A former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has called Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari names. This comes after the Lagos panel report indicted the Nigerian Army and Police on the Lekki Massacre.
He wrote; “When I called Buhari an oloriburuku, some people said I was being rude to the President. Do you know what oloriburuku means? A person with a wicked and useless head. Where is the lie? Go and read the Lagos #EndSARS panel report to see how he wasted human lives during #LekkiMassacre
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Recall that the Federal Government through the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had consistently denied reports of a massacre at the toll gate.
However, the Panel in its report submitted on Monday disclosed that not less than eleven people were killed at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
The panel in the report titled, ‘Report of Lekki Incident Investigation Of 20th October 2020’, noted at least 48 protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullet wounds or assaulted by soldiers.
He had earlier said he will make sure that Buhari ends up in prison.
Read his words below; “Can everybody who doubted and insulted me when I said that the Satellite Sentinel Project was able to prove that the Nigerian Army, under the DIRECT command of Buratai and Buhari, killed innocent, peaceful, and unarmed protesters during the #EndSARS #LekkiMassacre now apologise to me? Go back and watch or listen to my video on the very day the massacre occurred. The Lagos State Panel on SARS has vindicated me. Muhammadu Buhari, as long as I am alive, you will retire to prison, not to Daura. Cowardly man like you that only has balls when you have a gun. Murderer. Olodo without WAEC! May God punish you and Buratai”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been evicted from the property which houses the party’s secretariat in Lagos State over unpaid rent.
It was learnt that the landlord of the property located at 56A Adekunle Fajuyi Road, GRA, Lagos claimed the party is owning rent running into several millions of naira.
However, in its immediate reaction, the Lagos PDP has described the development as sad and a grand plan to embarrass them.
The party in a statement through its state publicity secretary, Taofik Gani claimed they just recently paid N8m with an agreement to settle the balance soon.
The statement added that they are unaware of the court process ordering their eviction, and vowed to take up the matter legally saying its all part of attempts to destabilize the PDP in Lagos.
He said, “To the best of my knowledge, I know there were demands for outstanding rent and infact some payments made with balance to be paid soonest, but not aware of any court process to evict at all.
“This must not be a ‘kangaroo’ process aided to embarrass and destabilize the main opposition in the state.
“All sensitive documents of the party must have been destroyed or deliberately taken away to break our strategies towards 2023. This is Vendetta.
“We shall put in all legal efforts to get justice.”
Meanwhile, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh has called out the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2021 Anambra governorship election, Senator Andy Uba, telling him to bury his thought of going to court to challenge the outcome of the election.
Umeh said the people of Anambra State have openly chosen the leader they want based on the outcome of the November 6 election which produced Charles Soludo of APGA.
The APGA chieftain further chided Umeh over his threat to challenge the election result in court by telling the APC candidate that ‘Anambra is not Imo’ where a candidate who came fourth at the polls eventually became the State Governor through a court order.
He mocked Uba, reminding him that he didn’t win any of the 21 local government areas in the state, hence his claim of a ‘stolen’ mandate is not sensible.
The Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has sacked its public secretary, Mr. Okelo Madukaife over alleged anti party activities, including congratulating the winner of the just concluded governorship election, Professor Charles Soludo.
The state chairman of the party, Mr. Basil Ejidike stated this at a press briefing in Awka. He said that Okelo was suspended in June this year and therefore has no reason to be parading himself as an official of APC.
But the embattled publicity secretary said the chairman is on his own, adding that he has been performing his duties as the spokesman of the party.
According to the party chairman, Okelo has continued to parade himself to the public as publicity secretary to the extent that he appeared on a national television to congratulate Prof Chukwuma Soludo as the winner of the governorship election when the party hierarchy was still studying the outcome of the exercise.
He recalled that Okelo did not challenge his suspension after a panel found him guilty.
Ejidike said: ” kelo was suspended in June this year. Someone who was suspended from the party went on air claiming to be making statements on behalf of the party and we feel disturbed. We feel that such a situation should not be allowed.
“If you are not with the party, you are not with it. You cannot be out of the party and still be speaking for the party.
