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2023 ELECTIONS: “I AM STILL IN THE RACE AND CANDIDATE TO BEAT”- VICTOR UMEH

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Former APGA national Chairman and senatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Sen Victor Umeh (OFR), has once again affirmed that he remains the candidate of the Labour party for the Anambra Central Senatorial zone, not minding the court judgement that nullified his candidacy a week ago.

He made the affirmation while appearing as a guest on Alpha Radio 106.5Fm’s political program tagged Political Heat hosted by Emmanuel Asiegbunam (Mr E on The Mic).

Sen Victor Umeh condemned the judgement as a miscarriage of justice and a judicial summersault since the plaintiff (Sen Uche Ekwunife of PDP) lacked the locus standi to initiate the suit and the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it ab initio. He cited a ruling by the same court in 2022 on a case filed by the Anambra north candidate of the YPP Sen Ifeanyi Uba against the APGA candidate Hon Chris Azubogu. The same court under same judge had ruled then that Sen Ifeanyi Uba not being a member of APGA,  lacked the locus standi to initiate the suit in the first place. He also cited recent Supreme Court judgement on PDP vs Oyetola , APC and others in which the Supreme Court affirmed that only members of a political party who contested the primaries can challenge the outcome of the primary in court. The Supreme Court called the PDP “meddlesome interlopers”. Sen Victor Umeh then wondered why the Trial Judge in his case, could assume jurisdiction over a matter that the Supreme Court had ruled on several times. He also revealed that the suit was filed out of time and was therefore incompetent.

Ohamadike explained that having filed an Appeal against the judgement in the Court of Appeal Awka, he is therefore free to resume his campaigns which he had temporarily suspended as a result of the judgement. He called the judgement a “temporary set back… hatchet job by political opponents and some incompetent contestants who are envious of the widespread acceptance of my candidacy by the  electorates”  He urged his supporters and the public not to be intimidated as the court of Appeal would definitely set aside the “flawed judgement”.

Responding to a caller who asked him what he would do differently if elected to return to the 10th Senate, the Senator decried the current lopsidedness in federal projects, allocations and appointments by the federal  government and vowed to resist such and ensure that Federal Character is entrenched in all government policies and programs as he did in the 8th Senate. Sen Victor Umeh (Ohamadike) assured the public of his readiness to offer bold, dogged and active representation at the Red Chambers even more than he did in his first stint at the Senate in 2018. He gave his scorecard for the 17 months and promised not to relent in his fight to ensure that his constituency and indeed the entire south east is given capable and competent representation at the Red Chambers.

Ohamadike further condemned the floppy implementation of the Naira re-design and withdrawal policies and warned that policies with good intents that are implemented inappropriately may backfire.  He urged the CBN and the federal government to  always consider the interest of the masses in all their policies. He also condemned the ongoing Fuel and Forex crises and traced their origins to the failure of the Legislature to checkmate the Executive, vowing to spearhead such checkmating if elected into the 10th  Senate

On Peter Obi, the Senator disclosed that the Labour Party presidential candidate being the best candidate in the race,  is in prime position to win the 2023 presidential election and urged all Nigerians to support him and the party. He recalled how he and Peter Obi introduced the newly formed APGA to the Anambra electorate 20 years ago and how they used the then structureless APGA, to win the gubernatorial election in the state. He revealed that he actually joined the Labour Party and emerged as candidate of the party on the invitations of Mr Peter Obi.  

The Senator expressed confidence that with his track records in the 8th Assembly, his intimidating profile and widespread acceptance by the masses, he will surely emerge victorious on February 25 and be elected as senator to represent the zone. He prophetically asserted that as his name appeared at number 109 on the recently released final list of candidates by  INEC; as there are 109 senators in the Red Chambers and as he was listed as  the 109th Senator in the 8th Senate in 2018, he is therefore destined to be part of the 10th Assembly in 2023. He urged Nigerians to vote for him and for his party’s candidates at all levels so as to  give the much needed support to Peter Obi when he becomes president of the New Nigeria everyone yearns for. 

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BREAKING NEWS: PDP’s Diri Wins Bayelsa Gov Election

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The incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Douye Diri, has been declared the winner of the State governorship election held last Saturday.

The Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Of Technology, Minna, announced Diri winner of the poll at the collation centre of the election on Monday.

Diri polled 175,196 to defeat his closest rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress, who garnered 110,108 votes while the Labour Party polled 905 votes.

