SELF INTEREST !!! Saraki vs Lai, Shittu vs Ajimobi… parallel APC congresses hold nationwide

The state congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was marred by irregularities on Saturday.

From violence to factional disputes, the exercise plunged the ruling party into a deeper crisis.

Various factions staged their own congresses in Lagos, Delta, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo and Oyo.

Imo congress held despite court order against it

In Imo state, the congress took place at an undisclosed venue, despite a court injunction against it.

TheCable learnt that the congress was organised by a faction of the party loyal to Hillary Eke, the party chairman in the state.

Among the officials elected at the congress — which was reportedly witnessed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are Eke (chairman), Ugochukwu Nzekwe (vice chairman), and Patrick Eze, secretary.

Omo-Agege led the pack in a parallel congress in Delta 

The APC congress in Delta held despite the postponement of the exercise by the party’s national working committee.

The NWC had in a letter addressed to the chairman INEC and signed by Mai Buni, APC’s national secretary, confirmed the postponement of the exercise till Monday.

Saraki and Abdullahi

In a letter dated May 18, 2018, the party’s NWC had informed INEC that the state congress had been postponed till Monday.

Unconfirmed reports had it that the reason was as a result of unresolved disputes within leaders of the party in the state.

The postponement, nonetheless, some of the stakeholders were said to have attended the congress which held in Okpanam. Among those in attendance were Ovie Omo-Agege, senator representing Delta central senatorial district.

‘Anti-Tinubu’ faction held parallel congress in Lagos

In Lagos, two different factions of the APC held parallel congress. While one of the factions — loyal to Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party — had its at the party secretariat in Ikeja, the other faction led by Fouad Oki held its at the Lagos Airport Hotel, also in Ikeja.

In February, Oki had led other aggrieved members of the party in the state to form a group — the Broom United Movement. Delegates from various wards and local government areas in the state attended the congress organised by Oki’s faction.

Geofrey Onyema, minister of foreign affairs; and Juliet Ibekaku, special adviser to the president on justice reforms,addressing reporters

Thugs chased delegates away at parallel congress in Ondo

Suspected thugs invaded the venue of a parallel congress of the party in Ondo state, destroying congress materials and also injuring some of the participants.

The thugs who invaded the venue of the congress — BTO Hall, Akure — chased away the delegates and others in attendance. Some party leaders at loggerhead with Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of the state, organised the congress.

Among those injured in the violence were Bamidele Baderinwa, a member of the house of representatives, from the state, as well journalists covering the exercise.

A separate congress by loyalists of Akeredolu held at the International Event Centre, Akure. There was no violence reported at the venue.

Delegates at the parallel congress in Oyi

In Kwara, two parallel state congresses took place, both in Ilorin.

According to NAN, while the faction loyal to the Senate President Bukola Saraki, held its congress at the Banquet Hall opposite the government house, another congress by a faction loyal to Lai Mohammed, minister of information, took place at Arca Santa Event Hall.

Abdulfatah Ahmed, governor of the state, Bolaji Abdullahi, APC spokesman; lawmakers representing Kwara at the national assembly and state assembly were present at the congress.

Saraki, while speaking at the congress commended members of the party for the peaceful conduct of the ward and local government congresses.

A member of APC, Moji Adeyemi; Munsurat Sumonu, Senator representing, Oyo central ,Senatorial district; and Shittu

He said most of the executive members at the wards and local government level were youths, adding that this was a sign of good things to come in 2019.

The congress held at Arca Santa Hall had Moshood Mustapha, a former special assistant to the senate president in attendance. Raheem Adedoyin, a former commissioner in the state; and Ganiyu Olododo, a former secretary to the state government, also witnessed it.

Executive members of the two factions emerged through consensus arrangement.

In Edo, John Oyegun, national chairman of the party was absent at the congress which held at at Imaguero College Hall, on Sapele Road in Benin City.

Anslem Ojezua was affirmed the state chairman. Ojezua was among the Edo APC Exco who were returned to office in a congress that was widely described as free and fair.

“The party is well organised. You can see that for yourself. Don’t you think this sort of experience should be taken to the federal level? Edo is the light; we want to show the light to Nigerians on how things should be done and how political parties should be organised,” Godwin Obaseki, the governor, said.

Okey Onyejekwe, chairman of the congress committee, commended the 1, 265 delegates drawn from the 18 local government area of the state for their conduct during the exercise.

