21032019 - PDP, Atiku in post-election trauma, depression — APC

Vanguard, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019—33
Delta Assembly approves N7.9bn for road construction, Delta Line
By Festus Ahon
ASABA—DELTA State
House of Assembly
has approved a short term
loan facility of N7.9 billion
for Governor Ifeanyi
Okowa to finance priority
road projects in the state
and purchase buses for
Delta Line Transport
Service Limited.
Governor Okowa, in a
letter read by the Speaker,
Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori, at
the resumption of plenary
after a break occasioned by
the elections, said there was
urgent need for the state
government to support
some of its roads
contractors in accessing
By Emma Una
CALABAR—THE Muri
Munene, Professor
Hogan Itam, the King of
Efut and Paramount Ruler
of Calabar South Local
Government Area, Cross
River State, has been
dethroned by a state High
Court sitting in Calabar
presided over by Justice
Edem Koofreh.
Justice Koofreh sacked
the king in his judgment in
a suit by Etubom Nyong
Okon and five others
against the recognition of
Hogan Itam as the Muri
Munene and President of
Calabar South Traditional
financing to accelerate the
execution of critical projects
before the onset of the rainy
season.
He said the request had
become expedient
considering the almost N3
billion drop in Federation
Accounts receipt in January,
compared to December
2018 which had hindered
planned disbursement to
the contractors.
The governor noted that
most of the contractors were
already on site and have
generated payment
certificates for works
already executed, which
were yet to be defrayed.
Majority Leader, Tim
Owhefere, in separate
Rulers’ Council by the
Cross River State
Government.
The Etuboms had sought
the removal of the king on
the grounds that his
assumption of the throne
contravened Sections 17(2),
18, 19 and 20 of the Cross
River State Traditional
Rulers Law of 2004.
The claimants had argued
that by the Cross River
State Traditional Rulers
Council Laws of 2004, the
paramount ruler of Calabar
South can only be selected
by and from among the
clan heads in Calabar
South. And Itam, they said,
is not one.
motions moved for the
House to receive the
request for further
consideration and
approval.
The motion was adopted
through a voice vote after it
was seconded by Emeka
Nwaobi and Johnson Erijo.
Also at plenary, the
House approved the
request of the governor to
guarantee credit facility to
be obtained by Delta Line
Transport Service Limited.
According to the letter
read by the Speaker,
Oborevwori, the governor
said the development was
in a bid to revamp the ailing
Delta Transport Service
Limited.
They said: “We seek a
declaration that the
recognition of the
defendant as the
paramount ruler of Calabar
South and President of
Calabar South Traditional
Rulers Council is unlawful,
null and void.”
In the judgment, Justice
Koofreh held “it is hereby
declared that by the
combined provision of
Sections 17(2)18,19 Laws of
Cross River State, the
defendant’s selection and
recognition as Muri
Munene of Efut does not
confer on him a right to
serve as Paramount Ruler
of Calabar South and
He stated that the
company had over the
years relied on continuous
assistance from the state
government to pay salaries
and other recurrent
obligations as well as
capital expenditure
despite being a business
that should generate
revenue.
Okowa said the state
government sold 60
percent equity of Delta
Line to God is Good
Motors Transport
Development Company
by way of a public private
partnership arrangement
with the state government
retaining 40 percent
equity in the company.
VISIT: From left—French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jérôme Pasquier; Executive Chairman/CEO, BUA
Group, AbdulSamad Rabiu, and Chief Executive Officer, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and
Africa, Société Générale, Michel Cohen, during a visit to BUA Group's headquarters in Lagos.
Court dethrones Calabar king
Okowa means well for Delta—Oboramohwoyere
By Festus Ahon
ASABA —CHIEFTAIN
of Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, in Delta State
and Senior Special
Assistant to the Governor
on Community
Development, Chief Sam
Oboramohwoyere, has said
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa
meant well for the state.
Addressing the people of
Ewu Ward 2, Ughelli South
Local Government Area of
the state yesterday,
Oboramohwoyere assured
the people that Okowa will
continue with his good
governance in his second
tenure.
He said: “The governor’s
landslide victory shows that
Deltans are satisfied with
the visionary, focused and
dynamic leadership he has
given to them over the last
three years and eight
months.
