Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma on Tuesday said the choice of picking a running mate for Bola Tinubu lies with the ex-Lagos governor, rather than Governors in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
On June 8, Tinubu emerged as the APC presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections after beating Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, among others.
A week after the party’s presidential primary, Uzodimma, who was also the Chairman of the APC special convention, briefed reporters in Abuja after visiting President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The decision to choose a running mate does not reside with any of us, the governors. It is the presidential candidate that will look at the local characteristics and every factor that will make him win the election,” he said.
“There is nowhere in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where religion is a factor as to who becomes the President or running mate.
“We are looking for a united Nigeria where governance will be the issue, a President will be adjudged by his capacity to deliver democratic dividends.”
According to him, the South-East is ripe to produce Nigeria’s next President for the sake of equity and justice.
Despite the setback for the region, the governor pledged to work with Tinubu in the forthcoming election to ensure that the party retained power.
Uzodimma further underscored that what is most fundamental is the aim for a united Nigeria where democratic governance is upheld, noting that the South-East zone will work on what has so far prevented it from attaining the goal of producing a President.
Earlier, President Buhari had met with APC governors at the Council Chamber.
Governors of Borno, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Imo, Nasarawa, Kogi and Plateau States were present at the meeting.
Governorship candidate of Action Peoples Party, APP, in Abia State, Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the Continuous Voter Registration.
As the fourth quarter of the CVR exercise will be coming to an end on 30th June 2022, citizens have intensified their efforts in registering for their Permanent Voter’s Card.
Many Nigerians have also requested the INEC to extend the registration exercise to enable them register to obtain a PVC.
In a letter to the INEC Chairman dated April 12, 2022 and obtained by our correspondent, he said, “I am writing to ask the Electoral Commission to reconsider her decision and stand on closing Voter Registration in June 2022. While reading through the news, my attention was drawn to a statement credited to you and published on the site of the FRCN on April 14, 2022, that “the fourth quarter of the continuous voter Registration (CVR) excersie which commensed on the 11 of this month will end on the 30th of June this year”.
“Mr Chairman, such closure of Voters registration would amount to flagrant disregard of the 2022 Electoral Act (as Amended). Part III, Section 9(6) of the Act outrightly states that “the registration of voters, updating and revision of the Register of voters under this section shall stop not less than ninety days before any election covered by this Act”. In furtherance of the stand of Section 9(6), Section 10(1) stipulates that ; without prejudice to section 9(6), there shall be continuous registration of all person’s qualified to be registered voters.
“In the light of the position of the aforementioned Section of the Electoral Act, it is imperative to understand that the 2023 general election holds the key to the sustenance and future of our dear country’s democracy and as such, every preparations made towards it must be to give sufficient time to millions of unregistered Nigerians to register for the voter’s card,” the letter concluded.
The victims of St Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State who were gruesomely murdered on June 5 will be buried this week, Channels Television gathered on Tuesday.
Gunmen suspected to be terrorists had stormed the church nine days ago, killing over 40 worshippers, while injuring several others. The massacre has since been condemned by Nigerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari and many state governors who have called for a probe into the attack.
In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Ondo said the mass burial for the slain worshippers will hold would hold on Friday, June 17.
The Director of Social Communication of the Diocese of Ondo, Revd. Father Augustine Ikwu told Channels Television in Akure that the mass burial would take place at a new cemetery of the diocese located along Emure-Ile Road in Owo.
The Diocese and the State government had earlier announced that about 40 people died while several others sustained injuries during the attack on a fateful day.
Some of the injured victims are still receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre and the St. Louis Catholic Hospital both in Owo and some other private hospitals in the state.
Although no one has been arrested in connection with the attack, the police authorities said three unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been recovered from the scene of the Owo church attack.
Force Police Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, noted that police investigators have also recovered “pellets of expended AK-47 ammunition” from the scene.
