Emeakayi re-elected Anambra PDP chairman

ITRealms:

Prince Ken Emeakayi, was Saturday returned unopposed in the Anambra State Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held at Emmaus House, Awka, reports ITRealms.

Observers say that with the reelection of Prince Emeakayi symbolizes the grip of the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi, in relaunching himself into reckoning after the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 election as his favoured candidate, Prince Emeakayi emerged.
Sources close to Obi camp informed ITRealms, the choice of  Emeakayi was required to provide a  strong  opposition to the quest of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to return governor Willie Obiano to power in 2018.
In return for the programmed takeover of power by PDP in the 2018 governorship election in Anambra State,  an impeccable source indicated that Chief Obi has been  promised the  Vice Presidential candidate ticket of PDP in the 2019  election.
Alternatively, the party is said to be ready to offer Obi the Presidential ticket of PDP, should the permutation favours his ambition to gun for the slot.
Chief Obi after facilitating the emergence of Chief Obiano as governor of Anambra State in the November 2013 election, dumped APGA for PDP in a controversial manner at a colourful ceremony held at his Niger Drive residence, Onitsha, few weeks to the Presidential election

The decampee said  the defection would provide him the much-needed opportunity to be relevant in national politics and  work for Jonathan’s  botched return to power  in the 2015 Presidential election.

The victory of the immediate past Chairman of the Anambra State PDP,  Emeakayi with a total of 958 votes, was greeted with uneasiness following the non-attendance to the State Congress by majority of the statutory delegates.

The State Congress monitored by Godfrey Nsofor from INEC's  Elections and Party Monitoring unit  was organized to elect State Executives for the party after the national leadership sacked all the factions contending for leadership in the Stare, including the Emeakayi and Ejike Oguenego factions. In the stead, the National Working Committee of the PDP set up a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the party preparatory to the 2015 general elections.
It is being feared that non-participation of the majority of the delegates, will likely return to party to the trenches, fueling speculation of a return to the era of factionalization.
According to the guidelines, the delegates to the State Congress includes the three-man ad-hoc delegates from the ward as well as statutory delegates made up of the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme; Senator Onyeabo Obi, member PDP Board of Trustees; Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary; Iyom Josephine Anenih, member of BOT; serving Senators, Andy Uba, Uche Ekwunife and Stella Oduah.
Also among the delegates were House of Representatives members of PDP, namely,  Chukwuka Onyema, Linda Ikpeazu, Obinna Chidoka, Anayo Nnebe, Eucharia Azodo, Sopuluchukwu Onwuka, and Emeka Anohu as well as three PDP  members of the State House of Assembly.
Announcing the result at the State Congress of the party, held at the  Emmaus House field, Awka, the State capital, the Returning Officer, Mr. Ike Abonyi  stated that, the Emeakayi  was returned unopposed as he was the sole candidate for the post,  but he  has to go through a voting process as provided in the party’s constitution.
It was gathered that delegate voted for one Okoli for the post of the State Chairman, but was nullified by the Congress Committee due to the fact that he did not formally seek for the office.
Accreditation of 968 delegates from the 21 local government areas  started by 1.30pm while voting for the 26 positions was concluded  at 6.54 pm.
 The Returning Officer who announced  Emeakayi winner as 7 .05 said 9 votes were voided.
Apart from Emeakayi, other contestants who won their seats are: Mr. Nzube  James Etoniru – Secretary (Idemili South),  Mr. Emeka Nzekwe – Publicity Secretary (Anambra East), Prince Eddy Okosi (Youth Leader (Onitsha North), Wilson Anakwe -  Treasurer ((Awka South), Sa-Ben  Nwosu -  Organizing Secretary (Nnewi North), Afam Akonnaya – Legal Adviser (Njikoka).
As at the time of going to the press, there is still anxiety as to who would emerge winner for the post of the Financial Secretary contested by Mr. Ekedozie and Egwuoyibo Okoye zoned to Nnewi South LGA as well as the post of Women Leader vied by Mrs Grace Okeke and Ego Afuegbu, both from  Dunukofia LGA.

