Governor Bindow Denies Making The "It's Either Atiku Or Nobody" Comment

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Adamawa State governor, has debunked reports which said that he has declared his support for the 2019 presidential aspiration of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. A press release signed by his S.A Press & Media Affairs, Martins Dickson describes the report by People's daily as "wrong, mischievous, evil and unwarranted" Read the press release, below...

Wrongful attribution on Governor Bindow by People's Daily 

To attribute a statement to a person means you are quoting the exact statement of the individual, or crediting it to that person, this I am sure the people's Daily reporter and his editors should know very well.Our attention has been drawn to a very mischievous caption by People's Daily of Friday November 11, 2016 thus:

"2019 Presidency: ITS EITHER ATIKU OR NOBODY SAYS GOVERNOR BINDOW".

Firstly, Governor Bindow never made such a statement ever. The caption above attributed to Governor Bindow in the write up is wrong, mischievous, evil and unwarranted. Whatever the writer attempts to achieve by this is unfortunate and it has woefully failed. 

 

It is unfortunate that journalists who are suppose to properly inform the public will condescend to blackmail by captions that do not tell the real stories they portray.

Governor Bindow did not mention or talk about the political ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the Girei flag off, and I challenge People's Daily to make available the recorded version of Governor Bindow's speech at the ceremony if they so deny. 

 

Why would they attribute such a quote to Governor Bindow?
I smell an invincible hand/voice dictating to people's Daily what they wrote. What did they stand to achieve?

Infact, Governor Bindow's statements at the flag off was that, the Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is not his political God Father and he is not taking instructions from him, he stated it right in his presence but emphasized that he is like a biological father to him, and advices him to work for the good of Adamawa people.

Where did the People's Daily reporter get his quote or caption from?
Is it a case of he who pays the piper dictates the tune?
Has any brown envelope exchanged hands? 

 

The preoccupation of governor Bindow is to deliver on his campaign promises which he is committed to and he (Bindow) stated it at the venue of the Girei-WuroBokki road flag off but alas! People's Daily did not hear that part, what they heard and resort to is blackmail and misgivings.

Other issues raised by the Governor at the venue which centers on thanking President Muhammadu Buhari on the successes recorded in restoring peace to the North-East were also ignored by people's Daily. The developmental strides of Bindow in less than 24 months did not also get their attention. What an irony. No wonder the age long adage that says the eye only sees rightly with the mind.

Has the paper sold out its tenets and journalistic values to the opinions of a few individuals even when it is incorrect?

I want to advice the publishers of People's Daily to retract that caption and apologize to the executive Governor of Adamawa State, Senator Muhammed Umaru Jibrilla Bindow, for wrongly or rather mischievously attributing to him statements he did not make

Suspects Involved In Printing Fake Result Sheets Expose APC Chieftain

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Two suspects, Atonyesia Peterside and Naneh Godday, arrested in connection with the printing of fake Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Rivers State, have confessed to the act and narrated their involvement.

Peter side is the CEO of a printing press – Help-Mate Consult Limited, located at 12, Isoko Street D-Line, Port Harcourt, the state capital and Godday, a graphics designer in the company.

The sheets were allegedly planned to be used to rig elections in the December 10 legislative re-run elections in the state.

Recall that the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, had accused the INEC and the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, of collaborating with the All Progressives Congress, APC, to rig the December 10, 2016, legislative rerun in the state.

Wike accused the state APC of printing fake result sheets and other election materials inside a building located at No. 12, Isiokpo Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt.

According to the governor, in collusion with INEC, the APC official printer, Atonyesia Peterside, had printed fake result sheets for seven local government areas in Rivers South-East Senatorial District and Etche Local Government Area in Rivers East Senatorial District.

The INEC had distanced itself from the allegation, saying it had no relationship with the printing press and its arrested director.

In their confession, the duo mentioned an APC Chieftain as the brain behind their involvement in the act.

The owner of the printing press told newsmen in the state at the weekend that he was contracted three months ago by a prominent member of one of the political parties in the state.

He said, “They (Honorable Imachinda) brought a job for us to print.

