posted
Looks like Chekwas Okorie and APGA have found new bossom buddies in Obasanjo and PDP.
THOUGH cited as an interested party in the suit challenging the Electoral Act 2002, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, at the weekend dissociated the party from the case.
Okorie dissociated APGA from an on-going appeal at the Supreme Court seeking the nullification of the Electoral Act 2002 and the April 12 and 19, 2003 polls.
APGA's national chairman, who spoke with The Guardian, stated that henceforth, the approach of his party would be constructive engagement with President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration and not being confrontational.
Okorie, who had earlier briefed his lawyer, Joe Ezike, to re-file the suit against the Electoral Act 2002, dissociated himself from the submissions of the lawyer.
He disclosed that he (Okorie) had instructed his lawyer (Ezike) to withdraw the matter.
His words: "The lawyer went to the Supreme Court to argue that suit against the Electoral Act 2002 without my consent. I had earlier told him last week to withdraw that matter from the Supreme Court, but he went to the court without my consent. We in APGA are no more interested in that matter and we will inform the Supreme Court".
The Supreme Court's panel of seven justices headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, had on Thursday last week fixed May 20, 2005 for judgment in the matter which was re-filed last September by APGA as an interested party.
The court of Appeal, Abuja Division had on May 12, 2003, in a lead judgment by Justice George Oguntade said that the process followed by the National Assembly members in overriding Obasanjo's veto and passage of the 2002 Electoral Act was unconstitutional but cannot be voided.
Justice Oguntade, who is now a justice of the Supreme Court had ruled thus: "Section 58(1) of the 1999 Constitution reproduced above states the process by which a bill becomes a laws.
"So how is a bill passed by either of the Houses constituting the National Assembly? Each House passes a bill when it has gone through the first, second reading, the committee stage and the third reading. In the course of these readings and committee stage, the bill is examined in detail and amended if necessary. Lawmaking is, therefore, a serious business. The court is enjoined to take judicial notice of the course of the proceedings in the National Assembly".
He did not void the Electoral Act, 2002 because of the social consequences.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was the original plaintiff at the Federal High Court Abuja and had cited the former National Assembly leadership headed by Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, President Obasanjo and the Federal Attorney General as respondents.
The erstwhile National Assembly's leadership had proceeded to the nation's Apex Court to challenge the Appeal Court's decision. But the current National Assembly's leadership in the spirit of co-operation with the executive arm of government withdrew the matter from Supreme Court. APGA filed as an interested party.
I knew it was only a question of time before somebody comes up Chinyere's response to this thread. You are still stirring the hornets nest and it won't do any one any good, let this thing die a natural death. You may not like the way this thread will go in the end and like the old saying goes " isi kota ebu, ogbaka sia ya".
Posts: 1532 | From: USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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My brother, please take chiboy's advice and look for a way to close this thread before all hell breaks loose again. I really don't see the need for starting this thread since it is repetitious of all the previous ones started by different folks. I only managed yesterday to douse the flame on the one by Okwy and here you are with another. What gives to unrelentingly assault Okorie as if he started this nonsense? Wasn't it Ojukwu, umeh and nwokolo that are responsible for the fallout? Only someone who's innately biased would miss who betrayed whom, which is not hard to figure. Ojukwu BETRAYED Okorie big time yet refused to rise to the task of bringing all factions together. Who among us have not done what Okorie is doing of late, align with the "big boss" (Ojukwu's new pet name for the killer, aremu when he thought that obasanjo would pick him for the owambe) to pique a party that wanted to undercut you in a local meeting or assembly?
___________________ BIAFRA: The land of my ancestors now, yesterday and always. So it will be! Posts: 2482 | From: Ala Igbo | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
The elders has spoken. Talk about double standard or a No Go Area (apologies Obasanjo).
___________________ He likened the second coming of Christ to the realisation of the Biafran dream, stating that at a time people least expect, the much sought Biafra would be a reality..Rev. Fr. Cornelius Ezeiloaku Posts: 622 | From: santiago, chile | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote:The elders has spoken. Talk about double standard.
Please feel free to take this thread to where you want. However I must assure you that the revelations that would come out would not favour your "god".
