Chief Bode George, a former Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) National Deputy Chairman, says the party must stick to its power rotation grundnorm between the North and South to win in 2027.
George said this while fielding questions from newsmen during his address to the nation, titled “My Thoughts on The State of Our Country in the Last 25 Years: A Time to Chart A New Direction”in Lagos .
He was reacting to a recent statement made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and PDP 2023 Presidential candidate that he would step down his ambition in 2027 if the party decides to pick its candidate from the South East.
Abubakar,who made the comment after a meeting with the Labour Party Presidential candidate in 2023,Mr Peter Obi , said if Obi returns to PDP and the party zones the presidential ticket to the South East in 2027 ,he would drop his ambition and support him.
George said power rotation must be sacrosanct ,adding PDP should have learnt its lessons from the defeat of 2023.
He said: “Our party has a grundnorm. The constitution of our party as compiled by the founding father, Baba Ekwueme (former Vice President Alex Ekwueme) and his team will remain a guiding light.
“We have paid a big price for not following the rule. We have made mistakes, let us learn. It has cost us too much.
“Section 7 sub section 3C states very clearly that the party must adhere to the zoning and rotation procedures for party positions and elective positions simultaneously for things to work well.
George, a PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) member, said that power rotation, as embedded in the party’s constitution,was to guard against any situation that might bring back the military to power.
He said that the party’s founding fathers divided the country into six geo-political zones to capture the majority and minority tribes and give all a sense of belonging.
“This is because the problem since 1960 is between majority tribes and minority tribes.
“The majority tribe will have their way, but the minority will just be mere onlookers. That was the major cause of coups and counter coups,” he said.
According to him, the party’s founding fathers came up with the idea that the top six positions in the land be shared by the six geo-political zones for equity and justice.
He listed the positions as offices of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the party.
He added: “They (founding fathers) agreed that every eight years, all the positions held by northern zones should come to the south zones, vice versa for rotation.
“The party does not micro zone. That idea was very refreshing and what kept democracy alive then.
“The moment we (the PDP) started tinkering with that idea officially against our grundnorm, that was what created division in PDP.”
He said that Abubakar’s micro zoning comment under which he would he would stay clear of contest, was not known to the party’s constitution.
George said: “I want to appeal to him, in the interest of millions of Nigerians, and those who are still coming, to allow this nation rise.
“The party cannot tell anybody not to contest because it will run foul of the members’ fundamental human rights ,but the party must definitively state that the number one is going down (South) or Up (North) depending on who has held it.”
He said that after President Buhari had spent eight years, it was normal for lovers of justice and fairness to recognise that it was the turn of the South to use same two-term tenure.
“If PDP had adhere to its grundnorms, the party will still be in Aso Rock Villa today.
“This is because if you add the votes garnered by Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso of New Nigeria People’s Party, and those of Abubakar of PDP together in the 2023 general elections, the PDP would have won.
“I am praying, one is not getting younger, as long as I live, I want us to follow the Constitution that the founding fathers gave us.
“But if we continue to manipulate things, I hope we have learnt our lessons because a divided house will remain a defeated house,” he said.
On the crisis at the Lagos chapter of the PDP, George said that it was not a big crisis.
He said the problems at the chapter were being caused by some individuals “just looking for positions”. (NAN)
Troops of the 81 Division, Nigerian Army, operating under the 35 Artillery Brigade, have apprehended a man for allegedly trafficking human parts at Kulanla Odomola in Ogun.
The division’s spokesman, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Ayeni, disclosed this in a signed statement on Sunday.
Ayeni said the troops rescued the suspect from an angry mob that had attempted to lynch him.
“The suspect, along with the exhibits, has been handed over to the Nigeria Police at Noforija for further investigation and possible prosecution,” he said.
The spokesman further revealed that troops operating in Ado-Odo, Ota Local Government Area of Ogun, arrested and detained three suspected drug peddlers during a patrol.
According to him, the suspects were found with two packs of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, concealed under 60kg of cargo in a white J5 vehicle.
“The suspects and exhibits have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Ilaro Area Command, for further investigation and possible prosecution,” Ayeni said.
He reiterated the division’s commitment to deploying every legitimate means to protect law-abiding citizens from criminal elements within its area of operation.
Kano State Government said it has uncovered irregularities on its payroll involving 240 employees receiving double payments and 217 others having the same Bank Verification Number (BVN).
Dr Sulaiman Sani, Special Adviser to the Governor on Civil Service Matters and Chairman of the State Coordinating Committee, disclosed this at a press briefing in Kano on Sunday.
Sani, who represented the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Ibrahim, said the findings emerged from a biometric verification exercise was aimed at sanitising the state’s civil service.
According to him, the anomalies were discovered during reviews conducted by two standing committees; one for the state and another for local government payrolls.
“The inherited shortcomings in the payroll system have continued to disturb the government.
“We discovered that 240 employees are drawing double salaries, while 217 individuals share the same BVN,” Sani said.
He also revealed that 1,335 employees had not reported for verification for over six months, further raising concerns about the authenticity of many names on the payroll.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Local Payroll Government Standing Committee, Alhaji Umar Idi, said an audit exercise uncovered 247 questionable names on the local government and primary healthcare payrolls.
Idi explained that only eight out of the 247 individuals appeared before the committee to confirm their employment status.
“The removal of the remaining 239 names has resulted in a monthly saving of N27.8 million, which will be returned to the state and local governments’ joint account,” he said.
Sani assured that the ongoing exercise was not punitive but it was intended to ensure that genuine workers and pensioners received their full entitlements without arbitrary deductions.
He recalled that since the assumption of office of Gov. Abba Yusuf,his administration had prioritised the prompt payment of salaries and had eliminated informal deductions from workers’ wages.
“The payroll cleansing will enhance transparency and efficiency in salary administration,” Sani added.
He further vowed that the government would continue working with the stakeholders to address all the anomalies and restore credibility to the civil service.( NAN)
The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, on Monday announced the surge in enrollment into nursing programmes.
The ministry said the country reported an increase from 28,000 enrollees to 115,000 enrollees annually.
A statement signed by the Director of Press, FME, Folasade Boriowo, said the development is a testament to the promise of the current administration to transform healthcare education.
The statement read, “In a groundbreaking leap for Nigeria’s healthcare and education sectors, Nigeria has reached a transformative milestone in healthcare education.
“Annual nursing enrollment has surged from 28,000, as it was on May 28th 2023, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, led administration was inaugurated, to an unprecedented 115,000 as a result of Mr. President’s initiative.
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on revitalising the education and health sectors.
“In line with the administration’s emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences, the Federal Ministries of Education and Health & Social Welfare, under the leadership of Dr. Alausa and his counterpart, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, have successfully surpassed the initial set out target of 110,000 nursing students annually enrolled at our nursing colleges to 115,000.
“The Honourable Minister thanked stakeholders, industry leaders, the Nigerian Council of Nurses and Midwifery, teaching hospitals, and Ministry staff for their contributions towards this great achievement. This increased enrollment capacity signals a transformative era for nursing education in Nigeria, positioning the country to meet domestic and global demands for qualified healthcare professionals.”
