Senator wants corruption ‘legalised and liberalised’

A Nigerian senator has asked the country’s senate to legalise corruption, in spite of it being one of the major problems confronting one of Africa’s largest economies.

Senator Yele Omogunwa (APC-Ondo South) spoke during plenary on Wednesday while contributing to the upper chamber’s debate on the 2017 budget.

Noting that pass federal budgets have had little or no impacts on the Nigerian people because of pervasive corruption, the senator stated that legalising and liberalising it would be better.

Election can’t take place in Ondo without PDP – Mimiko

The Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has declared that governorship election will not take place in the state on November 26, 2016 if the issue of the candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was not resolved.

He, however, assured that the issue of the PDP standard bearer in the governorship election would soon be resolved by the appellate court and expressed the assurance that the candidate of the Ahmed Makarfi’s faction of the party, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), would contest the election.

The governor who stated this on Sunday at the PDP stakeholders’ meeting held in Akure, the state capital, said the PDP as a party in Nigeria and Ondo State in particular, is a major stakeholder in election matter and no one can prevent the party from participating in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

“I don’t know how they will do it, it is impossible for them to deny us our right. Justice will stand and Jegede will contest this election. Election can’t take place in Ondo State without the PDP.”

The governor explained that the substitution of name at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was a conspiracy because the decision of INEC could not find comfort “in justice, in principle, in law and in morality.”

Mimiko, who noted that redress had been sought by Jegede, the PDP and major stakeholders, assured the party members that justice would be done because the alleged impunity on the matter would not stand.

The governor commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his action towards good and credible elections in the country by ensuring that justice would be done regarding the Ondo election.

He however debunked insinuations that he went to see Buhari as a prelude to crossing over to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He explained, “I had to see the President in my capacity as the Chief Security Officer in Ondo State, briefing the Chief Security Officer of the country on the need to allow justice to prevail, and Mr. President gave his commitment to ensure that justice will be done and I have no reason to doubt him.

“Justice will stand and Jegede will contest the election. Election can’t take place without the PDP.

“We know those that are behind this. It is beyond the President. Their thinking is that without Jegede, they will win but their plan will fail, “ he said.

APC may cancel Ondo primary

The All Progressives Congress (APC) may cancel the September 3 governorship primary in Ondo State.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu won the primary which was hotly contested by other aspirants.
Daily Sun gathered yesterday night that the primary may eventually be cancelled “based on the recommendation of two, out of the three members of the Appeal Committee” chaired by Margaret Bendega
For over three hours yesterday, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) met and was initially undecided on whether its September 3 governorship primary in Ondo State should be cancelled based on the Appeal Committee report.
Party leaders failed to reach a decision at an meeting held at its national secretariat in Abuja, yesterday.
But, by yesterday night, indications emerged that the primary may be cancelled.
Last Friday, Bendega comittee submitted its report to the party leadership and Daily Sun gathered that while the party seemed convinced that “the list of delegates used for the primary was ‘tweaked,’ no one was held responsible for the infraction. Besides, the ‘tweak’ was not weighty enough to cancel the entire result.
Another source, however, said the party leaders may take a final decision on the mater. Akeredolu won the primary with Jigawa Governor, Abubakar Badaru as chairman of the Primary Election Committee.
He defeated Segun Abraham and Olusola Oke.
Abraham, has challenged the victory of Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN). His petition is with the Appeal Committee.
The result announced by the Election Committee headed by Jigawa State Governor  Muhammed Badaru Abubakar stated that  Akeredolu scored 669 votes. Abraham polled 635.
Abraham said he was prompted to challenge the result following the emergence of sordid facts on how the process leading to the primary election was manipulated and compromised. After wide consultation with his numerous supporters, Abraham decided to explore the internal mechanism of the party to seek redress.
Another aspirant, Olusola Oke, has also rejected the result, alleging  – like many party chiefs – that the list of delegates was doctored.
A statement signed by the Director-General of Abraham’s campaign organisation Mr Olu Adegboro, reads: “It is no longer news that as a true democrat, imbued with the best spirit of sportsmanship, I congratulated Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, who purportedly emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the September 3rd gubernatorial primary election in Ondo State in the face of palpable disbelief and surprise on the outcome of the primary election by my numerous supporters.
“The news however is that, sordid and staggering facts have since emerged on how the process leading to the primary election was manipulated and compromised. It is now beyond doubt that the delegate list used on the day of the primary election was doctored and strangely injected with a mind blowing number of delegates who are neither executive members of our party nor statutory delegates.
“To say the least, the manipulation of the delegate list, highly skewed accreditation process and the entire processes leading to the conduct of the primary election have cast the darkest stain on the result of the primary election held on the 3rd September, 2016.