PDP zones 2019 presidential candidate to the north, says Secondus

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday in Abuja zoned the party's 2019 presidential candidate to the northern part of the country.

The PDP acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this while receiving the party’s Post Election Review Committee led by the Senate Deputy President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu.

Secondus said that the decision was important based on the zoning principle of the party and in following the recommendation of the committee.

``The NWC had agreed that for us to move this party forward, we must obey our constitution; we must follow our rule and the principle of zoning, which is very important.

``Therefore, we agree with the committee absolutely that the presidential candidate of our party in 2019 would come from the North,’’ Secondus said.

Secondus promised that the NWC would implement the recommendations of the committee’s report to the latter, without any fear, for the survival of the party.

``The NWC will commence the implementation of this report by passing it through all consultative and decision making organs of the party up to the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Convention Committee.

``Equally, you can be assured that those of us in the NWC will put in place machinery to review and implement recommendations that are very urgent,’’ he said.

Earlier, Sen. Ekweremadu, while submitting the committee’s report said one of the committee’s recommendations was that the party should strictly apply the zoning principle at all levels.

He said that in particular, since the last President of PDP extraction came from the Southern part of Nigeria that of 2019 presidential elections should come from the North.

Ekweremadu, who was the chairman of the committee, said: ``this is in accordance with the popular views expressed in the submissions to the Committee.

``This will also assuage any ill feelings in the North over any perceived breach of the Party’s zoning principle.’’

He recommended that the PDP should henceforth be ``self-funding, relying on membership registrations and enforcement of dues and levies as its primary sources of income at all levels in line with the party's Constitution.

``This is with a view to ending the prevailing situation where those who pay the piper dictate the tune.

``We have also recommended that the role of party leader, which has no basis in the constitution of the PDP, should henceforth be discontinued at all levels.

`` This is to strengthen the structure of the party at all levels.’’

Ekweremadu further recommended that the Party should adopt the direct primary method as the sole means of electing its candidates for any election at all levels.

``The use of delegates has been grossly compromised and abused, and should therefore be discontinued forthwith to return true ownership of the party to the people,’’ Ekeremadu said.

He proposed a nationwide biometric membership registration to align PDP records with modern technology.

The PDP Post-Election Review committee was inaugurated on May 5 in the wake of the party’s performance in the last general elections.

The committee was handed a nine-point terms of reference, the sum of which was to find out what went wrong and to chart a trajectory for the restoration of the fortunes of the party. (NAN)

PDP lauds Gov. Ayade for lifting ban on employment

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River, has commended Gov. Ben Ayade for lifting the ban on employment and for prompt payment of salaries of civil servants.

The state chairman of the party, Mr John Okon, made the commendation on Wednesday in Calabar during an interaction with newsmen.

He said that the governor had kept to his promise of paying salaries of civil servants by 25th of every month, noting that the gesture would motivate the work force.

Okon said: ``Gov. Ayade’s first 100 days in office has shown that he has the interest of the state at heart.

``Frankly speaking, since the governor was sworn in, he has commenced the process of employing about 2,000 youths under the Green Police Initiative.

``Civil servants in the state are now smiling because the governor has kept to his promise and they now receive their salaries on the 25th of every month.

``The governor has sponsored an executive bill, the Low Income Earners Tax Exemption bill meant to exempt low income earners from paying taxes in the state.’’

The chairman added that the governor also sponsored the Social Housing Scheme bill which seeks to provide free housing for the poor.

Okon commended Ayade for strengthening labour, government relations through dialogue.

He hailed the governor successfully resolving disputes between labour and the judiciary as well as the state university. (NAN)

Landmark University is fighting hunger through agriculture, says VC

Prof. Aize Obayan, Vice-Chancellor, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara, on Wednesday said that the institution was fighting hunger, not just in Nigeria but in Africa, through its involvement in agriculture.

This is contained in a statement signed by the university’s Head, Corporate and Public Affairs, Mrs Ngozi Osueke, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

It said that the university, established by the Living Faith Church Commission worldwide, was inaugurated in March 2011 for full commencement of academic operations.