Condemning the tragic incident, the Inspector-General of Police said full-scale investigations into the incident have been ordered with a view to bringing to book the perpetrators of the gruesome killings.
Meanwhile, governors across the six states in the South-west region have declared three days of mourning for victims of the terror attack at Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The governors made the decision in a virtual meeting held on Friday to review the state of insecurity in the region.
According to a communique issued after the meeting, the governors condemned the June 5 attack in Owo which claimed at least 40 lives, and scores hospitalised.
“The Governors agreed to declare a 3-day mourning period in memory of the victims of the 5th June 2022 terror attack on St Francis Catholic, Owaluwa Street, Owo, Ondo State, starting from Monday, 13th June, to Wednesday, 15th, June 2022 to symbolise our collective loss across all South Western States in Nigeria,” the communique read in part.
“The meeting agreed that all the Governors should direct the flying of Flags at Half Mast in all public buildings, facilitates and official residences across all the States in the South West in honour of the victims of the Owo terror attack.”
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, on Tuesday warned against actions that are capable of endangering national unity and cohesion.
His warning came on the heels of he search for the running mate for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the governor said that the choice of the running mate would be decided byTinubu and not the APC governors.
He said if the choice was left for him, he would consider religious denomination, ethnicity, followership, and factors that would create spread since the business of politics is to win election.
Fielding question on whether a single faith ticket was desirable, he responded: “I did not say is not about single faith ticket. I said there are internal characteristics that the decision maker may consider in the process of taking his decision. The decision whether to choose Mr. A or Mr. B to be a running mate to a candidate is entirely that of the candidate.
“You started by saying the governors of the South East are complaining of not having the opportunity of being a running mate anymore. But that is not the sole ambition of the south easterners, talkless of the governors to be a running mate. And in the business of presidential primaries, there is no election for a vice presidential candidate. The business there is just to elect a candidate.
“In that ballot paper, there is no room for delegates to vote for who will be your running mate. So, that explains why it is not a decision for the public, for the people. It is a decision for the candidate. The first thing to do is to let the candidate, now a candidate as emerged.
“Now the candidate will factor into consideration some ideas and issues like how to create a spread. Spread is very important to be able to attract votes. So, the decision of who becomes your running mate, if I were the candidate, what will inform it is what will I do as an action that will enable me to get the kind of votes I’m looking for because the ultimate goal is to win the election.
“So, maybe I’ll start from the denomination, ethnicity, or followership. In this business of democracy I think number is what is very important. And there are certain things as a nation, we should not bring to the public discuss.
“Those things that are capable creating divisiveness against national unity should not be encouraged. It does not mean that I will not remember that I come from a place but I must also be cautious and careful how to use where I come from in taking national decisions. That is very important.
“The second question which is about running mate, South East is not meant for running mate. What we wanted a zone was to be the president of Nigeria and I was convinced that it was proper for us to ask for it.
“But in this business, it is partisan democracy, the minority will have their view but the majority will have their way. In the wisdom of the delegates that elected presidential candidate, a candidate has emerged, our party APC will come together, work for our candidate and produce the next president. Simple.”
When asked to comment on the alleged move by Tinubu to run with a Muslim/Muslim ticket, the Imo governor argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not dwell on religion as a factor for the selection of presidential running mate.
He said, “There is no where in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where religion is a factor or characteristic as to who becomes the president or who becomes the running mate.
“But we are looking for united Nigeria, where governance will be the issue, where a president would be ajudged by his capacity to deliver democratic dividends, develop Nigeria to look like other parts of the Western world where democracy is working.
“I don’t want us to reduce governance in Nigeria to certain things that will encourage divisiveness. Rather, we should be a united Nigeria, be our brother’s keepers, have a president of Nigeria that will be a president representing, every tribe, every religion, every denomination, and when we get there, we will cross the bridge.