By Uche Osibe

 

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Waheed Odusile is new NUJ president

ITRealms:

A seasoned journalist and Managing Editor, The Nation Newspaper, Mr. Waheed Odusile has been elected the new national president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), reports ITRealms.
Odusile, who was sworn-in earlier Saturday as the 16th President of NUJ beside other executives elected at NUJ’s 5th national triennial delegates conference at Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, he promised to get a radio license for NUJ in a few months.

Mr. Odusile defeated five other presidential candidates including Dele Atunbi, Rotimi Obamuwagun, Uzaka Seifa, Mustapha Lamidi, and Mike Aladenika.

Also 16 officials emerged during the election out of the 17 elective positions of the Central Working Committee (CWC), the NUJ National Executive Committee (NEC), while 29 contestants vied for the several elective positions, which had as its theme “Fostering the Safety of Journalists and Building Synergy with Agents of the State.”

ITRealms recalls that Mr. Odusile, a graduate of Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State has practiced journalism for over 20 years.

Odusile is of the Lagos State council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
 

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Telecom Regulation In whose interest?

Opinion@ITRealms:

There is an unsavoury battle in the Nigerian telecommunications sector that is being made to look like the ‘big’ player against the rest of the field. And the moderator appears to have taken side to give advantage to the already privileged. Sadly, if the situation is not redressed, the Nigerian telecommunications consumer stands the risk of losing out ultimately.

In other to ensure a level playing field for all the telecommunications operators, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) embarked on a survey in 2012. The primary objective of that study was to determine the level of competition in the industry. The result was the conferment of the status on MTN Nigeria as the “Dominant Operator in the Retail Mobile Voice Market” segment of the telecommunication industry in 2013. Arising from that, MTN was directed to immediately collapse the differential between the on-net and off-net retail voice tariffs. Two years later, however, NCC has taken a shocking decision to reverse the situation to the detriment of the other telecommunications operators.

Three months ago, NCC approved a decision allowing a 30 per cent differential between the on-net and off-net retail voice tariff for MTN Nigeria. That clearly was in contravention of the obligation imposed on MTN Nigeria under the Determination of Dominance Regulation to collapse its retail voice on-net and off-net tariffs and ensure both tariffs are at par.

In approbating and reprobating in the same breath, NCC breached the rule of engagement with the operators as provided in the National Communications Act 2003 No 19 and the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2007. It acted without consultation with the industry stakeholders and had little or no consideration for the investment of the operators as well as the interest of the consumers.

Fundamentally, the NCC was required to undertake a public review of the market in consultation with the industry stakeholders. Indeed, the 2012-13 exercise by the same NCC, which revealed that MTN Nigeria had undue advantage over its competitors, witnessed series of consultations with the operators and stakeholder engagements. It is therefore curious that NCC failed to go the same route required by its status this time.

Whose interest is the NCC and its leadership serving? Clearly not that of the consumer who will be denied the option of choices if the other players are frustrated out of the market. Without a breathing space for all the players in the industry, Nigeria may be unwittingly making a slow but steady return to the days of a monopoly, represented by the humongous Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), that delivered epileptic service to the consumer.

The failure of the NCC to follow due process to curtail a looming monopoly raises concerns as the regulatory agency is obligated to promote fair competition and prevent the misuse of market power or anti-competitive practices by any licensee. Investors craving strict adherence to regulations to guide their investment decisions are bound to be disturbed where the industry regulator undertakes far reaching decisions without transparently engaging with the stakeholders who will be affected by its actions.

One wonders why the NCC made a complete turn-around even when its own survey had confirmed that one of the operators has an undue advantage. Is the NCC playing its statutory role as the industry regulator or is it acting out a prepared script to favour a particular section of the Nigerian telecommunications industry and put the Nigerian consumer at the risk of a monopoly?

For an economy to thrive, it must encourage a level playing field. MTN has already assumed the status of a monolith running Nigeria’s ICT backbone. The financial and allied sectors are at it behest for its crucial operation. The action of NCC will only empower the company the more and stifle competition in the telecommunications sector. When a single company is directly or indirectly propped up to dominate the market, when we shut out competition, which often results in high prices and inferior products, we are putting the end user in dire straight.

The failure of the NCC to follow due process has raised concerns among industry stakeholders as the commission has an obligation to promote fair competition and prevent the misuse of market power or anti-competitive practices by any licensee. Investors craving regulatory certainty to guide their decisions will certainly be disturbed where the industry regulator undertakes far reaching actions without transparently engaging with industry stakeholders that may be affected by its policy. 

