People Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress in Imo State are at dagger’s drawn following the suspension of six lawmakers of the state House of Assembly by the Speaker, Paul Emeziem. While the PDP accused the governor of the state, Hope Uzodinma, of interfering in the activities of the state legislature, the APC warned the opposition party not to drag the governor in activities of the lawmakers. At a press conference in Owerri, the state capital, the opposition party alleged that Uzodinma had eroded democracy in the state. According to Punch, The PDP secretary in the state, Ray Emeana, who spoke to journalists on behalf of the party said that APC lawmakers we intimidating and suppressing PDP lawmakers on the influence of the governor. The party’s scribe said, “We note with dismay that governor Uzodinma has eroded the democratic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances, arrogating to himself the combined power and authority over all the arms of government. “This party sees that action of unlawful suspension as highly undemocratic and totally unacceptable. Governor Uzodinma should allow democratic best practices to blossom and flourish in Imo State. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Peoples Democratic Party, Imo State executive committee, having fully deliberated this development states that Imo PDP is happy with the quality of representation of the members of Imo State House of Assembly of PDP extraction. Imo PDP hereby passes absolute and implicit vote of confidence on PDP members of the Imo State House of Assembly. “Imo PDP is adequately persuaded that it is not normal to suspend people before constituting a panel to hear their own account of the charges leveled against them. Having said that, we charge the Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly to do the needful and restore the Imo lawmakers that he unilaterally suspended without recourse to rule of law and due process, violating the codes of ethics and conduct of the house. “That is about the only way to douse the tension that has been mounting since the unlawful suspension was announced. A stitch in times saves nine. Responding, the Director-General of APC new media centre in the state, Cajetan Duke, said that PDP in the state had lost track and sense of direction. The APC chieftain said, “We have observed with great concern the penchant with which the leadership of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, drags the name of the governor, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma as well as our great party APC into their political misfortune. “It is obvious that the leadership of the opposition PDP has completely lost track and sense of direction, hence its proclivity to blame games and name-calling. “Contrary to the position of PDP as contained in its misleading and mischievous press statement, Uzodimma as a former lawmaker with an outstanding experience and exposure has continued to use his legislative prowess and acumen to ensure a robust and harmonious relationship between the executive arm of government and its legislative branch. “As a responsible political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Imo State chapter, unlike the PDP, will continue to respect the independence of the legislative arm of government and engender peaceful political atmosphere in the state. We will not allow PDP to drag us or our dear governor into their festival of lamentations. “We will always advise the leadership of PDP to look beyond its mindless attack on the people’s governor for the solution to the current affliction of its party that has led to the constant dwindling of its political fortune and relevance in Imo State and Nigeria.”

The Presidency has bluntly told leading opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to forget about winning the 2023 general elections. The Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, who spoke shortly after observing the EiD-kabir prayers in Daura, Katsina State, said Nigerians know too well than to allow another party takes over in 2023. According to him: ’’The President enjoys unshakable support not only in his hometown but also across the country and it is enough for the opposition to admit that the President matters a lot for the ruling party and Nigerians in general, again he constitutes a political obstacle they cannot dismantle come 2023 ‘’We believe the PDP and other opposition parties are nursing false hopes of taking power comes 2023. “The masses will never abandon President Buhari’s leadership and the APC. I assure you that in 2023, the masses will be waiting for the President to show the way in courtesy of what he has been building for the country in terms of infrastructure and wellbeing of young people in the country’’. He added: “Nobody will take the risk by inviting another party to come and take over in 2023.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday, accused Justice O.A Nwabunike of the Anambra State High Court of making away with the case file and refusing to release his judgement on the suit brought against the party and others by Ugochukwu Uba, the factional candidate in the November 6 governorship election in the state. In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, the PDP alleged that the judge was trying to derail the course of justice by his action “in a desperate bid to frustrate an appeal against his judgment on PDP Anambra State governorship primary election.” The PDP charged the judge to immediately release the case file, “as the compromises in the case are already known to the public, especially the people of Anambra State.” ‌ The party averred that the only reason the judge disappeared with the case file and refused to make copies of his judgment available to the PDP and its candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, was because “he (Justice Nwabunike) is aware that his perverted judgement cannot stand in any appeal.” The PDP recalled that on July 5, 2021, an aspirant, Senator Uba, who it said did not participate in the PDP primary, instituted a suit against the PDP, its candidate, Valentine Ozigbo and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wherein he challenged Ozigbo’s candidature for the governorship election. The statement added: “Barely 24 hours after Senator Uba instituted the suit, Justice Nwabunike curiously granted an ex parte injunction restraining INEC from carrying out their constitutional duty and also abridged the time within which the Defendants are legally obliged to file their defence from 42 days to only 3 days in violation of Order 16 Rule 1(2) of the Anambra State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019. “Despite the obvious hardship created by this strange ex parte order, the judge, on the day of hearing, being the 16th of July 2021, denied the defendants time to respond to the processes served on them and proceeded with the hearing of the Plaintiff’s case. “Regardless of the 180 days provided by the constitution for the hearing and determination of pre-election matters, the Honorable Court hastily concluded proceedings and delivered judgment within 14 days. “The most unfortunate part of this episode is that the judge, after hastily delivering the Judgment, made away with the case file and refused to release copies of his judgment to the defendants despite their application in the open Court as well as the official written application to the judge. “However, to the chagrin of the Defendants, the Court has gone ahead to issue copies of the Judgment to the plaintiff, Senator Uba. “Moreover, the trial judge has been making every effort to frustrate the notices of appeal filed by the PDP and her candidate, Valentine Ozigbo.” The PDP further alleged that “the reason Justice Nwabunike was employing these legal shenanigans is to frustrate the Defendants’ Appeal against his judgment, which was aimed to assist an individual who did not participate in our primary to distract our party ahead of this crucial election. “The party, therefore, call on the Chief Judge of Anambra State, Honorable Justice O.M Anyachebelu and the National Judicial Council (NJC) “to quickly call Justice O.A Nwabunike to order as there must be an end to judicial rascality.” “Justice Nwabunike must be made to release the case file as well as the copies of the judgment because his continued refusal is capable of pitching the Judiciary against the people of Anambra, whose mandate, as being expressed in our candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, is being undermined by Justice Nwabunike,” it added.

