03032018 - APC budgets N500m for 20 vehicles

Why we are boycotting Edo LG polls — PDP
•CP warns against violence as polls hold today
By SIMON EBEGBULEM
THE
Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
in Edo state has given
reasons why it is boycotting
elections in the 192 wards
and 18 Local Government
Areas of the state scheduled
to hold today describing it
as a sham.
Meanwhile, the state
commissioner of police, Mr
Babatunde Kokumo has
warned the youths against
violence during the polls
saying that policemen have
been deployed in different
parts of the state to provide
security.”
The PDP in a statement
signed by the state Publicity
Secretary, Chris Nehikhare,
announcing the boycott of
the election, asserted that ¨
PDP is not participating in
the sham elections. We did
not submit any candidate for
any of the positions in any
of the wards and local
government areas in the
state. As a matter of fact, we
filed a case in court
challenging EDSIEC,
EDHA and EDSG on their
powers, amongst other
breaches, to amend the
rules for the conduct of the
elections. The case has been
adjourned to April 11, 2018
at the last hearing. From the
onset, we outlined our
grievances regarding the
composition of EDSIEC, the
unconstitutional
amendment to the number
of days notice required to be
given to political parties
before elections are held
and questioned the
competence of the EDSIEC
as the antecedent of its
chairman stuck out like a
sore thumb.
¨At this point, we expected
EDSIEC and/or EDSG to
address these issues raised
as they were germane, but
instead, they preferred to
pay lawyers up to N500m
to keep the case in court.
Our case is strong and
justifiable. As a
consequence and not
wanting to give credibility
to a flawed and skewed
process, whereby all the
winners have been
predetermined, election
results already written in
government house and
handed over to the Prof.
Orobator led EDSIEC for
announcement, we hereby
advise all our members,
sympathizers as well as the
good and hard working
people of Edo State to
observe March 3rd, 2018 as
a day of rest,¨ he stated.
But reacting swiftly, the
APC through the state
Secretary, Lawrence Okah,
described the boycott as an
acceptance of defeat that ¨
will come to PDP in 2019.¨
According to him, ¨the
PDP knows they have no
local government to
campaign to and the
people will not listen to
them so they decided to
boycott which is
unfortunate. Now that they
boycotted, I hope they will
not come and seek for votes
in 2019. We were in this
state and we saw how
Oshiomhole conducted a
free and fair Local
Government election but
when the PDP was in
power, we never
conducted any election.
¨They would only sit at
Government House and
write the results and
announce. So they were
scared that we were going
to behave like them. But
we are happy that other
parties are there and that
is democracy for you.¨
Meanwhile, the police
boss in the state, Mr
Babatunde Kokumo has
warned that ¨anyone
found fomenting trouble
during and after the
election will be dealt with
no matter his position in
the society. I want to appeal
to voters to conduct the
exercise freely and go to
their houses. My men have
been deployed in different
parts of the state to provide
security.¨
Exclusive Vanguard: Our Tony Ubani captured this Vendor stand on Airport
Road, Benin on Tuesday. He sells only Vanguard newspapers because
according to him, "It's the only paper that we trust and which sells here."
$2.1bn Arms deal: S-Court declines to
order Dasuki’s release
•says EFCC not responsible for his continued detention
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
THE Supreme Court,
yesterday, dismissed
an appeal by the
erstwhile National
Security Adviser, NSA,
Col. Sambo Dasuki, rtd, to
challenge his continued
detention by the Federal
Government.
Dasuki, who served as
the NSA under ex-
President Goodluck
Jonathan, queried the
legality of his prolonged
detention since
November 3, 2015,
despite the fact that he
was granted bail by three
different trial courts.
The embattled ex-NSA
is being prosecuted before
different courts by the
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission,
EFCC.
He is facing three
separate charges before
the Federal Capital
Territory High Court at
Maitama and the Federal
High Court in Abuja, over
his alleged complicity in
illegal diversion of about
$2.1billion meant for the
purchase of arms to
combat terrorism in the
North-East, as well as, for
money laundering and
illegal possession of fire
arms.
