By Jesutega Onokpasa.

According to Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial flagbearer for Delta State, is not entitled to his party’s mandate, which he won by a landslide, because he submitted “dubious or forged documents”.I never heard anything more astonishing from a judge. What in the world is the meaning of “dubious or forged”? How does a judge even frame a judgement that way?

Is it that the court was not sure whether the documents were either “dubious” or “forged”, or, is it just that it was convinced they must be “dubious” or “forged” but not sure, exactly, which? When did courts start reasoning in this rather “dubious” fashion and judges handing down such utterly perplexing judgements? What, in the world, is going on with our judiciary, for God’s sake?

The court was not sure whether they are dubious or forged, or, either, or both, and, yet you go ahead to deliver judgement against the very party in whose benefit such doubt must be exercised? Isn’t it the law that where in doubt, judgement shall be given in favour of whom will suffer otherwise? Indeed, this, as far as I’m concerned, is not just a case of a most putrid and nauseating miscarriage of justice; it is also a most shameful profusion of stark judicial incompetence!

Did His Lordship find as a material fact that Mr. Oborevwori had forged his credentials? In which case, he would have found, in accordance with the strictest rules pertaining to criminal trial, no less, that Oborevwori is, beyond reasonable doubt, a forger of documents, therefore, a criminal! Otherwise, His Lordship would have descended into the fray and was merely pouting the plaintiff while masquerading his incredulous submission as a proper court judgment.

It is truly shameful when some of our jurists seem to pretend we are some first world jurisdiction where people have been formally educated, and been literate and numerate for centuries, if not millennia. We happen to be stuck in a country at the very bottom of all imaginable indices of development, in case those of us who happen to be privileged have forgotten.

Huge numbers, if not most, of our countrymen and women do not have formally educated parents who might had guided them in their formative years. We have nearly 20 million out of school children right now, and, in case anyone has forgotten, the time is 2022! Little children often have to be the ones to give out their names and even spell it to someone taking down their records.

Even where parents, guardians or other categories of adults might be present, they may not be well educated enough and are unable to do a better job. Mistakes will be made, discrepancies will arise, and, this is quite apart from the fact that people might have multiple names at birth and choose to incorporate them into their documentation (or discard them) as they go through life, and not for questionable purposes but, in fact, for reasons that the law permits them to! Even in climes where schools have existed for multiple centuries, if not thousands of years, people still present with discrepancies in their documentation and the courts do not declare them dubious persons or forgers of documents, for God’s sake!

What are we even really supposed to make of this utter madness over documentation, anyway? Perhaps, we should audit the credentials of every judicial officer in the country and I would bet there would be many with similar issues with their documentation! Does that mean they forged documents or are liable to being declared to be dubious? What nonsense!

If you say the documents I have presented are questionable, the burden of proof is upon you. Ours is an adversarial process and it is up to you to prove the documents in contention do not belong to me because they were not issued to me by the appropriate issuing authority; or, where otherwise, that they belong to a determinate other person; or, that I simply forged them, myself, being not entitled to the degree purported, therein.

It is unless the court has completely decomposed into an ignoramus or a most unruly kangaroo that it would, instead, come to the utterly nonsensical conclusion that simply because there are differences in name or colour, or, maybe because the documents are faded, defaced, torn or, howsoever, damaged that they are, therefore, dubious or forged! The germane question is whether or not the documents in issue, belong to the individual in question, and, the process is unwaveringly adversarial, never inquisitorial! If you say my degrees are not mine, well, you prove they belong to another or were not issued to me – certainly not that there are differences in my names, therein.

Her Lordship, the Honourable Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, whom I adore and have nothing but the greatest respect and administration for, once wrote this most untenable judgement that I consider one of the very worst to come out of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. According to Her Lordship and her most learned colleagues, because Senator Degi-Eremienyo, the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Bayelsa polls, at the time, had “forged” documents, David Lyon, his principal and the party’s gubernatorial candidate must lose the mandate the citizens of Bayelsa had freely given him!

Their lordships had somehow managed to completely forget that they had absolutely no power under the law to deliver any verdict repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience, and, just went ahead to steal someone’s mandate and brazenly hand it over to the candidate the people had soundly rejected. Assuming, without conceding that Senator Eremienyo was a forger, how could that possibly invalidate Mr. Lyon’s mandate unless their lordships had completely forgotten the law they had studied in school and practiced for decades and simply sought refuge in legalism, the hiding place for lazy jurists? What Daniels come to judgement!

This is quite apart from the fact that during the entire litigation of the case, not once was it found by any of the courts that Mr. Eremienyo was not the bearer of the various names on his documents, was not by birth or otherwise, lawfully entitled to bear those names, was not the owner of the documents he had presented, had stolen someone else’s documents, had been disclaimed by the issuing authorities of those documents, or, indeed, actually forged any documents according to the strict requirements of the criminal law! This is most certainly not how to practice law and most assuredly not how to determine cases in court.

