Edo, Ondo polls: Court orders INEC to accept candidates from Sheriff camp

Another twist was added to the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday, as a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept only candidates from the Ali Modu Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC), for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo.

Justice Okon Abang, in a ruling yesterday, granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining INEC, the PDP and their agents from dealing with or according any facility required by law (regarding the governorship elections to be conducted by INEC in Edo and Ondo states) to any other persons or group other than the Senator Sheriff, Prof Wale Oladipo and Fatai Adeyanju-led NWC of the party

The judge directed INEC and the PDP and their agents to “recognise, deal with and accord all facilities required by law“(regarding the elections in Edo and Ondo states) to the Ali Modu Sheriff, Prof Wale Oladipo and Fatai Adeyanju led NWC.

Senate rules forgery: I am not a presidential witness – Enang

Enang

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has said he was not a witness in the ongoing forgery case against some senators.

Enang told journalists in Abuja on Friday that contrary to reports, the Presidency was not lining up its aides as witnesses in the case.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that he clarified that the police only invited him for questioning in 2015 as the chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business of the 7th Senate.

He explained that he was invited as a principal suspect in the forgery case and on July 3, 2015, he made his statement on the matter to the police.

“I was the chairman of the Rules and Business Committee of the 7th Senate, which ended plenary on June 4, 2015 and the 8th Senate was inaugurated on June 9, 2015.

The inspector-General of Police wrote to the Clerk to the National Assembly requesting him to ask some key officials of the 7th Senate to have an audience with the police.

“The Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Majority Leader, Clerk of the National Assembly, Clerk of Senate, Chairman, Rules and Business and Secretary, Rules and Business, were invited.

“ l, on July 3, 2015 met with the police who alleged that I am suspected to have amended the Standing Orders in issue being the Chairman of Rules and Business committee of the 7th Senate.

“l was asked to make a written statement on the matter and I did on the said July 3, 2015, denying the allegation.

“It was from the statement of other persons of interest, after my statement that the police may have formed an opinion as to who did what.

“The police listed me as a witness as to the procedure for amendment, having made a statement on the matter,” Enang said.

Sheriff to Makarfi: Join me in moving PDP forward

The embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, has called on the party’s caretaker committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and the party’s governors to join hands with him in moving the party forward.

Speaking in Abuja through his National Deputy Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Sheriff said there was urgent need for stakeholders to consider political solution to the party’s festering crisis.

According to him, the various court cases instituted by the various groups against the party could drag till 2019, thereby robbing the party of the opportunity to present a common front for the 2019 general elections.

He described the party’s governors as the most vulnerable should the crisis continue, stressing that they could lose the opportunity for re-election.

Ojougboh said, “I appeal to governors and elders of the party to join hands with the leaders in moving the party forward. We need to find political solution to this crisis because the pending court cases could drag till 2019.

“We should be able to sit together and look at the problem dispassionately. The Port Harcourt convention was illegal so the caretaker committee is null and void.

“Sheriff is ready and willing to make peace but we must be ready to obey the rule of law and respect internal democracy. He is ready to hand over any day, but he is not prepared to be stampeded out office.”

The party chief noted that the crisis in the PDP is all about the 2019 presidential ticket, which he said has set different groups and interests against one another.

Insisting that the courts cannot solve the party’s crisis, Ojougboh said Sheriff was ready to organise a proper convention to elect a new set of national officers to run the affairs of the party.

He called on the governors and the party elders to formally dissolve the caretaker committee to enable the PDP make progress.

“The PDP under Sheriff will not rely on government or governors to fund its activities because members will be made to pay their dues and a system of accountability will ensure the judicious use of the funds,” Ojougboh added.

He described the awaited July 4 judgment by a court in Port Harcourt as a mere academic exercise, declaring that the June 30 ruling by another Abuja court had rendered the pending Port Harcourt ruling ineffectual.