In Katsina and Jigawa, all the officials of the party were returned through a consensus arrangement.

But in Oyo, there was a repeat of the May 13 parallel local government congress. Two factions held the exercise in two locations in Ibadan, the state capital.

While Abiola Ajimobi, the governor attended the congress held at the Lekan Salami Stadium, the unity forum led by Adebayo Shittus, minister of communications, held its own at the Liberty Stadium.

Present at the Lekan Salami Stadium were Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor; Abdulfatai Buhari, senator representing Oyo north; Olagunju Ojo, speaker, Oyo state house of assembly and Teslim Folarin, a former senate leader.

ajimobi, Aloa-Akala and Folarin, addressing the crowd

Akin Oke, the APC chairman in the state, and several others were returned through consensus.

But at the congress of the unity forum Shittu, said members must check the impunity that had characterised the running of the party’s affairs in the state.

He expressed concern over what he called the dictatorial attitude of a few persons running the party without any consideration for those that had worked for its success.

“It is in the course of our efforts to liberate the party from these individuals that we have brought this congress and we will continue to do the wishes of the people so as to bring sanity into the system,’’ he said.
In Enugu, suspected thugs broke into Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu and disrupted the exercise. - Cable Nigeria

Ghost-Working Scandal: EFCC Closes In On Saraki’s Aide

Anti-graft detectives are closing in on Bamikole Omishore, an aide to Senate President Bukola Saraki who was recently exposed for allegedly using his wife as a ghost-worker, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Official confirmation and other information obtained from sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicated that Mr Omishore was under corruption investigation and might be arrested soon.

“We are still investigating the matter,” Wilson Uwujaren, a spokesperson for EFCC, told PREMIUM TIMES Friday afternoon.

Mr Omishore denied committing “any crime” on behalf of himself and his wife when reached for comments by PREMIUM TIMES Friday afternoon, but was silent on whether his wife, said to be based in the U.S., received undue salaries at the National Assembly.

Another EFCC official told PREMIUM TIMES under anonymity that detectives are in possession of evidence that could form the basis of “an unannounced arrest” of Mr Omishore “soon”.

“We now have an overview of his case and we are preparing to arrest him to make another example out of him,” the source told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone Wednesday night.

Mr Uwujaren would only confirm to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Omishore was under serious investigation Friday afternoon, but declined to elaborate.

The anti-graft office received a petition from anti-corruption campaigners last month, detailing how Mr Omishore, 35, allegedly enlisted his wife on the payroll of the National Assembly.

The Punch Newspaper, which published the petition, said Abiola Omishore lives in the United States where she works as a nurse.

From her base in the U.S., Mrs Omishore was allegedly drawing N150,000 in monthly salaries from taxpayers’ money, The Punch reported.

Mr Omishore was also accused of fabricating National Assembly identification credentials for his wife. She reportedly received the undue income through her GTBank using her maiden name, Abiola Aiyegbayo.

Over a three-year period, the alleged fleece has run into millions. At a time, accumulated salaries for several months allegedly hit Mrs Omishore’s bank account, in the manner of backlog salaries payouts, the Punch reported.

Pushing back

Mr Omishore was initially reluctant to publicly speak on the allegations, telling PREMIUM TIMES on the night the story broke that he would wait until he read the petition before anything.

He rejected subsequent requests for him to speak on the raging scandal for four weeks until PREMIUM TIMES informed him of the latest information out of the EFCC.

“I am completely confident that neither my wife or myself committed any crime,” Mr Omishore said Friday afternoon without saying specifically whether or not his U.S.-based wife was on the payroll of the federal government.

 “It is my humble recommendation for you to revert back to your sources to follow rule of law and due process,” Mr Omishore said. “Instead of this undue speculation, as I see this constant call from you as an attempt to intimidate.”

Mr Saraki has not spoken since the allegations were first leveled against his aide four weeks ago. His spokesperson, Yusuph Olaniyonu, did not immediately respond to PREMIUM TIMES request for comments Friday night.

A former banker in the U.S., Mr Omishore served as a digital media aide to Mr Saraki since 2015, during which he took on critics of his principal. He was named a Diaspora affairs aide in 2017, but he could still be seen releasing press statements on behalf of his principal while pushing back against unfavourable reports against the Senate President.

U.S. authorities petitioned

A ghost-worker is someone on the payroll who does not actually work for a victim organisation, according to the Fraud Magazine.