Chiboy and MeBiafran both know it but you seem not to know.
I cannot for the life of me fathom why people believe by attacking Chekwas they would restore Ojukwu's lost credibility.
Posts: 585 | From: London. | Registered: Mar 2001
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quote:I cannot for the life of me fathom why people believe by attacking Chekwas they would resore Ojukwu's lost credibility.
Without "people" like such, the word CLUELESS would remain irrelevant so we need them. Isn't it shameful that all of us that have fought together would now disband on account of one man, Ojukwu. Are folks like Okwyonwuka telling us now that Igbo freedom revolves around Ojukwu, Ojukwu who??? My challenge for the shouters to link me to any article posted on any Web site in defense of the same Ojukwu is still unmet yet this guy couldn’t take a hint. Arọ! I have taken lots of hit on behalf of Ojukwu and would continue to do so when he’s right and not be myopic. Recently, my knack to reach out and make peace is being misconstrued by folks who do not know how and when to give up on a loosing battle with their stubborn nonsensical BS. For all you who lack the depth to understand me, I submit to a convincing argument I do not disagree based on origin of a post. That's my strength so deal with it, little minds.
___________________ BIAFRA: The land of my ancestors now, yesterday and always. So it will be! Posts: 2482 | From: Ala Igbo | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I am really worried now about Ojukwu, why not him leave Chekwas alone. I am affraid that this matter is going to bring problems in ala Igbo because Ojukwu want Chekwas finished by all means. He should be carefull the young people do not turn against him.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE: My fate lay with OBJ — Chekwas Okorie
KALU OKWARA
EMBATTLED National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, still has more hurdles to cross before participating in the on-going National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC).
Although he was cleared by the State Security Services (SSS) the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) penultimate week, Chief Okorie last Monday was stunned when after his accreditation, he was barred from participating in the conference pending another clearance from the Presidency.
The embattled APGA boss, who spoke to Sunday Champion yesterday on phone, explained that he was told by the secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria (SGFN), Chief Ufot Ekaete to wait for another clearance from the Presidency.
He said he waited till last Thursday without getting any official explanation for the action. It would be recalled that Chief Okorie who was nominated as a delegate of the APGA by the government, was stopped from being accredited when the NPRC was inaugurated by President Obasanjo on February 21, 2005. This was as a result of the crisis bedevilling the APGA.
He was however cleared to participate by the SGFN when upon his request, the INEC wrote to confirm Okorie as the recognised National Chairman of the APGA.
Chief Okorie when asked if he knew what prompted the news twist said: "From the grapevine, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu has bombarded the Presidency with protest calls, saying he was suffering the humiliation of being denied a nomination to the conference and that the greatest humiliation would be to allow me to participate in a conference from where he has been shut out."
He said when he spoke to the Chief of Staff to the President, he was asked to come on Monday.
posted
I did not start this thread, and the originator has not asked for it to be closed so I am glad that I have another opportunity to revisit what has been said about the recent turn of events amongst Umu Igbo.
quote: saying he was suffering the humiliation of being denied a nomination to the conference and that the greatest humiliation would be to allow me to participate in a conference from where he has been shut out
I have had to bold a word in the above quote becaused that is what has occured. If the truth is told, it is not Ojukwu alone that has been humiliated but the entire Igbo world who had held him up as a symbol of our aspiration. Once we have agreed on this, we should next ask, Whose fault was it that we were so humiliated?
The answer is as clear as day and night; it is Ojukwu and all those yes men who surrounded him as well as all those on this forum who saw "strategy" when all that was clear was imminent humiliation, those who still refuse to see the truth and finally those who would want us to believe that if Chekwas had not been there, the humiliation would not have occured.
The extent of this humiliation would be clear when our people realise the following;
Who has been making phone calls to the presidency! It is not only Chief Umeh that has been doing this.
Who has been making phone calls to Obasanjo's National Security Adviser!
What Ojukwu has threatened to do if Chekwas is allowed to attend the National Confab! Chekwas is a small boywe all know, but why is Chief Ojukwu fighting him? Does he not know that by fighting Chekwas he is reducing himself to Chekwas' level?
