NATIONAL VIBES

Aniekeme Finbarr Never has it been recorded in recent political history that a group of people so helplessly depended on Only God for a smooth and peaceful elections like the people of Akwa Ibom State did in the just concluded general elections. It all began when the State Governor, Udom Emmanuel declared his re-election campaign slogan to be "Only God". Political analysts said it was an empty slogan devoid of any tangible political message. Very many people dismissed it as a cheap strategy to curry political favour or an unnecessary display of religiousity, considering that 99 percent of Akwa Ibom indigenes are christians. With the defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio from the PDP to the APC, all was set for showdown, the pundits predicted a two horse race with a likelihood of a swerve in the direction of the uncommon defector. The tone was set not just for a mere election, but a bloody civil war. At a burial ceremony in Aguobu-Owa, Ezeagu Local Government area of...

...Archbishop of York, ex-Ghana President members Posted byTony Okechukwu Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, on Wednesday, inaugurated the Bayelsa State Commission of Enquiry on Environmental Degradation. The eight-member commission is chaired by the Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu. Governor Dickson said the commission, which is comprised of Nigerian and foreign scholars and experts in various fields, had a three-point terms of reference, which include to investigate the environmental, health, socio-economic, political and human damage caused by operations of multinational oil companies. L-R: The Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson; in a handshake with the Archbishop of York (Commission Chairman), Dr. John Sentamu, during the formal inauguration of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission, at Government House, Yenagoa. He also charged the commission to analyse the legislations governing the operations of multinational oil ...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu  ... Declares 3 days of mourning  Bayelsa State Governor, The Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson has described the death of famous poet and novelist, Dr. Gabriel Imomotimi Okara as a great loss to the state and Nigeria. Governor Dickson stated that as a mark of honour, his government has declared a 3 days mourning for the late Okara begining from Monday to Wednesday this week with all flags to fly at half mast. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson quoted the governor to have made the remark in a statement issued on Monday. He said Okara who passed on at the age of 98 made a remarkable mark in the African literary industry, churning out great works that helped shaped the African society which include, The Call of the River Nun, the Fisherman’s Invocation, Piano and Drums, You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed and others. Governor Dickson who said that Okara was held in high esteem as a pride to the Niger D...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has expressed confidence in the judicial process in his bid to upturn the result of the election, which was in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari. The former vice president was also confident that justice would eventually be done at the court and he would reclaim his mandate. Atiku has approached the Presidential Electoral Petitions Tribunal to declare him the winner of the February 23 poll, claiming that he has evidence that his mandate was stolen. The PDP presidential candidate, who spoke in Abuja during a visit to some of the elders/leaders of the Southern and Middle Belt region, said the struggle to reclaim the mandate is achievable with their support. Atiku was optimistic that justice would be done eventually, adding that he has confidence in the country’s judicial process. He said: “As I had announced earlier, I have rejected the result of the election. As announ...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu A new campaign to attract global attention to the ravaging effects of oil spills, pollution and environmental degradation in Bayelsa State will be launched this Wednesday evening in Yenagoa, the state capital. Tagged 'Rise For Bayelsa,' it is an international campaign supported by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, which focuses on the plight of oil-bearing communities across the state. The launch will feature the screening of a short documentary that showcases the devastation caused by oil companies operating in the state. Apart from speeches by government officials, environmental activists and community leaders, there will also be a performance by popular Nigerian musician, Timi Dakolo, the Bayelsa Cultural Troupe as well as guest appearance by some Nollywood artistes, who support the campaign. A member of the Media and Publicity Committee of the campaign, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a pre-launch press release, noted that oil spills in the we...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu Bayelsa State Government, on Wednesday, commenced a campaign tagged 'Rise for Bayelsa' to attract global attention to the ravaging effects of oil spills, pollution and environmental degradation in the state. The Rise For Bayelsa initiative, which is an international campaign supported by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, will be launched this evening with the screening of a short documentary that showcases the devastation caused by oil companies operating in Bayelsa. Apart from speeches by government officials, environmental activists and community leaders, there will also be a performance by popular Nigerian musician, Timi Dakolo, the Bayelsa Cultural Troupe as well as guest appearance by some Nollywood artistes, who support the campaign. A member of the Media and Publicity Committee of the campaign, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a pre-launch press release, noted that oil spills in the western world rightly cause global outrage. But in Bayelsa, spill...

