Politics

PDP questions Benue’s N6.6b budget for LG poll

The Benue State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, approved Governor Hyacinth Alia’s request for a sum of N6,644,778,900 to conduct the local government election in the state slated for 5 October 2024.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) questioned the justification for such a huge budget, wondering whether the LG poll would even hold.

The N6.6 billion approval was granted by the lawmakers in a unanimous voice vote during Wednesday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Hyacinth Dajoh.

The lawmakers acted on the governor’s supplementary budget estimate titled ‘Submission of 2024 Supplementary Budget Estimates of Six Billion, Six Hundred and Forty -Four Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred Naira (N6,644, 778, 900.00) Only Towards The Conduct of Local Government Elections in Fiscal Year 2024 to the Assembly”.

The governor’s letter to the Assembly was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker.

In a unanimous voice vote, members of the Assembly approved the supplementary budget.

Reacting to the development, the immediate past Publicity Secretary of the Benue PDP, Bemgba Iortyom, described the N6.6 billion budget for LG poll as ‘another chunk of money down the drain”.

According to a PDP chieftain in the state, Alia’s administration has been breaking every record available in “recklessness, visionless and has been breeding unprecedented maladministration”.

“What is the justification for spending over N6 billion on local government election when the party, APC is embroiled in series of crisis.

“While the house was passing the supplementary budget, it’s unclear which of the factions of the party is to submit the list of candidates for the election in the state.

“At the end of the day, such money will be voted but the exercise may not hold and if it holds, I am very sure that litigation is going to be the end product.

“Instead of wasting tax payers’ money, Alia should have sanitised the local electoral process in the state by putting to rest the crisis bedevilling the APC in the state to an extent you cannot recognise whether it’s still a political party or association of people scrambling for crumbs.

“To us in PDP, we see it as another chunk of money going down the drain”.

Politics

NAF begins Edo guber election materials transportation

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced the transportation of election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Benin, ahead of the Sept. 21 Governorship election in Edo.

This is contained in a statement by the Deputy Director Public Relations and Information, NAF, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ali said the move was part of a broader effort to ensure timely and secured delivery of sensitive materials necessary for the smooth conduct of the elections.

He said the transportation operation had demonstrated the collaboration between NAF and INEC, aimed at facilitating logistics and ensuring a peaceful election process in Edo.

According to him, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had recently reiterated NAF’s commitment to provide transportation for the swift movement of electoral materials.

“This is in fulfillment of NAF’s constitutional responsibility of providing Military Aid to Civil Authority,’’ he said.

Politics

Fubara directs all 23 LGA chairmen in Rivers to contest under APP

Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed all 23 local government chairmen in the state to contest the forthcoming local government elections under the banner of the All People’s Party (APP).

The decision comes in the wake of Governor Fubara losing control of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) structure in Rivers State to former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The local government elections are scheduled for October 5, 2024.

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Wike has maintained significant control over the PDP structure in the state, causing friction between the two leaders.

The power struggle has culminated in Governor Fubara opting to back the APP, a move many see as a bid to counter Wike’s dominance in the state.

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With the local government elections fast approaching, this move is expected to reshape the political dynamics in Rivers State.

The APP, previously a lesser-known party in the region, now stands to gain considerable traction, backed by the governor and the incumbent local government chairmen.

Politics

Court sets new date for judgment in suit seeking Ganduje’s sack

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, shifted the judgment in a suit seeking the removal of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Sept. 23.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the matter, which was earlier fixed for today, was not on the case list.

NAN gathered that the parties in the suit had earlier been reached by the court registrar for a new date because the judgement was not ready.

“We have already called the parties on phone to inform them of the development. A new date is next week, September 23,” a reliable source said.

Justice Inyang Ekwo had, on July 5, fixed today (Sept. 18) for the judgment.

Justice Ekwo fixed the date after counsel to the plaintiff, Benjamin Davou; and lawyers to the defence adopted their processes and made their submission for and against the case.

The plaintiff; the North Central APC Forum, led by Saleh Zazzaga, had filed the suit to queried the propriety of Ganduje’s appointment as the Chairman of the APC when he is not from the North Central geo-political zone.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, the plaintiff listed Ganduje, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

The plaintiff wants the court to, among others, restrain Ganduje from further parading himself as the chairman of the APC.

It also prays the court to issue an order directing INEC not to accord recognition to all actions taken by the APC, including congresses, primaries and nominations, since Ganduje became APC Chairman on August 3, 2023.

The plaintiff is contending among others, that Ganduje is occupying the office of the APC chairman illegally, not being from a state in the North Central geo-political zone.

It argued that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC breached the party’s constitution when it appointed Ganduje, from Kano State in the North West geo-political zone to replace Sen. Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central geo-political zone.

It also argued that Ganduje’s appointment to replace Abdullahi was contrary to Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution and ultra vires the powers of the NEC of the party, among other reliefs.