The Eagle Gate

Category: Politics

  • The Uncommon Legislator Sergius Ogun is at it again!

    The Uncommon Legislator Sergius Ogun is at it again!

    • REHABILITATION OF EWOHIMI WATER WORKS BEGINS, COURTESY OF BARR. SERGIUS OGUN

    Barr. Sergius Ogun is a member of the House of Representative for Esan North-East/South-East Constituency elected for a second term on the platform of the PDP.

    In continuance of his good works through his first term Barr. Sergius Ogun has embarked on the project to bring pipe borne water to the people of Ewohimi. 

    The attached photos capture the desilting of the water. 

    In no distant time, the sad tale of the death and dearth of public water supply in Ewohimi Town will be confined to the dustbin of history as Barr. Sergius Oseasochie Ogun is bringing back the good old days of free pipe borne water for all.

    Representation is all about meeting the basic needs of the people.

    Expect much more from the promise-keeping federal lawmaker!

    No dull moments, more positive actions and impacts all the way!

    Team Sergius Ogun

  • The Peoples Mandate 2019: Atiku’s Battle to save our Democracy- Segun Showunmi

    The Peoples Mandate 2019: Atiku’s Battle to save our Democracy- Segun Showunmi

    A time comes in the life of a nation when men of valour have to stand up and be counted at epochal moments to stop the ship of state from either drowning or derailing. The history of mankind is replete with the exploits of great men and women who rose to become something out of nothing and selflessly shaped the future and destiny of their societies. These men and women make all the sacrifices and at the risk of their personal safety and resources take the difficult road to put their nations on the map of development and progress.

    In China, they keep talking about Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao), in Singapore, it is Lee Kuan Yew, and in South Africa, it is Nelson Mandela. But it is not only presidents or leaders of countries who have had this immense impact in shaping the history of their respective nations’ politics and polity. The history of the United States will not be complete without the sacrifices and advocacy of great men like Martin Luther King (Jr.) and Malcolm X, both of whom paid the ultimate price for their conviction. In Nigeria, we have had the benefit of seeing great statesmen like the eloquent Nnamdi Azikwe, the visionary and selfless Ahmadu Bello, the philosopher-statesman, Obafemi Awolowo, the foremost masses advocate, Aminu Kano among several others.

    These great men used different methods and ways to define the destiny of their respective peoples. They put their resources and talents to use in building virile nations that their future generations have always been proud of.  

    The PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has made an immeasurable success out of his life. From lonely, challenging poverty-stricken childhood, he has through a dint of hard work, diligence and grace of God, risen to become a fulfilled father and husband, a celebrated entrepreneur, cheerful philanthropist and a conscientious nation builder. He has however never failed to acknowledge that in addition to his business acumen and sheer brilliancy, it is the Nigerian society that has made it possible for him to excel in all he has laid his hands on. He has therefore over the years insisted that the society must also give upcoming generations the same platform to succeed as well. That was why since 1992 he has sought to serve the country at the highest level of governance. That was why on the February 23 2019, Nigerian voters who had bought into his vision of a properly structured, economically-sound and prosperous nation voted for him en masse before the enemies of the nation changed the result overnight.  

    Those who are cajoling, begging, intimidating, harassing and blackmailing Atiku not to go to court to challenge the curious figures that INEC boss, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, allocated to President Muhammadu Buhari, are indeed not fair to Nigerians. This is because INEC cannot set a rule and break the rule by itself and be allowed to get away with the grave injustice. The most shocking aspect of the electoral malfeasance put together by INEC which must be of significant interest to our learned justices must be the issue of card readers. The INEC boss emphasized that it must be used for accreditation or an entire polling unit will be cancelled. But when he was presented with the evidence that card readers were not used in most of the places they allocated huge numbers to APC, he threw integrity to the wind by seeking to change the rule in the middle of the game. He said the rule on card readers could be by-passed in the case of any ‘circumvention’ of the machines. Circumvention? How? Why? Where? By Who? And who should suffer the consequences of the so-called ‘circumvention of the card readers?