He was on December 29,
2015, re-arrested by
operatives of the
Department of State
Service, DSS, immediately
after his release from Kuje
Prison upon perfecting all
his bail conditions.
Dissatisfied with his
incarceration, which he
said had affected his
ability to prepare his
defence to charges
against him, Dasuki,
prayed the Supreme
Court to order his
release, or in the
alternative, suspend
further hearing in cases
against him until FG
complies with his bail
orders.
VANGUARD, SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018 — 7
‘Dress indecently, get
expulsion,’ Katsina varsity
warns students
By Bashir Bello
THE Vice-Chancellor, Al-Qalam University,
Katsina, Prof. Shehu G. Ado has warned new
students of the institution against indecent dressing or
face expulsion.
Other misconducts which he warned against were
examination malpractice, drug abuse, sexual harassment
and gross misconduct.
Ado gave the warning at the matriculation of the 2017/
2018 academic session of the institution.
The Vice-Chancellor who was represented by his
Deputy, Dr. Muhammad Muslim Ibrahim also reminded
the 2,000 new intakes that as the first Islamic University
in Nigeria, the university authority would continue to
lay emphasis on the religious and moral uprightness of
all its students.
Ado congratulated them for securing admission into
the university and asked them to utilise the opportunity
to graduate in flying colours.
He said: “Let me make it very clear to you that ours is
a university with a difference, you should therefore
always remember Allah and obey His orders”.
Ogun-Osun River Basin
targets N1b IGR
By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta
THE Chairman, Board of Directors, Ogun-
Oshun River Basin Development Authority,
Abeokuta, Sola Lawal has said that the agency was poised
to generate N1b annually as an Internally Generated
Revenue (IGR) and make it run independently.
The new Chairman who assumed office with other
members of the board of directors, said the agency would
be repositioned to make it a viable and self-sustaining
federal government agency.
He made this known on Thursday shortly after an
inaugural meeting of the board and inspection of some
of the OORBDA’s facilities in Alabata, Abeokuta, Ogun
State. The Board Chairman said given the OORBDA’s
poultry and piggery farms, crops production, safe
drinking water production, dams production and
irrigation services, it should be able to leverage on those
potentials to meet the revenue target.
2019: Deltans will re-elect
Gov Okowa for second
term, says Egone
A
chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
in Ughelli North Local Government Area and former
President General of Ughelli Descendant Union, UDU,
Chief Patrick Egone, has expressed optimism that the
people of Delta State will give Governor Ifeanyi Okowa a
second mandate in 2019.
This is to enable him to consolidate and complete the
good works he had started across the state.
Egone, also a member of Delta State Advisory and Peace
Building Council, in a statement at Ughelli, congratulated
Governor Okowa for bagging the, “ Man of The
Year 2017” award by the Independent Newspaper.
The PDP chieftain, however, supported Governor
Okowa’s submission that government at all levels should
begin to pay more attention to the youths and consistently
make efforts to get them empowered.
NDDC sacks contractors,
engages another on sluggish
permanent headquarters
project
By Egufe Yafugborhi
ANOTHER contractor has been engaged to
handle the Permanent Headquarters of the Niger Delta
Development Corporation, NNDC in Port Harcourt, River
State .
The new contractor, Messrs Rodnab Construction Limited,
has 52 weeks within which to complete the project, which
has also received the blessing of the Federal Executive Council,
FEC. Managing Director of the Commission, Nsima Ekere,
said the engagement of Messrs Rodnab Construction Limited,
the new contractor was the result of a new machinery in
motion to ensure that the 13-floor headquarters structure
was completed on schedule. According to Ekere, a committee
headed by NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Samuel
Adjogbe, to work out modalities for the speedy completion of
the project had to disengage Marshland Projects Limited
and other contractors in June 2017.