If the allegations hold in court, Mr Omishore or his wife or both of them could face several months, or even years, behind bars, said anti-corruption activist Lanre Suraj.

Mr Suraj’s civic group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, recently dispatched a petition to the F.B.I. and the U.S. Department of Justice for a thorough examination of the allegations.

“Amongst the things we hope to uncover is whether the U.S. authorities were aware that Mrs Omishore lives and works there but still managed to be milking Nigerian taxpayers,” Mr Suraj said.

Mr Suraj said millions of politicians and public service employees have enriched themselves through multiple layers of ghost-working schemes over the past decades.

Successive administration since the return of civil rule in 1999 have adopted policies and innovations aimed at curbing the menace, but its perpetrators appear to be getting ahead of every administration. The practice is said to be particularly prevalent at the National Assembly, where even lawmakers are suspected to be drawing salaries under fictitious names they submitted as legislative aides.

Governments at all levels regularly announce the winnowing of hundreds of thousands of ghost-workers from payrolls. The federal government’s efforts had recorded significant success since the adoption of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) in 2007.

But Mr Omishore sees the allegations against him and his critics who have jumped on them as a witch-hunt that could further discourage cerebral personalities from joining public service for the purpose of sacrifice.

“Sadly, serving in Nigeria is one where you hardly get accolades, regardless of sacrifices made,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

“You are demonised, called unprintable names irrespective of what one does,” he added. “Sadly, some members of the fourth estate of the realm also jump on the bandwagon of speculation, making it harder for good people to even want to serve.” - Premium Times

36 hyenas in action !!! Governors consider taking over fuel subsidy, query payment of N800bn

The 36 state governors have threatened to take over the responsibility of subsidising petroleum products in their states based on consumption, following the huge amount of money being spent by the NNPC as fuel subsidy payment annually.

Abdulazeez Yari, governor of Zamfara, disclosed this while responding to questions after the national economic council (NEC) meeting on Thursday.

He said in June, the governors would take decision on whether to take responsibility for the subsidy in their states or not.

He described as outrageous the N800billion being expended by the NNPC as subsidy, saying NEC must decide whether to allow NNPC to continue with the payment or not.
“Our problem is the volume, the quantity of consumption which is not acceptable,” he said.

“Working with the governors so many decisions were taken but by next month, we are going to adopt that position either for the governors to take responsibility for the subsidy in their states based on the consumption or we look at other ways.

“For instance, if you say we paid N800 billion subsidy, you will ask who are we paying the subsidy to? And if you look at infrastructure development and capital programme of the federal government, it is about N1.1 trillion, almost 70 per cent of what you are spending on developing the economy.

“If there is no infrastructure development then you cannot talk about development of the economy. N800 billion is a huge amount that we must look at it, who is benefiting from it.

“So we are coming up with a strategy, we are going to meet in the month of May and June. By next meeting, we will definitely come up with a position of the government at both level of volume of what is being brought into the country and what the state and Federal Government collaborate to check.”

The governor disclosed that the minister of state for industry, trade and investment briefed the NEC on the establishment of the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council which was approved by Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2017.

“The Industrial Council recognises that there is need for collaboration between the Federal Government (FG), State and Local Government to drive the industrialisation agenda,” he said.

“The briefing today was to present the eight initiatives and recommendations from the Industrial Council that requires State Governments intervention.” - Cable Nigeria

How The Modern Royal Wedding Became a Public Affair

As royal wedding fever once again grips Buckingham Palace and spreads across the world in bunting and memorial tea pots, it's strange to think that the celebration could have ever been a quiet affair - but an ever-modernizing royal family has learned to accept the constant glare of T.V. camera.

Though in many ways the opposite of a royal wedding, King Edward VIII’s abdication of the throne for the sake of marriage to the American divorcee Wallis Simpson was an event with barely a precedent  in modern gossip, and set the tone for the modern media's obsessive interest in the private lives of the British royals. The fact that Prince Harry, though obviously not a sitting monarch, is to wed his own American divorcee on Saturday May 19, shows the family’s substantial modernisation under Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen’s father, King George VI had had his own royal wedding thirteen years before his elder brother’s abdication. Then just the younger brother of an heir, it was not expected that the couple would end up moving to Buckingham Palace.

Nor was it known that their daughter, born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in 1923, would take the throne in 1952 and continue sitting today as the longest-reigning British monarch.

