Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015—15
APC flays Gov Orji over criticism of Ekwueme By Francis Igata
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NUGU — THE South-East All Progressives Congress, APC, has taken an exception to the comments credited to the Chairman of the South East Governors' Forum and Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji, in a section of the media that the revered elder statesman, one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, is out of touch with realities. According to Osita Okechukwu, APC South-East spokesperson, Orji said in the daily that, “it is unfortunate that Ekwueme has lost touch with the realities of the moment, nothing would stop President Goodluck Jonathan from winning 100 per cent of the South East votes, considering his numerous gestures to the people. "Jonathan will not share South East votes with anybody, the All Progressives Congress here sounds like Boko Haram and you cannot see any well-meaning Igbo son in the APC. "Governor Rochas Okorocha knows he has missed the way and Ogbonnaya Onuh cannot even win in his ward, so no other party is recognised here.” Okechukwu noted that Dr. Ekwueme’s sin was his innocent comment that, “PDP as it is today was not the PDP we founded in 1998; that is the truth, I won’t hide it from anybody. It is not the PDP I risked my life to found in 1998. "Now the PDP has been hijacked by people who have no philosophical or spiritual attachment to the precepts that
informed the formation of the party in 1998. What I envisaged for PDP was that it would be a mass movement, satisfying the needs of the masses and having membership from all over the country. “What I can tell you is that the PDP will not have an easy walkover this year as it did few years ago, seven years ago; in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 because the party is finding it difficult to manage its successes. "People who founded and worked for the party are alienated
by poor management of success, and those who do not have patience, some of us have decided to find new channels to fulfil their political ambitions. "I, for instance, first chairman of the party's Board of Trustees, BoT, first chairman of civil society to G34 and so on, if I was not myself, I am not bragging, I am being modest, I have no reason to be in PDP today. All I have received throughout the years is humiliation and neglect.” APC spokesperson insisted that “We are at a loss how on
earth our revered elder statesman, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, erudite scholar and one of the shining lights of Ndigbo, Dr. Alex Ekwueme can be out of touch with realities, because of his uncommon concern for the downtrodden. "It is our candid view that no responsible person will go out of his way to castigate Ekwueme for his patriotic concern that the Nigeria state under President Jonathan’s watch is sliding dangerously into a failed state.”
LAUNCH: Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, launching a book, 'Echoes from the Ocean,' at the Ocean Crest School, in Lagos, yesterday.
over neglect of strongholds
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WERRI — THE leadership of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Imo State, has threatened to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to court, over faulty distribution of permanent voters cards, PVCs, in its areas of stronghold. Disclosing this to newsmen in Owerri, its state chairman, Peter Ezeobi, said the party would have no other option than go to court, if INEC failed to redress the anomaly. “The party leadership will have no other option than to drag the Commission to court, if the management of INEC fails to rectify the anomaly by January 30, 2015,” Ezeobi said. Imo APGA chairman noted that the rights of the citizenry should not be eroded in any form, especially during the next general elections. “The constitutional rights of the
By Charles Komolu
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E S I D E N T ELECTORAL Commissioner,REC, in Ebonyi State, Dr. Lawrence Azubuike, has dismissed calls for less security presence across the country during the 2015 general elections, noting that the level of Nigeria’s political development, makes heavy presence of security agents inevitable. Azubuike said this in Abakiliki at a meeting with the Director of Department of State Services, DSS, in Ebonyi State, Mr. William Ologba and the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Maigari Dikko. He described the relationship between the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agencies in the state as cordial, noting that a level playing field had been created for all political parties
APGA Abia South senatorial candidate boasts of qualitative representation By Eric Ugbor
PVCs DISTRIBUTION: APGA threatens to sue INEC By Chidi Nkwopara & Chinonso Alozie
Ebonyi REC makes case for security agencies
citizenry should not be eroded. "We, therefore, urge INEC to release the PVCs so that Imo people will exercise their constitutional right of voting candidates of their choice,” Ezeobi
said. He recalled that the party had earlier directed its legal unit to visit the INEC office in Owerri, to lodge a formal complaint. “Our legal team has formally
communicated our displeasure at the non-availability of PVCs in our strongholds. The situation has caused serious anxiety to our teeming supporters,” Ezeobi said.
Ngwa N/South PDP Reps aspirant petitions NWC over primaries By Anayo Okoli
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MUAHIA — AN aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, aspirant to the House of Representatives of Isiala Ngwa North and South Federal Constituency, Chief Brightman Onyendi, has petitioned the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, calling for the cancellation of the primaries that produced Mr. Darlington Nwokocha, as the party’s candidate for next month’s election. According to Chief Onyendi, the said primaries which he described as “a show of shame
and total rape on democracy” was characterised by fraud and could not produce a credible candidate. Describing the primaries as “a kangaroo” the aggrieved aspirant alleged that the returning officer of the election who was a former chairman of the party in the state was as at 11.48am “nowhere to be seen at the venue,” but was allegedly seen at the party secretariat in Umuahia meeting with the aspirant who was later declared the winner. According to him: “The electoral malpractices and flaws undermined the transparency, freeness, fairness and the acceptability of the outcome of the voting as no electoral process
could be conducted under this manner and no panel can accept it. "It is pertinent for our party to note that many party faithful have been schemed out and disfranchised. This speaks of danger for the party especially using a candidate that has been in the state House of Assembly for eight years without a record of performance. “I call on the party to send a team to Isiala Ngwa and it will amaze the leadership of the party how members have moved to All Progressives Congress, APC, and All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in droves.”
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HE SENATORIAL Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, for Abia South senatorial zone, Chief Chris Nkwonta, has assured qualitative representation if voted into Senate. Chief Nkwonta, who gave the assurance while addressing the people of Abala Ibeme in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, lamented the state of abandonment of the people of the area by successive governments. He insisted that “as a senator, I will work in synergy with governments at the state and federal levels to attract development projects to the people of Abia South senatorial zone.” Chief Nkwonta called on the people of Abala Ibeme Obingwa Local Government and entire Abia South not to make the mistake of voting for a candidate whose over seven years in the Senate had nothing to show.