APC Lost Another Governor

Few hours after his Dupty, Bala Ngilari tendered his resignation letter, Governor Murtala Nyako of
Adamawa State has been impeached by the Adamawa state House of Assembly, bringing the
weeks of intense debate over the governor’s fate to an abrupt end.
Recall that Nyako has been in a political battle over his continued stay in office following allegation of gross misconduct levelled against him and his Deputy by the highly dominated PDP state Assembly.
Nyako’s impeachment and Ngilari’s resignation, has created an opportunity for the Speaker , Alhaji Umaru Fintiri to act in the capacity of an Acting Governor.
His impeachment however followed the adoption of the report of the Panel submitted to the House by Seventeen of the 25 members of the House.
Speaker Umaru Fintiri read the report on the floor of the House.
The report found the governor guilty of all 16 allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him.
Reacting to the report, a motion for the Governor’s impeachment was immediately moved by Jerry Kumdisi, member representing Gombi constituency and was supported by Kwamoti Laori, the Deputy speaker of the Assembly.
Consequently, all the 18 members at the meeting agreed with the resolution and signed that the
Governor be removed.
It was further resolved that the Speaker , Fintiri, be sworn in as the state’s acting governor.

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola Accuses FG.

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has taken a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the second time in forty-eight hours.
The state’s helmsman had accused the PDP-led FG of abandoning the Apapa axis of the metropolis for long, a situation that has led to the regular horrific traffic jam.
Inspecting the roads in the area at the weekend, he said, “Businesses are shutting down, people are living a very traumatic life. I just wonder why everything is falling into pieces under this federal government. Everything about the country is falling into pieces, and Apapa has not been
spared.”
“The port cannot be managed. The fuel distribution cannot be managed without causing so much pain. The roads have been destroyed.
People are sleeping on the road because the central government cannot effectively manage the distribution of fuel.
Continuing his attack on the PDP yesterday, he questioned the use of the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota for a political gathering.
Fashola said the party had no shame “otherwise, it wouldn’t have used a park it once described as cosmetic and a waste of money”.
Last week Friday, the PDP organised a rally at the Gani Fawehinmi Park, where the Ekiti State governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, addressed his party supporters and asked the APC to get set to vacate leadership positions in the South-west region.
Speaking after the 2014 Tree Planting Campaign at Sangotedo in Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area of the state, Governor Fashola said: “They lied, they forgot what they said. They complained that the park was cosmetic. They have forgotten that the park was cosmetic; have they now forgotten that the park is elitist?. They have no shame in their unthinking inconsistency”.
“All over the state, wherever you go, you will see
scores of parks and millions of trees at different stages of development. Our uninformed and unable opponents criticised this initiative; they called it cosmetic and elitist.”
The governor added that PDP clearly demonstrated their ignorance because the environment was also the new economy.
“They are ignorant people. What they called cosmetic and elitist has developed our economy;
it has created jobs and has put food on the tables of many people who would otherwise be unemployed.”

