[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat would had been a happy ending for his historic visit to Delta State which initially seemed to be like a carnival, ended in agony and regrets as hundreds of PDP faithful got stranded and scores injured when political thugs ran amok over the largesse given to the party by Presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who is currently the major contender for the 2019 presidency under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was Tuesday received in the Delta State Capital, Asaba, as part of his consultative visits to the 36 States in the country to gather delegates supports for the party primaries in August.

Journalists who throng to the Airport to monitor his arrival, were however barred from accessing his entourage as security operatives detailed for his visit resisted members of the Press from speaking with the presidential aspirant.

Same was the case at the Government House Gate as awaiting journalists were denied entrance to cover his courtesy visit to the Governor at the Exco chamber.

Hundreds of party faithfuls and support groups who patiently stood watch for Atiku’s arrival to the Unity Hall, turned the arena to a carnival like scenario as various groups sang, danced and took memorable shots to document the much awaited visit of the former Vice President.

At the end of the meeting which lasted over an hour with Delta State PDP leaders and top government officials behind closed doors at the Unity Hall, Atiku in his usual style gifted the gathering an undisclosed sum money of running into several millions.

Sadly, hell was quickly let loose when the news of the largesse broke out which led to the invasion of the hall by political thugs usually associated with the party, as they broke through the hall and gunned for the table where the money was being unwrapped.

The thugs who were wreaking with terror swiftly swooped on the PDP leaders and party faithfuls with dangerous weapons, laid hold of Atiku’s gift and scampered away with the several the millions intended for PDP members from the 25 local government areas who rallied for the visit.

These mayhem was perpetuated under the watchful eyes of security agents who appeared helpless to the foul situation which recorded various degrees of injuries and thefts of personal belongings.

Efforts to restore peace failed as it became a free for all affair to scavenge for possible left overs by the dreaded thugs as hundreds of party faithfuls lost hope of having a share of Atiku’s largesse.

Meanwhile, criticisms have followed the reception of the presidential aspirant, by Okowa led administration as tax payers money and apparatus of the State Government were employed to give the former Vice President an edge over his counterpart, Alhaji Sule Lamido who visited the state recently in pursuant of his aspiration.

According to report put forward by the Press Unit of Delta State Government, it stated that Atiku was in the state to consult the people on his aspiration for the Presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar informed that his aspiration to be Nigeria’s President was borne out of his passion to ensure that the country make progress, disclosing, “the security architecture of the country must be reviewed and decentralized.”

He decried situation where security agencies does not take orders from the state governors, asserting, “as an individual, I don’t think this is true federalism, we must restructure the security architecture.”

The former Vice President also listed ways to tackle unemployment in the country observing, “to create jobs, you must liberalize the economy, support the private sector, create incentives to make the private sector boom and open up the economy to foreign direct investment.”

“I will have a very small federal government with powers and resources devolved to the states to manage the affairs while they pay tax to the federal government; with this, each zone can survive on its own without leaning on oil money,” he emphasized.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday revealed that a petition by a widow, Hauwa Kulu Usman, led to the investigation, trial and conviction of a former Governor of Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame.

Nyame was jailed on May 30 by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Gudu, Abuja without an option of fine.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko convicted the ex-governor on 27 out of the 41 counts filed against him by the EFCC in July 2007.

Nyame was governor from 1991 to 1993 and 1999 to 2007.

But the anti-graft agency in its magazine, EFCC Alert, released a fact-sheet on how Nyame became a suspect while probing a petition by the widow.

The fact-sheet said: “Call it the serendipity of stumbling across a goldmine and you will not be far from the truth. Nyame was in fact, never in the purview of the EFCC, and no one at any time wrote a petition against him.

“There was no “witch-hunt”. Nyame’s financial crime was unraveled by the EFCC while investigating a petition written by a widow, Hauwa Kulu Usman, against Suleiman Abubakar, younger brother to her late husband, Usman Abubakar, Managing Director of Alusab International Limited.

“She had taken her cry to the EFCC to help recover money from Suleiman being payment to the company.

“The Taraba State government had issued a cheque of N135, 794,607 in favour of the company, as contract payment for rehabilitation of the Ibi-Wukari Water Project.

“But Suleiman collected the cheque and lodged it in a different account domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc, in Jalingo.  Hauwa sought the help of the EFCC to recover the money, accusing Suleiman who took over the company of “squandering” it.

“He was subsequently invited by the EFCC for questioning; then and there, the bubble burst. During interrogation, Suleiman admitted collecting the cheque, and though argued that he did not squander the money as alleged in the petition, confirmed that it was for the said project, which was ongoing before the death of his brother.

“He revealed that through Abubakar Tutare, then Commissioner of Finance in the state, the company applied for additional works, which was granted by the state government.