“Since June 2021, Okelo has been raining abuses on APC and its leadership and to put the records straight, he has not been attending meetings and activities of the party.
“His suspension followed his indictment over his involvement in anti party activities.
“He has since then been replaced by the state assistant publicity secretary, Mr. Nonso Chinwuba in line with the constitution of the party.
“The party therefore enjoins the general public and the media in particular to desist from dealing with him as agent of APC. As it stands, Okelo Madukaife does not belong to APC.
On behalf of APC, I want to state that the statements credited to the suspended publicity secretary, Mr. Okelo Madukaife were not the position of the APC in Anambra State.
“We wish to state categorically that as far as the Anambra Governorship poll is concerned we have not congratulated anybody as the party is still studying the situation with a view to approaching the court to challenge the poll”.
Reminded the the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and Director General of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Chief George Moghalu who are chieftains of the APC in state had already congratulated Soludo, Ejidike said they did that as individuals and not as officials of the party.
When contacted on the telephone, Madukaife said he remained the state’s publicity secretary.
He said: “I am still doing my work very effectively; discharging my duties as the publicity secretary of the party in the state.
“Our party cannot be sold to anybody. Our position that there were no governorship primaries in Anambra as stated by our chapter remains firm, fixed and unshakable. It’s the truth registered in the minds of all members of APC in the state.
“Ejidike is on his own. The whole chapter has discovered that he is a sellout; We have been managing him for the sake of our own image”.
The Presidential aspiration of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Bola Tinubu, received a boost on Saturday when some frontline members of the party in Rivers State announced their unalloyed support for him.
Mr Magnus Abe, who is leading the factional group of the party in the state opposing the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, came out in large number to announce their unbridled support for Mr Tinubu, who, even though has not announced his intention for the Presidency in 2023, has seen his ambition ballooned lately.
Currently, there are over 100 support groups advancing his political interest to capture the 2023 presidential election.
Abe, staking a claim for Tinubu, promised to deliver Rivers State for the man regarded as laying modern foundation for Lagos State.
He said Tinubu’s victory was sure once he secure the party’s presidential ticket in 2023.
Consequently, he alongside some party bigwigs floated the Bola Tinubu Vanguard in Port Harcourt.
Speaking alongside Abe was Worgu Boms, who is the former Attorney General of Rivers State and Director General of Freedom House. He said it has become clear that the APC national leader will emerge president come 2023.
“It has become clearer that Tinubu will be president. When Tinubu becomes president, everybody will chop; it’s not like this one that only one man is chopping.
“We were the ones that made Buhari president; we will make Tinubu president.”
On his part, Senator Wilson Ake said one thing Tinubu has going for him over his contenders for the priced APC presidential ticket is competence.
“When Tinubu was working for APC, nobody talked about his age. Now they are saying he is old. When you say ‘age-age-age’, you are not serious. Competence should not be traded for age. The young local government chairmen that we have, are they doing anything spectacular?”
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has presented a Certificate of Return to Mr Charles Soludo, the winner of Anambra State governorship election.
Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was declared winner of the November 6 election by INEC.
He was accompanied by Anambra State Commissioner for Public Utilities and Water Resources, Hon. Engr. Emeka Ezenwanne and Igwe Moghalu (Igwe Isuofia) and other APGA dignitaries.
The ceremony, which is still ongoing, is taking place at the INEC Headquarters, Awka.
The Senator Andy Uba Campaign Organisation has rejected the result of the just-concluded Anambra state governorship election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The campaign organisation described the outcome of the election as a charade, adding that it did not reflect the wishes of the people of the state.
In a statement signed on Thursday in Abuja on behalf of the campaign organisation, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe, alleged that the candidate of the APC, Senator Andy Uba is a victim of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation by INEC.
“The elections were characterised by widespread irregularities, intimidation, and voter suppression in order to clear the path for the inglorious ‘victory’ of APGA in the polls.
For instance, in polling units where the Biometric Voters’ Accreditation System malfunctioned, INEC went ahead to conduct the elections manually. There were numerous cases where votes announced by INEC exceeded the number of accredited voters in polling units.