“He brought certified true copies of the documents and asked us to print them for ‘tribunal matters.’ That was the reason they gave. They said they needed more copies.”

Also, in his confession, Godday, said an APC chieftain in the state gave his boss the electoral materials.

Speaking with newsmen, Godday said he did not know if he was committing an offense since he was only doing his job as a graphics designer.

He said, “My name is Naneh Godday. I hail from Ogoni, Okpoko of Khana Local Government Area, LGA, in Rivers State.

“I’m a staff of Help-Mate Consult Limited, located at 12, Isoko Street; I work as a graffiti designer. I started working with the company late last year.

“On Saturday, I resumed work as normal and I was doing my duties. While we (colleagues from Kalabari and my boss) were inside, some policemen came in and asked us for electoral materials.

“They brutally beat me. They took the materials.

“They asked my boss, Mr. Peterside T., who is the Managing Director, MD of the company where he got the materials from and who employed him.

“He mentioned Honourable Imachinda, an APC chieftain in Rivers State. I don’t know the man, never saw him before.

“But because my boss mentioned his name, I think he is the one in the know of what they needed the materials for.

“For now, that’s all I know about the electoral materials.

“I don’t know if I committed an offence. My boss brought the materials and asked me to work on them.

“I asked if the documents were meant for us (company) or if they were from the INEC because of the way they looked, he said the job was given to him, he didn’t say any other thing.

“He is my boss and he pays me. I only did my job. I was designing the electoral materials.

“They brought a sample of an INEC result which I used to design the one we had,” Godday added

Fayose, Jegede, Promoting Violence In Ondo – Adetimehin

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The Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, has raised the alarm over an alleged plan by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to foment trouble during and after the November 26 governorship election in the state.

Adetimehin said it is clear that the PDP has accepted defeat but only looking for ways to create crisis in the state.

He was reacting to a statement credited to PDP Ahmed Markafi-led faction governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN and the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, during the recent PDP campaign in Akure, the state capital.

According to Adetimehin, who is also the Chairman Campaign Organization of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, the two PDP chieftains were fanning the ember of crisis in the state.

He alleged that PDP is indirectly encouraging their members, particularly the youths to go violent if their party loses.

Adetimehin described Fayose’s statement that the event of 1983 will re-occur in the state if the PDP fails as threatening and alarming to the people of the sunshine state.

He wondered why Jegede, who he claimed used the word, “no gentlemen approach on the election,” would asked the youths to raise their hands.

PDP loses?

He charged security operatives to caution the PDP leaders over their utterances, saying that utterances may lead to crisis.

He also warned Fayose not spite trouble in Ondo state, saying he is expecting the Ekiti state governor to be more concerned on how to refund the N4.745billion he allegedly got from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dakusi through the former Minister of Defense, Musiliu Obanikoro.

He urged the PDP to always accept defeat, saying when APC lost in Balyesa state despite the violence that greeted the event, the party did not encourage their members to go violent but approached the court to seek redress.

Adetimehin said “PDP in Ondo state has accepted defeat and Jegede is aware that there is no way he can convince the people of the state because it is clear that he is only playing the game for Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s third term agenda.

“Our people have made up their minds to reject Mimiko and Jegede because there is no any legacies which the outgoing governor laid that his anointed boy wants to build upon.

“Is it legacies of our late governors, Adekunle Ajasin, Adebayo Adefarati and Olusegun Agagu which was completely wiped out by Mimiko’s administration that Jegede will build upon”?

He alleged that, “Jegede was the chairman of committee that was set up by Mimiko in his first term to look into all the ongoing projects of late Agagu’s administration and the same committee recommended that all the laudable projects including the N14 billion Owena Multipurpose Dam, the N38billion new stadium, which is sited in Jegede’s hometown Akure and many more should be stopped.

Adetimehin said Jegede still has burning issues of the original candidate of his party to contend with.

According to him, Mimiko and Jegede should face their issue within the party and stop fanning the ember of violence in the state.