It said that the institution had the mandate to drive an agrarian revolution through its undergraduate programmes in the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Science, Business and others respectively.

According to the statement, agriculture is the way to go, if the country's youth and the nation as a whole would embrace it, and pay attention to it.

It said that the future of Africa and Nigeria lay in Agribusiness, saying that the proprietor was deeply committed to agric-business.

``This university has the basic requirement to turn out engineers for tomorrow's Nigeria, and I think our emphasis should be on science, technology or engineering.

``I will always add innovation because it is not every time we can invent, but improve on what already exists, and that is where innovation comes in.

``It is interesting to know that the university, despite her age, has all her 23 programmes, which are Agric Extension & Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Soil Science, Crop Science and others, accredited by the National Universities Commission and other relevant professional bodies,’’ it added. (NAN)

Time for Buhari to lay out his administration’s tone, says NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to take advantage of the country’ 55th independence anniversary to set tone of his administration’s policy thrust.

Its General Secretary, Dr Peter Oso-Ezon, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

``This is the first major national celebration of Mr President, since his inauguration; this will be a great opportunity for Mr President to set the tone of his administration's broad policy framework.

``So, I would expect that his address would be telling us in some majored way, what concrete steps (they will take), what type of goals they are setting for themselves and what the broad policy thrust on the economy are, what they will do about the security situation, and all that.

``Even issues that you hear some debates on, as to whether he is going to negotiate with Boko Haram towards the issue of the Chibok Girls and all that.``

Ozo-Eson called on the President to also use the independence day celebration to lay out his administration’s plans for the country in the next four years.

He commended Nigerian workers for their resilience in difficult times and urged them to remain committed to making the country greater.

He said: ``We salute our workers and our members; even in the most difficult times in which a number of them were owed months and months of salary arrears, they continued to labour.

``So, we salute their resilience and we will continue to look forward to a better tomorrow.

``For Nigerians, generally we will also congratulate ourselves even with the challenges the nation has had, we are still where we are,`` he said. (NAN)

God Could Destroy America Over Gay Marriage, says Michele Bachmann

 

By Curtis M. Wong

Michele Bachmann is still vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage. 

The former Minnesota rep, who once dismissed the fight for marriage equality as "boring," blasted President Barack Obama's "dangerous policies," including those pertaining to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, in an “Understanding the Times with Janet Markell” interview last weekend. 

Michelle Bachmann

"When we raise our fist to holy God and say that we are going to redefine marriage, we are going to be okay with paying a Planned Parenthood to cut up innocent baby parts and sell them for research, that clearly is a problem," Bachmann said, according to Right Wing Watch. "As we have seen God render judgment in the days of Noah, in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and so forth throughout history, what the prophets have told every generation is that there is a just God and the people must repent and turn to him. So, too, in this day of wickedness in our own culture, we need to do the same."

You can listen to Bachmann's remarks in an audio recording of the interview, courtesy of Right Wing Watch, below. 

Markell agreed with Bachmann, and went on to suggest that she and the former Republican presidential hopeful could witness "the Lord’s literal return" before the broadcast was complete.  

Given Bachmann's history, of course, her comments aren't particularly surprising. Earlier this year, she predicted that Obama's support of same-sex marriage, as well as his policies on Iran’s nuclear program, would bring about "the rapture."

“Any nation that accepts God and his principles is blessed, and those who push away are cursed. That’s what we’re seeing happen to the United States,” she told Markell in an April interview. “We will suffer the consequences as a result.”  

We'll be waiting with bated breath, Michele! 

Tribunal rejects APC, Emerhor’s Objection, admits INEC’s documents in Evidence

·         Smart card reader data upload accreditation status as at Thursday, April 16, 2015 admitted

·         Polling units without accreditation figures as at April 15, 2015 admitted

·         Petitioners, respondent’s counsels to address Tribunal October 13, 2015

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Wednesday morning announced the closure of case for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after it rejected objection by Chief Thomson Okpoko (SAN), lead counsel to the petitioners, All Progressive Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor to the tendering of two documents by INEC from the bar.