“Another clear manifestation of collusion between the Obiano administration and INEC was the publishing of results on the social media handles of APGA even before the official announcement by INEC. Yet mysteriously, the votes announced in advance by APGA always corresponded correctly with the official figures released by INEC. “It is inconceivable that our candidate, who polled over 200,000 votes in the APC primary election would be allocated slightly above 43,000 votes by INEC.
“It is surprising that APGA that lost almost 80% of its stalwarts through defection to the APC before the election came out ‘victorious.’” According to the statement, the only people remaining in APGA at the time of the election were Governor Obiano, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and their households. Ugokwe added: “There was definitely no way the carcass of APGA could have defeated the APC without the active collusion and manipulation by INEC and the Obiano administration.”
The campaign group appealed to the APC supporters to remain peaceful and calm, saying the party will use legal means to recover its electoral mandate.
The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Professor Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on his victory at the 2021 Anambra governorship election.
The President in a message on Wednesday by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as security operatives for the roles played in ensuring the success of the polls.
It will be recalled that the Returning Officer of the election, Professor Florence Obi had in the early hours of Wednesday, declared Soludo of APGA as the winner of the election and governor-elect of Anambra State.
In his reaction, President Buhari called on Soludo to be magnanimous in victory and work with all stakeholders in ensuring the challenges facing the state and the entire southeast are overcome.
He told Soludo he looks forward to working with him in his new role.
The full statement reads: “President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as he emerges winner in the gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
“The President praises the security agencies for their determination to ensure that the election went on as smoothly as possible, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the successful conclusion of the exercise despite the initial challenges encountered.
“President Buhari enjoins Prof. Soludo, member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Committee, to rally other stakeholders to tackle the enormous challenges confronting the State and the Southeast in general.
“The President looks forward to working with the incoming governor for the peace, security and development of not only Anambra State, but the entire country.”
An election analyst for the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Sam Amadi, has revealed part of the reasons why former Nigerian central bank governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, won the just concluded Anambra governorship election.
Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was declared winner of the November 6 governorship election in the early hours of Wednesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The APGA candidate, who swept 19 of the 21 local governments in the state, polled a total of 112,229 votes to defeat closest rivals Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party, who secured 53,807 votes, and Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress, who came third with 43,285 votes.
Amadi, while sharing his view on the election, explained the importance of choosing the right political party to vie for an elective office.
According to him, APGA naturally ought to occupy all government houses in the South-East region because its manifesto was designed to fuse the “Igbo republicanism and communitarianism into a social democratic developmental state.”
Amadi, who is chairman of the legal committee of Igbo think tank Nzuko Umunna, hopes that with Soludo’s victory, the dream of making APGA the prevailing political party in the South East would be achieved.
“Everyone with APGA toga has won governorship in Anambra, including the poor Obiano. It is APGA at work. Since 2003, right from when Chekwa Okorie was National Chairman, APGA has won most of the governorship elections in the southeast but it has been denied, except Anambra where Peter Obi got back his mandate. In 2003, APGA won in Imo and Enugu. It won in Imo again in 2007 with Agbaso and was denied. It won again in 2011 with Rochas Okoroacha,” Amadi, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), said in a Facebook post.
“The result we see in Anambra is more about APGA than Soludo. Our observers at the polls say people keep saying they want APGA to win governors and PDP win federal. We can say that since APGA was formed in 2003, it has won all governorship elections in Anambra, no matter who was the candidate.
“Voting APGA in governorship elections and voting PDP for federal elections seem to be the peculiar bargain in much of the southeast, especially Anambra. In 2019, Chief Oye’s mercantilism and incompetence denied APGA the chance to win the governorship election in Imo State.
“APGA was designed to be the party in government houses in all southeast states, to continue on the path of MI Okpara and Sam Mbakwe. But the mercantilism of Anambra politicians who, with the help of Ojukwu displaced the founding National Chairman, Chekwas Okorie, made APGA just an Anambra phenomenon. Senator Umeh started that mercantilism and Oye has taken it to a high culture.
“APGA manifesto was designed by Igbo intellectuals led by Professor Obumselu and focused on fusing Igbo republicanism and communitarianism into a social democratic developmental state. It wants to bring back the vision that made eastern Nigeria the fastest growing and the most socioeconomically transformed region in Nigeria in a short burst of developmental energy.
