Oshiomhole joins APC chairmanship race, pledges level-playing field
FORMER Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, has formally declared his interest to vie for the chairmanship of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the party’s national convention billed to hold on June 23 this year.
Oshiomhole, who declared his interest yesterday at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, said that he would ensure the party is administered in an open and transparent manner.
He promised to re-organise the party in such a manner that it would be people-orient- ed, membership-driven and mass-based political organisation.
Besides, he said he would ensure the party has an authentic and verifiable membership register for members and even non-members.
This, he stressed, would create a credible platform for conducting direct primaries which will afford every member of the party to participate at all levels rather than the current situation of indirect delegate election, which is susceptible to manipulation, abuse and corruption by desperate aspirants at all levels.
He said: “For me, I am clear that a political party is a structured, voluntary association and not an amorphous informal mob that is not governed by the mood of its leaders at various levels. Therefore, APC must be seen to operate on the basis of its rules, which is the party’s constitution and other laws of the federation as they relate to the formation and administration of political parties.
“Indeed, the constitution of the party is the basis of the contract between the party members. Thus a credible membership register is a pre-condition for sustainable internal party democracy. We must be seen to play politics of inclusion, which encourages debates, contestations and consensus on policy choices.” Meanwhile, Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, who described Oshiomhole as a dogged-fighter, assured that he would surely strengthen the party if elected at the national convention.
He said with Oshiomhole on the saddle, opposition parties like the People’s Democratic Party would face a herculean task in undermining the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
GOVERNOR Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has lauded the invaluable role the military and security organisations have played in keeping the country under one indivisible nation despite daunting challenges.
He, therefore, advocated support for them.
Dickson, represented by the state’s Commissioner for Informationandorientation, Daniel Iworiso-markson, stated this in Yenagoa, yesterday, while declaring open the 31st yearly general meeting of the Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers Association holding place in the state next week.
The Bayelsa governor, who stated that Nigerians do not celebrate military officers and men for their sacrifices in keeping the nation one, stressed the need to appreciate them for the unity of the country.
He said: “Bayelsa is number one state for medical tourism in Nigeria and that is not empty sloganeering. The investment that the government has made in the health sector is there for everyone to see. Chairman of the association, Bayelsa State Chapter, Rear Admiral Geoffrey Yanga (rtd), said the association would useopportunityof theconference to unveil a veterans’ wellness centre project conceived by the chapter.
He thanked the state government for its support to the association, urging it to do more.
In another development, General Overseer of Evangelical Bible Outreach Ministry International (EBOMI), Prophet Isa El-buba, has predicted that if the trend of political intimidations and indiscriminate arrests in the country continues for the next 10 years, the country will cease to exist politically. El-buba, who spoke with journalists yesterday in Jos on the recent arrest and detention of the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Jonah David Jang, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said he does not see Nigeria surviving the holocaust.
“I will tell you that if this trend continues, Nigeria will not exist in the next 10 years. If things continue the way they are, there will be no Nigeria. Again, 2019 general elections will not be feasible if things continue the way they are and that is why we are crying out for proper things to be done,” he said.