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Plateau: Protesters Storm S’ Court Over Sack Of Four PDP Members From NASS

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Over 1000 protesters, on Monday, besieged the Supreme Court to register their displeasure over the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which sacked four members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Plateau State, from the National Assembly, based on a pre-election dispute.

The placard and banner-wielding groups, under the aegis of Coalition for Justice in Africa, CJA, submitted a protest letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

According to the protesters, the appellate court, by its judgement, thwarted the wish of electorates in Plateau state, when it declared candidates that lost the National Assembly elections that held on February 25, as winners of the legislative seats.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after the protest letter was submitted to the CJN, the National President of the CJA, Dr. Daniel Okwa, maintained that the judgement of the appellate court was capable of causing a breakdown of law and order in the state.

He said the group was at the apex court to seek the intervention of the CJN, alleging that the verdicts that removed all the PDP federal lawmakers were influenced by some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The protest letter, which was obtained by Vanguard, read in part: “The Coalition for Truth and Justice believes that the judgment of the Appeal Court in Abuja is a case of injustice, else, how could one explain a situation where lawmakers of the All Progressive Congress (APC) would boast and predict the outcome of the Court of Appeal judgment even before the pronouncement.

“This is unacceptable and indicates that the justice regime in Nigeria has been thrown to the dogs. What happened in Plateau State is an aberration of immeasurable proportion. There is a distinction between a pre-election matter and a post-election matter.

“The Supreme Court has established this fact on several occasions. It is now a wonder why the Appeal Court would act otherwise and in a despicable manner that tends to truncate our nascent democracy.

“The Coalition for Truth and Justice entirely condemns the actions of the justices of the Appeal Court that sat in Abuja. They displayed insensitivity to the electoral choices of the people. This is a worrisome trend that the Chief Justice of Nigeria must address.

“This is on the heels that the Judiciary, the world over, is regarded as the last hope of the commoner. This presupposes that it is the only place the commoner can get justice. The function of the Judiciary is not to twist the truth or fabricate facts but to interpret the law. The consequence of the interpretation of the law is justice.

“However, what played out in Plateau state negates the Judiciary’s position as the common’s last hope. The Judiciary is for sale to the highest bidder in Nigeria, if such positions could be taken without recourse to the implication of such on the psychological state of the people.

“The Coalition for Truth and Justice is using this protest to drive the point that justice in Nigeria should not be reserved for a section of the country or any political party. What happened in Plateau should not be allowed to stand or repeat itself. The implication of such is that the reputation of the judicial arm of government would be eroded.”

It will be recalled that the appellate court had on November 7, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, okayed the nullification of the election of a Senator and three members of the House of Representatives in the state that emerged on the platform of the PDP.

The panel based its decision on failure of the PDP to fully comply with a court that was made in 2022, which it said directed the party to conduct congress in the 17 Local Government Areas in the state.

It, therefore, held that though the lawmakers won their respective seats during the National Assembly election that held on February 25, all the scores that were credited them, amounted to wasted votes.

It ordered that candidates that got the second majority lawful votes at the election, should be sworn in as winners of the legislative seats.

Vanguard

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Canada’s Abuja, Lagos Visa Centres Open – High Commission

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The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria has said its Abuja and Lagos visa application centres remain open for the processing of immigration, refugee and citizenship applications.

The Canadian High Commission had on Tuesday announced the suspension of operations in its Abuja office following a fire incident at its generator house, which claimed two lives on Monday.

Nigerians had expressed fear that the operations suspension would hamper visa application processes.

But  in a statement posted on its X handle on Thursday, the  Canadian High Commission clarified that its Abuja and Lagos visa application centres remain open and operational.

In the statement by its public affairs staff, Demilade Kosemani, the commission said, “As we continue to mourn the passing of our dear colleague from the High Commission of Canada in Abuja, please note the following information below:

“Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada clients: processing of applications continues. Regardless of the suspension of operations at the High Commission of Canada in Abuja, the Visa Application Centres in Abuja and Lagos remain open.”

Meanwhile, a travel agency, , TMT Travels and Tours Limited, has sympathised with the Canadian High Commission over the Monday tragic fire incident.

In a statement on Thursday the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Collins Onukwubiri,  said, “We at TMT Travels and Tours Limited shares in the grief and sense of loss of the Canadian embassy in Abuja. The partial burning of the Canadian embassy in Abuja and the death of two workers there was most unfortunate.

“Canada, as a major player in the Nigeria’s travel and tours business, is an integral player in Nigeria’s economy. We know how devastating this unfortunate incident is to them but we want to say that we stand with them in this time and always. We specially condole with the families of the two persons who died in the process.”

Vanguard

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