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

8—Vanguard, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019
LIVE
PERFORMANCE:
A cross section of Navy
Band with (from third
left): Prof Oluwuyiwa
Falaiye, Dean Faculty of
Arts, University of
Lagos , Dr Sheyi Kenny;
Band Director,
Univeristy of Lagos, and
Mr Russell Brooks,
Public Affairs Officer,
US Consulate General,
Lagos, during a special
live performance by a
visiting US Navy Brass
Band, at Creative Arts
Dept, University of
Lagos, yesterday. Photo:
Kehinde Gbadamosi.
Re-run polls: Nigerians'll treat thugs in
military uniform as fake soldiers — PDP
•Accuses APC of relying on vote-buying, ballot snatching
By Dirisu
Yakubu
ABUJA— PEOPLES
Democratic Party, PDP,
has said Nigerians will treat
alleged All Progressives
Congress, APC, thugs
dressed in military uniform
to assist it to rig the March
23 supplementary
elections as fake soldiers.
The party also noted that
its position is predicated on
claims by the Federal
Government that the
soldiers, who allegedly
unleashed violence and
helped APC to rig the
February 23 presidential
election were fake.
In a statement by its
spokesman, Kola
Ologbondiyan, PDP
expressed its readiness to
“confront, resist and
dismantle all rigging
machinery of APC and
consolidate on its already
established victory in
March 23 supplementary
governorship elections.
“Our structure and
followership in Sokoto,
Kano, Adamawa, Plateau,
Bauchi and Benue states
have been fully rallied at all
levels of polling and
collation process to resist
any attempt by anybody to
manipulate for the APC.
“It is instructive to state
that PDP already has full
information of how the APC
is moving huge sums of
money in an attempt to
bribe officials of INEC to
manipulate the electoral
process.
“This is in addition to
reports of how the APC has
been sending its agents to
promise money to voters
and how such overtures
are being rejected by the
voters.
“PDP also has full details
of how APC has sent
network jammers to the
states
where
supplementary elections
are scheduled to hold as
well as how they have paid
thugs to cause confusion on
the day of election and
snatch ballot boxes, having
realised that it has no
chance in the
supplementary polls.
“The PDP wants the APC
and its candidates to note
that their ignoble schemes
are already known and that
our party is standing
shoulder to shoulder with
the people of these states
to defend our votes.
“In this regard, all our
agents, members and
supporters have been
equipped to closely monitor
all the electoral processes,
from the accreditation of
voters, voting and collation
of results, ensure that all
results delivered at the
polling units be
immediately posted on
INEC website and use all
legitimate means to firmly
resist any attempt by the
APC to alter the results.
“The PDP cautions those
engaged by the APC to
cause confusion and snatch
ballot boxes to steer clear of
the processes, as they will
be doing so at their own
peril.”
Value of N30,000 minimum wage
already eroded —TUC
TRADE
Union
Congress of Nigeria,
TUC, yesterday, said the
value of the N30,000 new
minimum wage had already
been eroded before
implementation by rising
inflation.
The umbrella body for
senior staff associations in the
country, however,
commended the Senate for
aligning with the House of
Representatives in endorsing
the N30,000 monthly national
minimum wage as
recommended by the
tripartite committee set up by
the Federal Government.
TUC in a statement by its
President and Secretary-
General, Bobboi Kaigama
and Musa-Lawal
Ozigi,respectively said
nevertheless, the new wage
would in no small measure
give the workers a sense of
belonging.
According to TUC, “while
the organised labour
appreciates the approval of
the new wage, it is also
instructive to note that
inflation has seriously affected
its purchasing power, as
prices of commodities went
up even when employers
have not commenced
payment.
"The N30,000 monthly
national minimum wage that
we are even asking for to a
family of six actually amounts
to less than N50 per meal per
person. It is exclusive of utility
bills, school fees, etc.
“Given our extended
family system as Africans, we
are also expected to once in
a while extend hands of
fellowship to parents, in-laws,
relations, friends who have
lost their jobs, brothers and
people of the same faith.
"We recall that some
lawmakers promised to give
the wage bill supersonic
attention whenever it was
brought before them and they
have kept to their word. To
us it means we still have men
and women with milk of
kindness left in them.
“We, therefore, call on the
9th Assembly and wellmeaning
Nigerians to prevail
on governors to pay workers
their salaries and pension as
and when due to avoid crisis
in the industrial sector.
"The workers have
endured enough, after all.
