46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
Jega must go, MASSOB insists
Ithihikpebe mobilise Isoko South for Okowa
By Anayo Okoli
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BAKALIKI—THE leadership of the Movement for the
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HE Ithihikpebe Campaign Organisation in Emede, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, has begun mobilisation of the council for Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate. Chairman of the organisation, Mr. Fidelis Owhe and Mr. Victor Asasa, Chairman, Publicity, and Head, Finance Strategic Council, reinstated members' commitment to mobilise the 11 wards in Isoko South for Okowa and other PDP candidates. Representatives of the wards, Isoko United Movement and Isoko National Youth Movement commended the organisation’s work, stressing the importance of peace and reconciliation to PDP victories at the polls.
Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, in Ebonyi State, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to remove the Chairman of the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, from office, following allegations of sectionalism
FG's been good to IMSU — VC By Chidi Nkwopara
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WERRI—THE Vice Chancellor, of the Imo State University, IMSU, Owerri, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, has said the university had received N100 million from Federal Government, through TETFUND Special Intervention Fund in the last two years. Awuzie also said IMSU was a beneficiary of the N1.2 billion for the building of students hostel and its furnishing; N500 million for equipment and furniture in laboratories; N100 million for procurement of teaching materials and equipment, and N1 billion for the construction of a lecture theatre, all from Tetfund Special Intervention. He also explained that the institution’s management had already utilised the special intervention fund to furnish the law classrooms, procured executive tables, white boards, buses and Hilux vans. Continuing, the VC said that other basic infrastructures where the Federal Government agencies equally intervened include a 700-seat capacity terraced lecture theatre, boreholes, a threefloor seminar complex for the College of Medicine at the Orlu Campus, Faculty of Law Complex, N350 million model science laboratory complex, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the university library complex,
Transition
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RS Beatrice Okechukwu is dead. Wake keep held last Monday at Okechukwu’s compound, Umuegulu Ugbo, Awgu LGA, Enugu State. Funeral service was yesterday at St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Ugbo, followed by interment at Okechukwu’s Compound. Thanksgiving service is Sunday at St. Anthony.
redevelopment of the SIWES building, and rehabilitation and refurbishing of the large lecture hall. In the area of enforcement of
discipline, the VC said over 700 students have been rusticated in the last 12 months for various examination misconducts.
I'll run collaborative govt — Ihedioha By Chidi Nkwopara
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WERRI—THE Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives and Imo State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has promised to run a collaborative governance with critical stakeholders, if elected governor. Ihedioha made the promise, yesterday, while fielding questions from journalists in Owerri, promising to work with the legislature, judiciary, traditional rulers and all the people in the dayto-day running of his administration. He frowned at what he called “the poor and sorrowful educational system run by the present administration in the state.” Answering a question on his contribution in the 12 years he has spent in the National Assembly, Ihedioha listed his achievements to include attraction of Federal Government projects in media houses in Imo State, construction of OwerriOmerelu Road, construction
of 132 KVA sub-station at Aboh Mbaise, construction of sub-stations in Okigwe and Ideato Local Government areas and the construction of a waste recycling plant at Ilile, Ohaji, to boost environmental sanitation. Chief Ihedioha commended the missionaries for sustaining health care delivery in the state, especially as state government-owned hospitals were not functional.
and incompetence levelled against him. Briefing newsmen in Abakaliki, the zonal leader of MASSOB, Ebonyi South zone, Mr. John Nwifuru condemned the continued stay of the INEC Chairman in office, stressing that trying to increase the polling units in the North were clear indications that he is pursuing a northern agenda. “We want to call on the Federal government to relieve Jega of his job before this forthcoming general election. He is not national in outlook; from our investigation, Jega is pursuing a northern agenda and should not be allowed to remain in that office.” He stressed the need for INEC to scrap the use of card readers in this year’s general elections, adding that it would be disastrous for the nation if the device failed to perform optimally as many voters would be disenfranchised. He advised Federal Government to appoint another chairman that is more national in his approach, to avoid a situation of anarchy, lawlessness and crisis before or during the elections.
Enugu APC faults one-party state stance By Francis Igata
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NUGU—THE All Progressives Congress, APC, South-East geopolitical zone, yesterday, dismissed calls by the leader of Project Nigeria Movement, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN) for ”the winner of presidential election to constitute his government with ministers drawn from both parties or from all the parties that contested the election in a manner to be agreed under a formal
accord.” Reacting to the statement, spokesperson, APC, SouthEast, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said: “Whereas we are not opposed to unity of any kind, we are of the candid opinion that the Nigerian state is better off with two dominate political parties in a multi-party system. “This is the zenith of liberal democracy, where neither APC nor Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will secure two-thirds of the national or state Assemblies, where consensus prevails over family affair.”
By Bartholomew Madukwe (08102479985) nwamad@yahoo.com
PEOPLE SPEAK
On use of card readers for elections?
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HIS card reader was used in Ghana during their election and nobody raised an eyebrow. I do not know why our case should be different. Let us watch and see its outcome in Nigeria. However, I believe we all know why some people do not want the card readers.—Miss Chioma Ani, Model.
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T is glaring now that the card reader cannot be used to conduct free and fair polls. So let us shelve its use for now. We can experiment its use in lesser elections like local government and state Houses of Assembly, until its anomaly are corrected and errors contained.—Mr. Kazeem Aremu, Worker.
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do not see anything constitutionally or legally wrong with using an electronic device to authenticate voters' eligibiltiy on elections days. However, does INEC have the logistics and capacity to address problems associated with the card readers?—Miss Ukogu Chinasa, Musician.
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IGHTING corruption with technology is not the same as introducing a device, which has not been tested, to be used on 68 million voters for general elections. So in my view, the status quo ante should be maintained and we should vote peacefully.—Mr. Chibuzor Bartholomew, Officer.
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HE result and effec tiveness of the card readers will be determined on the actual voting day, when almost all the PVCs will pass through card readers and will consume more battery power. How effective is the battery and how long can it last?— Miss Ogbonna Chidinma, Student.
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HAT happens if a reader becomes faulty after capturing much data? Will all those that have used the faulty reader be called back to repeat the exercise? If, no, how will INEC reconcile their data since the reader used to capture their data has broken down? — Mr. Chuks Madueke, Web Developer.