“The decision also to choose a running mate does not reside with any of us, the governors. It is the presidential candidate that will look at the local characteristics and every factors, political and apolitical that will make him win his election and take the decision. So, it’s not a decision that we will sit here and take for the candidate.”
The Imo State Governor admonished that each section of the country requires the others to be able to produce the president, saying that the South East zone will work on what has so far prevented it reaching the goal.
According to him, “When I appeared on Channels in the morning of the convention I told you that one of the conventions governing our polity in Nigeria is power shift. That power comes to the north and goes to the south. When power came to the south, in 1999, we ceded it to South West and all of us voted as Nigerians.
“The next time power came to the South, it went to South South and all of us voted as Nigerians. We expected that now that power came back to the South, it will go to South East but this is not a decision that a a geopolitical zone alone or do.
“No geopolitical zone can become a president without the participation of other political zones. So, when you don’t get the cooperation, you begin to find out why and you work towards getting the cooperation next time, because it has to be united country for you to become a president.
“We’re not talking about president of South East, president South South or president of South West. We are talking of the president of Nigeria. For a Southerner to become a president, he needs to vote for North, for northerner to become the president he needs the vote from the South.
“In our constitution, two third of the states you must have at least minimum of 25% votes registered in those states. Today, so we’ll look at the guidelines. We’ll look at the rules. Our country is a rule-driven country. And the grand norm is the constitution of the country.
“So, we’re working with it. All we’re saying is that for equity, for fairness for justice, that there’s certain sentiments to be considered when we’re taking national decisions but we don’t think that is enough to disorganize our country. We must move forward.”
Medical doctors under the aegis of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA Abia State chapter have announced a withdrawal of service from public and private hospitals in the state in protest of the abduction of their colleague, a senior medical doctor, Prof. Uwadinachi Iweha by unknown gunmen.
Dr. Iweha was kidnapped on Sunday, June 6, 2022 in front of his house at Umuajameze, Ezeleke Umuokpara, in Umuahia south LGA of the state.
He was whisked away alongside his dark blue Toyota Highlander.
The protesting doctors said their action follows the expiration of three days ultimatum issued to the government of Abia State on Friday, June 10 in Umuahia to secure the release of the doctor.
Addressing newsmen at FMC Umuahia on Tuesday, the Abia State chairman of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Chimezie Okwuonu said over 90 percent of doctors who work in the state live outside their hospitals.
He said the lives of doctors in the state is in jeopardy, calling on the government of the state to live up to its assurances by ensuring the immediate release of Prof. Iweha.
“The medical community is not safe, we are afraid of performing our functions and that is why we are withdrawing our services. We are calling on the government to do the needful.
“More than 95 percent of the doctors live outside the hospitals and attend to their victims from their homes.
“Most of us come from our homes to work and our safety is not guaranteed. This is due to the kidnap and detention of this our colleague,” he said.
According to Dr. Okwuonu, over three medical doctors have been kidnapped in the state in the past three years.
While stating that some of them came out with 48 to 72 hours after the kidnap, he expressed worry that Prof. Iwehe’s incarceration calls for concern.
He said NMA members in Abia will join the family of the kidnapped doctor in searching for him, either dead or alive.
He also assured that there will be skeletal services where members will be available to attend to emergency cases.
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company has announced the restoration of electricity supply within all the states within the South-East, its franchise coverage area.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the EEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Emeka Ezeh.
In the statement in Enugu, Ezeh said that power supply has since commenced in its outgoing feeders, following the restoration of the national grid which collapsed on June 12 evening.
He said: “However, due to the low energy allocation to EEDC, occasioned by the poor generation, some of our feeders are currently put on system load-shedding by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
“We, therefore, thank our esteemed customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and the Imo States for their support and understanding during the period we lost supply.
“EEDC is assuring them of our continued commitment towards providing improved services.”
NAN recalls that on June 12 at about 6:49 pm, there was a grid collapse leading to EEDC outgoing feeders being knocked out of electricity supply; which therefore affected supply to the entire southeast states.
