Page 17
PDP crisis: N/East may pull out over national chairmanship -Gulak
Abbas Jimoh
Special adviser on political matters to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Barrister Ahmed Ali Gulak, said that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the North-east Zone may pull out from the party.
Gulak threatened that if the acting national chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, did not organise bye-election to fill the vacant position of the national chairman of the party, they would be left with no option but to leave the party.
Gulak, an aspirant for the national chairmanship of the party, said it was wrong for some leaders of the party to exclude a whole region of the country from the leadership positions of the party.
He argued that the party’s quest to redefine itself ahead of the 2019 may fail if the party refused to respect its constitution.
Gulak recalled that immediately after the party lost the March 28 presidential election, its then chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, resigned his position on May 29, adding that the party’s constitution has made it clear that somebody from the North-east, where Mu’azu hailed from, should be appointed to replace him.
“I must point out that the same Uche Secondus replaced Sam Sam Jaja and there were other party officers that replaced someone from their regions. Why then is he (Secondus) acting contrary to the party’s constitution?”
Audu’s death won’t stop APC victory-Nkire
By Muideen Olaniyi
A former member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Sam Nkire, has hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its steady improvement on its election duties.
The chieftain of the APC said INEC appeared to have woken up from a deep slumber, unlike in the elections of 2003, 2007 and 2011 when President Muhammadu Buhari and Prince Abubakar Audu were believed to have won elections but were not declared winners.
He said that the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, the APC candidate in the inconclusive Kogi State governorship election, would not stop the wind of change sweeping through Kogi and Bayelsa states.
In a statement he issued in Abuja, Nkire said Audu’s death, though a great loss to the nation, family, friends and political associates, would rather encourage the people of Kogi and Bayelsa states to ensure victory for Nigeria’s ruling party.
He opined that the INEC should have declared Audu winner when it was clear that there was no way PDP’s Idris Wada could have won more votes from the remaining units to offset Audu’s 41,000 lead.
Nkire said: “With one (Kogi) down and almost in the kitty, it’s one (Bayelsa) to go.”
Saraki blocks Marafa from exposing ‘illegality’ in CCT boss probe
By Ismail Mudashir
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday, blocked Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central) from exposing the illegality in the probe of the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr Danladi Umar.
Saraki is facing a 13-count charge bordering on false asset declaration at the CCT.
A petition was presented by Anti Corruption Network against the CCT boss and Saraki gave the Senate Ethics, Privileges and Public petitions committee two weeks to probe Umar.
Our correspondent reports that during yesterday’s plenary, Marafa raised a point of order on the probe of the CCT boss.
He said the moves by the Senate to probe Umar violated Order: 41(4), 41(5), 41(7), 53 and 74 of the Senate rules.
But Saraki ruled Marafa out of order, saying the petition didn’t violate Senate rules.
“The one that was submitted to the Senate was signed,” he said.
But in a press conference after the plenary, Marafa alleged that Saraki barred him from exposing the illegality because” he was being probed by the CCT boss,” adding: “Saraki is becoming more and more desperate these days, he ruled me out of order on only one of the six orders I raised.”
Lawmakers decries gov Ayade’s ‘autocratic style’
From Eyo Charles, Calabar
Some lawmakers in the Cross River State House of Assembly have spoken against what they alleged to be “one man government” style of Governor Ben Ayade.
Although the two legislators who spoke with reporters pleaded not to be mentioned for strategic reasons, they emphasised that the governor was taking too much for granted.
One of them said: “Gov Ayade is taking critical state decisions alone, without recourse to neither the Assembly nor his deputy, and without even a cabinet in place.
“We shall no longer keep quiet and watch him behave as if he cannot be checked.”
The other legislator added: “He is underrating our powers but we would let him realise that there are three arms of government.”