a lingered dispute between the governor and his predecessor and immediate past APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

    After defecting from the APC, he got the PDP’s ticket and went ahead to defeat Ize-Iyamu for the second time to claim the governorship seat in what can be described as a dramatic switch of political parties.

    Governor Obaseki had defeated Ize-Iyamu as the APC candidate in the 2016 governorship election while the latter was the PDP candidate.

    Four years later, he secured 307,955 of the total votes, 84,336 more votes than Ize-Iyamu who got 223, 619 votes.

  • APC Dissolves Executive Committees At All Levels

    The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in a meeting currently holding an emergency virtual meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja has dissolved all State, zonal and national structure of the party.

    The party had in late November scheduled a meeting to review its position and deliberate on its next line of action as it concerns its national leadership. The National Chairman of the party’s Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, has led other members of the party’s NEC, including President Muhammadu Buhari, into the meeting.

    The Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives are in attendance, physically.

  • APC Agent, Valentine Undeshi Sleeps As Collation Of Result Is Ongoing For Obudu State House Of Assembly Bye-election.

    By Admin

    The Local Government Collation Agent of the All Progressive Congress APC, Mr. Valentine Undeshi was caught on camera sleeping while collation is ongoing.

    Undeshi may have been frustrated by the result that was turned in by the various in Obudu, resorted to sleep while collation was going on.

    Seven wards had turned in result as the People’s Democratic Party PDP is leading with a very wide margin.

  • Breaking: Another PDP Governor Sets To Defect To APC

    By Admin

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has alleged that another Governor, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is on his way to the ruling All Progressive Party (APC).

    Wike disclosed this when he spoke as a guest Channels television programme ‘Politics Today’, while reacting to the defection of the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi who defected from PDP to the APC.

    Wike, however, maintained that the PDP remains undaunted and is prepared for the 2023 elections. He however failed to disclose the identity of the governor he referred to.