Thursday, January 31, 2013
Kwara: Ahmed’s government of continuity
National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Politics
I won’t be like Jonathan –Anyim
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Why PDP can’t hold NEC now –Metuh ... denies rift with Jonathan, governors OBIORA IFOH ABUJA
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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the National Executive Committee (NEC) will hold only after the crisis surrounding the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT)is sorted out and a new chairman elected.
The party also reiterated that there is no division in its leadership even as members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have stressed that they are solidly behind the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. In the same vein, the leadership of the party said it totally supports the
transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that it has no problem at all with PDP state governors contrary to speculations in the media. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in an interview with National Mirror on Wednesday made the clarification why the party has violated its constitu-
tion which clearly stated that the NEC must hold every quarter. The last NEC was held in July 2012. To the party’s spokesperson, who admitted the obvious violation of the constitution of the party, however maintained that the violation was understandably and for the interest of the party.
He could not say when the NEC would hold but insisted that until a new BoT chairman is elected, there can’t be any NEC. Similarly, in a statement yesterday Metuh said the party’s NWC is united under Tukur’s leadership and has been working in one accord to ensure good governance in the country. “There is no division in the leadership of our party. We are solidly behind our National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur and we are focused on ensuring good governance in the country. “Some people are not just happy that we are working together, so they come out with all sorts of speculations to see that they cause disaffection in our party but I want to assure that we will not be distracted in our focus to
ensure that we continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people,” Metuh said. He said the party leadership is working with President Jonathan to ensure the delivery of his transformation agenda which is aimed at ensuring rapid development in all sectors of the economy for the benefit of all. “The leadership of the party is solidly behind President Jonathan in his transformation agenda. We have one focus and that is to ensure massive development of the country in line with the manifesto of our party,” he said. He also debunked speculations that the NWC was at loggerheads with the PDP governors over certain issues, stressing that the party leadership is working in harmony with the governors and that there was no issue in contention between the two parties.
2015: Adedoja tasks PDP on party building TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE Benue State Governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam (L) receiving Peace Award from former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (R), founder of the Abdulsalami Abubakar Institute for Peace and Development, Minna, during the Institute’s recent maiden convocation ceremony at the Niger State College of Education.
Oyinlola’s sack: Court to hear motion for stay, Feb 12 EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA
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ustice Abdu Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed February 12 to hear an application for stay of execution of the court’s judgement removing Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from office as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The adjournment followed the discovery by the court that two applications scheduled to be argued by respective counsels were not ripe for hearing. Both counsel to Oyinlola, Dr. Awa Kalu (SAN) and PDP, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) withdrew the earlier motions for stay of execution, dated 14
January. Though Kalu stressed the fact that “there was public interest angle” to the matter, the judge, however, insisted that the motion was not ripe for hearing. Consequently, he adjourned to February 12 to hear their separate motions for stay of execution. An order sacking
Oyinlola as national scribe of the PDP was made on January 11, consequent upon a suit instituted by Chief Adebayo Dayo and Alhaji Semiu Sodipo (plaintiffs). The plaintiffs had in an originating summons filed by their counsel, Dr. Amaechi Nwaiwu (SAN), sought an order nullify-
ing the South_West Zonal congress of the PDP that produced Oyinlola. They also prayed the court for an order removing the former governor of Osun State from the office of secretary of his party. All the reliefs sought, including conducting a fresh congress, were granted by Justice Kafarati.
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head of the 2015 elections, former Minister for Sports and Special Duties, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, has advised members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State to strengthen the party by bringing all factions together. Addressing some PDP members who visited his Ibadan residence to prevail on him to contest the governorship election in 2015, Adedoja urged party members to build the PDP
Dep Gov admonishes women on performance
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eputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, has admonished Nigerian women to wake up to their responsibility as mothers to demand performance from political leaders. She spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital when Ado Women paid
her a courtesy visit, she added that the onus lied on them to ensure that governance becomes a thing of integrity. Olayinka, who said the government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti remains a benchmark for responsible democratic government, urged the women-
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folk to be supportive of people-oriented leadership such as in place in the “Land of Honour.” She explained that there was no crime in women pushing for greater quota in politics and governance provided they held positions in the overall interest of the elector-
ate, whose interest, democracy seeks to serve. Olayinka reminded her visitors to always pursue the sustenance of peace in Ekiti without which the present administration would not have been able to record the feat it recorded within its two years in office.
in the state before embarking on personal aspiration. He said: “We need to build the party first before embarking on personal ambition for any elective office. It is when we build that we become strong; when we are strong, we can stand, and when we stand, we can go into any contest. It would be unfair to our followers if what we discuss with them is about our ambition rather than the future stakes of members.” Adedoja also tasked the leaders to put party interest above personal interest. “Let us all make necessary personal sacrifices for the sake of our party and ultimately for our people. Let us put our party interest above our personal interests, even when our personal interests are quite legitimate. Let our task be the fixing of our future, and not the fixing of the blame of the past,” he said.