NCC ought to ensure a level playing field.  It should refrain from demonstrating bias towards any operator.

By Sokari John, a consumer rights activist, writes from Port Harcourt

 

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Saraki, Dogara emergence & role of ICT

ITRealms:

THE intrigue, brouhaha, altercations and near free-for-all fight witnessed in the two legislative chambers following the elections of the Senator Bukola Saraki (APC Kwara State) as Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara (Yobe) as Speaker, House of Representatives, which took place on June 9, 2015, cannot go without mentioning of the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

ITRealms reports that their emergence took the nation by storm as nobody was expecting the kind of politics which some industry observers tagged as ‘politrick’ based on the reported plans by the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) purported endorsement of some candidates for both positions, who eventually lost in all ramifications.

As if the aforementioned was not enough, both houses of the National Assembly also elected Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP Enugu State) as deputy senate president while Hon. Yusuf Lasun (Osun State) was elected deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. 

So far, the magnitude of rancor in the elections of the leadership of the two Houses of the National Assembly going by the fact that the All Progressives Congress is in the majority and as such should, ordinarily be in the driving seat to call the tunes, thus the change in game plan was least expected. 

Although days before this scene, there was some advertorials on national dailies and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) inviting the then elected NASS members both at the Senate and House for inauguration ceremony with outlined programmes, which commenced on Monday, June 8 and expected to conclude by Tuesday, June 9, 2015, with election of presiding officers.

Of course, NASS members held their various day-1 part-inauguration session with the Clerks of their respective houses led by Clerk of the Senate, Alhaji Salisu Maikasua, before the adjournment till next day for the proper election of the NASS leadership by members.

This came after it was reported that the ruling party, APC members at both houses held mock elections to pave way for a smooth election eventually, of course with some party rebels who insisted that they as members be allowed to elect their leaders without any interference from the party.

However, little did Nigerians realize the key role played by technologies in the emergence of the two House leaders in the National Assembly, but as announced at the floor of the Senate by Senator Barnabas Gemade-lead Unity group, following the arrival of President Mohammadu Buhari from the G7 Meeting in Germany it became imperative for him as the new party ‘leader’ to meet with the elected members of APC in the national assembly to ensure peaceful conduct of their elections.

But following a Short Message Service (SMS) received purportedly from the party leadership inviting elected members to a meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja by 9am for a meeting with Mr. President, the incident may not have happened or Saraki becoming the Senate President.

Experts at an open source encyclopedia, Wikipedia, explained that SMS is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems; which uses standardized communications protocols developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to facilitate phone devices to exchange short text messages across both fixed lines and mobiles.

Also, experts at the GSM Association (GSMA) disclosed that SMS has remained the most widely used data application, with an estimated 7.5 trillion SMS exchanged across all mobile phone subscribers at the end of 2012. It has since 1985 assumed its latest dimension as part of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) series of standards as a means of sending messages of up to 160 characters to and from GSM mobile handsets.

For Senator Gemade, as loyal party members, they adhered to the SMS, not minding that NASS has scheduled its elections by 10am, which in fact commenced the previous day by 10:03am, claiming that the Clerk of NASS was duly informed to have ‘slight delay’ to enable them, as majority to attend this Presidential call and then join.

And while they were at ICC, he said, news flittered in obviously through their Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and through the live broadcast of the NASS elections by some TV stations that an election has been held with Senator Saraki emerging as sole candidate for the Senate President, hence they rushed back in a coaster bus, abandoning their respective Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) that brought them to the venue in order to beat the traffic.

The rush back, afforded the APC NASS members to meet up with the election of the deputy Senate President which was contested on their behalf by Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, but he lost to PDP Senator, Ike Ekweremadu.

Though, it was alleged in some quarters that some members of new-Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) that joined APC coalition hatched this since none of them under the auspices of Like Mind Senators attempted to attend the Presidential meeting at ICC.

Yet, another school of thought argued that the outcome of the NASS leadership was a simple politrick and marriage of convenience, which depend largely on who is smart enough to outdo the other in this era of technology prowess. Even as the supposed ‘slight delay’ could have become a full day affair, which in other words amounts to a scheme by APC Senators to gang-up against Nigeria and indeed the PDP in the choice of Senate presidency, which many members actually kicked against. Not without mentioning the incidence and emergence of former House Speaker and now Governor Amin Tambuwal in year 2011 against the wishes of PDP leadership then, but was supported by APC members.

