Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the Independent Electoral National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution by declaring vacant the seat of Chris Nkwonta, the representative of Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

The call by the PDP was in response to Nkwonta’s defection from the PDP to the APC on the floor of the House on Wednesday.

A statement released by Jude Ndukwe, Media Adviser to the PDP Caretaker Committee in Abia, also asked INEC to conduct a new election within the constitutionally stipulated time to replace the defected member.

Ndukwe in the statement said: “This call on INEC is for the electoral body to comply with the provisions of Section 68(1)(g) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) since Hon. Nkwonta’s defection did not meet the conditions precedent to the defection of a federal lawmaker as provided for by our laws.”

Ndukwe said that there was no faction in the PDP either at the federal or state level, insisting that Nkwonta’s defection was illegal.

However, a former Chief of Staff to the Governor of Abia State, Don Ubani, who is a member of PDP from the Ukwa-East and Ukwa-West Federal constituency, defended the defection of their son, saying that “we mandated him to join APC”.

Leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, on Wednesday, marched to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Benin to protest against the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in the state.

INEC declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, winner of the election.

The electoral body said Okpebholo polled 291,667 to defeat the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes.

But the PDP has since rejected the poll results, which it alleged were manipulated.

On Wednesday, PDP members and leaders took to the streets of Benin bearing banners with inscriptions such as “INEC sack Edo REC”; “INEC give us our mandate,” among others.

Some of them were heard chanting:“Oshiomhole, Tinubu give us our mandate.”

However, security agencies were on guard to ensure the protesters did not get too close to INEC office at Aduwawa, Benin.

But the Publicity Secretary of the Edo APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie,in an interview with our correspondent, mocked the PDP, saying no amount of protest could change the outcome of the poll.

“The PDP can protest as much as they want but that cannot change the result of the election. They can only approach the tribunal with evidence if they think their mandate has been taken from them.

“Edo people, who do not want the continuation of a PDP government passed a referendum with their voter cards and gave the APC the mandate to govern the state as from November 12.

“It is not about calling on President Bola Tinubu and Senator Adams Oshiomhole to give their mandate back to them. The gentlemen have nothing to do with their mandate. They can approach the tribunal to ventilate their grievances,” Uwadiae-Igbinigie.

Monday’s protest by the PDP was led by the Cchairman of the Edo State chapter of the party, Tony Aziegbemi; the Director General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Management Council, Mathew Iduoriyekewen; and the Deputy Director General (Media and Publicity), Olu Martins.

Addressing the protesters, Aziegbemi called on INEC to declare Ighodalo the winner of the election, alleging that INEC manipulated the results of some of the local government areas.

He said: “We thank you all for coming out today on a journey to reclaim the mandate taken away from us.

“If we had lost this election in a free and fair contest, we would have congratulated them but, because they stole our mandate, we can’t congratulate them.

“Go and sleep, as we are going to reclaim the mandate stolen from us. We are calling on the judiciary to look at our submission and be truthful in their judgement. This is Nigeria and we can’t be robbed of our victory as we are sure of reclaiming our stolen mandate as we will present overwhelming evidence.

“We are sure that we will recover our mandate as the preliminary analysis we have done shows that this election was won clearly by Ighodalo. We will present the case to the tribunal.

“We believe that the tribunal is made up of men and women of integrity; they will look at the evidence before them and conclude that PDP won the election. We are going to the tribunal with an open mind.

“PDP is a very peaceful party, as it always preaches peace, and all along our protest, it has been violence-free and it will continue to be so.”

Speaking in the same vein, Iduoriyekewen said the PDP won the election and would continue the protest until the mandate is given Ighodalo.

Reacting, the state publicity secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, said no amount of protest would change the result of the election, urging the PDP to approach the tribunal if they have convincing evidence.

Ahead of the submission of the report of the 10-member inter-ministerial committee on the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on Local Government Areas autonomy next week, state governors have begun fresh lobbying against the enforcement of the verdict.

The panel, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has concluded its assignment and is expected to submit its report on or before October 13, according to PUNCH findings.

Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit issued a regulation, effective from June 1, 2019, banning transactions on State and Local Governments Joint Accounts. Funds were sent directly to the accounts of the local governments. It also limited cash withdrawals from local governments accounts to a maximum amount of N500,000 per day with penalties for banks that failed to comply.

However, state governors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, kicked against this regulation and the NFIU eventually capitulated.

In May, the Federal Government, represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, filed a lawsuit to challenge the governors’ authority to receive and withhold federal allocations meant for Local Government Areas.

The suit sought to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government councils and establishing caretaker committees. The AGF argued that the constitution mandated a democratically elected local government system and did not allow alternative governance structures.

The Supreme Court, on July 11, 2024, gave a landmark judgment affirming the financial autonomy of the 774 LGs in the country and ruled that governors could no longer control funds meant for the councils.

