[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he ‘Not Too Young To Run’ movement has dissociated itself from the formal revelation by Bukola Saraki to run for president come 2019 election, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Saraki had proclaimed his intention at an event organised by the group on Thursday at the Sheraton inn, Abuja.

The group in an announcement by its convener, Samson Itodo said it was disillusioned by Saraki’s utilization of its program to proclaim his intention.

The statement read: “As part of efforts to promote youth candidacy and democratic party primaries, the Not Too Young To Run movement commenced a series of public town hall meetings with the leadership of political parties and young aspirants to address the challenges faced by young aspirants in securing party tickets.

“The movement scheduled three town hall meetings with the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC); Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties. The first dialogue held today August 30, 2018 in Abuja with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The event had in attendance the Chairman of the party Mr. Uche Secondus; Senator Bukola Saraki, Hon. Udeh Okoye, National Youth Leader of the party. The event also was attended by young aspirants registered under the Ready To Run platform.

“The young aspirants advocated for a reduction in the cost of party nomination forms and requested the party to uphold internal democracy in the conduct of party primaries. In his response, the Chairman of the PDP assured the young aspirants of their support for youth candidacy in the forthcoming primaries.

“Whilst addressing participants at the town hall, Senator Saraki declared his intention to run for the office of the President in the 2019 elections. The movement wishes to express its disappointment with Senator Saraki for usurping a platform designed for young aspirants to dialogue with party leadership to advance his personal political ambition. We strongly condemn this act by the President of the Senate and dissociates ourselves from this political move.

“As noted earlier, the movement reaffirms its identity as a non-partisan citizen led movement dedicated to the defense democracy, political inclusion and transformative leadership. The movement restates its commitment to sustain its engagement with political parties to ensure youth candidacy and democratic party primaries.”

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has accused his successor, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, of being vindictive and working to destroy the legacies he left behind. Uduaghan warned Delta people against re-electing Okowa for the second term in the 2019 elections.

The former governor said his recent defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress at the centre was so that he could liberate Delta State from the oppression of the Okowa-led Peoples Democratic Party administration in the state. A statement on Monday by his media aide, Mr Monoyo Edon,  quoted Uduaghan to have said this while addressing a crowd of his supporters at Olomoro, Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.

He was said to have paid a condolence visit to an APC chieftain, Chief Lucy Esigie, who recently lost his sister, Mrs Alice Ogri.

Edon, in the statement, said  “Uduaghan revealed that all the things he left for the people to enjoy have been bulldozed by the leadership of the state on a vindictive mission to wipe off his legacies from the state; but just like the biblical Moses, he had pitched tent with the ruling party to liberate Delta State from the jaws of the PDP.”

“Moses grew up in the palace where everything was comfortable for him but the Lord told him that his people were suffering. He charged Moses to leave the palace so as to liberate them. I have answered the call to return to active politics to liberate and unite our people who have been deeply polarised by the leadership of the PDP. I have come for the APC to take over and I am leading the Take-over Squad,” Uduaghan was quoted to have said.

But the Delta PDP has described Uduaghan as a “less than a featherweight politician” in Delta State.

The PDP boasted that come 2019, it would send the former governor to its final political oblivion.

The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, stated this while reacting to the statement credited to Uduaghan.

Osuoza said, “The boast by Uduaghan is completely laughable and further proof that the former governor still has not learnt any political lesson from the humiliating defeat he suffered at the hands of then Senator Ifeanyi Okowa at the PDP primaries in 2014, when he (Uduaghan) used the full apparatus of the state to sponsor and support another candidate.

“As governor, Dr Okowa has endeared himself to the majority of Deltans with his stellar achievements in all sectors of the economy. They cannot wait to re-elect him come 2019.

“When it comes to politics and elections in Delta State, Dr Uduaghan should realise that he is less than a featherweight. Does he even know how he became governor in the first place? In 2019, we shall ensure that he is exiled into political oblivion once and for all.”

He described Uduaghan’s assertion that the PDP never protected its own as the ranting of a drowning man clutching at every available straw.

“Governor Uduaghan was actually referring to himself when he made that statement. This was exactly what he did when he was the leader of the party as the governor. Out of sheer arrogance and vaulting ambition, he estranged many PDP members with his bad leadership style and worked hard to frustrate and impoverish many of them.

“It was part of his treacherous plan to undermine and usurp the position of our political leader, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, and create his own political empire. Dr Uduaghan left behind a party that was fractured and near disintegration. But thank God that under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the PDP in Delta State has regained its status as a united, cohesive and formidable force.” – Punch

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said it has  uncovered the ploy by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to use its direct primary mode of electing its candidates to rig the 2019 general elections.