The LikeMind Senators while adducing reasons they did not turn up at ICC in a press statement sighted by ITRealms, said “We went to that venue on the 8th, we waited for the VP for hours; there was no VP. And the VP was not even available. So, having seen that on the 8th, then around 7am to 8am on 9th June, we got another text which said we should report. It’s no longer the Vice President; it’s now the President, having being deceived on Monday. Do you think anybody who is rational will now also go for another meeting?

“After all the President did not appear at the ICC. The Buhari that we know cannot and will not give two contrary opinions, especially one that is against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” they said, insisting that “The Letter of Proclamation was written, duly signed, the time stated, date stated; he will not do otherwise. It is not true that we disrespected the President and if the President wants to do that, he would have called.”

A source close to Saraki attributed the loss of the office of Deputy Senate President to the PDP to absence of APC senators who were at the ICC. The source disclosed that Senator Saraki did not encourage Ekweremadu to run to be his deputy, saying that Ekweremadu’s emergence was forced on the few APC senators present by the PDP senators who at that time were in the majority.

Reacting, the National Secretary, Labour Party, Barr. Olukayode Ajulo warned that the ongoing leadership tussle within the ranks of APC, may derail and distract the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration from delivering on its many promises to Nigerians. Describing the in-fighting between power blocs of APC as borne of selfish interests, pointing out that the ominous signs being given by the leadership of the APC appears to be a confirmation of the popularly held opinion that the APC was a party of “strange bed-fellows” which was not built to last and would not stand the test of time.

Goje, those who went to ICC, were on their own:

Meanwhile, the absentee APC Senators adhered to their party directive to appear before the Senate the following morning of June 10, to be sworn-in by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki so as to enable discharge their constitutional duties.

But the oath-taking and allegiance witnessed a mild drama as Senator Oluremi Tinubu, APC Lagos Central, held back her hands when the Senate President, in line with the tradition after administering the oath stretched out his hands to shake her.

Efforts to take the Senate back through Point of Order 15 and 43 between SenatorsSenator Kabir Garba Marafa and Gemade could not stand as Senate President in performance of his duties ruled them out of order. This much was supported by Senator Mohammed Goje (APC, Gombe Central) while standing on the constitutional provision of Section 64 and sub-section three of the Constitution, said that the President was empowered to order proclamation of this Senate as he did and “For anybody to now say this hallowed chamber should ignore that constitutional provision which is the letter from Mr President, I think that person is saying that we should disobey the Constitution of the country and disobey Mr. President. And I want to say, let it be on record, that whoever decided to go for a meeting there, is on his own.”

16 Leadership positions still in contention:

As at the time of filing this report, APC has not come out to deny its party leadership sent the trouble SMS or not, instead positioned itself for ‘war’ of which they are still at the battle ground because other 16 NASS leadership positions yet to be filled at time of this report; that is eight positions for the Senate and House of Representatives, including Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Chief Whip, Minority Whip, Deputy Majority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Deputy Chief Whip and Deputy Minority Whip apiece, has generated raising of voices at NASS.

The fact remains that a house divided by itself will definitely fall and by extension, if APC allows the ongoing rancor to linger, it means the prophecy of some analysts that the party was made up of strange bed fellows will not only come to bear as truth but indeed.

The earlier the party and its NASS members begin to retrace their steps, the better for the country as one hopes that the live broadcast of NASS business will not stop, because Nigerians are watching and following their moves, for democratic dividends and grow democracy in Nigeria.

Though, industry observers expect that as the 8th Senate settles down for business after a two-week break on June 23, more use of ICT is expected, because that will add a lot more advantage to the recently signed into law the Cyber Security Act alongside other related Acts like National Communication Act and National Information Technology Development Act, therefore gathering the supposed political support whenever issues in these areas of ICT sector is brought before then as to the importance.

Invariably SMS was deployed to create the scene 1 which played out at NASS whilst the scene 2 unfold, no one knows which aspect of the ICT tools will be used to deliver it. So, keep watching.

*Remmy Nweke with additional reports by Cyriacus Nnaji

 

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