Most Nigerians don’t have a birth certificate. Most of our people were born at home, for God’s sake! And, that includes many lawyers and judges, including many Justices of the Supreme Court, for that matter!

People are born and their father gives them one name, their mother gives them another, one grandfather shows up and adds yet another name, then a grandmother, after that, then an aunt, an uncle and so on. What right has any court to say those are not your names?

My late father, B. E. Onokpasa, was named “School” by his elder sister, Jekpeme Onokpasa. Everyone, back home, called him “School”. That is the name by which he was known by his cousin, Chief Thompson Okpoko, SAN! My surname might as well be “School-Onokpasa” or indeed, simply “School”! My father, on his part, never, for once, called himself, “School”.

I happen to have been born in a hospital and have a birth certificate under the hand of Dr. Frederick Esiri, the first indigenous medical doctor in Warri. How many people have that? How many lawyers have that? How many judges have that? Therefore they don’t have names, or, are not entitled to the names given to them at birth?

My school certificate bears “Michael Onokpasa”. Every single one of my degrees bears “Jesutega Onokpasa”. My birth certificate bears “Michael Jesutega Onokpasa”. Everyone back home calls me “Michael” or “Mike”. Almost everyone else I know, knows me as “Jesutega” or “Barrister Onokpasa”. Everyone I know abroad, knows me as “Jesutega Onokpasa”.

I rather like bearing my native name but the real question is “are my credentials actually mine or not?” And, if you say they are not, you would have to prove they belong to some other clearcut person or that they were never issued to me, in the first place. You certainly cannot come to court, cast unsubstantiated aspersion on them simply because of one “difference” or the other, and run away with a most dubious judgement as if the court were some total buffoon!

I remember running into David Lyon at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, congratulating him on his victory, only to learn a few days later that his mandate had been misappropriated by the Supreme Court, of all institutions! I hope Mr. Lyon is a man of faith. God willing, he will still be Governor of Bayelsa.

I don’t know whether or not Sheriff Oborevwori will be the next Governor of Delta but that is entirely beside the point. He won his mandate as his party’s flagbearer and defeated Mr. David Edevbie hands down! The courts should let the will of the people prevail and let him slug it out with the candidates of other parties. Our courts simply cannot continue to be the backdoor through which pathological thieves regularly steal mandates not handed them by the electorate.

It is quite unfortunate that history of law is not part of the syllabus of legal studies in our jurisdiction. While the Judiciary is often listed as the third arm of government, it is actually the oldest and original arm of government. Governmental functions, properly so-called, were first exercised at the level of dispute resolution backed with the sanction of the community in cases of default.

“Jura novit curia” we say in our profession, and, democracy only truly exists when the courts know the law and, indeed, do justice. Just as governance first emerged with the advent of judges, so also does the state not truly fail unless, and until, the courts completely collapse. Indeed, civilization, itself, is non-existent unless there are courts, or at any rate, judicial structures, even if there are no discernable executive or legislative counterparts. Even if everyone else has lost their heads, certainly not the judicial arm!

This is already a country in freefall, for God’s sake! The judiciary must remain the last man standing for God forbid it should capitulate and be rendered unto the filth, as well.

I may not be a fan of Mr. Oborevwori or aligned with his ambition but I cannot see how his documents are dubious. I am sorry but I think it is the court judgment itself that is pitiably dubious and most pathetically without foundation. We cannot have a judiciary that losers of elections can opportunistically approach to invalidate the mandates of their opponents upon utter frivolities. Neither, can we have courts in which the people feel judgements may be bought and sold.

We may continue to play the ostrich as a profession but the people we serve are fast losing all regard for our us and what we stand for. Faith in our courts is, in fact, fast ebbing away. The judicial branch is held by all of us who have been called to the bar in trust for the children of God to whom justice must be done no matter what. It cannot be the bench that we so love, admire, honour, look up to, and, celebrate that will keep spewing one embarrassing judgement after another, making lawyers cringe with shame. This just has to stop.

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Onokpasa, a lawyer, writes from Warri.
+2347037212475.

The Movement for Stronger Delta MSD, has read, watched, and followed with anger and trepidation, the frenetic, devious, diabolical desperation, which has consumed a particular clique of Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the moment the name of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori was introduced into the gubernatorial race.

This particular clique, quite noticeably in a thinly veiled, undeniably unholy alliance with the main opposition party in the State, had actually commenced their opprobrious campaign with a dedicated manipulative salvo of Governor Okowa bashing, which was anchored on deliberately provocative misinformation tailored toward invoking ethnic political tensions and conflicts, over the destination of the next Governorship candidate of the PDP.