    Secondly, many of the figures reeled out by the inconsistent INEC boss did not add up and even though he promised to provide clarifications after the announcement, he has not done so nearly two weeks after the polls. There is no better way to detect dishonesty.

    While declaring Buhari as the winner, saying he polled a total of 15,191,847 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who scored 11,262,978 votes, Yakubu said 29,364,209 voters were accredited, while the total number of valid votes cast were 27,324,583 with total rejected votes of 1,289,607, putting total votes cast at 28,614,190. This means that a total of 1.6 million people were missing in the voter register, considering the fact that the number of registered voters was over 84 million, while the number of collated voters, according to the INEC chairman, was over 82 million.

    Thirdly, we have seen hundreds of videos which came out of Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Kano, Katsina Sokoto etc where people gather in strange places and thumb printed massively for the APC. The ballot papers used for the election in these selected places must be subjected to thorough forensic checks. If this is done, it will shock Nigerians that in many cases, one person thumb printed hundreds of ballot papers. Why should such disservice to the electoral process be allowed to stand in the name of a narrow definition of peace? There can’t possibly be any real peace without justice and without real peace; we can’t make progress as a nation.    

    Having budgeted N27 billion for technology alone in the 2018 budget, every right thinking Nigerian interested in the credibility of the electoral process expected INEC to for the purpose of transparency and law, display the card reader details to party agents to show how many voters went through the machines. But they did not and this will continue to be a serious dent on the integrity of the election. The difference between the accredited voters and the votes cast, which came to about 750,000 votes is also very suspicious and INEC has some explanations to make.  The cancellations that took place in PDP strongholds impacting 2.7 million voters are also fraud-laden.

    The people who are mocking Atiku and saying his court case is a wild goose chase are not good students of history. These ignoramuses claim that because no presidential election has either been annulled or upturned in the history of the country, Atiku is wasting his time and energy. But we must inform them that the world does not revolve around Nigeria’s history, after all, we have not practised democracy consistently beyond 20 years. That was why some other obsessive historians said the change of guard of 2015 was impossible because it was unprecedented. The fact that that jinx or myth was broken in 2015 should open the minds of people to the reality of the moment that another jinx could be broken in 2019 even if it means Atiku would be the hero once again. But when this happens, would that be the first time Atiku would be setting records and breaking new grounds in the country’s judiciary? The answer is no.

    It is on record that Atiku insisted on testing the Nigerian law in court when his ambition to run for President in 2007 was threatened by EFCC and other government agencies which sought to disqualify him on account of some phony indictments. Atiku went up to the apex court which agreed with him that it was only the judiciary that could find someone guilty of corruption and also disqualify any aspirant from seeking a political office. The landmark cases he won have been sources of references for scholars, Law students and politicians ever since. Since then no governor or President has been able to use state agencies to stop their political rivals from aspiring for any office of their choice.

    If Nigeria is truly a democratic nation, there is no way such malfeasance should be allowed to stand. It is actually easier and cheaper to operate a monarchical system and let a few households rule forever instead of spending billions of naira and losing lives just to conduct what will end up as a charade.           

    Again, Nigeria will not be the first to annul a badly conducted presidential election as there are precedents seen in Europe and even Africa. Ukraine annulled its presidential elections in 2004 after Victor Yanukovych, who had lost to Victor Yuchchenko after the second round, went to court seeking to annul the results over sundry irregularities.

    In Maldives, the country’s Supreme Court invalidated the results of 2013 first round presidential elections pitting former President Mohamed Nasheed and Abdulla Yameen against each other. The later had won the election but the court described the poll as a sham which cannot stand in the sight of the law.

    Similarly, the Constitutional Court of Austria ordered a repeat vote after ruling that Austria electoral law was disregarded in 14 of 117 administrative districts in the 2016 election. In the polls, Alexander Van der Bellen had been declared the winner after beating Norbert Hoffer. It also ruled that 77,900 absentee ballots had been improperly counted too early. They ordered a repeat vote to be conducted in October 2016 but it was postponed to December 2016.

