Politics
Akwa Ibom: APC Gov Candidate Emerge After 10 months
After a controversial primary held 10 months ago, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has now officially recognized Akanimo Udofia as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State.
This is the first time Mr. Udofia has been accorded this recognition, as the primary was not monitored by INEC as mandated by the law.
INEC cited a court order as the reason for recognizing Mr. Udofia’s candidacy, which was announced in amendment number six posted on its website on Friday.
After a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to list Akanimo Udofia’s name as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2023 governorship election in Akwa Ibom, INEC has now officially recognized him as the candidate.
The court judgment came after Mr. Udofia instituted a suit against INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu.
“That an order of mandamus is hereby made compelling the respondent to list the applicant as the governorship candidate of the APC in Akwa Ibom State in view of the extant judgments and judgment orders of the Court of Appeal,” Justice J.K. Omotosho said in his judgment.
The Supreme Court had on Tuesday struck out the same application (a cross appeal) filed by Mr Udofia, describing it as an academic exercise, having dismissed the main appeal filed by a former presidential aide, Ita Enang.
Mr Enang, a former senator from Akwa Ibom, was one of the APC governorship aspirants in the 26 May, 2022 primary election of the party in Akwa Ibom.
He appeared before the Supreme Court to contest the ruling of the Abuja Court of Appeal, which declared Mr. Udofia as a legitimate member of the APC and thus qualified to participate in the party’s primary elections in Akwa Ibom.
In response to the decision of the Federal High Court, the former senator wrote a letter to INEC on March 10, stating that there was no court order instructing the commission to include the gubernatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom State on the ballot.
Mr Enang, in the letter addressed to the INEC chairman, said “the judgment order was obtained in suppression of correct facts while concealing the fact that an appeal was pending on the Supreme Court on the same subject matter and the Court of Appeal in its original judgment of 19 January did not make any positive or consequential order whatsoever directing INEC to enlist Mr Udofia or Mr Enang (himself) as the Akwa Ibom APC governorship candidate for the 2023 election.”
Mr. Enang stated in the letter that, based on all the available court judgments, the APC does not have a candidate for the governorship race in Akwa Ibom State.
He urged INEC “to be properly guided as there was no consequential order from either the Appeal Court or the Supreme Court on the matter to enable it to act by accepting and publishing the name of any person as the candidate”.
The APC had conducted its governorship primary on May 26, 2022, around midnight, which was not overseen by INEC as required by law. Mr. Udofia emerged as the victor of the primary.
According to a report sent by the INEC office in Akwa Ibom to its headquarters in Abuja, the APC did not hold its governorship primary in the state.
INEC has relied on this report and has refused to acknowledge Mr. Udofia as the APC’s gubernatorial candidate in the state until March 10th.
Shortly after the primary last year, Mr. Enang filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Uyo, seeking to be declared as the APC’s gubernatorial candidate in the state. He argued that Mr. Udofia was not a member of the APC at the time of the primary.
Mr. Enang claimed that Mr. Udofia could not have been a member of the APC and thus ineligible to participate in the party’s primary, as he had also been on the ballot for the Peoples Democratic Party’s gubernatorial primary in Akwa Ibom during the same period.
On November 14, 2022, Judge Agatha Okeke nullified the primary election that produced Mr. Udofia and ordered a fresh primary to be conducted within two weeks.
However, the judge also ruled that Mr. Udofia was not eligible to participate in the new primary. On January 19, the Appeal Court overturned the ruling but did not direct INEC to include Mr. Udofia’s name as the APC gubernatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom.
As the build up to the Ondo State’s off season gubernatorial election continues, the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has updated the list of contestants by adding the Labour Party’s Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus.
The umpire made the disclosure on Friday in a statement on its verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, where it made it clear that it was acting in compliance with an order of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
The statement was issued under the subject, ‘update on the list of candidates for the 2024 Ondo governorship election’.
It reads, “The Commission was yesterday 14th November 2024 served with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement of the Court of Appeal which set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja Division. The FHC, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1105/2024 had on 27th September 2024 ordered the Commission to accept Olusola Ebiseni as the candidate of the Labour Party for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election.
“However, in the appeal with reference number CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 filed by the Labour Party, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division struck out the judgement of the FHC for lack of jurisdiction.