Fortunately, and as it always has been, with everything that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has placed in the hands of God, the most popular and capable aspirant, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori emerged as the PDP Guber Candidate, the destination was Delta Central as had been canvassed by many, who rightly advocated for equity in the conventional power rotation arrangement which existed in the PDP and the entire primaries to the glory of God, had ended in praise for the party and for the majority of Deltans.

But this particular clique in the PDP, which struts around in PDP ranks, with egocentric aloofness and a misplaced, delusional, and self-preserving entitlement mentality, will not rest on its dark, determined motivation of haranguing of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori out of contention.

They actually started with the initial bogus efforts which, simply put, were hellish conjectures from the spiral imaginations of mischief-makers, who neither have the fear of God nor regard for a man of probity in their misguided foray for ephemeral political power, couched in a phony investigation of ‘two’ of the Delta PDP guber aspirants, which they claimed was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President and head of Delta political opposition, Ovie Omo-Agege.

Omo-Agege vehemently denied sponsoring such investigation, but the unhidden intention of the report, which discovered the now contentious ‘discrepancies’ in his documents, was to disqualify Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori either at the Screening Committee stage or by the Party’s Appeals panel and when all these failed, they resorted to wild and dangerous allegations that the Chairman of the Screening Committee, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State had been bribed.

The Primary was subsequently conducted in a free, fair, transparent, level playing process and Sheriff Oborevwori coasted home to a landslide victory. The jubilations across the State that greeted his triumph were ample testimony of his popularity with Deltans.

Yet, this clique, in their puerile endeavour and unscrupulous irresponsibility, both to the PDP and to Deltans, proceeded to the Federal High Court, where they bombarded the Court with an avalanche of about eleven cases, all against Sheriff and having lost almost all of them on the grounds of lack of locus, they finally got some hope on Thursday, July 7, 2022, when Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, upheld their case and disqualified Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, as the PDP Guber Candidate, going into the 2023 elections.

The grounds for the disqualification were cited as discrepancies in the documents he submitted to the PDP in 2014 and 2022, when he contested the Delta State House of Assembly and the Governorship elections respectively.

However, this legal achievement by the garrulous clique, now seems like a pyrrhic victory, as the Court reportedly declined to name anyone, including David Edevbie, as a replacement for Oborevwori on the grounds that INEC has not published any name yet, as the Governorship Candidate of Delta PDP. The Court also refused to call for a fresh Guber Primary.

As to be expected, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, as a true leader, has urged his loyalists to remain calm and peaceful even as he has appealed the Federal High Court ruling, on nine grounds, through his legal team, led by Joe Agi, SAN and that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is where we are as at this moment.

The movement for Stronger Delta MSD, feels strongly that it is quite germane at this point, to state a number of irrefutable observations for the purposes of putting this matter in its proper perspective.

1. Olorogun David Edebvie, has said his decision to seek legal redress was to prevent the opposition from capitalising on a “blindingly obvious situation” to win the 2023 Delta governorship election. He further claimed that most Deltans were bewildered by the outcome of the PDP governorship shadow polls, describing the polls as “wanton disregard of the interests of our party and mood of our nation”.

2. In his words: “Undeniably, most Deltans received the outcome of the PDP Gubernatorial Primary with bewilderment and exasperation. To many, it appeared to be a wanton disregard of the interests of our Party and the mood of our nation.

“Propelled by the inevitable pall of gloom that hung over Delta State and faced with the real possibility that opposition parties would capitalise on the blindingly obvious situation, I was left with no alternative but to challenge the outcome in the law courts, albeit reluctantly.” He praised the judiciary for the courage to overturn the “travesty” in favour of the will of the majority of the people”.

3. It is obvious from Edevbie’s statement above, that the major reason adduced for challenging the Delta PDP Guber Primary, is completely different from the rambling gobbledegook sophistry, he has presented in the public space. First of all, Edevbie did not challenge the process of the Primary, which has been adjudged to be free, fair, and transparent. Rather, he challenged the so-called ‘discrepancies’, in the documents, presented to PDP, by Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, which has absolutely nothing to do with the conduct of this particular Primary.

4. Secondly, his claim that: “Undeniably, most Deltans received the outcome of the PDP Gubernatorial Primary with bewilderment and exasperation”, is completely imaginary, hallucinatory, and could only have manifested in his own delusional camp, which was quite contrary to the widespread jubilation and celebration that broke out across the State, when Sheriff Oborevwori was declared the winner of the PDP Primary.

