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APC faults INEC, says primaries held in Zamfara contrary to claim

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Contrary to the stance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted it held primaries in Zamfara state.

This is contained in a letter signed by the party’s National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, and served on INEC on Tuesday in Abuja.

It would be recalled that INEC had held that the party was not eligible to field candidates for Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections in Zamfara in 2019.

The commission had also said that the party failed to conduct primaries in the state in line with the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

The commission in a letter signed by its Acting Secretary, Mr Okechukwu Ndeche, had accused the party of not conducting the primaries within the stipulated time-frame specified by the Electoral Act.

The letter reads : “please refer to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections released by the commission on January 9, 2018.

“You would note that from the timetable the conduct of primaries is scheduled to take place between Aug.18 and Oct. 7.

“However, report received from our office in Zamfara state shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in Zamfara, notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and deployed.

“Consequently, based on the provision of Section 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from Zamfara state’’.

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Responding, Oshiomhole said: “We wish to state emphatically that nothing can be farther from the actual situation in Zamfara State’’.

He hinted that the party had sent a comprehensive report to INEC from the Zamfara Electoral Committee of the APC.

Oshiomhole added that the report was signed by APC members on the conduct of the primary elections in Zamfara held between Oct.6 and Oct.7

Oshiomhole, however said all the aspirants met at City King Hotel, Gusau, to find a truce following the high level of friction, disagreements and threatened violence by various political camps before the primaries.

“After hours of intense horse-trading, a consensus was reached within the spirit and context of the Electoral Act and the Constitution of our party,’’ he said.

He further explained that it was on the basis of the above that a list of successful candidates was produced which was later confirmed and affirmed by the delegates.

He said the process was carried out in strict compliance with Section 87 (6) of the 2010 amended Electoral Act.

Oshiomhole, therefore, added that INEC`s claim that no primaries were conducted by the party in Zamfara could only be referring to their observation that actual voting did not take place.

He said primary election was not the only mode prescribed for producing party candidates for elections in the 2010 amended Electoral Act.

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The APC national chairman, however, referred lNEC to its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections.

He noted that the timetable stated that all political parties were expected to submit a list of their candidates on or before Oct. 18 after exhausting all internal procedures for appeals arising from congresses.

“As a party, we are in the process of exhausting those internal procedures before forwarding the names of our candidates to you.

“We are perplexed that you did not wait for us to submit the names of our candidates in Zamfara State, considering that the time within which such submission should take place has not elapsed.

“This is more so, when we received no correspondence from the commission at least to inquire from our party the true state of affairs in Zamfara, in the spirit of fair hearing,’’ Oshiomhole said.

He however, noted that the Peoples Democratic Party did not also hold primaries in Kano, adding that no such letter was written to the party by the commission.

“It is our contention, in the circumstance, that your letter is not only pre-emptive, but your position seems to negate the spirit of any fair hearing,’’ he said.

According to him, INEC’s stance has no backing of the law.

He, therefore, said the party would be presenting candidates for Governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections in Zamfara for the 2019 general elections having complied with the rules.

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He said the party was on the verge of submitting its candidates before Oct.18 deadline set by the commission in line with Section 87 (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

He further added that if the commission, however, raised further observation after receiving the list of the party`s candidates, the party would be glad to clarify such observation.

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Oyo: Rep Oseni Inaugurates N120m Earthmoving Equipment for Grassroots Development

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Engr. Aderemi Oseni, the House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, on Monday, inaugurated N120 million worth of earth-moving equipment, aimed at enhancing grassroots development and ensuring food security within the federal constituency.

Oseni noted that the dire state of road networks in his constituency compelled him to procure the equipment, which includes a grader and payloader, to facilitate the seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

The lawmaker, who spoke shortly after the inauguration of the equipment in Ibadan said: “We are currently starting the rehabilitation of 80 roads in phase one of this project. Once completed, we will proceed to phase two. Additionally, we have selected certain roads in both Ido and Ibarapa East local governments for asphalt tarring.

He added, “Hiring equipment for road rehabilitation is no longer fashionable nor economical. That’s why we’ve invested in our own. In addition to ongoing health and education projects, we’ve finalised plans to dig 50 boreholes in polling units to enhance water supply. Currently, we’ve finished three boreholes, in addition to several others commissioned prior to the elections.”

