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Damagum remains PDP acting national chairman

Alhaji Umar Damagum, will continue as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic party, pending the election of a new chairman in August, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has said.

This, the party said was to ensure reconciliation and to take care of other issues within the party.

“We will look at the issue of leadership and look at the issue of our constitution where it will be and we will do it without rancour,” chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State told journalists at the end of the 98th NEC meeting of the party on Thursday in Abuja.

“In the next two months we will see a lot of activities, leadership is a responsibility. We said in September that we would have come out from our congresses.

Bala added that the successful conduct of the party’s NEC meeting was an indication that there was no dissension and rancour within the leadership.

“It was planned that the party will have an explosion. PDP is more than that, we have gone beyond all these ideocracies. This party is a united party that is guided by experience and constitutionality.

“There were a lot of permutations and mischievous thinking outside there. But we looked at all the issues and we worked along our guidelines and constitution. There is no problem or dissension and problem among members,” he said.

Also speaking, Damagum said that the leadership of the party was not a do or die affair.

“This is not a matter of life and death. I am still an elected member of this NEC. Even if I revert to deputy national chairman I’m still a member of NWC. The issue of surviving or not does not emerge,” he said.

Also, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba said that issue of the party leadership would be considered in August.

“Our party emphasizes the need for reconciliation and stability within the party at this time. Therefore, the issue of the National Chairman, Damagum, has been deferred to the next NEC meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 15,” he said.

Ologunagba later read the communique at the end of the meeting, saying that the NEC tasked all organs, leaders, stakeholders and members of the PDP to close ranks and put aside their differences and work together to reposition and return the PDP to power.

He said that the NEC also received and approved the timetable for the party’s congresses across the country.

“NEC also approved the Reconstitution of the Party Disciplinary and Reconciliation Committees to further ensure the stability of the Party.

“Similarly, NEC approved the extension of the life of the Party Constitution Amendment Committee to allow it to receive new amendment proposals for inclusion in its deliberation and final report for consideration by NEC.

“NEC commended the efforts of the National Working Committee in its effort towards rebranding the Party including the new look PDP Logo which is widely accepted by Party members and Nigerians in general.

“NEC charges all Party members to continue to work together for the success of the PDP for the benefit of Nigerians and sustenance of Democracy in our country,” he said.

Ologunagba said that the NEC advised President Bola Tinubu to convene a special National Security Council meeting to proffer a holistic solution to the current security challenge facing the country.

He said that the NEC also urged Tinubu to rejig his economic team to include individuals with proven integrity and competence to assist in repositioning the economy.

“NEC further demands that the Federal Government should review all policies and programmes which are stifling the economy with suffocating effect on the lives of citizens; including the increase in price of fuel without cushioning measures, hike in electricity tariff, increased taxation and implementation of adverse fiscal policies,” he said.

The meeting was attend by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, NWC members, BOT members, serving governors and members of the National Assembly.(NAN)

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Rivers State of Emergency will end as soon as stability is restored- FG

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has assured that President Bola Tinubu will end the state of emergency in Rivers State as soon as stability is restored.

In an interview with The Nation newspaper, Idris stated that Tinubu remains committed to reinstating democratic governance in the state.

“As soon as he assesses that sanity has returned to Rivers State, he will ensure the restoration of all democratic structures in that state,” he said.

He further emphasized the urgency of the situation, adding that “the president will not wait a minute longer than necessary.”

Dismissing speculations about hidden motives behind the emergency declaration, Idris maintained that the decision was made purely in the interest of restoring order.

“The president has no intention whatsoever to take over the governance of Rivers State. He has no intention to be or to appoint a governor for Rivers State,” he said.

According to the minister, the breakdown of governance in Rivers necessitated the president’s intervention. He described the action as “a very responsible but very painful” decision made “in line with constitutional provisions.”

“The way democracy is designed in this country is that the three arms of government must work together, and one will be checking the other,” Idris explained.

“So, we cannot have just the executive functioning and say we have a functional democracy. We didn’t have that, and therefore, the president had to act.”

