AT LEAST FOUR (4) APC LEADERS ASSASSINATED IN RIVERS STATE. (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

The political killings appeared to have started again in Rivers state ahead of the 2019 election. About four members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were brutally murdered yesterday in Rivers state.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ward 7-Onne, Eleme Local government area of Rivers State, Jonah Chu has was shot dead. 

He was killed alongside three APC youth leaders and members in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers. 

Jonah Chu was assassinated on arrival in his home after attending a function on Sunday.

Source:

 https://www.nationalhelm.co/2018/12/four-apc-members-brutally-murdered-by-assassins-in-rivers-graphic-photos.html

ELEME APC WARD CHAIRMAN ASSASSINATED IN RIVERS STATE (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

Report reaching our news desk have it that the APC Chairman, Ward 7, Onne, Eleme LGA has been assassinated. Hoodlums came to the late chairman's house, took nothing, touched nothing, held everyone hostage and shot him dead.

Recall that Eleme local government area is a stronghold of the APC where PDP has never won before.

Those he left behind to mourn his death includes his wife and children.

RIVERS APC: IS TONYE COLE AND OTHER CANDIDATES TRULY OUT OF 2019 POLLS?

There is uneasy calm in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State after the Appeal Court verdict which struck out the application seeking to validate the executives of the party at the various levels in the state through the quashing of the judgment of Justice Chiwendu Nworgu of the state High Court.

Nworgu had, in a judgment on October 10, annulled the ward, local government and state congresses of the APC in the state, bringing to question the legality of the primaries of the party which produced its candidates for the 2019 polls in the state.

23 aggrieved members of the APC loyal to Sen. Magnus Abe, a contender for the governorship ticket of the party, had approached the High Court for redress and the court cancelled the congresses.

The faction of the party loyal to the Transportation Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, challenged the High Court ruling at the appeal.

The three-man panel, led by Justice Abubakar Yahaya, also struck out two joinder motions filed by the factional Chairman of the APC in the state, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, the governorship candidate of the party, Tonye Cole, and other candidates who emerged from the primaries of the party ahead of the 2019 polls.

Justice Yahaya, who read the ruling, said the appeal against the High Court judgement lacked merit, adding that the application for joinder failed to observe the 14 days’ rule on the appeal.

On the substantive appeal, the panel ruled that the Amaechi faction of APC in the state failed to seek leave of court before appealing the judgment.

Yahaya explained that the judgment of the lower court was a consent judgment, explaining that the Ojukaye faction should have done the needful legally before approaching the appeal.

While saying the APC could reapply for the appeal if they wished, he lauded the counsel for the parties over the manner they conducted themselves, regretting that the matter bordered on internal party crisis.

The judge stated: “This matter is within one party. What is going to happen when it is between different parties?

“It is politics, we are brothers, same house and we are throwing stones at each other. Please let’s reconcile and settle this.”

THEY FILED OUT OF TIME – DEFENCE COUNSEL

Counsel for the 23 aggrieved respondents, Patrick Luke, narrated outside the court room that the appeal was statute barred as it was filed out of time.

“The first case was an appeal against the judgment of October 10, 2018 delivered by the High Court of Rivers State”, Luke stated.

“After listening to our arguments, the court dismissed the appeal because they filed the case outside the terms provided by the Constitution; they ought to have filed that appeal within 14 days of the delivery of the judgment of the lower court.

“But they filed the appeal 25 days later and it was accordingly struck out by the Court of Appeal.

“The other two matters were based on applications for joinder. Also the two applications were also dismissed for lack of merit.

“The implication is that the judgment delivered by the High Court of Rivers State on October 10, 2018 is valid, subsisting, sacred and inviolable.”

For his part, Emenike Ebete, the applicant’s counsel, said, “The Court of Appeal Special Panel held three appeals against the High Court of Rivers State arising from applications by some candidates against the lower court judgement of October 10, 2018.

“Arguments were taken but the court, in its infinite wisdom, held that in Appeal 461, that is, the substantive appeal, the consent judgment of the High Court of Rivers State and, by the provision of the Constitution, we ought to have sought leave of the Court to Appeal against that consent judgment.

“That is their own decision and they struck it out and they said we should come back and do the proper thing by seeking leave of the court.

“The joinder for the candidates and the party state exco was dismissed on the grounds that it was a pre-election matter, that we did not bring the applications within 14 days after the verdict was delivered on October 10. What that means is that we will approach the Supreme Court to contest that.”

COLE REMAINS ADAMANT

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Tonye Cole, says what the Appeal Court did by not accepting his application for joinder had only saved him the cost of going to court.

Cole, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, noted that the decision of the court did not affect his candidature in the 2019 elections.

He disclosed that he was going on with his campaigns ahead of the elections, stating that he was happy that the money he would have used to pursue the case in court had been saved by the judgment.

He said: “What the court did is just that they saved me the cost of hiring a lawyer and going to court. I am not bothered about that.

“I am on with my campaign because I am still the candidate of the party. I am not worried over the litigation because it is not really helping the party”.

ENUGU STATE APC CAMPAIGN OFFICE ATTACKED, BUHARI/OSINBAJO BRANDED BUSES BURNT

Enugu APC campaign office attacked, buses burnt

The campaign office of George Tagbo Ogara, one of the candidates laying claim to the Enugu State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket, was Saturday night attacked by unknown persons.