    More recently and closer home in Kenya; the Supreme Court in September 2017 nullified reelection of President Uhuru Kenyatta saying the polls were “neither transparent nor verifiable” and blamed the country’s electoral commission for the shortcomings. Kenyatta, the incumbent president, had won a second term by a margin of 9%, defeating his long-term rival, Raila Odinga before the polls were annulled.  

    Now that Atiku Abubakar has chosen a patriotic battle not only to reclaim his mandate but also expand the horizon of the country’s jurisprudence and improve the electoral process, all Nigerians of good conscience must irrespective of political affiliations rally round him and encourage him. Atiku’s ambition is not just to be President and rescue Nigeria from poverty and insecurity but to also place the country on map of civilized, democratic and progressive nations.

  • CUPP DECRIES FOUL PLAY BY APC LED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    CUPP DECRIES FOUL PLAY BY APC LED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    FROM CUPP

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

    February 19, 2019 at 9 am

    • Buhari orders DSS to arrest INEC Federal Commissioner in charge of Operations today.
    • Buhari planning to sabotage and shift Saturday election with instruction to DSS to massively arrest all INEC top leadership who refused to be compromised. 
    • DSS acting Buhari script to detain Prof. Ibeanu INEC commissioner in charge of operations to give room for his sister Amina Zakari to take charge of operations or emerge acting INEC chairman if Buhari APC succeeds in sabotaging Saturday election and forcing INEC chairman out.

    Buhari is planning to sabotage and shift rescheduled Feb 23rd Saturday Election and have directed DSS invite and detain the Federal Commissioner of INEC in charge of Operations Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu for refusing to help Buhari APC sabotage distribution and compromise of sensitive election materials. 

    The Refusal of INEC to proceed with staggered election during the aborted Feb 16 election which ruined Buhari APC rigging plan is the reason for the new offensive action against INEC to intimidate them into submission. The idea to detain the Federal Commissioner today was on the sole instigation of the former DG of the DSS Lawal Daura who still runs the agency by proxy and convinced Buhari to allow the use of the DSS to clampdown on INEC to force them to do their Bidding or sabotage the rescheduled election and stop it from holding.

    We call on all Nigerians to rise up on against this ongoing leadership abuse and madness which have the potentiality to throw Nigeria into an electoral violence that will enable Buhari execute his lawless order that Security agencies should publicly start killing people under the guise of Ballot box snatching. 

    Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere  CUPP Spokesperson

  • PRESS BRIEFING BY RT. HON. YAKUBU DOGARA, SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

    PRESS BRIEFING BY RT. HON. YAKUBU DOGARA, SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

    February 18, 2019

    1. This press briefing is to call the attention of well meaning Nigerians and the international community to the incendiary statements made by President Muhammadu Buhari, and Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national caucus of their party, earlier today.  

    2. At the meeting the President said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take. I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life.”

    3. Mr. Oshiomole also claims that the PDP was given prior notice of the postponement of the elections. 

    4. In this context, we categorically deny these false claims and unnecessary blackmail and regard the President’s statement as a call for extra-judicial killings considering the fact that there are adequate provisions in our laws to address electoral offenses. 

    5. These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, when one considers that a democratically elected President would give a directive that is in clear violation of the laws of the land which by his oath of office he is to defend and protect.

    6. Inview of this statement by the president, it is obvious that the military has been given a central role and coopted into the conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in our electoral process.

    7. It should be noted that our party chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, was the first to call for an inquiry into why the elections were postponed last Saturday.  In reality, we support a genuine and transparent probe into why the presidential and National Assembly elections could not hold. We also hope that the president’s inflammatory statement is not a threat aimed at intimidating the electoral commission. 

    8. We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous and inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded with PDP to abort last week’s elections. This is a very surprising statement considering the fact  that the Federal government controls every institution and agency involved  in the electoral process, including the CBN, Nigerian Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.