Posted By Ebi Anthony The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the National judicial Council over the violation of the Constitution and Electoral Act by Justice Ekwo Inyang of the Federal High Court by sitting on a matter that ought to have been handled by an election petition tribunal, as created by the provisions of our laws. The party noted that in granting an exparte order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from concluding the governorship election in Bauchi State, Justice Inyang violated Section 87(11) of the Electoral Act, which states that no court has the power or jurisdiction to stop any election pending the determination of a suit. In an affidavit sworn to by the PDP's National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, in Abuja, the party notes that issues of collation of results and declaration of winner, is a post-election event and, therefore, falls under the Electoral Act and Constitutional provisions for the election petition tribun...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) informs Nigerians that the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has refused to obey the March 6, 2019 ruling of the Appeal Court, directing it to allow our party and the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, access to inspect the documents and materials used in the rigged February 23, 2019 Presidential election. This is a deliberate and wicked ploy by INEC, acting in cahoots with the All Progressives Congress (APC), to frustrate the people-backed resolve by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to timeously file and mention our petition at the Presidential election Tribunal, and by so doing, ambush the case.  It is imperative to inform Nigerians that upon obtaining the lawful order of the Court, directing INEC to forthwith, avail Atiku Abubakar and the PDP copies of all the documents and other materials used for the Presidential election, our legal team wrote to the I...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sternly cautions the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, against attempts by his commission to tamper with and further cancel already tallied and declared results in 14 more local governments in the Bauchi Governorship election. The PDP warns that with the charged atmosphere in Bauchi state and the level of awareness attained by the people of the state, any attempt by anybody to touch the already announced results will attract serious consequences to the conspirators. Our party already have full information of plots by certain known top ranking officials of INEC, who have been bribed with huge sums of money by the All Progressives Congress (APC), to widen the scope of result cancellation beyond Tafawa Balewa to 14 more Local Government Areas and hike the number of cancelled votes from 70,000 to 184, 555. To achieve this, INEC has been instructed by the APC ...

Posted By Admin The Bayelsa State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party has condemned in strong terms what it described as the despicable display of disrespect for the person of Ijaw National Leader, Pa Edwin Clark and other elder statesmen and leaders in the South South and Middle Belt. The State Secretary òf the PDP, Chief Godspower Keku, berated the State Publicity Secretary òf the APC for casting aspersions on the integrity of Pa Clark and other leaders in the South South and Middle Belt for saying the truth about the election+related violence in Rivers and Bayelsa. Keku said that it was as immoral as it is sickening for a son of the South South to make such a disparaging remark about the elders and leaders of his people for saying the truth about issues of grave concern to them. He said that the statement attributed to Buokoribo, where he described Pa Clark and other leaders as a disgrace fits perfectly into APC’s language of desperation and culture of violence i...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu A state High Court sitting in Yola has issued an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State. Justice Abdulaziz Waziri of State High Court 4 gave the order following a motion ex parte filed by Movement of  Restoration for Defence of Democracy (MRPD), claiming that it's party logo was excluded from the ballot paper for the March 9 governorship election conducted in the state. However, a seasoned constitutional lawyer, Sunday Wugiri, told Newsmen  that "though the order is valid for now, the court lacks jurisdiction to grant it”. “Only a Federal High Court can entertain any matter that concerns federal institutions like INEC,” he added. At a press briefing in Yola on Wednesday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had accused Governor Jibrilla Bindow of planning to use the MRPD to scuttle the supplementary election through unnecessary legal bo...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu Subsequent to the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize him as a Senator-elect, Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Wednesday asked the commission to hand him over his certificate. Okorocha, who had been declared winner Imo West senatorial election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, noted that the commission cannot seize his certificate because of a mere petition against him. The Returning Officer for the election, Prof Francis Ibeawuchi, declared Okorocha as the winner of the poll, having polled 97,762 votes ahead of his closest rival, Jones Onyereri of the Peoples Democratic Party, who had 68,117 votes. However, Ibeawuchi later claimed he was forced to declare Okorocha as the winner to save his life, hence the commission’s decision not to issue a certificate of return to him. Some of Okorocha’s supporters marched to the government house to protest. The Imo state Governor speaking said...

Posted By Tony Okechukwu Twenty Six years after oil exploration came to an end in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11 located in Ogoni, Rivers State, the Presidency has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to take over the operatorship of the oil asset. A letter in possession of Daily Sun with reference number SH/COS/24/A/8540 addressed to the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru, and signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, directed the corporation to take over the operatorship of OML 11. The letter further directed NNPC to assume the operatorship of the entire OML 11 from SPDC not later than April 30 2019, and ensure a smooth re-entry given the delicate situation in Ogoniland. It equally instructed NNPC, represented by its upstream arm, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to confirm by May 2 of the assumption of the operatorship. Tensions between the company and the local people broke out over the years reg...