“Our people will finally throw PDP into dustbin by November 26, because they won’t want a candidate that would continue the non-payment of workers and pensioners salaries. Someone, who will be a puppet to an outgoing governor, someone who cannot create employment and someone who will not find a means of repairing all the deplorable roads in the northern and southern senatorial districts, particularly in Akoko.”

Edo election:Protesters Invade INEC Collation Centre

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Some aggrieved persons from Esan West and Esan East Local Government Areas of Edo State are currently protesting at outside the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s office in Benin, the state capital

INEC’s Benin office is the venue for the collation of yesterday’s governorship election that held in the state.

The aggrieved voters are protesting the manner which the election was conducted in their area, insisting that the electoral umpire should stop the announcement of results from the area.

This is happening at a time the electoral umpire is announcing results collated from the various local government areas in the state .

We Cannot Nullify Election Of Benue Assembly Speaker – INEC

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The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday said that it has no Locus Standi to withdraw the Certificate of Return of a validly elected candidate representing any constituency.

The Commission stated this in a position paper it presented to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Public Petitions following a petition from a Law firm, J.I Abaagu & Co, on behalf of the people of Ushongo Local Government against the member representing Ushongo State Constituency and Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly.

In the petition, the law firm alleged that the INEC has refused to obey the order of the Federal High Court compelling the commission to restore an additional constituency in Ushongo and conduct elections in the two constituencies.

A statement by the Chief Press secretary to the speaker of the state assembly, Mr. Bem Abunde said, INEC insisted that doing so requires compliance with the procedures for delimiting constituencies as contained in Sections 112, 113 and 114 (1) and (2) which clearly outlined four conditions for such an exercise pointing out that the Court did not order the Commission to act arbitrarily.

Mr. Abunde stated in the statement ”umpire body stated that it has no power to nullify the election of the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr. Terkimbi Ikyange on the basis of last November ruling of the Federal High Court which Ordered it to restore the suppressed Mbagwa constituency.

According to Abunde, ” there is an elected member representing the constituency to be split into two, the Commission opined that the case determined by the Court was neither a Pre- Election matter involving candidate nor one of election petition tribunal or appeal.

He said that the Commission made it clear that Section 68 (c) of the Electoral Act (as amended),stipulates that once a declaration is made by the Returning Officer, only a “Tribunal or Court in an election petition proceedings” can set it aside.

The statement read in part, ” Section 133 of the Electoral Act requires that ” the person elected or returned is joined as a party” the current member representing Ushongo State Constituency, Mr. Terkimbi Ikyange was not a party to the case and warned that any attempt by the Commission to temper with his mandate may trigger litigation against it which may even delay the enforcement of the Court Order.

Jimi Agbaje Obtains Nomination Form

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PDP candidate in the 2015 gubernatorial election in Lagos state, Mr Jimi Agbaje, today obtained a nomination form to contest for the office of the National Chairman of the Party, in the forthcoming National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.... 

David Mark Warns Against Impunity And imposition

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Abuja - Former Senate President, Sen. David Mark, on Monday warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)against impunity and imposition of candidates ahead of its national convention.

Mark gave the warning in a statement released to newsmen in Abuja by his media aide, Mr Paul Mumeh.

He said leaders and members of the party should allow the will of the people to prevail at congresses and convention to avert the mistakes of the past.

According to him, delegates should elect rather than allow candidates to be imposed as was done in the 2015 elections.

Mark attributed the defeat of the PDP in the last general election to self-inflicted injuries due to imposition of candidates and the impunity of some of its leaders.

He therefore urged members of the party to remain steadfast, noting that cross carpeting neither enhances democratic culture nor the integrity and credibility of politicians that decamp.

``If we must uphold the sanctity of democratic culture, we must follow the path of honour like the Democrats and Republicans in the U. S. A. or follow the examples of the Labour Party or the Conservatives in the UK.

``These are politicians who hold on tenaciously to their political ideologies no matter the odds,” he said.

The former senate president said that he would remain in the PDP no matter the challenges, as it had offered him the platform to contest and win elections since 1999.

He urged party faithful to work hard to overcome current challenges and offer credible opposition.