The seven-member Supreme Court panel, led by Justice Garba Lawal, ruled that it was illegal and unconstitutional for governors to manage and withhold LG funds.

The apex court also directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to pay LG allocations directly to their accounts, as it declared the non-remittance of funds by the 36 states unconstitutional.

Also, on August 20, the Federal Government instituted a 10-member inter-ministerial committee to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy.

The committee members include the Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN; Minister of Budget & Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; Accountant-General of the Federation; Oluwatoyin Madein and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso.

Others are the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Lydia Jafiya, the Chairman, Revenue Mobilization Allocation & Fiscal Commission, Mohammed Shehu, and representatives of state governors and the local governments.

The committee’s primary goal is to ensure that local governments are granted full autonomy, allowing them to function effectively without interference from state governments.

In his broadcast marking Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary on Tuesday, President Tinubu pledged that his administration would uphold the financial autonomy of local governments, as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

The President said, “As part of our efforts to re-engineer our political economy, we are resolute in our determination to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy of local governments.”

About three officials, including a source in the Presidency, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the issue, told The PUNCH that governors were pressuring top officials to soft-pedal on the implementation of the apex court judgment.

The Presidency official, however, stressed that the President was committed to implementing the Supreme Court ruling.

He stated, “The process is on and governors are already lobbying to stall the implementation of the apex court ruling as the panel prepares to submit its report next week.

“The implementation will start any moment now. The ministries of finance and justice are working to finalise details of implementation.”

Speaking to The PUNCH on Wednesday, the National President, National Union of Local Government Employees, Hakeem Ambali, confirmed that the inter-ministerial committee would submit its report by October 11.

“A technical committee was set up under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and it is expected that implementation kicks off on or before October 11 as mandated by the Supreme Court.

“The President’s speech has also given us more reassurance that this is already a done deal. NULGE has also submitted its report to the committee,’’ he stated.

Reacting to the governors’ plot to hinder the enforcement of the Supreme Court verdict, civil society groups, including the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership and the United Global Resolve for Peace, called on the Federal Government to accelerate the implementation of the autonomy.

Chairman, CACOL, Debo Adeniran, faulted the governors’ “self-serving nature” and their “stranglehold on the local governments.”

He stated, “We know that they didn’t like what the President did by asking the Supreme Court to adjudicate on the matter. They are actually mounting pressure, not just lobbying, mounting pressure on all forces to ensure that the implementation of that order doesn’t come.

“That lobby is unnecessary, it’s unwarranted and the President should not allow it to work. If the President insists, then they will not succeed because the rule of law must prevail; the Supreme Court has ruled, it is just for them to implement, so nothing must stop it, otherwise, we would have put the rule of law in jeopardy and that’s not good for us.”

The Executive Director, UGRP, Olaseni Shalom, called on the President to sponsor a bill in the National Assembly to enforce the autonomy.

Shalom urged the governors to support local governments in pursuing fiscal autonomy.

“The position of the law is clear regarding the implementation of the LG autonomy. But we should also note that this law is not new. It is an existing law already and it was taken to the Supreme Court for interpretation,” Shalom stated.

“Immediately the Supreme Court interpreted it, what I expected was for the Presidency to sponsor a bill that will rid it of all ambiguity and make it as clear as possible. Instead, they set up a 10-man committee.

“The LG autonomy should also be a period for restructuring advocacy that has been on for a while now so that state governments can also control their resources, you know, have fiscal autonomy. And this is why there is a tussle between the state governments and the Presidency as regards the enforcement of this law. It is very important for both parties to sit down and negotiate.”

During a recent gathering, the National Secretary, Coalition of United Political Parties, Peter Ahmeh, called on the Federal Government to take immediate action on the matter.

Ahmeh emphasised that the Supreme Court’s ruling should have been put into effect without any delay.

He stated, “The judgment that the courts have passed affects the financial autonomy of local government. It does not affect the administrative autonomy of local government.

“The financial autonomy of local government is captured in section 162 of the Constitution, while the administrative autonomy of local government pertains to the administration of elections, such as those conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commissions for local governments in Nigeria.

“In each of the states, there is one electoral commission, meaning we have 36 independent electoral commissions at the state level, plus one at the national level. Thus, we have 37 independent electoral commissions in total—one national and 36 state.

“For us, I think it is perplexing that the Federal Government feels the need to enter into an agreement with state governments before starting the implementation of a valid court judgment from a competent authority, such as the Supreme Court.”

The CUPP scribe called on the Federal Government to actively oppose efforts by the governors to delay the enforcement of the judgment on the autonomy.

He added, “The Federal Government does not need to establish a committee and announce that they will begin the process soon. There is simply no need for that.