APC and Emerhor are challenging the declaration of Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa as winner of the Delta State governorship elections held on April 11, 2015.

INEC counsel for the day, Mr. O. Anumonye in opening the defense for the electoral body which is the third respondent applied to the tribunal to tender the following documents:

·         Smart card reader data upload accreditation status as at Thursday, April 16, 2015, and

·         Polling units without accreditation figures as at April 15, 2015.

The INEC counsel also sought to tender all the accompanying receipts and the certificates of certification for the documents.

Counsel to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the first respondent told the tribunal that he had no objection to the tendering of the documents as they are duly certified. The same position was also taken by Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is also the second respondent.

Okpoko in his objection based his grounds on the submission that the documents are inadmissible having been previously rejected by the tribunal. He argued that a document tendered and rejected cannot again be retendered. He then cited a Supreme Court decision to buttress his objection and urged the tribunal not to allow the document to be tendered.

Replying to Okpoko’s submissions, Anumonye told the tribunal that the APC and Emerhor’s counsel’s objection is misconceived. He argued that in dealing with a document tendered and marked rejected, he submitted that the difference must always be drawn between a document that is inherently inadmissible and the one that is not. “These documents tendered are not inherently inadmissible. Incidentally, the relevant decision is that of the Supreme Court in Talib v. GTB 2011 AFWLR part 602, page 1502, where the Supreme Court held that the document should be tendered and received in evidence having fulfilled the conditions necessary for it to be admissible.”

Anumonye also cited the case of Aribisala v. Ogunyemi, 2001 AFWLR, part 31, page 2867 at pages 2875-2876, where it was held that the document sought to be tendered is not the same document that was rejected.

The tribunal then called for the documents and after taking time to examine them said in their ruling that although the two documents are similar, but that they could find any mark of rejected on them. It accordingly dismissed Okpoko’s objection and admitted the documents in evidence and marked them as Exhibits R32 and R32A.

Anumonye then stood up and told that the tribunal having reviewed the evidence given at the tribunal, INEC as the third respondent will not be calling any witness. “We rest our case on the evidence we have elicited under cross examination,” he submitted.

Accordingly, the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Nasiru Gunmi announced the closure of the case for the third, fourth and fifth respondents, namely, INEC, the Resident Electoral commissioner and the Chief returning officer for Delta State. Gunmi also announced the schedule to be followed by both the petitioners and the respondents present their addresses to the tribunal.

The tribunal subsequently adjourned till October 13, 2015 for the presentation of address by the petitioners and respondents.  

Court orders Immigration to restore salaries of aggrieved officer

The National Industrial Court on Tuesday ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to ``immediately’’ restore the payment of salaries and other entitlements of and officer, CSP Mars Abiaziam.

Justice Peter Lifu gave the order at the resumed hearing of a suit filed by Abiaziam against NIS over the non-payment of his salaries, victimisation and attempt by the service to sack him.

The judge also ordered the service not to subject the officer to any punitive action or any form of victimisation as a result of the suit.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the order of the court followed an out of court settlement agreement reached between the claimant and NIS and other respondents to the suit.

``The court is satisfied with the contents of the terms of settlement by the parties and will enter such as final judgment in the case,’’ Lifu held.

It will be recalled that Abiaziam had dragged NIS before the court over non-payment of his salaries, victimisation and attempt by the service to sack him.

In the suit, he joined the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Assistant-Comptroller of Immigration, Mr. S. C Baikie and a Chief Inspector of Immigration, Tanko Nuhu as co-defendants.

The claimant said that the respondents stopped paying his monthly salaries since Nov. 2014 on an allegation that he did not comply with demands of harmonisation of service record.

He said he had complied with the said harmonisation and filled the relevant forms for over four times, adding that he had severally appealed for a reinstatement of his salaries but all to no avail.

At the last hearing of the case on Sept. 17, counsel to the defendants, Silas Amon, had prayed the court for adjournment to enable parties to explore out of court settlement of the dispute.

Counsel to the claimant, Kelvin Okoro, did not oppose the application while the court adjourned for report of settlement. (NAN