On another note, I have to paste this article linked by Chiboy in case it gets withdrawn.
quote: National Confab: Obasanjo constitutes parallel secretariat
Chuks Ehirim,
Abuja
As delegates to the National Political Reforms Conference that adjourned last Thursday return to Abuja today to continue their deliberations on how to make Nigeria a better place, chances are that their actions may be remotely controlled by external influences coming from Aso Rock.
Already, moves are on to neutralise the independence of the delegates by ensuring that a body made up of close associates of President Olusegun Obasanjo takes total control of the day-to-day activities at the confab.
Loyalists of Mr. President are said to be in charge of a parallel secretariat set up to teleguide the confab. Their principal function, sources told Sunday Independent, was to ensure that the confab comes out with a final decision which is in tandem with the wishes of President Obasanjo.
Members of this parallel secretariat are said to include the Anambra State political godfather, Chris Uba; his elder brother and Special Assistant to President Obasanjo, Andy Uba; former National Maritime Authority (NMA) Director-General, Ferdinand Agu; Education Minister, Prof. Fabian Osuji; Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Tonnie Iredia.
Others are Information and National Orientation Minister, Chukwuemeka Chikelu; Professor Yusuf Obaje; Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Professor Julius Ihonvbere as well as the immediate past Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Onyewa Ugochukwu, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, Professor Jerry Gana and Femi Fani-Kayode, among others.
The group, according to a highly reliable source, is called the “Annointed 22”. Most of them are governorship materials for 2007 in their various states. The group’s mandate, according to sources, is to influence the decisions of the confab in line with Obasanjo’s agenda of a parliamentary system of government and true federalism. Obasanjo, the source said, sees this system as a veritable means of coming back to power; that he would seek a re-election from his constituency and get whatever is left of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after the likes of Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Head of State, Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida must have pulled out of the party, to endorse him as leader of the party in the parliament.
Part of the game plan, the source also revealed, is to have one senator from each state instead of the three that is currently in vogue. Also, each state will produce three members of the House of Representatives. The group is said to be headed by Onyema Ugochukwu, while one of the cabinet ministers is charged with the responsibility of providing the funds with which the job of lobbying the conferees will be done.
The setting up of this parallel secretariat is said not to have gone down well with the leadership of the confab.
According to a state delegate to the conference who spoke to Sunday Independent on this matter on condition of anonymity, some members were given to the secretary of the confab, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, to work with him in the secretariat but that the Southern Kaduna-born Catholic priest rejected the list of the nominees.
Perhaps, it was when this move by government to infiltrate the confab secretariat failed that it came up with the counter-plan of setting up a parallel secretariat, to operate from outside.
But Obasanjo’s opponents may not have gone to sleep over the matter. One of those said to be working hard to thwart Aso Rock’s plans in this direction is Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. The Adamawa State-born politician, who lost out of the PDP leadership tussle last Wednesday, was said to have set up his own counter-force, headed by one of his closest allies in the House of Representatives, Hon. Usman Bugaje.
State governors loyal to him were said to have nominated their men into the group which, met twice before the confab kicked off. The governor of Adamawa State, Bonnie Haruna, is said to be coordinating the group, which was allegedly given the mandate to fight against whatever moves Obasanjo was going to make at the conference which would be against Atiku’s political interest.
One of this, the source said, was the proposal for parliamentary system of government.
The genesis of my taking issues with the recent event centre on the "reveletion" made in this article. This might be new to some of you, but it is an open secret that the one and only reason why this confab was set up was for Obasanjo to succeed himself. I knew it, Chiboy knew it, CSE etc knew it, the man in the street in Abuja/Lagos/Aba/Onitsha knew it. If we all knew it, would Ojukwu claim not to know it? If he does, whose fault is it?
If he knows it, why then did he accept Obasanjo's offer to attend in exchange for backing the Umeh faction of APGA? (I can picture Okwy and Chima chanting strategy! strategy!)Why then is he upset at not being invited to what would rubber stamp Obasanjo's self succesion plans? (Gburu-gburu Earnestly Yearns for Obasanjo GYEO anyone? ) What will he intend to achieve for Nd'Igbo by attending this " con fab"?
Boy we are in trouble!
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