Ogoni UNEP Report is One Reason I Left PDP - Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi has
declared that failure of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) led Federal government to implement
the United Nations Environmental Protection
Agency (UNEP) report on Ogoniland was part of
the reasons why he left the party.
Amaechi spoke on Sunday at the thanksgiving
celebration of former Council Chairman of Khana
Local Government Area, Gregory Nwidam at St.
Dominic’s Catholic Church, Bane.
Amaechi said the PDP led Federal Government
lack the political will to implement the UNEP
report to make the environment habitable for the
people of Ogoni, including the provision of water
and other infrastructural development.
“After the verification and recommendation by the
Agency to the Federal Government, they have
refused to release the sum of One million dollars
for the clean-up and development of the area. As
I am talking to you today, the Federal Government
is doing nothing about the UNEP report. One
million dollars is about 160 billion naira, but the
Federal Government has been spending billions in
other places. But, you need to ask yourselves one
question, what did Ogoni do against the federal
government that they cannot release 160 billion
naira to save your environment. That is the
reason I left PDP for APC, because, our interest is
not protected in PDP. So, when they cannot give
the people of Ogoni 160 billion naira, which is not
even enough for their kids to travel around
America and London, if they cannot give to Ogoni
people, why should you vote them?” he said.
“What you should do is to punish them with your
votes by voting them out in 2015. When you vote,
you are not fighting for me, you are fighting for
yourselves because, I have served as a Speaker
for 8 years and also Governor for 8 years, what I
need from God is long life. You need to fight for
yourselves and save Rivers State as well,”
Amaechi said.
The governor urged the people of Khana and all
Rivers people to register and identify with the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in order to vote out
the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in the 2015
general elections.
“Let me assure you that APC will win in 2015 in
Rivers State. You owe me a duty to get registered
with APC. Go and register during the voters’
registration and get your voters card. I want to
thank the people of Bane community and Khana
people for their support, especially the celebrant,
Hon. Gregory Nwidam for his promise that the
people of Khana LGA will ensure APC wins in
Rivers State in 2015,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi also advised supporters of the APC in
the State to resist any attempt by the PDP to use
police and the military to intimidate and
manipulate the 2015 elections against the will of
the electorates.
“The PDP said they will bring Police and Army.
Let them bring them, but, you should know that
they are also human beings. On that day of the
election, I will be at the front. There is nothing
police will shoot that I have not inhaled before.
There is no cell that they have not locked me up
as a student leader. There is no amount of
slapping and beating I have not passed through
in those days. There is nothing new that the
Federal Government has not done to me. So, I
want to prepare you the APC for that day. When
you vote, seat down at the polling unit and let
them count the votes and announce the results,
so that they won’t rig us out. Don’t vote for PDP.
For me, politics is not about my brother or my
father, politics is about me and my interest. So, it
is about you and your interest,” He said.
Amaechi noted that his administration has built
link roads, Model Primary and Secondary Schools
as well as Health Centres to improve Ogoni land
and other ethnic groups in the State in contrast
to the Federal Government.
He said, “What has Federal Government done for
the people of Ogoni. If I have not done anything, I
have built Roads, Primary and Secondary Schools
as well as Health Centres in Ogoni land. There
are two areas I have focused since I became
governor, Ogoni and Etche Local Government
areas. I have also taken development to other
parts of the State. In Ogoni, I started with rural
road construction including agricultural
investment to employ Ogoni people. So, when
former Senator Lee Maebe said, are Ogoni people
monkeys? I asked him to go back to school. This
is because, the reason for establishing that farm
in Tai LGA, even after we paid the owners of the
land, was to create employment opportunities for
the Ogoni people who work and get their daily
living from that source. That farm is 2,000
hectares of land while the one we got from Etche
was 5,000 hectares of land. This is a way of
improving the living standard of the people in
these areas. And, until I leave office, I will
continue to drive development in the state.”
The governor said soon, he will address the
people of the State on the on recent state of
Federal allocations to the State.
“I will address the State in the next one week or
more to tell them about the consistent shortfall of
our allocations from the Federal Government.
Even though the Federal Government said it is oil
theft. We have lost almost half of our revenue.
We don’t have enough money to run our
government, and we need funds to be able to
govern the state. But, let me assure you that we
will continue to raise money to complete our
projects,” Amaechi said.
Earlier, Hon. Gregory Bariledum Nwidam and the
Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial
District, Sen. Magnus Abe had promised Governor
Amaechi, that the people of Bane Community and
Khana Local Government Area were ready to
massively vote for the All Progressives Congress
in the 2015 general elections.
Press Unit
Government House, PH.
July 14, 2014

APC plotting to Destabilize PDP in Rivers State

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said it had unearthed plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sponsor youth to destabilize the former in the Rivers State.
According to the PDP, the plans included a scheme to sponsor individuals that would claim
to be a faction of the party.
The State Chairman of the PDP, Bro Felix Obuah, said such plot could not succeed because the PDP was “democratically intact” in the state and did not have any internal squabbles.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, Obuah described such
plans as “criminal and the crudest form of playing politics.”
Obuah enjoined all party members and supporters to be at alert and be wary of such plot by “desperadoes whose stock in trade is to cause crisis because of what they stand to benefit in such a chaotic situation.”
He also urged security agencies to be alive to such plot, “which aim is nothing short of plunging the state in another round of crisis as though it’s a political problem.”
“Notwithstanding, the PDP as a focused and law abiding party will not succumb to such cheap blackmail and will stop at nothing to follow due process to campaign and clinch all the elective offices in the State in 2015 general
elections,” Obuah was quoted as saying.