5. Thirdly, his heroic, ego-massaging homily, that: “Propelled by the inevitable pall of gloom that hung over Delta State and faced with the real possibility that opposition parties would capitalise on the blindingly obvious situation, I was left with no alternative but to challenge the outcome in the law courts, albeit reluctantly,” is another woeful and deceitfully arrogant and self-serving claim, for the simple reason that there was no reluctance in his decision, since his agenda against Sheriff had been pursued with frenzied zeal, from the onset and indeed the allegorical pall and gloom had only hovered with menacing propensity like a dark, poisonous cloud over his own brood in their sulking corner of Delta State, after the Primary.

6. Fourth, his assertion that he was “faced with the real possibility that opposition parties would capitalise on the blindingly obvious situation”, is actually an unequivocal admission of his covert agenda of working hand in gloves with the opposition against the PDP, with the singular, selfish and myopic mindset to throw away the baby with the bathwater, if he doesn’t win the primaries or if he doesn’t become Governor of Delta State by hook or by crook.

7. Indeed, if David Edevbie is half as smart and clever as his image laundering publicists want us to believe, then he would have known, before going to Court, that his entire case is predicated on Section 29 (5&6) of the amended Electoral Law, 2022, which deals with “Submission of list of candidates and their affidavits by political parties.”

8. To make the matter clearer, Section 29(5) states: “Any aspirant who participated in the primaries of his political party who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information given by his political party’s candidate in the affidavit or any document submitted by that candidate in relation to his constitutional requirements to contest the election is false, may file a suit at the Federal High Court against that candidate seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit is false.

9. Section 29(6) states: “Where the Court determines that any of the information contained in the affidavit is false only as it relates to constitutional requirements of eligibility, the Court shall issue an order disqualifying the candidate and the
sponsoring political party and then declare the candidate with the second-highest number of valid votes and who satisfies the constitutional requirement as the winner of the election.

10. In order words, the import of Section 29(6) suggests that it can only be invoked for the substantive election and not the primaries. Therefore, if the PDP wins the Delta 2023 Governorship election and David Edevbie, who took part in the Delta PDP Guber Primaries (as stipulated by the Electoral Act) proceeds to challenge in court, the eligibility of the party’s candidate to contest and win, then not only will the candidate be disqualified but the Court shall issue an order also disqualifying the sponsoring political party and then declare the candidate with the second-highest number of valid votes and who satisfies the constitutional requirement as the winner of the election, which in that case, will be the opposition.

11. Of course Section 29(8) provides the icing when it further states that: “A political party which presents to the Commission the name of a
candidate who does not meet the qualification stipulated in this section, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of =N=10,000,000/= (Ten Million naira only). This is double jeopardy.

12. So, the question now is, why will David Edevbie, knowing the huge implications of this section of the Electoral Act to the PDP, still proceed with his action to go to court. Or did he read the Electoral Act upside down? Otherwise, is his legal action, knowing what the Electoral Act says, not tantamount to seeking to disqualify his own political party from the election, thus paving the way for the opposition to claim an undeserved and unmerited victory at the polls? Is his action not a deliberate anti-PDP strategy, especially against the backdrop that the PDP is also joined as a defendant in the case and the party will be the greatest loser if this plot succeeds?

13. Sadly, overtaken by their hate-filled agenda as characteristically resonant with unrepentant crusaders, they threw caution to the wind, and went berserk in their fervent hysterical efforts to disparage Sheriff Oborevwori, without studying the full import of what their ill-conceived plot would unleash, if allowed to run its course. Or perhaps is their action even a subtle, covert, well-scripted, and orchestrated subterfuge, designed to destabilize PDP in Delta State ahead of the 2023 general elections?

Like we stated earlier, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has already appealed the ruling of the Federal High Court disqualifying him as the Delta PDP Guber Candidate for the 2023 election, on nine grounds of appeal which comprehensively covers all the bases, including the consideration of Section 29(5) and also the fact, as Justice Taiwo Taiwo rightly noted that INEC is yet to publish anyone as the Delta PDP Guber Candidate for the 2023 election; a point which actually makes his ruling to disqualify Sheriff Oborevwori, quite surprising and confusing at the same time.

The Movement for Stronger Delta, MSD is however, quite confident in our unshakable faith in the judiciary and unwavering in our conviction, that in the end, justice will be done both in the spirit and the letter of the law, as we approach July 17, which is the present deadline for all political parties to submit the names of their Governorship Candidates to INEC.

That as we have always maintained, is the SIMPLE Agenda.

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MOVEMENT FOR STRONGER DELTA, (MSD)

By Victor Emenike Bieni

The Chairman, DE WAYLE’S GROUP OF COMPANIES, High Chief Emonena Victor Wayles Egukawhore (JP) has congratulated His Excellency, Senator Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, The Executive Governor of Delta State, And Vice Presidential Candidate, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as he today celebrates his Birthday Anniversary in grandstyle.

