Taraba NNPP accuses PDP of plans to destabilise Saturday’s polls

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

More political parties have continued to accuse the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Taraba State, of planning to frustrate Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections.

The recent accusation came on Wednesday from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, during a media briefing in Jalingo when the party alleged that PDP has concluded plans to use fake security personnel to scuttle the exercise in the state.

The allegation was made by Director Media and Communication, NNPP Gubernatorial Campaign Council,

Zakari Ahmad Nguroje who noted that the party’s attention has uncovered plans by “some disgruntled elements in PDP who are bent on using government machinery to cause chaos in the forthcoming governorship and Houses of Assembly elections in Taraba State.”

According to him: “[We] are fully aware of their motives to use fake military and police personnel in achieving their nefarious act; this can be done by recruiting political thugs as security officers handling events at the polling units or using state-owned security apparatus popularly known as marshall to cause mayhem during the election process.”

The party also accused the ruling party of an ongoing plan to “use money to lure electorate and election officials.”

“We reliably gathered that a large amount of money has been earmarked for each of the over 106 polling units in the state,” Nguroje claimed.

NNPP further alleged: “There is also a calculated plan to destroy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). This can be achieved with the help of some technical staff of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC. There is also a plan to attack and destroy BVAS [and thus] disenfranchised citizens who are so eager to cast their votes, especially in strongholds of Prof. Muhammad Sani Yahaya, our governorship candidate.”

Recall that the leadership of the All Progressive Congress, APC, through the former Nigerian ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo, had also accused PDP and INEC of planning to jeopardise Saturday’s election in the state.

When contacted, the leadership of the PDP, through its spokesperson, Andeta’rang Irammae, said the party has no plans to rig or frustrate the exercise from holding.

Describing the allegations as “mere blackmail,” he said the achievements of the party in the last seven years are enough to make the PDP triumph at the polls.

AKH-TRACADA felicitates with Soludo on one year anniversary as Anambra Governor

By Ochiaka Ugwu

ANon Governmental Organization (NGO) AntiKidnapping, Human Trafficking, Child Abuse & Drug Abuse Initiative (AKH-TRACADA) had felicitated with the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo on his attainment of one year in office.

In a press statement released in Abuja Thursday signed by the founder/National President of AKH-TRACADA, Primate Belonwu Ezeanyaeche it noted that Soludo’s administration has achieved a lot within one year especially in the area of economy and security Belonwu noted the administration has entrenched security, law and order with the creation of Ministry of Homeland Affairs, which has also unveiled the security and emergency crack team that has embarked on mobilization, sensitization.

Continuing, he informed that Soludo had retooled the economy of the state by opening new ways of doing things which had widened the economic opportunities in the state and spread prosperity and human happiness.

His words, “I want to state categorically that Governor Soludo has achieved greatly within this one year in the saddle. He has been diligent in making his appointment by hiring men of great potentials to pilot the affairs of the state.

“He has engaged cerebral Anambra daughters and sons irrespective of party or ideological leaning to bring the much developmental strides that Anambraians have been yearning for.

“His desire to give a very town a facelift showcases a leader who wants to precipitate development and transformation as culture in the state.. The infrastructure has decayed owing to long neglect and he has also embarked on massive construction to bridge the infrastructural gap. The waterways need to work as Anambra has erosion problems before now which has divested the large part of the state.

“Soludo’s pattern on agriculture is second to none. He has seen the need to increase food production and plans are in top gear to bring it to reality to achieve the more pronounced food security.

“Educational sector are getting its deserved attention with motivation of teachers ongoing. He recently employed qualified teachers to encourage learning in schools. He has instituted financial discipline in the system with the aim of increasing Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He has already put ill-assorted touts and illicit tax collectors on the run into oblivion.

“Make no mistake about it; Gov. Soludo has re-invented Anambra State to meet the great expectations of the people within this period. In so doing, he has rewritten their history and mopped their frustration from years of hopelessness, neglect and frustrations foisted on them by past governments in the state” he stated.

Primate Ezeanyaeche however, urged all Anambra residents to sink their differences, gather their act together and support administration of Gov. Soludo to succeed more with Almighty God being his helper.

Again, wave of defection hits NNPP, PDP, SDP in Yobe

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Yobe State governor, Mai

Mala Buni on Wednesday received more than 1, 200 members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP, into the fold of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a brief ceremony organised to receive the new entrants at Government House, Damaturu, Buni said APC would continue to receive more defectors from opposition political parties into the progressives party for the development of the state.

Represented by his Deputy, Idi Barde Gubana, the governor tasked the defectors and their followers to conduct themselves peacefully and within the confines of law before, during and after the governorship and state assembly elections, while assuring them of equity, fairness and justice.

Former chairman of SDP in Fune Local Government Area, Alhaji Saleh Mai Kifi, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, said they took the decision to join APC due to massive achievements recorded in different sectors of the economy and thus assured to work hard for the success of the party in all the 13 political wards of Fune Local Government Area and by extension the state in general.

The defectors numbering over 1, 200, were drawn from Fune, Gulani and Bursari local government areas of the state.

The highlight of the event is the presentation of party’s flags to the defectors by the state APC chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, alongside the deputy governor.