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How Akande, Tinubu lost APC hold in South East

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6 years ago

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South East protagonists are blaming both the All Progressives Congress (APC) interim National Chairman, Bisi Akande, and one of its national leaders, Bola Tinubu, for the defection of prominent politicians from the party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State in particular, and the region in general.

Akande-and-TinubuThe snub by the APC national leadership was the catalyst for the massive defections in February, they allege.

The APC had been bolstered by the defection of five PDP governors into its fold in November last year, but was hit by a chain of defections to other parties, particularly the PDP in the first two months of 2014.

In Imo State, the party allegedly witnessed an exodus of 5,000 members, including former Governor Achike Udenwa; former Secretary to the Imo State Government, Cosmas Iwu; Senator Ifeanyi Ararume; Mike Ahamba; and Mayor Eze, former member of the House of Representatives.

It was a big blow to the quest by APC for a strong foothold in the South East, an enclave historically carved up between the PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The defectors were protesting against the flouting of internal democracy when founding members were sidelined for defecting governors to hold the reigns of the party in their states.

But the problem in Imo is slightly different.

A source told us that the defections in February arose from two planks: (a) the struggle between the aggrieved members and Governor Rochas Okorocha for the control of APC machinery and (b) the failure of Akande and Tinubu to nip the crisis in the bud.

He alleged that Okorocha, who left APGA for APC, planted his loyalists in strategic positions in APC formations in the South East.

“What it means is that other members of the party are forced to defer to him on party issues in the state and the region at large,” the source claimed.

The grudge led to a frosty relationship between Okorocha and Udenwa on the one hand, and between Okorocha and other big wigs who came from the PDP, APGA and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) on the other hand.

A decisive response by the APC national leadership could have saved the situation. “The defectors were disappointed by Akande and Tinubu’s refusal to acknowledge the entreaties brought before them by prominent members of the party in Imo,” claimed the source, one of the defectors to the PDP.

“We tried to reach them, especially Tinubu. On two occasions, we were invited to meet them at events, but they failed to turn up.”

Frustrated by the apparent hide-and-seek tactics of the national leadership, the agitators decided to quit the party.

“If Tinubu or Akande had granted us an audience, Imo would have remained an undivided APC state,” he rued.

The allegations were, however, denied by Imo State interim APC Chairman, Marshal Okafor-Anyanwu.

“If the leadership of APC refused to attend to their (defectors’) complaints,” he said, “it was probably because they knew they had been bought over.”

Okafor-Anyanwu also laughed off claims that they defected because of Okorocha’s domination of the party.

“It is not true that Okorocha was instrumental to the emergence of all the South East APC officials because all the merged parties brought in their candidates to fill their own slots.”

The PDP has exploited the friction.

During the rally on February 22 in Owerri to welcome the defectors, President Goodluck Jonathan said the ultimate objective is to reclaim Imo for the PDP.

To achieve the goal, the PDP may settle for a consensus governorship candidate in the state.

But Okafor-Anyanwu rubbished the idea that the gang-up against Okorocha and the defections to the PDP may harm APC in the 2015 ballot.

“Udenwa and others are featherweight politically now in Imo State and the South East,” he said.

“Their exit from APC is a blessing as they were not card-carrying members.”

APC National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, declined comment when Society Reporters contacted him.

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House Of Representatives Issues Warrant Of Arrest On Central Bank Governor, Cardoso, Accountant-General, 17 Others

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3 days ago

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December 6, 2023

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The House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Petitions has asked for a warrant of arrest to be issued on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Oluwatoyin Madein, and 17 others over refusal to appear before it to answer questions on their operations.

It was gathered that the issuance of the arrest warrant was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Fred Agbedi, representing Ekeremo/Sagbama Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the committee’s hearing on Tuesday.

Agbedi, while moving the motion, said that the arrest warrant had become imperative following the attitude of the invitees, adding that the parliament worked with time and the CEOs had been invited four times but failed to respond to the invitations.

Agbedi said that the CBN Governor, the AGF and the rest of the invitees should be brought to appear before the committee by the Inspector General of Police through a warrant of arrest after due diligence by the House Speaker, Rep Tajudeen Abbas.

The Chairman of the Committee, Micheal Irom (APC-Cross River), in his ruling said that the Inspector-General of Police should ensure the invitees were brought before the committee on December 14.
It was gathered that the petitioner, Fidelis Uzowanem, had earlier said that the petition was anchored on the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) 2021 report.

Irom said, “We took up the challenge to examine the report and discovered that what NEITI put together as a report is only consolidation of fraud that has been going on in the oil and gas industry.

“It dates back to 2016 because we have been following and we put up a petition to this committee to examine what has happened.

“The 2024 budget of 27.5 trillion that has been proposed can be confidently funded from the recoverable amount that we identified in the NEITI report.

“It is basically a concealment of illegal transactions that took place in NNPCL; they have been in a sink with some oil companies where some companies that did not produce crude were paid cash core, an amount paid for crude oil production.”

 

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FCTA uncovers illegal oil refining warehouse in Abuja

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1 week ago

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December 2, 2023

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In continuation of the city cleaning exercise, Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) with operatives of security personnel have uncovered an illegal oil refining warehouse in Mabushi, opposite Mobile filling station on Ahmadu Bello way in Abuja.

 

The Director, Department of Development Control, FCTA, Mukhtar Galadima after the operation on Thursday, said the illegal refining site was discovered during the continuation of the city cleaning exercise.

 

According to him, about three to four plot of lands designated for commercial purposes have been converted to an area where oil and diesel are being adulterated and circulated to other parts of the city.

 

Galadima explained that the city sanitation task force will look into the provision of the law and make necessary recommendations to the FCT Administration for further actions on the plots used for the activity.

 

He said there was no arrest but the items used in carrying out the illegal refining have been impounded.

 

Galadima said, “During the continuation of our city sanitation exercise in Mabushi opposite Mobile filling station on Ahmadu way, we discovered an illegal refining site where oil and diesel are being adulterated, we have done the needful by moving the items to Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

 

“From what we have seen so far, about three or four pilot of lands designated for commercial purposes have been converted to unapproved activities, which we believe the owners are fully aware, there will be consequences.

 

“We are going to look at the provision of the law and make necessary recommendations to the FCT Administration”

 

He said the administration will continue to go tough on activities being carried out without government approval,  especially revocation of the titles.

 

Collaborating, Head, operations FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Service (DRTS), Deborah Osho said the city management team during the exercise also discovered that most of the areas in the Nation’s capital have been converted to illegal car mart and motor parks.

 

She disclosed that fifteen vehicles have so far been impounded since the operation commenced about two days.

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Central Bank To Freeze Accounts Without BVN, NIN From April 2024

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1 week ago

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December 2, 2023

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Friday that it will freeze accounts without a Bank Verification Number (BVN) or National Identification Number (NIN) from April 2024.

This is according to a Friday circular by the apex bank which said a BVN or NIN verification will be “conducted shortly”.

It also said all BVN or NIN attached to accounts/wallets must be electronically revalidated by January 31, 2024, according to the circular by the CBN Director of Payments System Management Department Chibuzo Efobi, and the Director of Financial Policy and Regulation Department Haruna Mustapha.

More details later….

 

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