Elizabeth herself picked a foreign-born husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, though he had served in the British army during the Second World War. Before their marriage in 1947, Philip renounced his titles in Greece and Denmark and converted to Anglicanism, taking on the title Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen’s younger sister, Margaret, caused a scandal of her own when she considered the proposal of Group Captain Peter Townsend, a man 16 years old than her and himself divorced with children. With the government against the marriage and the church refusing to accept it, Margaret relented and called it off - prompting headlines in all the major U.K. papers.

In 1960, five years later, she married the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. The couple divorced in 1978 and less than a year later, Armstrong-Jones had remarried.

Elizabeth and Philip’s children all then had their own royal weddings, with all all the speculation and hype that has come to surround the modern ceremonies. Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, married Lady Diana Spencer, and after they divorced, he married Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips; after they divorced, she married Commander Timothy Laurence. Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in 1986; Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999.

The latest royal wedding, likely to elicit some comparisons to Saturday's event, saw Harry’s elder brother, Prince William, marry Kate Middleton, in a full state affair watched by millions in the U.K. and around the world.

But the real parallel to Saturday’s wedding may be the Queen’s own marriage, David McClure, author of the book Royal Legacy, told Newsweek. The Queen’s wedding day also “took place in a period of austerity, with post war public belt-tightening, and there was a debate in government as to how much pomp to include,” McClure noted.

“In the end they compromised, as in a way they have today, with some ceremony to cheer up the masses but trying not to spend too much public money.”

While Queen Victoria’s time saw more private weddings, “royal weddings today are media-driven,” McClure says.

"Even if Meghan and Harry had wanted a purely private affair it would not have been possible given their high profile status - although it should be remembered that when the more low-profile Princess Anne got remarried in 1992 it all happened very discreetly in Scotland with only a handful of guests.”

Saturday will certainly not be a private affair. While Edward VIII and Margaret had to deal with the ire of the church, Harry and Meghan are set to be the main event for an adoring global press, a fitting introduction to a marriage that will likely not leave headlines for some time. - Newsweek

Arsenal to miss out on long-term target as agent fees hault potential deal

Arsenal are ready to end their interest in West Brom defender Jonny Evans, with the player’s agent demanding an extra £4 million for a deal to take place.

The Daily Mail claims that a £3 million deal with Leicester City is close, but the player’s agent wants a further £4 million in agent fees.

Colin Murdock, the player’s agent is said to be keen on making the move happen but will demand £4 million, something that has put both Manchester City and Arsenal off a deal.

City are said to have turned down the chance to sign the player in January and are now likely to look elsewhere, despite the player’s relegation release clause.

Arsenal had been keen on the former Manchester United man but are now ready to look towards other transfer targets

As one of the club’s top earners, Evans is expected to depart the Hawthorns over the summer in a squad shake-up.

The report claims that Evans wants a deal to be completed quickly so he can prepare for the new season. - Read Sport

Man allegedly rapes wife’s 15-year-old sister

The Lagos State police command has arrested an agent at a diagnostic centre along Gbagada-Oshodi Road, Ademola Ojomu, for allegedly raping the younger sister of his wife.

The man allegedly started raping the sister in-law about two years ago when the girl now 15 was 13.

It was gathered that Ojomu would allegedly threaten that he would stop paying her school fees if she told a third party.

The incident was consequently brought to the attention of a child rights group in the community – Child Protection Network – which reported it at the Onipanu police station after the SS1 student confided in one of her school teachers.

The coordinator of the group, Toyin Okanlawon, said the girl had been taken to a shelter in Lagos while the suspect was transferred to the gender unit of the state police command in Ikeja.

He said, “According to the girl, her sister’s husband started having carnal knowledge of her in 2016 whenever the sister was not around.

“She said he always used condoms to prevent pregnancy. The suspect works at a diagnostic centre along Gbagada-Oshodi Road and pays the school fees of the girl. Anytime the girl complained about the unlawful act, he would threaten to stop paying her school fees.

“The man has a child and his wife is pregnant. She wants the case to be withdrawn from the police station so that he would not lose his job. But as a group, which insists that the interest of the child must be protected at all times regardless of who is involved, we decided to report the case to the police. He denied raping the girl.”

Report says the suspect will soon be charged to court. - Daily Post

All past criminals !!! Chime, Nnamani, others escape attack as violence mars Enugu APC Congress

Party stakeholders and delegates escaped attack on Saturday as the Enugu State Congress of the All Progressives Congress, APC, ended in a fiasco.