“It is very important and urgent for the financial autonomy to be enacted so that local people can hold their local government accountable for the finances that accrue to each local government’s account. The criminality and embezzlement that occur at the local government level are a direct result of a lack of independence. These are the issues we are facing in local government.

“The implementation should occur immediately and without hesitation. Any attempts by the governors to stall this process should be resisted.”

Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has dismissed insinuations that he is against local government autonomy.

Reacting to reports that he was not in support of the LG autonomy, Makinde said he had no issues with elected officials performing their constitutional duties but would continue to speak against a lacuna created where none existed.

He spoke during the official unveiling of the newly-built Local Government House and Staff Training School inside the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, on Wednesday.

He said, “This building is a start of the renovation of the buildings within the secretariat and turning our secretariat into where productivity will reign supreme.

“What I will refer to as an irony is the fact that it is the same local government that people are going around town saying Seyi Makinde is trying to destroy. Is it not ironic that this building we are commissioning is the first modern building for the LG family to stay in?

”Is this how to destroy something? Well, if that is the way to destroy something, we will continue to do this kind of things so that they will not have anything to say again around town.

“Let me say this, in a country where there is a trust deficit between the leaders and the led, it is no wonder that some people will always take advantage of situations to fan the flames of disunity or choose to push unintended narratives and perceptions.

“As I said in my last state broadcast, we must always remember who our real enemies are so that we do not turn against our friends.”

Promising to ensure that the councils performed their constitutional roles, the governor added, “Here in Oyo State under my watch, we will continue to make decisions that will bring the full benefit of democracy to the good people of Oyo State and we are aware of the role that the local government authorities have to play in ensuring that democracy and its dividends reach people at the grassroots.

“In design, this is supposed to be the function of the Local Government Areas but in practice, there have been several factors that have militated against Local Government Areas achieving this goal.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State, Dr Ahmed Wali, says plans are in motion for LGs to receive FG allocation directly.

He said, “We are hoping to receive the allocation in October as plans are in the pipeline to open accounts for local governments with CBN. They (FG) will pay the money, they are in the process. We were made to understand that it will be the next arrangement.”

Also, the new Chairman of Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, Mallam Adam Rufai, said the council had not been notified about payment of the allocation.

“We don’t know yet because we were just elected into the council. We have no information on whether the allocation is going to be paid directly to the council by the Federal Government. No one has given us such information,” he said.

A senior local government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said after the Supreme Court landmark judgment, all the LGs in the state were made to open new accounts with a commercial bank, where their allocation would be paid.

“But I am not sure we are receiving allocation through it yet. We are receiving our salaries for September already but I doubt it if we are getting direct allocation from the Federal Government yet,” the official said.

The Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission has finalised plans to conduct local government elections across the state’s 13 local government areas on Saturday, 2nd November 2024.

This was disclosed by NASIEC Chairman, Ayuba Wandai-Usman, during a press briefing in Lafia on Wednesday.
The election will cover both chairmanship and councillorship positions.

The last local government elections in Nasarawa took place in October 2021, with the elected officials serving a three-year term, which is now coming to an end.

Addressing journalists, Wandai-Usman reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to collaborating with the media to enhance the democratic process in Nasarawa State and Nigeria at large.

“The chairmanship and councillorship elections will be held on Saturday, 2nd November 2024. Nomination papers for the elections are to be submitted at the commission’s headquarters, Democracy House, Shendam Road, Lafia,” he said.

The NASIEC chairman also announced that the election timeline had been released, with party primaries and the resolution of disputes set to begin on Friday, 11th October 2024.

Campaigns by political parties for the chairmanship and councillorship elections are expected to commence on Friday, 18th October 2024, while the publication of the final list of nominated candidates is scheduled for Tuesday, 29th October 2024.

Wandai-Usman called on the citizens of Nasarawa to support the commission by turning out in large numbers to participate in the elections. He also urged residents to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly before, during, and after the polls, stressing the importance of maintaining law and order throughout the process.

The Peoples Democratic Party, on Tuesday, berated President Bola Tinubu for allegedly making false claims of achievements in his 64th Independence Day speech.

The opposition party claimed that Tinubu’s speech exposed the ruling All Progressives Congress’ insensitivity to the struggles of Nigerians.

But in a reaction, the APC described the PDP as a frustrated party seeking relevance.

In a statement released on Tuesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba described Tinubu’s speech as a “complete waste of time,” emphasising that it failed to address the pressing economic and security issues currently plaguing the country.

In his national broadcast on Tuesday morning, President Tinubu stressed the need for reform to ensure Nigeria’s progress and prosperity.

He warned against continuing with business as usual, which he claimed could lead to national collapse.

The President stated that upon taking office 16 months ago, his administration had prioritised reforming the political economy and defense architecture in light of the nation’s challenges.