The attackers, it was gathered, set two campaign buses branded ‘Buhari/Osibanjo campaign’ ablaze.

An eyewitness report says the resultant fire was controlled by officials of the State Fire Service who promptly arrived the scene.

However, Mr Ogara, in a reaction on the incident, claimed that the attackers used Improvised Explosive Device, IEDs to set the two buses ablaze.

Mr Ogara, who said he was in Lagos at the time of the incident, however, said he does not know where the attack came from.

“Improvised Explosive Device, IED, bomb is not a matter a civilian like me can intervene. The police and DSS will investigate that matter.

“Bomb is a military hardware it’s not something civilians can discuss and point accusing fingers at any person; it’s a very serious matter.”

Mr Ogara, who claims to be the duly elected Enugu APC governorship candidate for the 2019 election, is in court to challenge the party for publishing the name of a former senator, Ayogu Eze, as its candidate.

The tussle, which has lingered, has been fixed for hearing at an Abuja Federal High Court on January 10.

The police spokesman in the state, Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the incident. He said an investigation has commenced into the attack.

According to him, the incident occurred at Ogara APC campaign office by railway line close to Ogui junction Enugu.

“It was gathered that in the early hours of 23/12/18 fire incident had allegedly occurred at Ogara APC campaign office where two buses allegedly got burnt.

“However, the prompt intervention of the police operatives and fire service prevented its escalation and further destruction as the fire was promptly extinguished”, he said.

Mr Amaraizu noted that while a full-scale investigation has commenced into the incident with a view to finding its cause and possible culprits, security has also been intensified in the area.

COMPLETE FAMILY DIE IN ACCIDENT ON BENIN/AUCHI EXPRESS WAY, TRAVELING FOR CHRISTMAS.

This is very sad and unfortunate. An entire family has been wiped out following an accident which happened yesterday along Benin/Auchi express way in Edo State.

The smaller vehicle which the passengers were travelling in ahead of the Christmas celebration - ran into a truck and got crushed in the process.

According to reports, none of the occupants came out of the car alive.

The accidentwas said to have caused a scene in the area as other motorists and road users lamented the tragic incident. 

May their souls rest in peace. 

NLC TO HOLD NATIONWIDE PROTEST OVER MINIMUM WAGE ON JANUARY 8

The Nigeria Labour Congress has declared January 8, 2019, a national day of protest over the delay in processing a new minimum wage for the country.

NLC leaders took the decision at its National Executive Council meeting, according to a statement by the union’s President, Ayuba Wabba, and General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, on Friday.

“The NEC-in-Session approved that the protests should hold in all state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja on January 8, 2019. The NEC mandates all industrial unions and state councils to fully mobilise workers and coordinate with other labour unions for this mother-of-all protest,” the statement read in part.

The labour leaders are dissatisfied with the progress made since November 6, when the Tripartite Committee on Review of National Minimum Wage submitted a report to the President, recommending N30,000 as the new minimum wage.

They expected that the Federal Government would have sent a bill on a new minimum wage to the National Assembly long before now.

On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari had said he would send a bill on the implementation of the new minimum wage to the National Assembly soon.

The President, who disclosed this while presenting the 2019 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly, added that he had given a directive that a technical committee should be set up to look at the mode of implementation of the new wage.

The NLC, however, accused the Federal Government of adopting a “leisurely conduct” in dealing with serious national affairs, especially as the House of Representatives had asked the President to transmit the report of the tripartite committee to the National Assembly for action, two weeks earlier.

“The NEC expressed total dissatisfaction with the consequential delay and unacceptable lethargy in the process of regularising and implementing the new national minimum wage of N30,000,” it said.

“The calculated inaction of the Federal Government is a demonstration of acute insensitivity to the plight of Nigerian workers, their families and ordinary citizens.”

NASARAWA TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO IMPLEMENT NEW MINIMUM WAGE, LIFTS BAN ON EMPLOYMENT -GOV AL-MAKURA

The Nasarawa State government says it has resolved to implement any amount arrived at as new minimum wage for workers.

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State made this known while swearing-in 11 newly appointed commissioners and the Director Generals of Nasarawa Geographic Information Service (NAGIS) and Nasarawa State Market Management Bureau (NSMMB).

He said: “This was predicated upon the conviction that if our mandate, encapsulated in our policies and programmes, is to serve the people, then the public servant who is the nerve centre of policy implementation must be given his dues”.

According to him, as they are awaiting the final decision on the review of the national minimum wage, he assured the workers that his administration will be among the first states to implement any decision reached by the Federal Government.

Governor Almakura however, he had directed for the implementation of the promotion of deserving workers in the State, saying that it was his belief that it would strengthen the machinery of government for optimal productivity.

Meanwhile, the governor has lifted the ban on employment in the state after several years, saying “in our resolve to expand the frontiers of policy implementation, also, we have lifted the ban on employment.

“In this regard, we have demonstrated our commitment to reinvigorate the Service in the recent employment of teachers into our public schools in the State. I, therefore, encourage eligible citizens to apply for vacant positions in the Civil Service”.