17042019 - 9th NASS: Fresh crisis looms in APC over leadership slots

34—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019
JTF sets ablaze 2 criminals'
hideouts in Onitsha
By Nwabueze
Okonkwo
ONITSHA —THE Joint
Task Force, JTF, set up
by Anambra State
Government to wage war
against criminals in the
state has set ablaze two
suspected criminal
hideouts in Okpoko,
Ogbaru Local Government
Area of the state in a mopup
exercise.
The JTF operatives
comprising the Army,
police, civil defence corps,
Federal Road Safety
Corps, vigilante operatives,
NDLEA and DSS, stormed
the hideouts in a convoy of
about 20 vehicles and a
caterpillar to arrest the
occupants but when they
could not find any, they
resorted to setting them
ablaze.
It was gathered that after
setting the hideouts ablaze,
the JTF also brought out all
properties from a suspected
criminal's room in a nearby
house and set them ablaze
before removing a Biafran
flag hoisted by members of
Chief Ralph Uwazuruikeled
Biafra Independence
Movement, BIM, at their
Okpoko office.
BIM condemns
dismantling of Biafra
flag by JTF
Reacting to the removal
of the flag, the BIM
regional administrator for
Ogbaru, Chief Amadi
Ifeanyi expressed surprise
over the action of the JTF
and demanded the return
of the flag, adding that they
are a non-violent
organisation fighting for
the actualisation of a
sovereign state of Biafra
and not criminals as they
are being portrayed.
The BIM members
therefore gave the JTF a
seven-day ultimatum
within which to return the
flag and give them chance
to continue with their
struggle for the
actualization of Biafra as an
independent republic.
Electoral violence high in
S-East —WACOL
By Dennis Agbo
E NUGU—WOMEN
Aid Collective,
WACOL, with its partner,
the International
Foundation for Electoral
Systems, IFES, has noted
that electoral violence was
high in the southeast
geopolitical zone in the just
concluded 2019 general
elections.
The group said that with
no less than 18 recorded
deaths in the zone and 530
injured persons with
various degrees of injures,
the rate of electoral violence
in the area was
unacceptable.
It
therefore
recommended use of
electronic voting; voter
sensitization; jobs creation;
unbundling/restructuring
of the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC;
implementation of electoral
reform reports and
criminalisation of vote–
buying as means of
curtailing electoral violence
in Nigeria.
WACOL made the recommendations
when it presented
the southeast report
of the Nigeria Election
Violence Report,
NEVR, project for the
2019 general elections in
Enugu, yesterday.
WACOL Researcher and
Data analyst, Dr. Malachy
Ochie, while presenting
the report said that out of
the 18 deaths in the south
east, Enugu State recorded
one; Imo State six deaths;
Anambra State two; while
Ebonyi State recorded nine
deaths which was the
highest in the zone.
In the report presented to
stakeholders drawn from
various civil society groups
and the media
organisations, Ochie said
that the project was
envisioned to develop the
capacity of civil society to
monitor, analyze and
respond to incidents of
election-related conflicts
before, during and after
general elections in
Okafor declares interest in
Reps speakership
By Emman
Ovuakporie
ABUJA—JOHN Chike
Okafor, representing
Ehime Mbani/ Ihite/
Obowo Federal
Constituency of Imo State
yesterday declared an
intention to run for office of
the speaker.
Okafor said: ”I have
formally written to my
party's chairman last
Thursday that I am ready
to contest in the race."
While addressing the
press, Okafor said he is
ready to run for the House
of Representatives top
position and so far, the
South East has not been
given a fair deal.
Okafor explained that”in
2015, I wanted to run for
the same office but I was
politely informed that I was
not a ranking member and
here I am again in 2019.
“I have done the right
thing by writing my
chairman of my intention to
run because I know I am
eminently qualified to pilot
the affairs of the nineth
House."
Imo Assembly recalls 5 suspended
lawmakers
Nkwerre
By Chinonso
Alozie
OWERRI—THE five
suspended members
of Imo State House of
Assembly were yesterday
re-admitted into the
House.
The Speaker, Acho Ihim,
announced their recall at
the plenary at 1:48pm
yesterday, disclosing that
all issues surrounding
their suspension had been
resolved.
The affected lawmakers
were Ifeanyi Nnataraonye
(Mbaitoli); Uche
Oguwuike (Ikeduru);
Donatus Onuigwe (Oru
West); Chiji Collins (Isiala
Mbano); and Nkenna
Nzeruo (Oru east).