DAILY POST reports that acreditation of delegates were midway when some thugs stormed the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, venue of the congress and chased party members away.

Our correspondent reports that members of the congress committee and INEC officials would have been mobbed by the suspected thugs. It took the prompt intervention of security agencies before they were rescued and taken out of the chaotic venue.

Prominent members of the party, including, former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, ex Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Sullivan Chime, national vice chairman of the party, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, the State’s party chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, a party chieftain, Emperor Baywood Ibe and other members ran for their lives as the violence erupted.

It was gathered that driver to the party chairman, Nwoye, is currently in hospital following attack by the thugs.

Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama was also there at the time of the incident.

The violence, which was accompanied by sporadic gunshots by security operatives, occurred few minutes after the minister arrived the venue.

Signal that all may not end well was visible in the morning as two warring groups in the party stormed the venue.

Unlike the local government and ward congresses, which the groups held at different venues, it was a different thing this time as they both stormed the stadium early morning with their supporters.

The camp loyal to Onyeama returned to the same venue to hold a factional Congress.

DAILY POST reports that the said Congress came after the minister had expressed disaffection with the process.

He told journalists immediately the thugs chased away the congress committee members, INEC officials and party stakeholders that “we came in for change and the most cardinal thing is to have free and fair elections, for the people to speak.”

On her part, SSA to President Muhammadu Buhari on Justice Reform, Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku vowed that there would not be any congress in the state until election materials were provided.

“We want free and fair election. No congress is holding because they don’t want any election to hold today in Enugu State. So there is no congress holding in Enugu today,” she said.

It is still unclear why they later held the reported factional congress.
As of the time of filing this report, DAILY POST learnt that stakeholders of the party in the State are in a crucial meeting to determine the next line of action. - Daily Post

Strike looms in universities over agreement with government

Another round of industrial action may commence soon in the university sector as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, (SSANU) is  accusing the Federal Government of failing to honour its own part of the agreement entered into with Non-teaching staff of Universities seven weeks after they suspended their strike.

Rising from its National Executive Council meeting at the Bayero University, Kano, SSANU appealed to well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Government to implement all agreements it freely signed with Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU to avert another round of industrial crisis in our Universities.

In a communique signed by the National President, Comrade Samson Chijioke Ugwoke and the National Public Relations Officer, Abdussobur Salaam, the union also accused the government of fragrantly disobeying judgement of the National Industrial Court judgment on University Staff Schools.

The union expressed disappointment at the failure of Federal Government to implement some aspects of the 2009 Agreement and other Memoranda of Understanding it freely entered into with University based non- teaching Staff Unions.

It  warned  that Nigerians should not blame the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NAAT, NASU and SSANU if it resumes the suspended nationwide industrial action, because seven (7) weeks after the last Memorandum of Understanding signed by Government and the Unions, Government has failed to honor its own part of the bargain

It said further that “it has become the penchant of Government to choose which court judgments to obey and which to disregard. In cases where an attempt is made to obey court judgments, implementation is done selectively and at whim.

“NEC decries a situation where the union followed legitimate processes to correct an anomaly and after judgment was given, Government chose to treat with contempt and implement in breach, as is the case with University Staff Schools, where various offices of government have issued circulars which run contrary to the decision of the court. It notes that this development is unbecoming of a democratic government supposedly run under the rule of law and the non implementation of court judgments by the government is an invitation to anarchy”.

The union also expressed concern about the proliferation of Universities and the “rate of approvals granted for the establishments of universities by Government and observed that the establishment of universities have almost become like constituency projects as almost every Senator seems to be sponsoring a bill for the establishment or upgrade of an institution to a University in his or her constituency and that almost every week, the Federal Executive Council approves the establishment of a new University.

“NEC notes that though the number of universities on ground may have challenges meeting up with the increasing admission needs of the country, the solution is not the proliferation of universities.

“Government should rather improve the funding and infrastructures of existing universities so as to increase their carrying capacities and the number of students they can admit. Government should also place premium on internal controls to stem the growing tide of corruption in our universities, indiscipline, academic fraud, sex for marks and other ills that have plagued the university system in recent years.”

On the decision of the Federal Executive Council barring federal universities from charging tuition fees, the union said while the decision is commendable, government must find a way of stopping university management from spreading the fees across other ancillary fees such as Acceptance Fees, Caution Fees, Medical Fees, among others. - The Nation