“Okowa has proved to be
a governor that can be
trusted by his people. With
this fresh mandate, Deltans
should expect much more
in terms of human and infrastructure
development.”
President of Calabar South
Traditional Rulers.”
The judge agreed with
the claimants that by the
combined effects of Sections
17(2) 19, 20 of the
Traditional Rulers Laws of
Cross River State 2004, the
President of the Calabar
South Traditional Rulers
Councils can only be
selected by and from
among the clan heads in
Calabar, to which Hogan
Itam does not belong.
Justice Koofreh declared
that the certificate of
recognition issued by the
Cross River State
Government to Itam as
President of Calabar South
Traditional Rulers Council
is “by order of this court
cancelled.”
He restrained Itam, his
agents, defendants and
privies from parading,
recognising or dealing as
the traditional ruler of
Calabar South and
President of Calabar South
Traditional Rulers Council
and from performing the
duties of the President of
Calabar South Traditional
Rulers Council.
Garba urges Atiku's
supporters to keep hope alive
EDO State Director of
Atiku/Obi Vanguard
Support Group, Dr
Hussein Garba, has
urged supporters of
Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, presidential
candidate, Atiku
Abubakar, “not to
despair but to keep hope
alive while necessary
steps are being taken to
redress the electoral
injustice perpetuated
against Atiku in the last
presidential poll.”
Dr. Garba advised
supporters, volunteers
and well wishers of the
party to endeavour to
sustain the tempo of
NGO clears Warri
streets of drug addicts
By Jimitota
Onoyume
W ARRI—DRUG
addicts and idle
youths in Warri, Delta
State, have been trained
in various vocational
skills by the Effurun
chapter of Rotary Club
in partnership with
Shola Mese
Foundation.
Founder of the
Foundation, Deacon
Shola Mese, told
newsmen that the
training programme was
aimed at productively
engaging drug addicts
to make them quit
harmful drugs, adding
that decent members of
the society who also
wanted to acquire skills
By Davies
Iheamnachor
PORT HARCOURT—
FRESH Agenda for
Rivers, FAR, has
pleaded with the
Federal Government to
wade into the electoral
issue in Rivers State to
avert a breach of the
constitution.
FAR also urged the
Federal Government,
Nigerian Army, Police
and other stakeholders to
open investigation aimed
at finding out the thugs
who appeared in military
uniform and disrupted
the collation of results in
the state.
The convener of the
body, Mr. Marshall
Chukwu, who made the
call yesterday in Port
Harcourt, noted that it
was unconstitutional for
the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, to
their interest in the Atiku/
Obi ticket as the legal
tussle has begun.
In a statement in Benin
City, Edo State, yesterday,
while reacting to calls on
Atiku to accept defeat in
good faith and desist from
going to the tribunal to
challenge the election
outcome, he said Atiku's
supporters nationwide
must not lose hope in the
project to get Nigeria
working again.
He said they should be
ceaseless in their prayers
for a successful tribunal
outing, as that was the best
way to keep the struggle
alive and intact.
were part of the
programme.
He said he was
disturbed by the alarming
rate young people are
wasting their lives on
drugs, stressing that the
urgent need to redirect
their minds to productive
ventures motivated him
into setting up the
foundation that has been
training youths on various
vocational skills.
The youths were trained
in welding, fashion,
catering, computer
graphics, leather works,
hairstyling, barbing, facial
makeup and headgear.
Ejiro Erherha, who was
trained in shoe and bag
making, said she got
involved after hearing of
the programme on radio.
FAR seeks FG’s intervention
in Rivers polls crisis
assume the role of the
Election Petition Tribunal
to investigate a process
that is about to be
completed.
Chukwu noted that
INEC by sending a factfinding
team violated the
electoral principal, calling
on the Chairman of the
Commission, Mahmood
Yakubu and the Resident
Electoral Commissioner in
Rivers State, Obo Effanga,
to step down from their
offices “for incompetence.”
He called on President
Muhammadu Buhari,
and the Department of
State Services, DSS, to
intervene in the electoral
crisis in the state to be able
to curtail breach of the
constitution, and law and
order.
Meanwhile, Mr. Peter
Ohochukwu, state leader
of the body, urged relevant
stakeholders and the
Federal Government to
call INEC to order.