    9. From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centers, cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics arrangement of INEC were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate the process.

    10.  We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections despite not being adequately prepared for the election. We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have staggered elections. It should also be noted that the areas that would have been affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP strongholds.

    11. It is important to note that  the APC in its usual manipulative style is now shifting the blame on INEC leadership while absolving itself and the other institutions of government under its control of any blame.That is the common strategy that super villains always employ.

    12. Obvioulsy, we know they are doing everything humanly possible to discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of the fact that they cannot win this election. 

    13. Embarrasingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they have lost the plot. Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the people have rejected them.

    14. Also, opinion polls conducted by the APC, and other international agencies clearly indicate that the APC will lose this election, anytime it is conducted; we believe that is why they are resorting to desperate measures of arm-twisting the electoral commission,  undermining the entire process and planning to unleash terror on the country.

    15. Finally, let it be known that the PDP, with the support of every well meaning Nigerian, will employ every legitimate means to resist  attempts by the APC and the Federal government to undermine and compromise the electoral process and truncate our democracy. 

    16.  The PDP believes in a united and democratic Nigeria and will continue to do all within its means to protect the country, her people and constitution from undemocratic elements. 

    17. We call on all Nigerians not to despair, but turn out en mass on Saturday to vote and defend their votes. We also urge the international community and their observers that are in the country to monitor the election and be vigilant because their presence as impartial arbiters is important in ensuring we have peaceful, credible, free, fair and transparent elections. The security agencies are also enjoined to be impartial and remain loquat to the constitution of the Federal Republic.

    Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representives Federal Republic of Nigeria

  • Throw PMB’s Candidacy Away

    Throw PMB’s Candidacy Away

    Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi

    Aree! Abeokuta ilu Egba, Nigeria oni gba gbe re!! “Abeokuta the home of Egba people Nigeria will never forget you.

    Here in Abeokuta the defeat of PDP was spiritually sealed by the decision of one of illustrious sons of the soil, Balogun Owu, Aremu Okikiolu, Olusegun omo Obasanjo by tearing his party membership card a symbol of his bond to the party, with that action every nation loving Nigerian was shown what to do and that they indeed did.

    Yesterday it was NEXT LEVEL indeed, as Asiwaju gbogbo omo Odua, the only National leader of APC, led by national example what all nation loving Nigerian must do. His Excellency, Senator, Bola Hamed Tinubu threw the party flag away. The collective symbol of the party was thrown to the ground by no person other than the Jagaban himself.

    If you still don’t know what to do with PMB’S candidacy on Saturday 16th February 2019, then you are not a free born, bona fide son or daughter of Odua. The very man who led us into the APC alliance and brought APC to repute. Has shown us what to do. Leadership is premised more on actions than in words. On Saturday, it is do as I did, throw him away and embrace another. May wisdom be given to all nation loving APC members particularly Yoruba sons and daughters. PMB’S defeat is sealed and waiting for delivery on Saturday. Congratulations Nigeria! Make it good riddance to bad rubbish. Jagaban has spoken, we all must show our loyalty to The Leader. Your fellow Egba son and lover of the nation.

  • SHALL WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY? – Jude Idehen

    SHALL WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY? – Jude Idehen

    Hon. Jude Idehen is contesting for the seat of House of Representatives Ikpoba-Okha/Egor Federal Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

    We have consulted widely across all 20 wards of Egor and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas and analyzed the challenges facing our nation and constituencies. We have a robust blueprint based on the PDP manifesto to serve as a springboard for our constituency, placing her on a sunlit path of holistic development and material prosperity, and our Nigeria into a land where truth, justice and liberty reigns. These ingredients will satisfy our thirst and quest for unity and progress that for far too long have eluded us.

    I shall be part of those that will use the chambers of the Nigerian National Assembly to prepare a new bed for our country. 