Vanguard had reported
that the leadership of the
House last week instructed
the clerk to write to the
suspended lawmakers, to
come on April 16, 2019 and
interface with the House at
the executive session for a
possible recall.
The Speaker said: “You
will recall that some of the
suspended lawmakers
were asked in the last
sitting to come and
interface with the House
and I am glad to announce
to you now that the issues
of the suspended members
have been resolved. They
have been re-admitted into
the House.”
It should be recalled that
the power play that led to
the suspension of the said
lawmakers was linked to the
dramatic impeachment of
the outgoing Deputy
Governor of Imo State, Eze
Madumere, who at that
time of political game, was
reinstated by the court.
However, the event that
led to the return of the
suspended lawmakers,
started when some of their
colleagues at the plenary
raised an eyebrow over the
delay in recalling them.
It started last week when
the member representing
State
Constituency, Chika
Madumere, raised a point
of order appealing to his
fellow members to join him
in the move to ensure that
their suspended colleagues
were recalled.
In Madumere’s view, “I
rise to appeal to my
colleagues in the House
that five of our members
who were suspended
should be recalled so that
they can represent their
respective constituencies.”
Joining in the campaign
to recall the suspended
members was Mr. Lawman
Duruji, representing
Ehime Mbano State
constituency among
others.
LAUNCHING: From left—Evon Idahosa, Founder & ED, Pathfinders Justice Initiative; Tim
Singleton, Director of Communications, DFID Nigeria; Yinka Omorogbe, Attorney General of
Edo State; Dame Julie Okah-Donli, DG, NAPTIP; John Primrose, Deputy Head of Office, DFID
Nigeria; Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Asst to the President on Foreign Affairs and
Diaspora; and Rufus Idris, Portfolio Manager, Market Development Programme in the Niger
Delta, at the launch of the "Not for Sale" campaign held in Abuja.
Enugu govt to release N400m World Bank
counterpart fund for rural devt
By Chinedu
Adonu
E NUGU—IN
line with its
infrastructural
development agenda in the
rural areas, Enugu State
government has promised
to release N400 million
World Bank counterpart
fund to build more rural
access roads across the
state.
The focal person, Chief
Uche Nnadi made this
known yesterday during a
three-day World Bank,
French Development
Agency and Federal Project
Management Unit
supervision mission of the
projects in Enugu.
Nnaji also disclosed that
another N395 million
would be released to Rural
Access and Mobility
Project, RAMP, in the state
soon.
“The state government
has made N400 million
World Bank counterpart
fund available and will soon
release it to RAMP.
"Another N395 million will
be released but we are
waiting for Exco to meet
and approve it”, he said.
Speaking after the project
monitoring, the national
coordinator, RAMP,
Ubandoma Ularama,
commended the contractors
for using quality material
for the projects.
According to Ularama,
“Actually, there are about
Ihedioha wants Diaspora Imo to play
active role in governance
By Chidi
Nkwopara
OWERRI—A call has
gone to Imo people in
Diaspora to “play active role
in the governance of their
state, instead of distancing
themselves from the
happenings at home”.
The Imo State Governorelect,
Chief Emeka
Ihedioha, who made the
call at the weekend, while
addressing Imo people in
the United Kingdom, also
urged them to get prepared
to play more active and
challenging roles in the
incoming administration.
According to reports
115km of roads being
rehabilitated under Phase
1 of the project and we
visited some roads in two
LGAs in the state (Oji
River/ Isi-Uzo). I was
surprised to see the level
of development that is
going on there".
Also speaking, the Enugu
State coordinator of RAMP,
monitored in Owerri, Chief
Ihedioha also encouraged
them to take what he called
“committed interest and full
participation in the running
of Imo State.
“I assure you that I will
begin to tackle the huge
problems facing the state,
which have sadly inflicted
an equally massive
suffering on the hapless
masses”, Chief Ihedioha
said.
While restating his
campaign promise of
running an inclusive
government that would
accommodate every Imolite
in the Rebuild Imo Project,
Chinedu Ugwu, lamented
the delay encounterd on
the project, saying that
most of the contractors are
doing good jobs.
“The contractor's pace
appears slow but the
supervision consultant
made them understand
they need to work faster
because of the rainy
season."
Ihedioha also disclosed that
his administration will
religiously respect the rule
of law.
“To enhance the task of
rebuilding the state, my
administration will restore
respect for the rule of law
and due process through
re-establishing the sanctity
of the separation of powers
among the three tiers of
government”, Ihedioha
said.
The governor-elect, who
expressed regret over the
comatose situation of the 27
local council areas of the
state in the past eight years,
however promised to
ensure the full autonomy of
the local government
administration in the state.