The emergency rule, declared last week, led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the state assembly, with retired naval chief Ibok-Ete Ibas appointed as the sole administrator

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NBA to Tinubu: Restore Fubara back to power immediately, constitution does not recognise an administrator

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has reiterated its call on President Bola Tinubu to restore Governor Siminalayi Fubara back to his elected position as Rivers State governor without further delay.

Last Tuesday, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and followed it up with the suspension of the elected governor of the state, his deputy and all the members of the House of Assembly over the political crisis rocking the oil-rich state.

The President appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, as the state’s sole administrator. Immediately after the move, the NBA released a statement saying the President lacked such powers to suspend democratically elected officials. According to the NBA the removal of Fubara by Tinubu is unconstitutional.

Following up with its earlier statement, the NBA President, Afam Osigwe, insisted that Fubara must be brought back to his position as the governor of Rivers State as the constitution does not recognize a Sole Administrator.

“That is our belief, that is what we expect the president to do, to restore him (Fubara) back to power having unconstitutionally removed him,” Afam Osigwe told Channels Television, Sunday night, March 23 when asked if the president should recall the governor.”

“And that is why we do not recognise that a sole administrator is the rightful person to occupy the government house in Rivers State having been appointed unconstitutionally.

“Even when I saw him taking the oath of office, I was wondering which oath he was taking because he was taking an oath not known to the constitution, the constitution does not recognise an administrator,” he said.

Osigwe pointed out that the problem in Rivers State is being cured with a wrong solution, likening it to one using a sledgehammer on his head because of headache.

He said the measures being taken to address the Rivers problem “are overreaching, extensive, undemocratic and above all, unconstitutional.”

He maintained that the problem in Rivers State is political and only a political solution will bring it to an end.

“I do not believe that it (Section 305) is not explicit, I simply believe that we deliberately refuse to apply it the way it is,” Osigwe said

Osigwe also does not believe that the national assembly approval legitimized the President’s action saying the National Assembly’s approval is like placing something on nothing.

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INEC receives petition for recall of embattled Senator, Natasha

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday received petition for recall of embattled Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from a group of registered voters from her Kogi Central Senatorial District.

Natasha is presently on suspension by the Senate over alleged gross misconduct.

The petition for her recall dated 21st March 2025 was submitted on Monday at the INEC headquarters in Abuja by a group which described itself as Concerned Kogi Youth and Women.

The petition was addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

It was titled, “Constituents Petition for the Recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on grounds of Loss of Confidence.”

In the petition the Kogi Central constituent said: “We, the undersigned being duly registered voters of the Kogi Central Senatorial District, hereby invoke our rights under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to formally demand the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Nigerian Senate.

“In particular, this petition for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is brought pursuant to Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended), as well as INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall Petitions.

“Kindly recall that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan emerged as our Senator by verdict of the Court of Appeal, Abuja on Tuesday October 31, 2023 which affirmed the Peoples Democratic Party PDP candidate as winner of the February 25, 2023 Kogi Central Senatorial election.

“This petition arises from our loss of confidence in the Senator on grounds of gross misconduct, abuse of office, evasion of due process and a pattern of deceitful behaviour that has not only embarrassed the people of Kogi Central constituency but has also tarnished the integrity of the Nigerian Senate and our nation’s democratic institutions

Speaking after submitting the petition, a leader of the group, Charity Ijoshe Omole told journalists that the move to recall Natasha was because her constituent have lost confidence in the senator.

She said; “We have lost confidence in her because of her gross misconduct that led to her suspension in the Senate and we the Kogi Central not to be represented.

“We have cone to recall her, because we cannot afford not to be represented. This petition is from Concerned Kogi Youth and Women.

“We, the people of Kogi Central voted her in, and we are here to recall her. We have four 488,000 registered voters and as I speak to you now, we have more than 250,000 voters who have signed for her recall”.

“By this petition, which we have made sure is signed by more than one-half of the registered voters in Kogi Central, we hereby demand that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC immediately commences the constitutional and procedural process of recall to remove Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from office and declare her seat vacant”.

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