    Ours is a genuine road map, within which are enshrined precise foundational, yet indispensable principles that are key to peace and progress in a pluralistic society like Nigeria. 

    We must transform our constituency and protect her citizens from the present unacceptable condition.My cardinal principles are enshrined in an agenda code-named the “RESCUE” mission. The “RESCUE” mission offers measurable commitments that will be implemented with passion, single-mindedness, incisive competence and experience. The RESCUE mission is an acronym for:

    R– Rule of Law

    E– Exact True Federalism

    S– Secularity

    C– Constitutionalism

    U– Unity

    E– Empowerment and Constituency projects

    Rule of Law 

    It is no news that successive administrations have made attempts to forcefully unite Nigerians employing centralism and coercion. It is also true that the repeated failure to do so implies the necessity of a new strategy to unite our nation. Justice is the most potent instrument with which a nation can stay glued and in perfect harmony and co-existence. Unfortunately, we are citizens of a country where justice is often denied, sacrificed, continually perverted and habitually mocked. It is almost only in Nigeria that because of the lack of accountability, nepotism, and gross impunity, giant camels, even if they are carrying hippopotamuses on their backs, easily pass through the eye of a needle. There can be no lasting peace or progress in any nation until its public officials are fully accountable to the people and answerable to the law. 

    Hence, we must wage a peaceful revolution for the supremacy of the rule of law in all facet of our polity. I will be one of the arrowheads of this peaceful revolution.

    Exact True Federalism

    As dictated by our constitution, the Federal Government is a monstrous octopus; its tentacles will continue to be a clog on the progress and unity of our people. Our constitution must devolve far greater power from the central government to the federating units of Nigeria. Dispersing power will help secure our freedom, increase citizens’ participation as well as structural, functional and institutional effectiveness. We must wake up and summon that uncommon courage and creativity to err on the side of subversion and on the compulsion to rule a multi-ethnic country in a militarist unitary fashion. Restructuring is key.

    Secularity

    Theology is the mother of all philosophy; people ultimately become whatever they theologize. Nigeria is a heterogeneous nation and Nigerians must be free to believe or not believe in God. Those who choose to believe in God must be free to worship Him or Her in whatever way they choose so long as their own freedom does not impinge on the freedom of others. Religion should not become a contrivance for heating the polity and sowing strife as it has for far too long strained our politics and divided our people. Nigeria is a secular nation and I will work hard to enforce this.

    Constitutionalism

    Forged and foisted on us by a cabal of military adventurers, our present constitution is incoherent and inapplicable in several regards. Conscious effort must be made and deliberate steps taken to replace it with a testament that emanates from the sovereign wishes of our people. The present arrangement, having been sown on the winds of certified fraud, has had us embroiled in endless controversies and turmoil. We must summon the courage and ingenuity to provide for ourselves a constitution that will reflect our hopes, assuage our fears, and minimize our conflicts. Such a constitution must be freely negotiated. Hence, I will work hard for a freely negotiated constitution emerging via a Sovereign Conference like that of 2014 and any other. 

    Unity

    Truly, Nigerians are trapped in ethno-religious sentiments. In addition, a ‘them-versus-us’ dichotomy is a nagging thorn in the Nigerian flesh. We often fail to listen to and empathize with the anguish of one another. Why is it so difficult for all of us to see the flagrant injustice inflicted on our oil-producing areas, the incessant terror and killings in many parts of the country? We must not all be Bini, Ogoni, Ijaw, Yoruba or Fulani before we can identify with a just cause. Let us stop perishing or stagnating together in the floods of needless conflicts. Let us bring down fences of segregation and invest in constructing bridges of understanding. We can collaborate to hasten the infrastructural development of our Northeast; we can terminate the injustices meted to our south-south, and accelerate the educational development of our Northwest. Southwest and the Southeast can be structurally unchained and thus, develop at whatever pace that suits them. As a legislator, I will work hard to sober reflection, gentle persuasion, robust analysis and essential compromise in the National Assembly.