The Commissioner of Police Bauchi State, Umar Sanda, has ordered an immediate investigation of a mob that set a suspect ablaze at Chinade community in Katagum Local Government Area of the state.
Sanda stated this in a statement signed by the Spokesman of the command, SP Ahmed Wakili, in Bauchi on Monday.
He described the mob action as a barbaric and dehumanizing act of jungle justice meted out on the suspect by some irate youths in Chinade.
CP Sanda ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the act, adding that it was “barbaric and inimical to the law governing our country”.
He said: “Instead of taking the suspect to the Police for proper investigation and prosecution, they mobbed the suspect for allegedly stealing a motorcycle without any recourse to the law.”
Sanda warned that the command under his stewardship would not allow some recalcitrant elements in the society to take the laws into their hands by killing suspects arrested for an alleged crime in such a dehumanizing and unlawful manner.
He further warned that nobody had the right to treat a suspect in such a barbaric manner, stressing that it was wrong for anyone to assume the position of a law enforcement agency.
The CP said that any suspect apprehended in connection with any crime should be immediately handed over to the Police or any law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution.
Sanda appealed to the public to be calm as the Police Command was already mopping up those responsible for the gruesome act for possible prosecution.
A middle-aged man, whose identity had not been determined, was on Sunday night attacked by a mob who beat him to a pulp and later set him ablaze for alleged theft of a motorcycle in the community.
A female SS3 student of Saint Monica’s Girls’ Secondary School in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, Charity Eze, has been shot dead.
The student, who was writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, was shot dead on Friday.
According to available information, Eze was gunned down at about 10 pm on Friday at her residence at 38, Idikwu Road, Otukpo.
She was reported to have gone out to remove clothes on a rope in their compound when two gunmen who had scaled the fence shot her on the head several times.
The Benue State Police Command was yet to confirm the incident by press time.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe North Senatorial District, Bashir Sheriff Machina, last night vowed not to step down for the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
Machina, in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, said he contested the party’s senatorial ticket and the delegates overwhelmingly voted for him.
Following the defeat of Lawan at the just-concluded presidential primary, there have been moves to reclaim the Yobe North ticket for him.
Lawan has been representing the senatorial district since 2007 when he crossed over from the House of Representatives to the Red Chamber.
Machina said he is ready to slug it out with the candidates of other political parties at the February 25 elections.
“As far as I’m concerned, I contested for the Yobe North senatorial ticket and I won the election. I was confirmed elected because there were other contestants but I was the one that was qualified. I happened to be unopposed.
“I am still the candidate; I have not withdrawn and I will not withdraw for anybody. I am being approached by some persons but I will not withdraw, Insha Allah,” he said.
A party member loyal to Machina, Hussaini Mohammed Isa confirmed that a lot of pressure was mounted on the candidate to hand over the APC senatorial ticket to Lawan.
He, however, faulted the move by some leaders, saying that Machina laboured for the ticket.
On their part, Lawan’s supporters said they want him to continue representing the senatorial district in the Red Chamber.
Saleh Mohammed maintained that Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan is so far the best performing senator ever produced by the zone.
Security operatives have rearrested a prisoner who escaped from a correctional facility in Edo State
The prisoner was feigning mental instability to hoodwink unsuspecting members of the public and evade arrest when he was nabbed.
The escape, it was gathered, was among inmates that escaped from a correctional centre following a jailbreak during the #EndSARs protest in the state in 2020.
It was further learned that the escapee had been hibernating around the correctional centre for over three weeks before he was apprehended.
A security operative said an Android phone was recovered from the escapee after a search conducted on him.
The spokesman of the correctional service in the state, Aminu Suleiman, said he was yet to be briefed about the incident.
Former Chief of Staff to the Abia State Government and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Sir Mascot Uzor Kalu, has extended warm birthday...