“According to him, the estimation for the additional works was N35 million, but Tutare instructed him to add N100 million to the estimation. Subsequently, a cheque of N135 million was issued to Suleiman, but along with it, was a complimentary card, with an account number written at the back. Tutare instructed him to pay the N100 million into the account. Suleiman had asked Tutare about VAT payment, to which Tutare told him to deduct 10 per cent as tax and to credit the account at the back of the card belonging to Nyame with  N80 million, and bring N10 million to  him.

“Suleiman duly paid the cheque into Alusab’s account and acted on the N80million as instructed, as per the complimentary card. He also gave N10 million to Tutare at his residence through his house aide, Husseini Ali.

“The confession of Suleiman sparked an extensive investigation, which saw the EFCC spreading its dragnet across the State Government House, the Ministry of Finance, and several companies. Tutare, himself was invited for questioning and he confirmed the  testimony of Suleiman, but stressed that he acted on the instruction of Nyame,  and that the N80 million was paid into  the account of Salmon Global Ventures Nigeria Ltd.”

The EFCC afterwards unraveled a slew of fraudulent financial activities perpetrated in the ministry of finance, with Nyame being the chief actor, including ordering Dennis Nev, then Permanent Secretary, Government House, to raise N101 million for a one-day presidential visit in 2005.”

The EFCC also explained that although Nyame made spirited moves to defend himself, his defence did not convince the judge.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has expressed worry over the low turnout of indigenes of the state for the police and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) jobs.

The governor said the state has usually been allocated quota for its indigenes in job recruitment in federal institutions, but it was sad that job seekers in the state usually stayed away from them.

In a release signed on his behalf by the Commissioner for information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Don Adibuba, Obiano lamented that job slots allocated to Anambra were usually taken by people of other states, who claim to be indigenes of Anambra State.

Part of the release read: “The attention of the governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano has been drawn to a recurring low turnout of applicants for job opportunities into federal Institutions leading to a situation where slots allocated to indigenes of Anambra State are either lost or taken up by other applicants claiming to be from the state.

“To correct this trend, the governor wishes to encourage all eligible applicants with university degrees, HND, OND, NCE, SSCE, GCE and other requisite or special, technical qualifications to check online and urgently apply for appropriate positions in the ongoing recruitment exercise of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Prison Service.”

The release noted that the recruitment exercise to the mentioned institutions would terminate in less than three weeks, while calling on parents, guardians, community leaders, religious leaders, organisations and stakeholders to encourage young people to take advantage of the opportunity to gain employment and ensure that Anambra State slots in the Federal Civil Service are promptly taken by people of the state.

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]welle Rochas Okorocha got his revenge on Sunday in the political war with his deputy, Eze Madumere, when Chief Emma Ibediro,  Okorocha’s candidate for the All Progressives Congress National Organizing Secretary position defeated incumbent Sen. Osita Izunaso.

Izunaso was the candidate of Madumere.

Ibediro got a total vote of 1,770 to defeat  Izunaso who got 1,459 votes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that APC South-East stakeholders had earlier endorsed Izunaso and two other national officers of the party for re-election.

The stakeholders had also been in a running battle with Gov. Okorocha whom they accused of high handedness and mismanagement of the state’s resources.

The supremacy contest between factional delegates from Imo state was part of the reasons for delay in concluding the  APC national convention on Saturday, with 20 candidates, including the Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole returned unopposed.

Ibediro refused to step down too despite pleas by party leaders, especially those from Southeast, for both factions to reach an amicable settlement.

Both factions had since Saturday, when the convention kicked-off, embarked on a free-for-all-fight on who is the recognized faction in Imo state.

The delegates from Imo  were barred from participating in the voting process by the chairman of the National Convention Committee, Governor Muhammadu Badaru because of the parallel executives that followed the state’s recent parallel congresses.

Supporters of Okorocha on Saturday, had chased away state executive loyal to Izunaso at the state pavilion, after which the state executive produced by the congress organized by Okorocha’s faction took over the pavilion.

Unlike Izunaso who failed to be re-elected, other South East candidates sailed through.

Chief George Moghalu, the party’s current National Auditor got over 2,000 votes to retain his position while Emma Enukwu also from the South-East, got re-elected

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ormer Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole has been elected national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Oshiomhole was elected unopposed through a voice vote by delegates at the on going national convention of the party at the Eagle Square Abuja.

One by one, all those who were interested in the position withdrew from the race, the most recent being Oserheimen Osunbor, a Professor and former Governor of Edo State, who said he made the decision out of respect for President Muhammadu Buhari, and Clement Ebri, who withdrew on Thursday “in the overall interest of the party.

Prior to his emergence, Jigawa State governor Badaru Abubakar, who is the convention chairman, called on the delegates to confirm Oshiomhole as chairman through a voice vote since he was the only candidate for the position.

Oshiomhole’s opponents- Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, Clement Ebri and Chief Ibrahim Emokpair – had announced their withdrawal from the race days before the convention.

With is emergence as chairman, Oshiomhole will replace Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.