The media learnt this in a press Statement today being 8th day of July, 2022, which was made available to newsmen in Asaba, Delta State Capital personally signed by the Chairman, DE WAYLES GROUP OF COMPANIES, High Chief Emonena Victor Wayles Egukawhore (JP) who commended the Governor for his selfless service to humanity.

The statement reads in parts: “Today being 8th day of July, 2022, I, High Chief Emonena Victor Wayles Egukawhore (JP) wishes you a happy birthday Anniversary as you celebrate today in grandstyle”.

“Ekwueme! Ekwueme!! Ekwueme!!! I salute you. My very own brother, Your Excellency, Sen. Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, our beloved Executive Governor of Delta State, on this very special day, I am really, truly glad to celebrate you”.

“Your selfless service to God and humanity has bestowed God’s special Grace on you and he has consistently promoted you from glory to glory”.

“As you mark this great day, I wish you God’s abiding goodness and sufficient grace in sound health, happiness and peace as you step into another prospective and greater responsibility for the good of our country in the coming year”.

By Charles Nwabardi

Contrary to reports that the whereabouts of embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari who is confined in Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja over drug related offences with other high profile prisoners was unknown after the attack on Tuesday, it was revealed, yesterday, that he narrowly escaped death during the attack.

Dependable prison sources intimated that as soon as the heavily armed terrorists succeeded in getting hold of their colleagues inside the prison, one of the rescued commanders started shouting that Abba Kyari must be fished out from the isolated cell where he was kept.

Sources said the so called commander pointed at the isolated area as they were hastily escaping from the center and they all moved towards the place shouting his name saying; “Abba Kyari, you are dead, we will kill you now” and the terrorists targeted their rifles and fired over 200 rounds of ammunition towards the place.

The attackers reportedly threw two bombs in the same direction but they could not explode.

It was learned that as they were advancing towards the building, shots from military men that came to repel the attack rang out heavily prompting the hasty retreat of the terrorists towards the wall where they came from.

One of the sources from the North said he overheard the terrorists saying let’s escape with our main target and leave Kyari alone before they ran towards the damaged walls of the correctional center from where they escaped with their colleagues.

It was also gathered that as soon as the bandits disappeared from the prison, many of the inmates took the same route through which they escaped and ran away.

The source said: “We ran into the cells for dear life when we saw the barrage of bullets coming from the highly sophisticated weapons in their possession. Some of the inmates received us warmly thinking that we are their targets. They moved without restrain or direction from anybody towards where Boko Haram suspects were confined signifying that they must have carried out surveillance discreetly before storming the center.

“I must add that I admire the courage of Abba Kyari because he was one of the first inmates that came out to confront the prisoners escaping from the center. He was overheard speaking in a combination of Hausa language and pidgin English appealing for calm from the inmates who were rushing towards the broken wall for escape,” a source said.

The source added that “it was God that saved Kyari. Had it been those bombs exploded, Kyari would have been history by now.”

After the 2.45hours attack, the terrorists left, Abba Kyari and his men had the opportunity to follow the crowd that were escaping in Mass after the terrorists had rescued their members and left but Kyari refused to escape. He remained in the Correctional Centre with Honm Farouk Lawan, former Governor Jolly Nyame and few others.

It was gathered that many of the inmates at the Correctional Centre set free by the invaders were terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers, bandits and those sentenced to death for murder.

A good number of the Terrorists were those in bombing Kuje and Nyanya in 2015 and those who kidnapped the Chibok School girls arrested by Abba Kyari and his team. All of them escaped during the attack.

Heads to row as notable elders and Ex Militant Leaders in the Niger Delta region under the aegis of Niger Delta Solution Platform (NDSP) have called on multinational oil company AGIP to sack Mr Stanley Umukoro, General Manager Security AGIP following his activities and involvement in illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism and oil racketeering among others.

In a statement signed on behalf of the group, Chief John Lawson Rufus said Mr Stanley Umukoro has engaged in manipulative practices and is the brain behind several pipeline vandalism and oil theft that has killed the nation’s economy and put AGIP in bad light as he has constantly sabotaged the efforts of AGIP and the federal government.

According to the group, Mr Stanley Umukoro is in the business of engaging youths to destroy specific oil pipelines in the Niger Delta which he returns to benefit through contracts on the repairs of such pipelines through the back door while AGIP and the Federal Government continuously bleed because of the unholy activities of one man who ought to protect AGIP and government efforts.

According to them, Mr Stanley Umukoro has used his position to damage the reputation of the multinational and has carried our illicit business to through criminal elements in the region”.

They lambasted Mr Umukoro for encouraging illegal oil bunkering by providing the platform to youths and his cronies to engage in illegal oil bunkering unhindered, youth restiveness through carrot and stick approach adding that Mr Stanley Umukoro is not a reflection of what AGIP.

