• Mimiko Elected Forum’s Chairman • Party Disowns Group Seeking Buhari’s Resignation
By Rotimi Akinwumi (Abuja) And Temidayo Akinsuyi (Lagos)
State Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday kicked against the relocation of Election Petition Tribunals of Rivers, Taraba and Akwa Ibom States to Abuja.
Candidates of the party were declared winners of the three states after the April 11, 2015, gubernatorial election.
President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainabe Bulkachuwa, in charge of the tribunal, reportedly announced the relocation, following complaints about insecurity in those states, to safeguard the lives of the judges and ensure dispensation of justice without fear.
Although there was no official statement released, counsels to the candidates have expressed concerns that some of their clients would be affected financially by the action in form of the high and burdensome cost of transporting and keeping witnesses and materials to Abuja.
The meeting under the aegis of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDPGF), which ended early yesterday morning, faulted the relocation and promised to take their protests to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also at the meeting, Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko emerged Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, replacing immediate past Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, who is now Senator.
Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting that ended at about 12:15 am, Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, noted the PDPGF’s displeasure at the relocation of the tribunals.
“We condemn in very strong terms the relocation of election tribunals in Rivers State, Taraba State and Akwa Ibom State to Abuja,” he said.
He also announced that “the PDP governors’ Forum unanimously elected Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State as Chairman of the forum.”
According to Ikpeazu: “We congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari, on his election as the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. We also commend and salute our former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for his display of peaceful disposition in the 2015 general elections, which has stabilised our political landscape.
“We equally congratulate Senator Bukola Saraki, Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Hon. Suleiman on their emergence as the Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. We specially congratulate our own Senator, Ike Ekweremadu, on his emergence as Deputy Senate President,” he added.
Also addressing journalists at the ocassion, the new PDPGF Chairman, Mimiko, expressed the readiness of the PDP as an opposition party to work with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We will do everything that we can do to engage the presidency and APC in a very constructive manner. We have also agreed to create formal and informal mechanisms of peer review, all for the development of our nation.”
Governors at the meeting were: Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Capt. Idris Wada (Kogi), Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba).
The deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah, represented the state governor at the meeting, while Governors Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe; Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State; Nyesome Wike of Rivers; Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta; and Professor Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers were absent.
Meanwhile, the PDP on Wednesday dissociated itself from the statement by a group, “PDP Media Watchdog,” which heaped insults on President Muhammadu Buhari, allegedly on behalf of the party’s National Secretariat.
The group had taken President Buhari to the cleaners over his comments that he would have loved to be president at a younger age than now when he is old.
The group, while condemning the President, asked him to resign from office.
Reacting however, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, denounced the group, saying it is unknown to the party.
Metuh said the party had taken a decision never to insult President Buhari and as such, the said group could not have spoken for it as it was never at any time authorised to do so.
He added: “The attention of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a press statement by a group parading as PDP Media Watchdog and purporting to be working within and in the interest of our great party.
“This group is absolutely unknown to the PDP and has no connection whatsoever with our party at any level, neither is the content of their statement a reflection of the position or stance of the party.
“The PDP, therefore, distances itself from the embarrassing statement by this group wherein it called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign, and went ahead to use offensive and denigrating language on the person and office of the President of our great country.
“This is completely unacceptable and against the posture of the PDP to engage only on robust and credible opposition while constructively offering alternatives to the programmes and policies of the APC-led government, preparatory to our return to power in the next four years.”
The PDP, however, said that though it does not support the insults heaped on President Buhari, such had been done by the APC in the past when it was the opposition party.
While restating the PDP’s resolve not to insult the President, Metuh said: “We note with dismay that the attitude of this group is a direct consequence of the approach adopted by the APC in denigrating and insulting our immediate-past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
“Though we know that former President Jonathan suffered such fate in the hands of the APC, we shall not repay them in the same coin as such is not part of our tradition and value as a party.
Metuh said that the party had made it known to the public that statements issued by the National Chairman, the National Secretary, the National Publicity Secretary or any other officer of the party authorised by the National Working Committee (NWC) should be regarded or reported as the position of the PDP on any matter.
But the APC, nonetheless, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, blasted the PDP Media Watchdog, noting: “What President Buhari was saying, which was lost on those who issued that jejune statement, is that only his love and passion for the country could have made him, at his age, to come out of retirement to seek the office of President, more than 30 years after he presided over the affairs of the country.”
He said the result of the President’s effort to ensure security in the country is the pledge by the US Government to give $5 million for the fight against Boko Haram, in addition to other material support, which he noted is apart from the support pledged by the G-7 for Nigeria’s efforts to quell the insurgency.
‘’Thanks to President Buhari’s shuttle diplomacy, the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) that the PDP government could not bring together for six years is ready to deploy next month, while the
President has ordered the release of $21 million to facilitate the establishment of the headquarters of the force in N’Djamena, Chad.
(Daily independent)