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PDP to IG: Get your men off our secretariat *We’re here to maintain peace – police
Operatives of the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Police Force and their counterparts in the Directorate of State Security (DSS), on Monday, stormed the Ondo Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Kennedy Peretei, spokesman for the Ondo PDP, giving update on the development, said the presence of the security operatives, who stationed their vehicles outside the secretariat, was to prevent a planned peaceful protest by youths of the party, demanding the whereabouts of the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu after being absent from the state since April, 2023.
The development coming a day after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday raised the alarm over plots by the PDP and some APC chieftains to instigate crisis in the state, saw the operatives preventing the workers from gaining access into their offices after blocking the entrance.
However, the Ondo APC, which did not give account of the governor’s whereabouts, but claimed that he had been performing his official duties irrespective of location, said he would soon be back in the state.
But the main opposition party in the state, vowed to persist with street demonstrations, calling on him to resume his official position in Akure, the state capital, failing, which he should resign.
Peretei, while calling on the Inspector General of the Nigerian Police and the Ondo Commissioner of Police, to immediately withdraw their men from the party’s secretariat, lamented how it took frantic efforts of members of the PDP State Working Committee (SWC) before the secretariat gate was opened amidst serious tension and confrontation.
He said: “PhotoJournalists were threatened to stop recording anything lest their cameras were smashed. But as the PDP youths forced themselves into the secretariat, proceeding on a street protest would amount to daring the trigger-happy police to do their worst.
“As much as the officers tried to stop the protest, they failed because the youths displayed their banners and placards to Journalists who gained entrance into the secretariat. We cannot be intimidated by security agents who are paid with taxpayers’ money. We have the right to demand the whereabouts of the governor if he is missing in action.”
Another PDP Chieftain, Akintade Tayo, said the party members were embarrassed because security agencies were notified to avoid holding the party responsible for any breakdown of law and order, added: “And we were asking them what they were doing here but they said they don’t want us to enter. After some time, they allowed us access but some of our staff were asked to leave the office.
“All the youth that were supposed to participate in the peaceful protest were outside. All we’ve asked for is very simple. Where is Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu? He was elected the Governor of Ondo State. We can no longer continue like this. We are the voice of the people, we are the voice of the masses. We are saying, Mr Governor must resume back to duty, he can no longer govern us by proxy, and we can no longer be hearing that he’s one thing or the other when we’ve not sighted him.”
Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, a Superintendent of Police (SP) and spokesman, of the command, who explained the reason for the operation, said the mission of the operatives was to maintain law and order, after receiving a letter that was not signed by any official of the PDP but by one Oluyi Tayo.
Odunlami-Omisanya stated: “There was nothing to show in the letter who wanted to protest. There was no number and we wanted to protect the PDP. We do not want any protest without known organisers. From our background check, we are not sure Tayo is actually the chairman of the PDP Youth Wing.”
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Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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