We warned those who feel
they cannot pay the new
wage to stay away from
politics. And for those
claiming that it is only when
VAT is increased that
government can pay, we
advise them to drop such evil
counsel.
“Nevertheless, TUC
appreciates the Federal
Government, lawmakers and
Nigerian Employers
Consultative Association,
NECA, for seeing reason with
the workers.”
We’ve placed election petition tribunal judges on watchlist
—A-Court President •Warns against frivolous adjournments, technicalities
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
A BUJA—PRESIDENT
of the Court of Appeal,
PCA, Justice Zainab
Bulkachuwa, yesterday,
disclosed that over 250
judges handling election
petition cases across the
federation, have been
placed on watchlist.
The PCA said the judges
would be “closely
monitored,” vowing that
any of them found wanting
in the discharge of his or
her duties, would be
seriously dealt with.
She warned all the
election tribunal judges not
to grant frivolous
adjournments or allow
undue technicalities
capable of causing delay in
the dispensation of petitions
brought before them.
Bulkachuwa gave the
admonition while flagging
off an induction programme
organised for justices of the
Court of Appeal that will
serve as chairmen and
members of election
petition tribunals.
She said: “The judiciary
has been a major player in
the sustenance of
democracy in Nigeria by
adjudicating in all cases
that arise from pre-election
as well as post-election
activities.
“By the end of this week,
Rivers PDP elders warn
against plot to shift collation
of results
By Omieza Ajayi
ELDERS of Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
in Rivers State have
warned of an alleged plot
by Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, working in cahoots
with All Progressives
Congress, APC, to defer
collation of results of the
state’s governorship
election till April 2.
The elders said the plot
may lead to a constitutional
crisis that could set the state
on fire.
INEC National
Commissioner for
Information and Publicity,
Mr. Festus Okoye,
contacted on the
development, claimed
we will all be in our various
states for the tribunals and
the appeals that will follow
suit by the aggrieved
parties.
“I need not remind you
that the assignment ahead
of you is enormous and due
diligence and
professionalism is expected
from each and every one of
you.
“Always be law abiding
and do not allow yourselves
to be stirred by emotions,
fear or sentiments. You are
expected to be in charge of
your courts.
“The Judiciary is in the
lime light and as judicial
officers, we should
discharge the
ignorance of the alleged
plot as he said the
commission would address
the press today to unfold its
plans on concluding the
governorship election in
Rivers State.
INEC had last weekend,
disclosed that it would
yesterday unveil its plans to
conclude the governorship
election in Rivers State.
Responding to the
development, yesterday,
PDP elders, including
former governor of the state,
Sir Celestine Omehia;
Senator George Sekibo;
Sergeant Awuse, and
chairman of PDP, Felix
Obuah, disclosed that they
were aware through
confidential sources of the
plot to shift the collation of
the votes to April 2.
NNPC remits $1.4bn, N851bn
to Federation Account
By Michael Eboh
NIGERIAN National
P e t r o l e u m
Corporation, NNPC,
remitted $1.413 billion, an
equivalent of N432.378
billion, to the Federation
Account in 2018, an
improvement by 50 percent
when compared to
$942.244 million, an
equivalent of N288.327
billion, remitted in 2017.
According to data
obtained from NNPC’s
Monthly Financial and
Operations Report for
December 2018, the amount
remitted to Federation
Accounts Allocation
Committee, FAAC,
accounted for 25.3 per cent
of total proceeds from the
export of crude oil, gas and
other commodities by the
corporation.
The report further disclosed
that the amount
remitted to the Federation
Account was 33.89 per cent
of the total funds deducted
to fund Joint Venture (JV)
cost recovery in 2018.
Specifically, the report
stated that the NNPC
earned $$4.053 billion,
$1.305 billion and $222.77
million from the export sale
of crude oil, gas and other
commodities respectively,
bringing total sales
proceeds receipts to $5.582
billion in 2018,
representing an
improvement of 57.5 per
cent compared with $3.589
billion recorded in 2017.
In addition, the report
noted that $4.169 billion
was deducted from the total
export receipts to fund JV
Cost recovery in 2018,
compared to $2.647 billion
in 2018.
responsibilities reposed on
us both individually and
collectively by dispensing
justice in accordance with
the law without fear or
favour, affection or ill-will
within the dictates of our
conscience and oath of
office.
“Let me remind you that
in an election petition
tribunal, time is of the
essence. I, therefore, urge
you to desist from granting
frivolous adjournments
and also discourage the
practice of employing
undue technicalities or any
act capable of causing delay
in the dispensation of
petitions before you."