    Empowerment and Constituency projects

    Youth empowerment is a process where young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then act to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes.

    Achievements of Hon. Jude Ise-Idehen as member, Edo State House of Assembly Representing Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area 2007-2015

    EDUCATION:

    He renovated over 6 blocks of classrooms in Oregbeni Primary School in ward 2 

    He provided tables and chairs in Ogbesun primary school in ward 3 

    He built 3 blocks of classrooms with headmaster’s office in Ewomodu Primary School in ward 4

    He built 3 classroom blocks for Umelu Secondary School, Umelu in ward 5 

    He built 3 classroom blocks at Evboriaria Primary School in ward 6 

    He renovated 6 classroom blocks in Enikaro Primary School in ward 7

    He provided tables and chairs for Urura Secondary School in ward 4

    SECURITY:

    He renovated the Police Station in Ologbo. Over the years, Ologbo has been the bedrock of crime and violence, and this made the community volatile and insecure. By renovating the police station, he motivated the police officers and spurred their enthusiasm to discharge their responsibilities effectively.

    ELECTRICITY:

    He provided over 10 transformers across the 10 wards in Ikpoba-Okha constituency.

    At Evbomoma Village in ward 9, the indigenes sought his intervention in assisting them with street lights, which he promptly provided.

    SOCIAL WAREFARE:

    While at the state house of assembly, he sponsored a bill for hospitals to always treat bullet wound victims without prior requirement of a police report. 

    He also renovated several health centres in Ikpoba-okha Local Government Area.

    He also supported orphanages and the homeless indigenes with shelter, books, clothes and finance, powered by an NGO (IYOBOSA HELPING HAND) that was overseen by his wife, Mrs. Gabina Ise-Idehen.

    He has managed to create a relationship with the Muslims and Christians alike by providing beverages, food stuffs such as yam, rice, and rams for the Muslims during their fasting seasons.

    He gave small scale business grants to the women in Ikpoba-okha Local Government Area. 

    He also empowered the youths by giving them resources like cell phones and recharge cards to start call centre businesses as well as capital for other start-ups.

    WATER:

    During his first and second year in the state house of assembly, all the wards were provided with borehole facilities, from ward 1 to ward 10. 

    Over 25 boreholes were sank in the various communities

    BILLS OPPOSED:

    Land Use Bill: As member Edo State House of Assembly, he strongly opposed the passage of the Land Use bill introduced by the then state government to oppress the poor.

    Iyamho University: He also opposed the establishment of the Edo state University Iyamho stressing the need to first upgrade and standardize the current tertiary institutions in Edo State such as the College of Education Ekiadolor, College of Agriculture Iguoriakhi, Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma, and the Michael Imodu College of Physical and Health Education, Afuze.

  • EDO STATE PEACE ACCORD AND STAKE HOLDERS MEETING

    EDO STATE PEACE ACCORD AND STAKE HOLDERS MEETING

    The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Olusegun Odumosu held a Peace Accord and Stakeholders meeting at the Police Officers Mess in Benin City on Wednesday, 30th January, 2019 concerning the general elections scheduled to start in February 2019.

    ADDRESS

    PROTOCOLS

    It is my pleasure, on behalf of the Officers and Men of the Edo State Police Command, to welcome you all to this peace building and peacemaking meeting of critical Stakeholders concerning the  2019 General Elections which is around the corner. I also wish to bring to you the warm greetings of the Inspector General of Police, Ag.IGP. Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, NPM, mni. 

    There is no better time to have this strategic meeting than now considering the fact that the election we are talking about will be conducted in few days from now. This is actually the time to come together and dialogue on how to have a free and fair election devoid of any rancor and acrimony. One thing is certain, election will come and go but Edo State will continue to remain thereafter. Consequently, the blood of every Edo State citizen is more precious than the election and we definitely do not need to lose anybody or group in order to clinch to power. This is the time to get it right so that we can prove to the world that Edo State can set the pace for a peaceful, free, fair and credible election in Nigeria.

