Politics

Ebonyi Guber: PDP alleges plot to disrupt polls

Published

7 months ago

March 6, 2023

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi chapter, said it has uncovered an orchestrated plot by one of the major political parties to disrupt the March 11 governorship and state house of Assembly elections in Ebonyi.

Chief Austin Edeze, the Director General (DG) of the PDP Governorship Campaign Council (GCC), who did not name the party, stated this during a press conference on Sunday in Anakaliki.

Edeze alleged that the party had procured and distributed over 1,500 AK-47 rifles to its agents to cause mayhem and guarantee its victory in the March 11 elections in the state.

The DG further alleged that the guns were distributed four per ward across the 171 wards in the state as they were prepared to do whatever it takes to secure electoral victory against all odds.

He, therefore, called on the security agencies in the state to step in and mop up illegal arms and ammunition in the hands of hoodlums and other unlicensed persons in the state ahead of the polls.

Edeze emphasised that PDP was robbed of its presidential victory in the state and would not allow such to repeat itself in the governorship election.

“Having been robbed, I’m not sure we will be robbed again. We are aware that a certain political party, out of fear of losing the election and sheer desperation, has shared AK-47 rifles in the 171 wards in the state.

“You can imagine how many we have in each ward. We have over 1,500 AK 47 rifles waiting to be used in the next election.

“We will not be silent. We shall protect our votes and we shall win. The PDP governorship candidate will come out victorious in the March l1 election,” Edeze said.

“We are calling on police, the State Security Service (SSS), the army and other security agencies to guarantee the safety of the voters and the sanctity of the ballot in the March 11election,” the party said.

On the alleged killing of Mr Ozoemena Nkwuda, a PDP supporter, and a serving corps member at a polling unit in Izzi Local Government Area of the state by suspected political thugs during the last presidential election, the DG urged the police to fish out the killers and bring them to justice.

Feature

Dollar is now the underground currency of Nigeria’s economy – Peter Obi

Published

1 day ago

October 2, 2023

Gift Oyekunmi

Businessman and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has lamented the ‘dollarisation’ of the Nigerian economy.

According to Peter Obi, the naira has faded in significance as the use of the dollar in the country has led to unproductivity.

“Dollar has become the underground currency of our economy. It shouldn’t be. We have a currency called the naira. All the things people use dollars to do that are not productive should be removed.’ Obi told Arise TV on Monday, October 2.

“I can assure you that when you remove it, it can strengthen the currency. Today, even when you want to do party primaries, people share dollars. That is not our currency.

“There should be a stiff penalty in dealing with the issue. If people earn dollars legitimately, let them spend it the way they want. However, it has now become a means of corruption and criminality in our system.”

Peter Obi added that the country should work more on exports to strengthen the currency.

Headline

Tribunal upholds Gov. Alia’s election

Published

1 week ago

September 23, 2023

Alero Danjuma

The Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi on Saturday upheld the victory of Gov. Hyacinth Alia of the APC in the March 18 Governorship Election.

Delivering the judgment, the Chairman of the panel, Justice Ibrahim Karaye, held that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain pre election issues raised by the petitioners, Titus Uba and PDP.

Karaye, who read the unanimous judgment, stated that only the Federal High Court had the exclusive jurisdiction to entertain issues bordering on pre-election matters.

He further said the petitioners’ case was also an abuse of court processes because the same case was filed by the petitioners before the Federal High Court Abuja Division and its judgment was not challenged by the petitioners.

He said the petitioners lacked locus standi to challenge the nomination of the 2nd and 3rd respondents by the 4th respondent since they were not members of the 4th respondent.

Justice Karaye further said that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of forgery against the 3rd respondent before the tribunal.

He said the 2nd and 3rd respondents were qualified to contest the March 18 Governorship Election and therefore, dismissed the case.

The petitioners, Titus Uba and the PDP, had dragged the respondents, INEC, Hyacinth Alia, Dr Sam Ode, and the APC before the tribunal, challenging their declaration by the INEC.

The petitioners argued that the 2nd and 3rd respondents, Gov Alia and Dr Ode, were at the time of contesting the election, not qualified to contest the March 18 Governorship Election.

They averred that the 4th respondent – the APC – did not follow the provisions of the law in the nomination of the governorship and deputy governorship candidates.

They also alleged that the 3rd respondent had presented a forged certificate to the 1st respondent, INEC, therefore, should be disqualified.

They, therefore, prayed among other things, for the nullification of their election and declare the petitioners as winners of the election, having scored second highest lawful votes.

The also contended that having not qualified to contest the election, their votes should be declared invalid and certificates earlier issued to them by INEC be withdrawn.

NAN reports that the petitioners in the suit did not challenge the result of the March 18 Benue Governorship Election but qualifications of the candidates.

However, the respondents in their counter arguments, urged the tribunal to dismiss the suit in its entirety as it was an abuse of court processes.

The respondents stated that the Federal High Court Abuja Division, had before the election, delivered judgment on the same matter which was filed by the petitioners but they did not appeal the judgment till date.

They also said that the issues raised were all pre election matter and only the Federal High Court had the exclusive jurisdiction to entertain same.

The 2nd and 3rd respondents clearly stated that since the prayers sought by the petitioners were all pre-election matters, the petitioners case was status bar and should be struck out.

They said the petitioners lacked locus standi to challenge the nomination of candidates of other political parties as they were mere meddlesome interlopers.