The Peoples Democratic Party Caucus in the House of Representatives has called for criminal investigation and prosecution of officials of the Nigerian Communications Commission for alleged perjury. Leader of the PDP Caucus, Kingley Chinda, in a statement issued on Tuesday, alleged that the officials lied under oath while appearing before the House on Friday to explain the possibility of having results of elections transmitted electronically from across Nigeria. Following a stalemated consideration of the report on the Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill over the controversial Clause 52(2), Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, had called for the suspension of the exercise and summoned the NCC and the Independent National Electoral Commission to appear and guide the lawmakers on Friday. While INEC did not show up, officials of the NCC led by the Executive Commissioner (Stakeholder Management), Adeleke Adewolu; Executive Commissioner (Technical Services), Ubale Maska, and two others had appeared before the lawmakers. Maska, however, answered all the questions asked by the lawmakers. However, in the statement titled ‘NCC Lied to Nigerians on Electronic Transmission of Votes and Should Face Prosecution’, the PDP caucus alleged that officials of the commission misled the House with their presentation. The statement read, “It was a show of shame on the floor of the House of Representatives on Friday, July 17, 2020 during the consideration of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. “The comedy of errors started by the House stopping INEC from appearing before the House to prevent the nation from learning the truth and allowing only NCC to appear to discuss issues on the ability or otherwise of INEC to handle electronic transmission of votes. “Officials of the NCC, led by Executive Director, Ubale Maska, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umaru Garba Danbatta, appeared and an oath was administered on them consistent with the Section 5 of the Legislative House (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017. “While testifying before the House, on the adoption of electronic transmission of results from the units, Ubale Maska claimed that the 2018 Technical Report of the NCC showed that only about ‘50 per cent of the polling units had 3G while 49 percent had 2G network and below.’ His answers and body language clearly betrayed his intense desire to mislead the House and the nation. “He cleverly sought to rely on 2018 data in 2021, when they knew or ought to know that internet penetration has advanced substantially in Nigeria since 2018. “Indeed, a perusal of NCC website even today shows that the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 (P .33) says that by September 2019, the spread of 3G/LTE had reached 74.2 per cent in Nigeria.” The caucus also recalled that a telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, recently announced that it had achieved extensive nationwide network coverage of 89.9 per cent. “This is just MTN, not to talk of other networks,” Chinda noted. The statement further read, “Perhaps the worst form of perfidy, deception and outright lies is for NCC to hide the Memorandum of Understanding between NCC and INEC in 2019. During preparations for the 2019 general election, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, had in January 2018 visited the NCC to discuss collaboration that would enhance the electoral process. “A joint technical committee of INEC and NCC was subsequently formed with a mandate to map out strategies that would reduce human interventions in the transmission of election results. The committee was headed by Maska and co-chaired by Muhammed Lecky, an INEC National Commissioner.” “After several meetings and engagements, it was then recommended that the ‘INEC/NCC Joint Technical Committee should consider and adopt the traditional data communication service from MNOs using APN as the most appropriate solution for the electronic transmission of election results.’” According to the caucus, “the icing on the cake” is the categorical declaration by INEC, through its spokesman, Festus Okoye, that the commission has the capacity to transmit election results from any part of the country, no matter the terrain. The opposition lawmakers said Okoye’s confirmation “has put the final nail on the coffin of the purveyors of the fallacy that it cannot be done,” recalling that electronic transmission was recently deployed by INEC in Edo, Ondo, Borno, Kaduna elections, etc. The statement added, “It is obvious that there are fifth columnists and anti-democratic elements who are afraid of free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria. “For a witness to be sworn under Section 5 of the Legislative House (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017, then to lie under oath and give false evidence to the House, is an offence under Section 7 of the same Act. “We call on the prosecuting authorities to immediately arrest the officials of the NCC under Prof Danbatta and all those who procured Ubale Maska and other officials to lie under oath to be criminally investigated and where found culpable, be brought to justice by standing criminal trial. “We must maintain the integrity of our laws and the sanctity of our institutions as a nation.” On Friday, Maska, was asked about the possibility of hacking INEC’s electronic transmission system; if the NCC has ever done a coverage analysis of the entire country; if it is possible to upload election result where there is not network like online registrations and bank service; if NIGCOMSAT can deploy a satellite that covers the entire country and provide services for polls; if Unstructured Supplementary Service Data can work. Maska partly said, “The first question as to whether the commission has done an analysis of network coverage nationwide especially captured and un-captured, which I prefer to mean served or un-served areas, and this can be broken down into states, I must say here that, yes, we have this data. We have it nationwide, we have it on a state basis and we have even on the basis of service whether it is 2G, 3G or 4G or LTE. We have all these analyses. “We did an analysis of network coverage in 2018 in respect of all polling units in the country. We found out