Keshi To Be Paid 10m Monthly

Stephen Keshi , who earlier announced that his contract as the head coach of the Super Eagles had expired, has presented the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with his requests to return as the coach.
African Football on Tuesday, reported that Keshi told President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that he will sign a new deal if the NFF agrees to pay him N10million a month.
In his initial contract, he received N5million
He reportedly made the demand when he met President Jonathan at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, when he arrived from the world tournament in Brazil. Keshi is said to have demanded for upfront payment to avoid delays he had with his former deal, and to recall his former assistant Sylvanus Okpalla.
“He also wanted what he called a free hand as regards his team selection and preparations, saying he no longer wishes to deal with the technical committee.He also wanted Okpalla back to his backroom staff.
The President has assured him that his demands will be considered.” claimed a source.
The news comes after reports that he got a $260,000 pay for the World Cup.

Rivers State Government To Borrow $280m

The Rivers State Government understand the leadership of Governor Rotimi Amaechi has submitted a proposal to the Rivers State House of Assembly on a request to borrow the sum of $280m over 43billion naira. The said money according to the governor is to provide portable water supply to the whole Rivers State as well as for Sanitation.
LNN gathered that the house of Assembly has approved of the proposal but requested the presence of the Hon. Commissioner for water resources to appear before it to give detail on how this loan would be used effectively.
The said load is to be gotten from World Bank and West African Development Bank. $200m is to be gotten from WAD Bank while $80m is to be gotten from World Bank.
The leader of the Anti Governor Amaechi in the Rivers State House of Assembly Hon. Evans Bipi has wondered why a governor who has less than a year to leave office would go about borrowing such amount of money. Hon. Evans accused the governor of borrowing such amount of money to support his political ambition and the APC come 2015 and has warned the Federal government and both the World Bank and the West African Development Bank to desist from doing business with the governor.
Similarly, the PDP in Rivers State under the chairmanship of Obua Felix has condemned in strong terms the move by the governor and the RHA to borrow the sum of $280m from world Bank. The media aid to the chairman Jerry Needam accused the governor of making the state a debtor state saying the governor is yet to pay the 80b naira he borrowed three months ago. He therefore calls on the people of Rivers State to rise and resist this unwarranted borrowing by the governor.
Meanwhile, the said loan is to be repaid in 22years which will attract 3% interest after the first 8years as grace.

Impeachment Investigation Panel Inaugurated Despite Declaration of Work Free Day

Monday and Tuesday is declared  as work-free days in Adamawa state by the state government, the controversial seven-member investigative panel inaugurated by the Acting Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Ambrose Mammadi, today commenced investigation into
allegations of gross misconduct by Governor Murtala Nyako and his Deputy, Bala Ngilari Nyanko who is to be investigated by the Committee has been under intense pressure following the move by the PDP dominated state
Assembly to impeach him.
Reacting to the move, Mr. Nyako declared Monday and Tuesday as work-free days to allow citizens pray for peace in the state. However, most analysts are of the opinion that it was another way of frustrating the committee’s attempt to investigate him and his Deputy.
A statement issued on behalf of the Acting Chief Judge by the Registrar of the State High Court, Abubakar Babayola announced the composition of the committee.
“The Hon. Acting Chief Judge Hon. Justice Ambrose D. Mammadi by the powers vested in him under Section 185(5) of the 1999 constitution as (amended) has approved the appointment of seven (7) Man Panel to investigate allegations of Gross Misconduct of the Executive Governor of Adamawa State Admiral Murtala Nyako and the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State Mr. Bala Ngilari,” the registrar had said.
The committee is chaired by Buba Kaimaga from Mubi Northern Zone.
The other members are Laraba Hassan, Michika Northern Zone; Njidda Kito, Song Central Zone; Joshua Abu, Hong Central Zone; Binanu Esthon, Guyuk Southern Zone; Sa’ad Lawan, Mayo-Belwa, Southern Zone; and Esthon Gapsiso, Genye Southern Zone.
Relatively the committee has defiled the state government’s order, and is currently sitting amidst tight security at J & J Holiday Villa, located at Atirwucha close in Karewa GRA, Yola, Premium Times had reported.
As at the time of this report, it could not be ascertained whether Nyako and his Deputy, Bala Ngilari, will appear before the committee to clear themselves of the allegations.