46 Friday 15 May 2015
Friday 15 May 2015 Policies • Issues • Debates BUSINESS DAY 47 POLITICS Mark eulogises Zik’s son, says he’s a distinguished diplomat Crisis in Ekiti PDP as factional chairman emerges Election spending does not boost economy, says YECCIMA SAMUEL ESE, Yenagoa OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja President of the Senate, David Mark, has commiserated with the family of Nigeria’s first president, the late Nnamdi Azikiwe over the demise of his son, Chukwuma Azikiwe, saying he (Chukwuma) was a distinguished diplomat. In a statement issued in Abuja by Paul Mumeh, his chief press secretary, Mark sent a message of condolence to the larger family of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, government and people of Anambra State. The Senate President said the late Chukwuma lived an exemplary life by sustaining the legacies of his late father through selfless services. He said his demise has left a huge vacuum, pointing out that the deceased died at a time when the nation needed his services to address some national issues. Mark recalled the philanthropic gesture of the late Chukwuma which endeared him to his immediate community and beyond, saying his services earned him the title of “Owelle of Onitsha” conferred by the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe. “He (Chukwuma) was known for his hard work, selflessness and dedication to duty. This, he brought to bear during his sojourn as an Ambassador before he returned to private life”, Mark noted. He called on the government of Anambra State to give the late Chukwuma Azikiwe a befitting burial just as he urged the people to take solace in God. OLUWASHOLA SOLOMON, Ado-Ekiti …Raises panel to appraise Abia-PDP performance in last polls GODFREY OFURUM, Aba Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has said he would not tele-guide his successor, Okezie Ikpeazu, the Abia governor-elect, but to rather allow him to use his discretion to run the State. Orji, who stated this at the Government House, Umuahia, when he received in audience the Ukwa Peoples Assembly, who paid him a courtesy visit, said that once his tenure ends on the May 29, that he would be off from the state, except on invitation, pointing out that he would not want to be seen as controlling anybody. The governor said that having been elected by the people as their governor, his successor Political crisis Tuesday hit Ekiti State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) when some party officials rocked the boat and removed state party chairman, Idowu Faleye from office for alleged gross misconduct and briskly appointed another party chieftain as a replacement in acting capacity. The state executive council of the party was said to have sidelined Governor Ayodele Fayose and quickly appointed Olatunde Olatunde, vice chairman, Ekiti North senatorial district, as acting chairman at an emergency meeting of party held at the PDP secretariat along Ajilosun road in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, pending the time the vacancy will be filled. Although, the allegation of gross misconduct was clarified by state executive council who removed the party chairman, BusinessDay gathered that the alleged impeachment of the party chairman was not unconnected with the chairman’s failure to release N11 million given to the state executive council out of total fund allocated to them by PDP headquarters in the last general elections. While addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti after the meeting, the new chairman, Olatunde claimed that the allegedly impeached PDP chairman “voluntarily resigned from office to correct the mistakes made in his appointment as the state chairman, having come from the same Ward 1, Ido-Ekiti with the State Youth leader, coupled with his inefficiency in office”. When asked whether the re- Ayo Fayose, governor, Ekiti State Orji promises not to tele-guide successor should be given a free hand to govern the state and pleaded with the people to cooperate with him for the rapid development of the state. Orji explained that he ran an inclusive government in the state, stating that it was his belief that the next governor should also follow in the same vein and have a listening ear. “As the first Ukwa-Ngwa governor, he knows the enormous expectation of the people from him, he will not disappoint the people,” he said. He assured the Ukwa people that their rights would come their way and urged them to remain patient and tolerant, while using the opportunity to apologise to all those he might have offended moval of the chairman was in connection with misunderstanding between Governor Fayose and Adamu Mu’azu, PDP national chairman, Olatunde denied that the removal had anything to do with the altercations going on between the two and the poor outing of PDP in the last elections. He also added that the change in the state executive council had not been communicated to Governor Fayose, saying that Faleye’s removal was not an attempt to spite the governor and the governor remains a respectable leader of the party at the state level. In a swift reaction, Faleye said he neither stepped down nor resigned his post as being declared by Olatunde, saying that nothing of such happened during the Orji in the course of his duties as governor to forgive and forget. Adolphus Wabara, former Senate president and leader of the delegation, had earlier explained meeting and that “he remains authentic chairman of the party”. Faleye said: “How will I resign from my duty post with overwhelming victory our party got in the state during the last elections, nobody impeached me neither did I step down for anybody. As far as I am concerned, I remain the authentic chairman of PDP in Ekiti State. “Those who call themselves the new party officials are fighting me because of their honorarium which is about N11 million and I can’t sign a cheque without notifying and getting approval from our leader who is the governor of the state and I told them to be patient. They are fighting me because of that money,” Faleye further explained. that their visit was to thank the governor for supporting fully the Ukwa-Ngwa cause, noting that without him the governor of Ukwa-Ngwa extraction, would have been a mirage and urged him not to forget Ukwa people. Meanwhile, Orji has inaugurated an 18-member committee to appraise the performance of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state in the last general elections. The committee headed by Ndidi Okereke, a former chairman of the party in the state, will among other things, ascertain the perceivable problems and constraints faced by the party at the just concluded elections. Governor Orji, while inaugurating the committee at the Government House Umuahia, urged the committee to review Against the backdrop of high expectations among some stakeholders, the Yenagoa Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (YECCIMA) has said election spending does not contribute to economic growth. Idikio Warmate Jones, directorgeneral, stated this in a chat with BusinessDay in Yenagoa on the state of Bayelsa State economy after the 2015 general elections. Idikio explained that election spending does not affect the real sectors of the economy and as such “usually does not have robust long term effect on the economy.” Many Bayelsans had expressed hope that monies released by political parties and their candidates during the election period would go a long way in stimulating the state economy. A few weeks after the general election, both traders and consumers are nonplussed that the state of the economy does not reflect the huge amount of money allegedly released by political parties and their candidates. But Idikio maintained that election spending provides only consumption investment where services provided are geared towards consumption and does not reflect the kind of purchases that characterise economic activity. According to him, “Post election, the economy remains slow especially as oil prices have not picked. No real investment has taken place in any economy, especially in Bayelsa State.” Idikio, however, expressed hope that the local economy would soon experience a boost as the state government continues with efforts to access the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF). and appraise the performance of the party in the last polls and ascertain the remote and perceived problems faced by the party in that election with a view to proffering solutions capable of leading to improved performance in future polls. The governor said that even though the PDP won in many of the contested elections in the last poll in the state, the victory did not generate the usual euphoria that characterise the party in the previous elections. To that end, he affirmed that the committee is to provide the way forward for the party, including requirements for reforming and rebuilding a stronger and more resilient PDP in the state, and gave the committee two weeks to complete the assignment.
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