While also distributing bags of rice to numerous communities as part of the measures to cushion current hardship, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) lauded President Bola Tinubu for the release of N100 million each to lawmakers through the Federal Government Ministry of Agriculture to address the plight of the masses.

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The legislator tasked Nigerians to be actively involved in the intervention of the Federal Government on road projects across the nation by reporting any contractor that indulges in the poor handling of projects to the agency’s offices.

“I have been telling our committee members in the House of Representatives that fixing our roads is our major challenge. But as community leaders and members of society wherever we find ourselves, we should be involved in monitoring these contractors. A lot of money has been appropriated for road projects.

“When you see contractors saddled with the responsibility of fixing the roads in your area and you see that the job is not being done properly, you don’t need to be a qualified engineer before you know when something is not being done very well or the way it should be done. Raise your voice and go to our offices in various states to report such incidents and we will be able to take it up from there”, Oseni posited.

Earlier in his remark, the Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) to the lawmaker, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Okedina urged the people to support him (Oseni) in his drive to improve infrastructural facilities in the constituency, assuring that more dividends of democracy will be available to all irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliations.

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Economic Hardship: Rep Oseni Lauds FG’s N100m Palliative for Each Constituency

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Hon. Aderemi Oseni, the lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has commended the proactive stance of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration towards addressing the welfare needs of Nigerians.

The lawmaker applauded the government’s commitment to ameliorating the prevailing hardships faced by citizens, particularly through the significant intervention of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000) allocated to each federal constituency via the Ministry of Agriculture.

Oseni, in a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, emphasised the importance of such interventions in providing essential support to communities and constituents grappling with economic challenges, notably in the distribution of grains to cushion the impacts of the hardship in Nigeria.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said the allocation, aimed at cushioning the adverse effects of hardship, signifies a crucial step towards fostering sustainable development and resilience across the nation.

He informed that the palliative has no bias for partisan politics as it is meant for all vulnerable members of the public in the Ibarapa East/Ido Federal constituency, irrespective of political affiliations, adding that the contractor had supplied the rice in the amount of the money approved.

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“I want to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the several initiatives and interventions of the federal government to bring ease to the people. I also want to reassure all the constituents in Ibarapa East/Ido federal constituency of my commitment to their welfare at this time and always,” the lawmaker assured.

The APC chieftain appealed to members of the public to remain patient and calm as lawmakers are making frantic efforts to ensure the effective implementation and equitable distribution of democratic dividends for the benefit of constituents in their various constituencies.

Renewing his commitment and promising more dividends of democracy for his constituency, Oseni also hinted that in line with his campaign promises, he would be commissioning road construction equipment for the rehabilitation of rural roads this Saturday.

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APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

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APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

 

Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of education in the region, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of negligence and insincerity in addressing the challenges faced by the sector.

In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to Mega Icon Magazine,  APC highlighted issues such as scarcity of teachers, deplorable infrastructure, lack of teaching aids and equipment, poor monitoring and supervision, erosion of competent administrators, and outdated policy and curriculum implementation as contributing factors to the decline in education standards.

Oyo APC emphasized the need for urgent intervention, stating, “It is time well-meaning citizens and residents of the state began to ask questions on why a key sector like that of education has had to be handled with levity in the last five years.”

The party disputed the state government’s claims of improvement, citing examples of severely understaffed schools and inadequate resources.

The statement pointed out specific cases like St. Joseph Primary School in Ibadan North West LGA, SDA Primary School in Egbeda LGA, Baptist Basic School in Tede, AUD Primary School in Igboora, Muslim Community Primary School in Itesiwaju LGA, and Christ Church School in Ona-Ara LGA, where an alarming shortage of teachers was evident.

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The APC also drew attention to the critical situation in public secondary schools, highlighting the lack of staff to teach core subjects.

“Examples included Baptist Secondary Grammar School in Atisbo LGA and Methodist High School in Ibarapa North LGA, where the Old Student Association and a mere four teachers, respectively, struggled to meet the educational needs of hundreds of students”.

The party urged residents to question the Seyi Makinde-led administration’s commitment to education, stressing the need for immediate action to prevent further deterioration.

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