“In obedience to the court order, the Commission has restored Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus, whose name was first published as the Labour Party candidate for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election and uploaded same to our website for public information.”
In the quest to ramp up the push against the negative effects of climate change, Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has approved changes in the leadership of the state’s climate change team.
Consequently, Gov Adeleke directed the abolition of the office of Senior Special Assistant on Climate Change and the redeployment of the SSA on Climate Change, Prince Moruf Adedapo, out of the sub sector to the pool of SSAs.
To add bite to the changes, Gov Adeleke also directed the movement of the office of the consultant to the state on climate change and renewable energy from the Ministry of Environment to the Governor’s Office.
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Biztellers reports that with the changes, the consultant, Prof Chinwe Obuaku will henceforth be reporting to Gov Adeleke directly.
A government statement underpins these to “a strategy to give bite to the administration’s push to fast track implementation of adaptation and mitigate climate actions”.
As part of the leadership reforms, Gov Adeleke further directed that liaison between the state government and federal agencies as well as development partners on climate matters should be coordinated by the state consultant.
It was gathered that stakeholders would henceforth be relating with the state consultant on climate related matters as the office of SSA on Climate Change no longer exists.
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has expressed the view that his administration is an agent of development that has positively touched all sectors of the Osun society within just two years in office.
He made the pronouncement while presenting Budget 2025 tagged “Budget of Sustainable Growth and Transformation” to the State House of Assembly, with members of the State Executive Council present at an annual event hosted by the House Speaker, Right Honourable Adewale Egbedun.
Gov Adeleke noted that “the total size of the Budget 2025 is Three Hundred and Ninety Billion, Twenty-Eight Million, Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven Thousand, Seven Hundred and Forty Naira Only (390,028,277,740.00).
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“The expenditure comprises Capital Expenditure of One Hundred and Forty-Four Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-One Million, One Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira (N144,231,183,800.00), Recurrent Expenditure of Two Hundred and Forty-Five Billion, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Seven Million, Ninety-Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Naira Only (N245,797,093,940.00).
“Recurrent Expenditure is divided into Personnel cost, which is made up of salaries and allowances, as well as Pensions and Gratuities and stands at One Hundred and Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Ninety-Five Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-One Thousand, Ten Naira Only (₦102,895,821,010.00).
The balance of One Hundred and Forty Two Billion, Nine Hundred and One Million, Two Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirty Naira Only (₦142,901,272,930.00) is set aside.
“Our Revenue consists of Recurrent Revenue, where Government share of FAAC is One Hundred and Ninety-Six billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand, One Hundred and Eight Naira Only (₦196,778,975,180.00 and Independent Revenue is One Hundred and Nine Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Million, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Thirty Naira Only (₦109,870,932,830.00).
Other receipts from development partners are Fifty-Three Billion, Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven Million, Two Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Ten Naira Only (₦53,377,244,610.00).”
He affirmed that his administration has recorded unprecedented progress across the sectors which will be unveiled in details during the midterm anniversary holding for a week later this month, submitting a synopsis to the Assembly.
According to the Governor, “our administration has reduced rural Health Access gap by 40% through rehabilitation of over two hundred Primary healthcare centers; We have increased health care access to all pensioners from less than 10% to 90% within two years;
“We closed road infrastructure gap and deficit by 50% from 80%; we took agric mechanization from 0% to 35%; We built digital economy policy structures from 0% to 55%; We built public service integrity from 25% to almost 70%;
“We expanded local content from 0% to 75%; We built climate agenda from 0% to over 70%; We raised state financial support for cooperative societies from 0% to 66%; We expanded financial support to ward cooperative societies from 0% to over 60%;
“We built Ilesa University from 15% to over 90%; We redeveloped Odeomu Cooperative College to HND institution; We increased Osun Google coverage from 20% to 65%; We launched phased bursary award from 0% to 40%; We liquidated 40% of inherited salary debt;
“We paid up over 35% of inherited pension debt; We improved School infrastructure by over 40 percent; We enhanced rural Infrastructure by over 40 percent with over 300 completed rural projects”, the Governor affirmed, adding that “Osun State has not taken any loan (External or Domestic).
“We rely solely on the prudent management of available resources to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the good people of Osun State. This is our goal and with God on our side we will not derail”, the Governor told the lawmakers.
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