“We found ourselves at a dizzying crossroads, where we must choose between two paths: reform for progress and prosperity or carry on business as usual and collapse,” Tinubu said, highlighting that his administration had attracted over $30bn in foreign direct investment in the past year.

In response, the PDP slammed the speech for its failure to acknowledge the difficulties faced by millions of Nigerians, including economic hardship, unemployment, and extreme poverty.

The opposition party said, “The 64th Independence Day speech by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is another lethargic and windy rhetoric of false performance claims and empty promises.”

The PDP accused the APC government of being insensitive to the public’s suffering, asserting that the speech further confirmed their position that hope for improvement under the current administration was bleak.

The PDP expressed shock that the President’s address downplayed critical issues, such as widespread economic hardship and hunger, which had previously led to public protests.

It criticised Tinubu’s assurances of micro-economic improvement and lower living costs, arguing that these claims were inconsistent with the reality of rising fuel prices and unemployment.

The PDP urged President Tinubu to take a more hands-on approach, suggesting he visit markets or engage with youth in urban areas to better understand the citizens’ true circumstances, rather than relying on fabricated statistics provided by his officials.

The PDP cautioned that the APC-led administration seemed intent on stifling democracy, as the speech notably omitted any mention of the erosion of electoral credibility and citizens’ rights under its governance.

Overall, the PDP’s response reflects deep dissatisfaction with the APC’s handling of the nation’s pressing issues and a call for more genuine engagement with the public.

Reacting, however, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, stated that the PDP’s reaction stemmed from its frustration over the ruling party achieving what they could not.

He stated “For the PDP, rather than burying their heads in shame, they claimed the President’s speech is empty.

What the PDP should understand is that since their departure from the political scene, sanity has returned to Nigeria, and peace has been restored to the country and to Abuja, the seat of power.

“Since the PDP left office, the situation has improved day by day under the APC government.During the PDP’s time, there was no peace in Abuja, making it difficult for a sitting President to address the nation from Eagle Square.

“Under an APC-led federal government, Nigerians are experiencing peace of mind. Therefore, the PDP’s reaction to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speech is nothing but an afterthought; they are merely reacting because they see what they failed to achieve being accomplished by the APC government. By the grace of God, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will move Nigeria forward.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the federal government to review policies causing economic hardship in the country.

In a statement on the nation’s 64th independence anniversary, the PDP said Nigeria has never had it this bad.

President Bola Tinubu’s policies have driven petrol prices to record highs and depreciated the naira to record lows since he assumed the reins on May 29, 2023.

The party asked Nigerians “not to surrender” in the face of “emasculating policies”.

The opposition party said Nigerians should “reawaken the spirit of nationalism in defence of our democracy and national sovereignty against the emerging totalitarianism being foisted on our nation by the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.

“The Independence Day celebration is not the symbolic marching at parade grounds, taking of salutes, inspection of guards and making of speeches but it is the freedom of the citizens to express themselves, pursue legitimate endeavours and freely participate in the process to choose those who lead them through an unhindered expression of their will at elections,” the statement issued by Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, reads.

“The independence of a nation is embedded in the respect for the Rule of Law and constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens by a transparent and responsible government that is democratically elected, answerable and committed only to the good of the people.

“Since its calamitous arrival in the Nigerian political space, the APC continues to barefacedly stifle these fundamentals of our nation’s independence.

“It is, therefore, an irony that the APC deludes itself that Nigerians should celebrate independence whose essence has been completely diminished by the anti-people policies and programs of the APC that have not only discounted the lives of citizens but also deprived them of the independence to legitimately pursue their endeavours and freely participate in governance.”

The PDP alleged that the APC is not interested in the wellbeing of the people and is “returning our nation to a state of bondage, where the government is a cabal that has no respect for citizens but relishes in inflicting pain and hardship, where dissenting voices are treated as enemies of state”.

The party said citizens are being suppressed and exploited “through excruciating tariffs and taxes are now instituted as state policies”.

“It is indeed agonizing that all the gains achieved by the PDP in the development of our democracy and credible electoral process, personal freedom, liberty and security of citizens, good governance that resulted in better living standards and flourishing investments in education, healthcare, electricity, housing, railways and roads infrastructure, manufacturing, hospitality, real estate among others have all been reversed by the APC,” the party said.

The PDP said the APC-led administration must listen to Nigerians and “review all its anti-people policies and actions that are suffocating life in the country”.

“The Federal Government should, without further delay, reduce the pump price of fuel and stem the slide in the value of the Naira by immediately reordering resources to jumpstart the ailing productive sector,” PDP said.

“Again, the PDP urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to listen to the heartbeat of Nigerians.

“Indeed, Nigerians are hurting. He must act now by channelling resources to projects that have a direct bearing on the wellbeing of Nigerians so that the people can have the life they deserve as free citizens of an independent nation.”