    Election is no war and should not be seen as war. Always remember that in any contest, there must be losers and winners. Thus, we must prepare our minds and resolve that we shall go into this contest in the spirit of sportsmanship.

    The Command under my watch will do everything humanly possible to remain neutral, apolitical, firm and professional. The Police will provide a level playing ground for all the Political Parties in the State. This is my irrevocable pledge and I promise to ensure its full realization in the forthcoming Elections. 

    There is no doubt that, the 2019 Elections will be a great test that will subject our professionalism and commitment to duty, to national and International scrutiny. The world is watching us and we promise not to let them down. I hereby assure the good people of Edo state in  unequivocal terms that we are fully prepared for the election as every arrangement has been put in place to ensure that the Elections would be free, fair credible and most important of all, peaceful. We shall leave no stone unturned towards achieving this lofty objective. 

    Let me at this juncture, salute, the vision and mission of the Inspector General of Police, Ag.IGP. Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, NPM, mni who assumed duty as the 20th indigenous Inspector General of Police at this critical time of our Nation’s history. He has emplaced strategic action plans to police the forth coming elections. I am convinced and promise you that his strategic action plans, will not only get us out of the woods but will also reposition the Nigeria Police Force and make her the envy of all.

    The Police High Command, as part of the preparation for this election has initiated Training Program on capacity building, on Democratic Policing and Election Security Management for our Officers and men. This is still up and ongoing. 

    The Training program and capacity building initiated at the Police High Command has been replicated at the Command level, and I have put in place, elaborate security measures aimed at entrenching and engendering a new dawn in Election and electioneering process in this command. 

    Recall that shortly after my assumption of duty, I paid a courtesy visit to the Oba of Benin Omon’oba n’Edo Uku akpolopolo Oba Ewuare II where I pledged to do my utmost best to make the State safe and secure. The Oba Pledged his support and I wish to tell the good people of the state that I have the royal backing and support to police the forth coming election in the most peaceful and credible manner we have ever witnessed in recent times. 

    The meeting of today therefore provides another unique opportunity for us all to rob mind towards this critical engagement in our collective resolve to develop an effective framework that will engender optimal performance during the forthcoming and after this onerous national assignment. We must come together and reason together. 

    We shall seize this moment to deploy all our human and material resources in the state to provide a conducive and crime free environment which will make the election more decent and acceptable without any rancor or acrimony. Towards achieving this, I implore all present here to individually and collectively resolve:

    • As Security Agencies, we will at this meeting pledge to be neutral, a-political, decisive and professional.
    • As Party leaders- we need to talk to our supporters to vote and not fight.
    • As Youth leaders who are in majority, we need to impart it on our people to say NO to violence so that they will refuse and reject any attempt by anybody to use them as political thugs.
    • As market Women and Traders Associations, we need to talk to ourselves, to do the right thing and not to be cajoled into vote buying and selling.
    • As Royal fathers, we need to talk to our subjects to maintain a peaceful decorum throughout the period of election..
    • As Political Parties, we need to play the game according to the rules. 
    • As Religious leaders, we need to talk to our flocks that Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace and that Islam is a religion of peace. 

    Security generally is the business of everybody and election security is indeed a collective assignment. We all must be involved in the spade work of sanitizing the State to make it a safe and secure space for a seamless Electoral Process.

    In this meeting we should all agree to do the needful, not to give room for Electoral offences and where or when they occur, the security agencies shall deal decisively with offender(s) regardless of his or her status as nobody, I repeat NOBODY is above the law.

    As the Co-Chairman of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) comprising of all the Sister Security Agencies in the State, including the Coordinators of the National Youth Service Corps and National Orientation Agency, I will continue with the robust consultative productive and strategically focused cooperative meetings which my predecessor had had with the committee over time and by the Grace of Almighty God, we shall deliver on our mandate.

    Finally, I am highly optimistic that we shall have fruitful deliberations in this meeting and we shall jointly and severally achieve the desired peaceful, credible free and fair election that we all craved for.