“But alas, Anambra merchants killed the dream. Maybe Soludo may revive that dream.”
Meanwhile, Soludo’s victory did not come without challenges as the 60-year-old was faced with legal battles and intra-party skirmishes before and after the primary election of his party.
His candidacy was sealed after the Supreme affirmed him as the governorship flag bearer of APGA.
A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Mary Odili upheld the verdict of the Kano State Court of Appeal which validated the primary election that produced him as APGA’s candidate.
The Governor-Elect and former Governor 9f Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Charles Soludo, has said his victory at the polls has brought joy to the people.
Soludo, who dedicated his victory to three policemen shot dead by unknown gunmen during his campaign, stated this in his acceptance speech in front of his home and serenaded by his supporters shortly after being declared winner of the election.
Soludo, who was the apex bank governor between 2004 and 2009, was declared winner after a supplementary election was held in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday. He won 19 of the 21 local governments areas including Ihiala LGA.
Sixty one-year-old Soludo won with 112,229 votes, beating Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 53,807 votes, and Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress who got 43,285 votes. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party polled 21,261 votes to emerge fourth.
The Returning Officer of the Anambra Governorship Election, Prof Florence Obi, announced the result on Wednesday morning at the INEC office in Awka, Anambra State.
Mrs Obi had announced that: “Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Soludo said, “12 years have seen the massive clamour for the people of Anambra people for us to serve them, we persevered to this divine moment.
“This is a divine journey whose time has come.
“We have a very long list of people whom God has used to make this moment a reality.”
He thanked his followers including special recognition of the members of the disability community who made his victory a reality.
“We are humbled by the massive supports of stakeholders and Nigerian who cut across the entire country.
“Your donations and goodwill are immensely treasured.
“I thank my wife and our children for your love and sacrifice. Despite your deep reservation, you still allowed and supported me in search of the service to our people.
“As I promised I will work hard everyday in order not to disappoint you. At this moment we must remember and will continue to remember all those who died in the course of this moment expecially the three policemen who were killed by unknown gunmen during our town hall meeting with youths in my ward
“The run-up to this election and the election itself tested the resilience and the integrity of our federal institutions. Many times, there were tensions, especially as one party boasted that it must ‘take or conquer Anambra by all means’. Our institutions proved again and again that this country can achieve eminent greatness when our institutions rise to the occasion.
“Aside from the initial hitches from the operations of the BVAS machines in some places, including at my polling unit, the election has been adjudged as the most peaceful, free, fair and credible. There is joy in the land. Kudos to INEC.
“To my fellow candidates in the election, I wish to congratulate you for the gallant contest. Our people have spoken overwhelmingly and surely, that voice is the voice of God. The ultimate winner is the Anambra people. We are all winners.
“I hereby extend my hand of fellowship to all of you; I need all of you to succeed. Politics aside, we are all brothers. Let’s come together for the project, Anambra. There is enough room for everyone to contribute in the service of our homeland.”
He added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) represented a “massive improvement” on the card readers, and urged INEC to do more to improve on the quality of elections.
An Army Commander, alongside soldiers deployed to protect Ihiala LGA, during today’s supplementary election to decide who becomes the next governor, stopped Mr Victor Umeh, chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, from entering Ihiala LG Headquarters.
The army commander whose name could not be ascertained was leading heavily armed detachment of soldiers to secure the area.
The Anambra governorship election was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Sunday.
A supplementary election is being held in Ihiala LGA beginning from 10am.
Umeh is APGA’s state agent for the governorship election. He arrived at the local government headquarters around 10:30 am in the company of other party members, but was turned back by the army commander.
“You are not supposed to be here,” the military officer screamed at Umeh who said he was at the LG HQ “to ensure things go well”.
“You are a state agent, not LGA agent,” the senior military officer responded to Umeh.
The Anambra election is expected to be concluded on Tuesday.
Chukwuma Soludo, APGA candidate, is leading the pack with 103,946 votes while Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, trails behind with 51,322 votes.
