Peter Obi rejects invitation to unity govt by Tinubu, says criminality must dismantle

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said he would not accept any offer to be part of Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress (APC) proposed Government of National Unity.

Recall that Tinubu, the president-elect and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been dragged to court by Peter Obi over the outcome of the February 25 election.

The camp of the APC candidate had hinted that the former Lagos Governor would form an all-inclusive government to carry all his opponents along in his government.

But fielding questions from journàlists on the possibility of joining a Government of National Unity by Tinubu yesterday during a live television programme, Obi said he was still challenging the process of the election and the declaration.

According to him, the process of the election should be put right first before anyone could talk of the Government of National Unity.

“The first thing I want to see is that the process is right. The process through which you achieve anything is far more fundamental than what you do thereafter. Let us go back first, I am challenging the process and the declaration.

“Until we get it right, then we can talk about a government of national unity. Otherwise, we would go and sit down and say that those who stopped a train and kidnapped people can call us to discuss peace when they leadership of the APC to zone the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North West zone.

“If it does that, it should kindly throw its weight behind Hon. Sada Soli, the current Chairman House Committee on Water Resources to become the next Speaker.

“As a ranking member of the House with several bills to his credit, Hon. Soli knows the game very well and his vast experience in continental legislation coupled with his membership of various standing committees makes him eminently qualified to lead the Green Chamber in the 10th National Assembly”, Dangana said.

The Good Governance and Transparency Initiative (GGTI), notes with pride that apart from serving as Deputy Chairman House Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Hon Soli served on several committees, including: Privatization and

Commercialization, Capital Market, Media and Public Affairs, Legislative Budget, Urban Development, Foreign Affairs, Inter-Parliamentary, Petroleum–Upstream, Aids Loans and Debt Management.

From 2019 when he got elected into the 9th Assembly, Hon. Soli has served on the following committees: Agriculture, Production & Services, Federal Capital Territory, Banking and Currency, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior, Power, Works, Climate Change, Capital Market and Lake Chad.

He was also appointed Chairman Ad hoc Committee on National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) to investigate the Non-Remittance of Contributions in the National Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) as well as Chairman Ad-hoc Committee on Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Limited; to Investigate the Alleged Negligence by the Federal Ministries of Justice, and Petroleum Resources in the Handling of the Transaction between the Federal Government and the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Limited. Other Ad-hoc Committees he served on are: Special Committee on Constitution Review, Unspent Fund, Electoral Act, Petroleum Bill, Power, Parliamentary Friendship Group (Nigeria and Cameroon), Assessment and status of all recovered loots movable and immovable assets from 2002-2020 by Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for effective/efficient management and utilization, Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Joint Venture (JV) Businesses and Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) of NNPC from 1990. have people in captivity. Until things are done rightly, we will be encouraging what we don’t need to encourage,” he said.

“Based on these and many more, we are, therefore, soliciting for his support and emergence as Speaker of the 10th National Assembly,” Dangana said.

Asked whether or not he would accept the outcome of the judiciary if it is not in his favour, Obi said he would be shocked if the court upholds Tinubu’s election.

According to him, “Issues about the election will be sorted out in court. I will be shocked if this country goes on with that situation. It will then stand that it is a corporate criminalised country. We can’t allow it. We need to start unbundling this criminality.

“When people were talking about structure, it is this fraud and criminality that we witnessed that they were talking about, and we want to unbundle it for the sake of our children.”

The National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer, AUDA-NEPAD Nigeria, Princess Gloria Akobundu, fsi (middle) and her management team received Members of the AUDA-NEPAD Continental team led by the Ag. Director Knowledge Management and Program Evaluation, Mrs. Florence Nazare (3rd left) with other team members, on courtesy visit to the Agency’s National Secretariat recently in Abuja . Photo: NEPAD

Benue Labour Party, Action Peoples Party endorse Uba

By Musa Baba Adamu

Two days to the governorship election, the Benue State wing of the Labour Party and the governorship candidate of the Action People’s Party, APP, have endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Titus Uba.

In separate ceremonies today at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, the State Chairman of the Labour Party, Ibrahim Idoko Otene said the decision of the party to support Uba to win the governorship election was sequel to the collaboration with the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi received from the PDP in the state.

Otene, who was accompanied by members of the State Working Committee of the Labour Party, stated that their action was a directive from the National Secretariat of the party.

According to him, the support Governor Samuel Ortom gave to their presidential candidate had to be reciprocated.

He said the Governor stood for equity, fairness and justice, and even risked his senatorial ambition for the Obi presidential bid.

The Benue State Labour Chairman, also commended Titus Uba for his humility and synergy with other key players, expressing optimism that the PDP guber candidate would serve the state diligently.

Similarly, the governorship candidate of Action People’s Party, APP, Terlumun Kenneth Kwadzah, endorsed Titus Uba of PDP to emerge victorious on Saturday.

Kwadzah who was accompanied by some officials of APP and members of his campaign team said his decision to endorse Uba was on account of the fact that Governor Ortom has stood firmly in defence of the people and it is only right that those who understand the weight of the security challenge in the state should support Uba to continue from where Governor Ortom will stop.

Responding, Governor Ortom thanked the two political parties for voluntarily deciding to endorse Titus Uba to win the governorship election.

He assured them that Uba, being an experienced lawmaker and administrator would not disappoint the Benue people.

Also speaking, the PDP governorship candidate, Rt Hon Uba appreciated the two political parties for the huge endorsements, pledging that if elected, his administration will give priority to the issues of security and the economy.