News

Nigerians Suffering Under Your Watch, PDP Reps Tell FG

Published

7 years ago

April 3, 2018

Eric

The Peoples Democratic Party Caucus at the House of Representatives on Tuesday tackled the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government over the “worsening sufferings” of Nigerians.

The caucus noted that more Nigerians were hungry due to lack of food while many others were unemployed or under-employed.

In a statement in Abuja, the caucus stated that the APC government won election in 2015, using propaganda as a weapon of “deception” when in reality the government knew that it lacked the capacity to deliver on its campaign promises.

The statement, which was signed on behalf of the caucus by the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, observed that after three years of running Nigeria by propaganda, the government had realised that time was against it.

The caucus added that this was the reason the government was opposed to any criticism of its policies that had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.

The lawmakers cited last week’s incident in Lagos, where the city was shut down because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to inaugurate some projects. They said the same Buhari, years back, stalled the $100m Lagos modern metro line project.

It noted, “Over and over, it has been proven that the current APC government in Nigeria beats all preceding administrations, including the colonial ones, in the sinister art of deceitful lies and propaganda.

“With fiendish mercilessness, the APC’s 2015 campaign milked the unfortunate abduction of the Chibok girls for every available ounce of propaganda and disinformation against the preceding administration.

“Its campaign rhetoric and official hoopla from the lying minister had included rescuing of the Chibok girls and achieving total defeat of the Boko Haram insurgents.

“Today, the APC government nurses palpable fear over any scrutiny of its errors in Dapchi or its unusual generosity towards Boko Haram, which it promised to defeat but now almost sees as a partner with which to share deep and befuddling confidence.”

The caucus called on the government to heed the advice of American billionaire, Mr. Bill Gates, who during a recent visit to Nigeria, faulted the government’s economic recovery and growth plan.

It said rather than applaud Gates for giving a very honest piece of advice, the government reacted by dismissing the billionaire.

The caucus added, “Although, the APC government is known not to be a listening one, last Thursday, the Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, emphatically stated that the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan was not reflective of the people’s needs.

“It is an open secret that under the APC, Nigerians have fared worse on the misery index; those who were rich before are no longer investing, the poor are becoming poorer while almost 30 million Nigerians are either unemployed or under-employed.

“According to Bill Gates, the APC government’s concentration on physical infrastructure to the detriment of human capital development exposes the undesirable inadequacies in the health and education sectors.”

When contacted, the Majority Leader of the House and Leader of the APC Caucus, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, said his colleagues were merely trying to rewrite history by forgetting that it was the PDP that got Nigeria into the mess the APC had been cleaning up.

He argued that the PDP caucus was playing politics in the hope that Nigerians would forget the past and follow the party.

Gbajabiamila added, “It is election season and I don’t expect my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to say anything different, but facts are sacred.

“I guess they have their own alternative facts. Unfortunately, Nigerians are wiser and I am glad they have admitted to their misdeeds and sins against the people.

“In law, it is called voluntary confession, which is admissible in a law court, in this case the electorate as evidence against the PDP. We in the APC in turn admit to underestimating the level and quantum of the rot they left behind whilst trying to clean same up.

“The question that is up for debate is whether their voluntary confession without more should suffice. Me thinks not. Once beaten twice shy.

“Nigerians are smarter and will not succumb to crocodile and pretentious tears.”

News

Ex-Polaris Bank Chief Remanded in Prison Custody for Alleged Fraud

Published

2 days ago

November 19, 2024

Eric

The Special Offences Court sitting in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, on Monday, remanded a former branch manager of Polaris Bank, Abiodun Sanni, at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre for alleged multi-million naira fraud.

Sanni was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on obtaining credit by false pretences, forgery, use of false documents, and stealing.

The EFCC counsel, Orhieoghene Adewunmi, told the court that Sanni committed the offences at the Iju branch of the bank in Lagos on February 24, 2020.

The lawyer stated that the defendant, as the branch manager of Polaris Bank, obtained from the bank a credit sum of N17 million in form of a loan.

He said Sanni collected the loan on the pretext that the loan had collateral in the form of a fixed deposit worth N111.1 million, which belonged to one Yinkus Multi-biz Ventures.

The EFCC lawyer also alleged that the former bank manager dishonestly converted a Polaris Bank fixed deposit account worth N15.1 million, belonging to one Joshua Atolagbe, to his personal use.

According to Adewunmi, the alleged offences contravene Sections 36(1), 278(1), 313(1)(a), 361 (1) and 364 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Sanni, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him.

Adewunmi urged the court to remand the defendant.

“My lord the prosecution intends to call 10 witnesses in this case. We urge the court to remand the defendant in custody in view of his not-guilty plea,” the EFCC lawyer said.

The defence counsel, Osho Oludoshu, told the court that he had filed a bail application.

The presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, thereafter, remanded Sanni at the custodial centre.

Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the case to March 6, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

News

INEC Declares APC’s Aiyedatiwa Winner of Ondo Guber Election

Published

4 days ago

November 17, 2024

Eric

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.

Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.

“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.

The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.

The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.

News

PDP Chieftain Sues IGP Egbetokun over Police Invasion of Home

Published

5 days ago

November 16, 2024

Eric

A former National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Diran Odeyemi has filed a fundamental rights suit against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Also joined in the suit is the Osun State Commissioner of Police.

The suit dated November 7, 2024, was filed before a Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

In an affidavit in support of originating summons, Odeyemi accused armed agents of the defendants of invading his residence at Ibadan on October 26, without prior notice.

The plaintiff said the invasion of his residence and attempt to unlawfully arrest him was part of plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to silence leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State.

Odeyemi alleged that the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje on 20th of October, 2024, declared in Akure, Ondo State capital that the party had a secret strategy to recapture Osun State for APC, adding that what played out at his residence was part of the broader plans of the APC.

The plaintiff asked the court to determine where the attempt and threat by the defendants and their agents to arrest him on wilful investigation of some stalwarts of the APC do not constitute an infringement of his fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, expression and association.

The ground of the originating summons includes, “The plaintiff by virtue of sections 35, 39, 40, 41 and 46 under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights is entitled to enjoy his rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom of association.

‘The Plaintiff, being a citizen of Nigeria, has the right to move freely without any inhibition, express his thoughts, associate freely, and enjoy his dignity without being harassed, intimidated,d, or hindered in any way or manner.

“The Defendants and their officers are rigorously attempting to violate the plaintiff’s fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement freedom of expression, and freedom of association by threatening and planning to intimidate, harass, molest, and unlawfully arrest and detain him on wilful instigation of some politicians within the All Progressives Congress who are hellbent on framing the Plaintiff in order to silence him, as part of the All Progressives Congress secret strategy to recapture Osun State and wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party in the State., come 2026.

“The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress boastfully stated in Akure on the 20th October 2024 that the APC had a secret strategy to recapture Osun State from the Peoples Democratic Party but that he would not reveal the secret and his threatening statement was widely reported in the media.

“In what appears like the commencement of the secret political machinations, the agents of the Defendants, at the instance of some APC politicians and without having ever invited the Plaintiff, invaded the Plaintiff’s home on the 26th day of October 2024 in an attempt to unlawfully arrest, detain, harass and intimidate the Plaintiff but they failed because the Plaintiff was not in the country”