President Bola Tinubu on Friday received the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the September Edo State governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This was as the Edo State APC Chapter affirmed confidence in its chances of clinching the governorship seat in the forthcoming election.

It premised its confidence on the disarray among the ranks of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party party in the state.

The APC also said asides from the crisis in the PDP, its candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo, is detached from the people of the state.

It argued that this factor gives its candidate, Okpebholo, whom it described as a grassroots politician, the upper hand at the polls.

The delegation was led to the Villa by a former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, and the Minister of Niger Delta Development, Abubakar Momoh.

The meeting came barely 24 hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja faulted the primary election of the PDP, which produced Ighodalo as its candidate.

When approached by reporters for comments after the meeting, Okpebholo described it as private talks and declined to speak.

However, the leader of the APC in the state, Oshiomhole, expressed confidence that the APC will win by capitalising on the disarray in the PDP, in which it has no hand.

Reacting to allegations that the PDP primary election crisis was orchestrated by the APC, Oshiomhole said, “I think you should dismiss that because this is PDP versus PDP and you know that by the law, another party cannot go into intra-party conflicts in court.

“The fact that there had been division in Edo before their primaries and after their primaries is an open secret, and the issues in dispute are also very open. The PDP legacy group complained that the man they gave their master bedroom has completely chased them out of the building and now they’re under the rain and as we speak they are still trying to settle.

“I think the lesson is that parties must be encouraged to obey the laws that regulate the conduct of primaries, and that rules are meant to be obeyed if you formulate your constitution.”

On the reason for the visit, the former governor explained, “We went with the candidate and the running mate to give the president and update.

“He is the leader of the party. We gave him an update on the campaigns going on, what we are doing and the fact that we are harvesting more are more people every day.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Niger Delta Development, Momoh, affirmed that the APC has the advantage in the coming election.

“Edo North is a no-go area because my leader, myself and a host of others including Dan Orbih today who’s coming from the legacy group, we are from Edo north.

“We can deliver Edo North maximally any day. Edo Central there is no doubt that our candidates Senator Monday Okpebholo, will sweep Edo Central because he’s a homeboy.

“Don’t make the mistake that we are not going to win. So as far as we are concerned, whether court judgment or no court judgment, we are very hopeful and optimistic that 21s September this year, Obaseki will be preparing to leave the Government House,” Momoh said.

By Matthew Denis

On Friday, The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled September 18 to rule on a case challenging the legitimacy of Abdullahi Ganduje’s position as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The decision follows the final submission of arguments by all involved parties

Presiding over the case, Justice Inyang Ekwo set the judgment date after hearing the final briefs. The case, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, was filed by dissatisfied members of the APC under the North Central APC Forum. Led by Saleh Zazzaga, the plaintiffs are contesting Ganduje’s appointment as the party’s chairman.

The plaintiffs demand that the court prevent Ganduje from continuing to act as the APC chairman. They also seek an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard all actions taken by the APC under Ganduje’s leadership since his appointment on August 3, 2023. This includes party congresses, primaries, and nominations

The core of the plaintiffs’ argument is that Ganduje’s appointment violates the APC’s constitution. They assert that Ganduje, hailing from Kano State in the North West, should not have been appointed to replace Senator Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone. They claim this breach goes against Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution, which stipulates the proper procedure for filling such vacancies.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs argue that, according to the APC Constitution of 2013 (as amended), the party must follow specific procedures for replacing an officer. They contend that the NEC’s decision to appoint Ganduje was ultra vires, meaning beyond its legal power, as it did not follow the required democratic election process.

The plaintiffs seek several declarations from the court, including the assertion that only a democratically conducted election can legitimize Ganduje’s position as National Chairman. They emphasize that the party’s National Convention is the ultimate authority for electing or removing national officers.

During the proceedings, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Benjamin Davou, urged the court to grant all reliefs and remove Ganduje from office. Conversely, the defendants, represented by Abdul Adamu for Ganduje, Isiaka Dikko, SAN, for the APC, and Ahmed Mohammed for INEC, requested the court dismiss the case for lack of merit.

By Matthew Denis

Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has broken his silence on the Thursday judgement that recognised Martins Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers as the speaker and members of the state House of Assembly.

The governor declared that there was no cause for worry, insisting that the worst was over and that God had prepared a table for him in the presence of his enemies.

He assured that his administration would not waver in its commitment to providing critical infrastructure required for the speedy development of the state.

Fubara spoke shortly after he inspected the ongoing reconstruction of the Zonal Hospital project at Bori Town, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area on Friday.

The governor was accompanied on the inspection tour by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, and the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Victor Kii, while the chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Council, Amb Marvin Yobana was on the ground to receive the Governor and his team.

Fubara said: “I know that a lot of you will be wondering what is going on and all that. The government has its own challenges. If you go to the book of Psalm 23 verse 5, in the Bible, it says that God prepares a table before you; it can be before anybody. But there is an underlined word that should be noted here: it said ‘in the presence of your enemies’. So, it means that nothing comes easy.

“I want to assure every one of you and the good people of Rivers State, that we are not deterred. We have made our promises, we will continue to give you good governance, no matter how difficult it is.“But, like I said before, the worst is over. We are moving on to ensure that we continue to provide what is needed for the development of our State.”

Fubara in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, pointed to sectors like healthcare, education, and agriculture as top priority areas that his administration would not compromise attention, on and would do everything possible to ensure optimal services can be accessed by the people.

He said: “We are here today. I believe that from next week, we should be visiting Degema, Ahoada, and Omoku, and also ensure that we visit the site of the Modern General and Psychiatric Hospitals in Rumuigbo to see the extent of work that is going on.

“But for now, we are satisfied with what we are seeing here. When we say: zonal hospital, this project is not just for the people of Khana. It is not just for the people of Gokana, even my own constituency, Opobo/Nkoro will also benefit from this facility.

“So, we are assuring the good people of this senatorial district that we will make sure that we put it to completion and good use,” he added.

Fubara explained that his administration did not meet any functional zonal hospital, stressing that because it wanted quality healthcare facilities for the people, funds were released about a month ago for the reconstruction and expansion of four zonal hospitals.

The governor expressed satisfaction that the contractors appeared really committed and had shown that they understood the dream and aspirations of his administration and were aligning to help it fulfill promises to the people.

He said: “You could remember that I did promise our people that one of the most important areas our budget for the year 2025 will focus on is healthcare, education, and agriculture

“As part of what we did promise our people in the year 2024, that all the Zonal Hospitals, we will do our best to ensure that they come up and are put to use, we are here to inspect the extent of work that is ongoing.

“When we met them (hospitals), their conditions were really bad. There was no accommodation for the medical officers, the doctors, the nurses, and we also added a mortuary to have a full package of what a hospital should be.

”The governor assured that when completed and put to use, the facilities would meet the healthcare needs of the people within the catchment areas, and address key issues in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and policy objectives of his administration.