“Security jobs meant for youths and communities has been hijacked by Mr Stanley Umukoro to the detriment of youths ,no wonder tension is brewing follow the activities of Mr Stanley Umukoro.

“Unless Mr Stanley Umukoro is shown the way out, AGIP will continue to be a painted by alighting as his fraudulent activities is negatively affecting lives and property in the Niger Delta region .

All efforts to reach Mr Stanley Umukoro and AGIP proved abortive to get their own side of the story proved abortive.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Candidate for Delta South Senatorial District, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, has joined millions of Deltans and party faithful to congratulate Rt.Hon.Friday Ossai Osanebi on his emergence as the running mate to the Gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

Hon. Joel-Onowakpo in a congratulatory message by his Personal Press Secretary, Godday Odidi, described the nomination of Rt.Hon.Friday Ossai Osanebi as running mate to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as a welcome development and a step in the right direction towards election victory of the party in Delta State.

He described Rt.Hon.Friday Ossai Osanebi as a unique young political guru that understands legislative processes laced with leadership prowess capable of influencing a paradign shift in the political equation of Delta State, adding that coming as a running mate to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege would provide a good leadership system for Deltans come 2023.

“With your rich profile in the Delta House of Assembly as a former Deputy Speaker and humanitarian expert, no doubt, the All Progressives Congress(APC) is set to come out victorious. It is a political signal to the PDP in Delta State that APC is not joking and we are ready to give Deltans employment, Empowerment, Development, Good Governance, and Enduring Peace and Security(EDGE) and build a new Delta(Band).”

“You are a bridge-builder, a man of excellent character, integrity, probity, and humanitarian. Your disposition as a philanthropist which has made you a voice in the state, will be of immense service to our party. God will continue to give you the wisdom to support the aspiration of Senator Omo-Agege to victory come 2023.

Hon Joel-Onowakpo thereby called on APC faithful to remain focused in their resolve to rescue Delta State from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)Co e 2023.

Palmer Ogheneyole Nathaniel

A group of young men and women under the auspices of Youths 4 Governance(Y4G) has stated that the present state of things in the country as it affect youths participation in leadership and governance can no longer be cordoned.

The group in issued at the end of it’s general meeting held recently at the NUT Hotel, Asaba, capital of Delta state, noted that the common maxim of youths being leaders of tomorrow has become a scam and an unrealistic illusion.

Flanked by hundreds of members of the group, the Director-General/National Coordinator Engr. Arerosuoghene Jerry Agbajileke while reading the communique stressed that the Nigerian youths faired better in the military era when sensitive government portfolios were handed over to very young, vibrant and energetic officers, adding that since then, the Nigerian youths lost its place to the old brigade who have vehemently refused to give them a new lease of hope.

“It is with great delight that I welcome you all to this August event. First, let me in no small measures appreciate God Almighty for making this day a reality. The planning of this event has been hectic. We are glad that at last, the very pragmatic members of this group painstakingly rallied round the leadership to ensure that the event is a great success, afterall.

“The reason we are here is not far-fetched. We have gathered today to speak to the entire world through the instrumentality of the media that the docility and cruel marginalization of the youths in government at all levels must henceforth be repudiated. The youths have been docile for too long. Though we are told that we are the leaders of tomorrow, that “tomorrow” seem like a facade that may never come to fruition”, the communique reads in part.

Adding that “The Youths for Governance Group, formed by us precisely in the year 2017 was design to carry out advocacies that will awaken the consciousness of youths in partaking in leadership and governance like it is done in other climes. We are here to challenge the authorities at all levels that youth inclusiveness in positions of leadership must never continue to remain in the realm of options.

“Today, we are drawing our undaunting inspiration from American jurisprudence expert, scholar and community developer, Junius Wallis who weathered the storm and rose to become a rallying point for youth advocacy in His country, to state that we have woken up from our deep sleep and now poised to take our rightful place.

“Wallis while motivating his comrades wrote thus, “The youths were to be trained to be the vanguard of the next battlefront, whatever that was. I knew within my heart that the Gibson experiment in city hall would attract enemies, so I intended to teach these young people how to fight on this new battlefield.” After legions of titanic struggles with the oligarchs, he rose to become the youngest president of National Bar Association’s history in 1978. That is the spirit of resilience.

“As a group, we crave for a society where youths will be included and participate actively in politics and leadership. It is an unimpeachable fact that the various military juntas gave youths more opportunity to be at the policy and decision making table. Then, we had heads of state who were far below the age of 50. Ditto to military administrators in some states. But today, we have men in their 60s and 70s standing as councilors in the local government councils; the lowest cadre of political leadership. Sadly more, we have old men of over 60years of age serving as “youth leaders “ at various levels in some Political parties leadership. This trend MUST stop henceforth. No nation can move forward under this circumstances.