The party said it was aware that the Presidency forced the direct primaries option on APC members to eliminate delegates’ participation and pave way for the allocation of millions of “conjured” votes, which it intends to use to realize its ambition.

The National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement on Saturday  noted that rigging was the sole reason even governors elected on the platform of the ruling party, have now settled for the direct primaries model.

“Having eliminated contest within the APC, the Presidency, which is now apprehensive of apathy against President Buhari due to his increasing unpopularity, plots to import non-members of the party to satiate the venue of the presidential primaries to create an impression of overwhelming popularity for Mr. President and use that to validate the fictitious votes they are conjuring for the presidential election.

“The PDP is reliably informed that this rigging plot is the reason APC aspirants to other positions, especially, APC state governors, are demanding for direct primaries instead of the indirect primaries earlier approved for them by their party.

“This rigging plot is the major reason behind the secret creation of 30,000 illegal polling units by INEC, in compromised areas, which we earlier alerted the nation about. This is in addition to plots by INEC to frustrate genuine voters from accessing their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, so as to allow the cards in the hands of compromised INEC officials, who will attempt to use such to allocate fake figures for APC,” the statement read in part It called on the commission to publish on its website, the number of accredited voters in all polling centers before the commencement of voting in all elections, particularly the presidential election.

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]enator Omo-Agege stated this over the weekend, during his consultative visit to the leaders, elders, ward and local council executives of the All Progressives Congress, APC at Ughelli, Otu-Jeremi and Otor-Udu all in Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu council areas of the state to express is intention to seek reelection come 2019 general elections.

He explained that, if the president could do so much in less than three years in office, it would be in the interest of the Urhobo nation to ensure that he is reelected for a second term in office to attract more infrastructural development to Delta central and Delta State at large.

The Senator while speaking on the rocking the Delta state chapter of the APC, said the crisis is been resolved and looking forward to the task of wining Delta state, said: “The battle has been fought, lost, won and there is no victor and there is no vanquished.

“We didn’t go into that fight to deprive people of their right to control the party, but went into it to make sure that we took control of the party from those who would otherwise commercialize the party because we do not want a monarch or an emperor in this party.

“But the most important thing that drove us into that fight was to ensure that nobody is excluded from participation most especially in the governorship contest because even before the umpire blew the whistle, some people by fiat have concluded that some ethnic nationalities would run for governor, and others would not.”

Accompanied by Chief Great Ovadje Ogboru, APC Delta Central chairman, Sir Richard Odibo and other leaders of the party and received at every stop by a mammoth crowd, Omo-Agege posited that the visible change being witnessed in parts of the state, were as a result of the efforts of the presidency.

[dropcap] F[/dropcap]ormer domestic aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan , Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, says the N1.6 billion traced to his account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was money realised for a church building launching. Dudafa said this on Monday when he opened his defence in his ongoing corruption trial before Justice M.B. Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos. He was first arraigned in 2016 alongside one Iwejuo Joseph Nna, a bank official, and Sombre Omeibi, who was said to be at large.

Also, three companies were included in the charge, namely: Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, and Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited.

Dudafa, on Monday, narrated that the N1.6 billion traced to him was part of a total sum of N6 billion raised for the building St. Stephen’s Youth Development Centre, a project that was being undertaken by the Anglican Church of Otuoke community, Jonathan’s hometown. He said the launching was organised by Jonathan who is a grand patron of the Anglican church in his hometown.

“From my interactions with former president Goodluck Jonathan, I know that the funds were proceeds of a launching that was conducted by the Anglican Communion of Otuoke community for the building of St. Stephen’s Youth Development Centre, Otuoke,” Dudafa was quoted by Premium Times as saying at the court on Monday.

“About N6 billion was realised from the event. Several persons made various donations in cash and in pledges at the event while the chief launcher, Prince Arthur Eze, donated $10 million (about N1.8 billion).

“When Prince Eze started redeeming his pledge in piece-meal, the former president directed that I should get somebody in the private sector that will be able to keep the fund.

“I then brought in a friend, Somprie Omiebi, who later opened an account with a bank in Bayelsa. The naira denominated account was opened to receive Prince Eze’s money.

“Anytime Prince Eze brought any money, the former president will direct that I link up with a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator who will remit the money directly to the account opened by Somprie Omiebi.”

Dudafa denied having anything to do with the companies that were included as defendants in the suit, saying he was not a director in any of the companies and was not a signatory to their accounts.

“I know Somprie Omiebi as someone in the private sector that brought those accounts and the companies to the former president and his wife for the safekeeping of their money. Omiebi is the only person that knows the details of the various accounts.”

Dudafais also facing another N5.1 billion corruption charge before Justice Mohammaed Idris of the same Federal High Court, Lagos.

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