    Conclusively, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, I want to thank you all for attending today’s meeting and for being part of the History that we are making today As we go back, I enjoin you all to put into practical use all the suggestions and series of advice that would be offered in this meeting because in doing so, we shall eventually get to our desired destination.

    Thank you and God bless you all.

  • Secondus, Saraki on why Atiku Will be the next President

    Secondus, Saraki on why Atiku Will be the next President

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and the Senate President who is also the Director General of Atiku Presidential campaign committee Dr Bukola Saraki have said that the Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar and the party must regain power to save Nigeria democracy.

    The duo spoke in Abuja when they inspected the party’s Presidential campaign office in Maitama preparatory to the start of the nationwide campaign.

    Conducting the Senate President round the campaign complex, the National Chairman said that the rebranded and repositioned party is ready to go to Nigerians with issues when the campaign begins.

    According to a statement from his media office signed by Ike Abonyi, the National Chairman said that the party hopes to have a very successful electioneering just like their just completed primaries that was climaxed with the landmark National Convention.

    The Senate President said that everything is set for the party to conduct one of the best Presidential campaigns in history as Nigerians are anxiously waiting for the party.

    Dr Saraki said that every hand must be on deck to see off the All Progressives Congress, APC, to save our democracy and rescue the country.

    The Senate President was accompanied on the inspection of the campaign office by members of the National Working Committee of the party and other critical stakeholders of the party.

    Signed

    Ike Abonyi
    SA Media

  • Saraki Assures Of Atiku’s Victory…Inspects Campaign Council’s Headquarters

    Saraki Assures Of Atiku’s Victory…Inspects Campaign Council’s Headquarters

    The Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council and Senate President Bukola Saraki has assured that, given the mounting support by Nigerians, the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is coasting to victory in the February 2019 Presidential election.

    Senator Saraki stated this while inspecting the Legacy House headquarters of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Saraki, who was conducted round various offices at the Legacy House by the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, promised to effectively harness and coordinate all efforts and lead the party and our candidate to victory in the elections.

    Since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as PDP Presidential candidate, there has been renewed hope among Nigerians towards actualizing their collective quest to rescue our nation from the misrule of the incompetent, divisive and deceptive President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

    Already, Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy has reunited Nigerians across board and reawakened our collective consciousness towards the restoration of purposeful leadership and national productivity, irrespective of ethnicity, religion and political affiliations.

    The PDP therefore urges Nigerians to continue in mobilizing for the election and be ready for an issue-based campaign that offers solutions to the myriad of security, economic and social problems the Buhari administration has plunged our nation into.

    Signed:

    Kola Ologbondiyan
    National Publicity Secretary

  • PROF. IWU’S DAUGHTER SUES PDP & INEC OVER FLAWED PRIMARIES FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEAT IN IMO STATE:

    PROF. IWU’S DAUGHTER SUES PDP & INEC OVER FLAWED PRIMARIES FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEAT IN IMO STATE:

    Prof. Iwu’s daughter, Mrs. Ijeoma Ann Nwafor has instituted a law suit against PDP, INEC and Hon. Nwawuba over what she described as a contravention of the PDP Constitution and Guidelines for Primaries during the conduct of the primaries of PDP for Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency Seat on 6th October, 2018 at Owerri. In Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/18 filed on her behalf at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by the Lawfirm of West-Idahosa & Co, the plaintiff in an Originating Summons is asking the Court to nullify the primary election for the said Federal Constituency. In addition, the plaintiff is also seeking an order of court to restrain INEC from recognizing Hon. Nwawuba as the candidate of PDP for 2019 general elections for the said constituency.

    Also contained in the reliefs sought by the plaintiff is an order to compel PDP to order fresh primaries as well as an order to compel INEC to extend the time within which PDP can conduct fresh primaries for the said constituency. The matter has been fixed for hearing on October 31st, 2018, before Hon. Justice A. Chikere.