“As a group, we are open to discussions by political parties, aspirants, candidates and government at all levels, youth advocacy groups and interest groups, on the subject matter. Our position will be to negotiate more leadership vacancies for our youths. We are also not unmindful of the shenanigans of some of our youths. We hope to discuss, recommend and bring forth some of our finest and incorruptible hands, while we retool the minds of the questionable into more productive and fecund engagements.

“We thank those in privileged positions, governments and industry players who have given our youths opportunities to thrive. Even as we ask for more, we are confident that these lucky ones will deploy the youthful exuberance and warhorse energies into lifting these enterprises to levels of envy. We are confident that our advocacies will yield fruits faster than we ever envisaged. We hope to see some of us rise to become global players, captains of industries and politician powerbrokers in the days of ebullient energies. We are optimistic that a drastic and positive turnaround await our youths while we see from afar the greatness that will herald this nation soonest.

“I thank you all once again. I pray we have another press briefing like this in no distance time to itemize and chronicle the successes of our profound agitations. Thank you all once again.”

The Issues mitigating development of Education, especially University education had been attributed to leadership complicity in the management of educational issues in the country.

This was the observation during the 2022 University of Ibadan Alumnae Association, Asaba Chapter by the guest lecturer, Prof Paul Omojo Omaji of the Admiralty University of Nigeria, an event held at the Press centre, Government House on Thursday, June 23 2022.

Prof Omaji who was speaking on the Theme, “Revitilising University Education: The Leadership Question” said that the issues such as inadequacies in facilities for teaching, learning and research, inadequate funding, deficit in teacher quality and quantity, governance deficits, depressed quality of graduates, inadequate in access, amongst the 12 identified items by the National university Commissions, NUC that are militating against University education, and they are artefacts of leadership failure.

He stated that in the past 30 years, the political leadership in the country had failed, and thus had plunged the university education in Nigeria into several challenges, which he attributed to the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP which the country implemented in mid-1985, after obtaining a loan from the International monetary fund.

He pointed out that the programme was done in a manner that seriously devalued and defunded higher education, as the unfettered political interference resulted among other things, Vice Chancellors were appointed by the Military Government into university administration, with their professorial positions influenced, resulting in the silencing of intellectual voices and others led to massive exodus of lecturers from Nigerian university system.

Prof Omaji further stated that the implementation of the IMF also made the country a dumping ground for imported products in the name of economic liberalization, away from the policy of indiginisation, as the then government promoted patronizing of foreign goods.

He also stated that the continuous appointments of education ministers was a problem, as different ministers always jettison exist policies to introduce what they think is best for the country.

He also did not spare the leadership of the various universities in the country, as they in one way or the other contributed to the failure being currently experienced, regretting that failure of institutional leadership of universities to enact core corporate objective, has compounded the challenges bedeviling the university education, as academic corruption and other social vices has continued to thrive in our universities.

Prof Omaji however gave insight on how education can be revived, and this can only be achieved through an insight leadership, as being done by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, as he had made commitment to reverse the decline since 2016, which leading to the development of a Ministerial Strategic Plan 2016-2019 to begin the process of developing a Blueprint for rapid revitalization of university education in Nigeria, advising the government should facilitate the passage of the document into law.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, has noted that the University of Ibadan (UI) has contributed a lot to the development of Nigeria’s human resources. That it should also be supported in every facet of its development plans and sustainable growth.

The governor who was the Special Guest of Honor, and represented by the Permanent Secretary (PS), Office of the Secretary to the State Government Comrade S. E. O. Dieatake, noted that “the University of Ibadan has continued to produce very productive, capable and dependable work force both within the country and beyond”.

He said the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Asaba chapter, has a rich history and proud heritage, especially with an assemblage of eminent Nigerians who have continued to live up to the high expectations of both Nigerians and the world at large.

Earlier, the chairman of the UI Alumnae Asaba branch, Dr. (Mrs) Felicia Nkem Adun, identified the importance of the annual lecture series as an initiative, drive and dedication to building an association committed to best practices and robust articulation of ideas.

Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for the 2023 general election were focused on recovering Nigeria from the deep mess created by the seven years of rudderless leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He said that the Atiku-Okowa ticket is a ticket for recovery aimed at bringing Nigeria back to winning ways, uniting the country and giving jobs back to the youths.

Aniagwu who stated this at a news conference in Asaba on Monday, lauded the media for their contributions to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as Vice-Presidential flag-bearer of the party.

He stressed that the party was devoted to building infrastructure which had suffered abysmally on account of the APC government not understanding what development was all about.

Flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olisa Ifeajika, the Information Commissioner remarked that “the honour done to the governor is not for the governor alone but the entire Southern Nigeria and the rest of the country.

“The Atiku-Okowa ticket is a ticket that is going to restore our country to become a much more secured country and to restore the economy of the nation.

“They both understand economic issues and the need to bring in many persons on board irrespective of their political persuasions.

“The Atiku-Okowa ticket is already moving because while they are busy looking for a place holder, the PDP already have its candidate.

“INEC gave the timetable at the same time, while others are still searching for running mates, the PDP has shown that they are ready because they understand the issues,” he said.

Responding to the allegation by the Ovie Omo-Agege campaign organisation in Delta, Aniagwu urged the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege to concentrate on what he intends to do if elected and stop chasing shadows.

“We read in some quarters of the media that he is alleging that Okowa betrayed Southern Nigeria by accepting to be running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“The quest of the Deputy President of the Senate to govern our state is within his constitutional rights to aspire and we do not begrudge him just as it is the right of every other Deltan to want to contribute to the development of the state.

“But you will recall that we told him to tell Deltans what he is going to bring on board. So for Ima Niboro to constantly progress in error is to say the least unbecoming of some persons who think he wants to govern a sate as cosmopolitan and as advanced as Delta State.

“The last time I checked Senator Ovie Omo-Agege belongs to a political party called the APC, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa belongs to the PDP.

“By our constitution for you to aspire to hold any political office, particularly at the elective level you must belong to a political party because our constitution at the moment does not recognise independent candidacy.

“The political parties are governed by both the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the rules of engagement that are very well stated in these political parties.

“Those rules define how an aspirant can emerge a standard bearer. You cannot be in Leventis and determine how they are paying salaries in UAC. It does not follow the same rule,”

Aniagwu said the Director of Communications of the Ovie Omo-Agege campaign organisation was a failed presidential spokesman hence he was replaced in 2011.

“Our brother, Ima Niboro who couldn’t help his former principal, the former president of Nigeria to canvass what the man was doing between 2010 and 2011 which is why he was replaced when the man won election.

“If he was doing so well am not too sure if he would have been replaced then as presidential spokesman so I wonder why Senator Omo-Agege would want to elevate a man who failed woefully in projecting his boss.

“He is already failing again because I have not read anywhere he has put forward what Senator Omo-Agege intends to do if elected as governor and I think that should have been his responsibility.

“Betrayal of who? The PDP as a political party met at the NEC level and resolved that given the circumstances of the party in opposition that they were going to leave the ticket of the presidency open to everybody to contest.

“Nobody kicked against that as both Northerners and Southerners contested but somebody won in this case Former Vice-President, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar won fair and square creditably.

“Delegates of the party chose him from across the country and by the provisions of our laws once you win and you become a presidential candidate, your candidacy cannot be validated until you nominate a running mate for that ticket to be complete,”

Aniagwu further averred that leaders of the party and the flag-bearer examined a whole number of persons in the southern part of the country and found our governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa very well qualified to be able to bring a whole lot of value to that ticket.

“He is bringing on board values in terms of the developmental initiatives, values in terms of his presidential disposition and his appreciation of the many challenges that confronts us as a country.

“The Vice-Presidential ticket is not a position of contest, Okowa didn’t buy form to contest for Vice President.

“If Omo-Agege and his campaign organisation do not have what to tell Deltans as to what they are bringing to the table, they should leave Senator Okowa alone.

“We know they are already intimidated by the rising profile of Senator Okowa. Okowa’s selection as Vice-Presidential candidate is a product of the appreciable progress and the many milestones we have achieved in the last seven years,” he added.

On the alleged N25 billion naira loan, Aniagwu mocked the APC for lacking knowledge of governance, adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has assisted a number of persons across sectors.

“The role of the state government is to guarantee the farmers and to assure the CBN that the farmers are credible enough to pay back at the appropriate time.

“To ensure that the individuals the funds would be given to will be able to use it judiciously for the CBN to get back its funds.

“Delta State Government being a responsible government decided to guarantee our farmers so that the CBN can make the funds available for the farmers to increase their yield.

“How does that become a wrong decision of government? The fund is coming from CBN, they only need the state to have a buy-in to agree that once the money gets to the farmers it would be used for the purpose it was meant for.

“Is the APC in Delta expecting that we will keep quiet because they don’t understand governance and allow the funds to go to other states and farmers in those states would be making progress and ours will have to fold their hands?

On the N150bn bridging finance, the Information Commissioner said the state government was yet to access the facility because Federal government was yet to commence the process of repatriation of the funds.

He urged the opposition to stop talking about the N150 billion in isolation and also be concerned about the projects the funds were earmarked for, adding that “until the refunds starts coming in, we will not proceed to approach the bank.”