By Shedrack Frank

Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa, on Sunday, joined other Christians in the state to offer praises to God for witnessing the first Sunday of 2021.

Diri, who worshipped at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Sampou, his hometown, told the congregation that he never knew the community would produce a governor, while he was supporting the governorship aspiration of others.

A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted Diri as saying that when it was time for God’s destined purpose, it would surely manifest.

He said: “Sometimes I wonder that all the time I had been supporting the governorship aspiration of others, I did not know that God had destined me, even before I was born, to be governor. So when your time comes, nobody can stop it.

“If the same God could do this for me, He will do it for you. Just be faithful, have free mind and He will do it again and again,” he said.

The governor urged Christians to be faithful to God in order to unlock more earthly blessings, just as he called on the people of the state to always give thanks and pay less attention to their worries.

“Let me commend the people of Bayelsa for taking out time across the state to thank God today. What can you offer to God other than to say ‘thank you’ to Him?

“He has the gold and the silver. He also has the power, as power comes only from Him.

“If not for God, I will not be standing here as governor. So we must continue to thank Him with everything we have daily.

“I, therefore, join the rest of the people of Bayelsa to say thank you Lord for keeping us to see this first Sunday of 2021,” Diri said.

He also urged the citizens to realise that they were special in the sight of God, adding that He always manifested Himself in the affairs of the state, whenever the agents of evil tried to plunge it into darkness.

“For us in Bayelsa, we are a special people, and until we realise that we are special, we will continue to give room for darkness,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the service was attended by members of the state executive council, traditional rulers, other appointees and dignitaries from across the state. (NAN)

By Ikechukwu Iweajunwa

Princess Gloria Akobundu, Chief Executive Officer of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), has begun moves to reconcile aggrieved members of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Isiala- Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State ahead of the party’s congress.

Akobundu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Owerri that she convened a meeting of party loyalists to reconcile aggrieved party members from the local government area.

Akobundu said that  the party leaders discussed important issues of differences and possible ways to chart a new roadmap that would reconcile aggrieved members and end misunderstanding in the party.

“This meeting will address the 4-point agenda which were the resolution in the recent APC South-East caucus meeting.

“We have been given a directive to reconcile members, register more members, plan for the state congress and the national convention.

“We are going to embark on aggressive grassroots mobilisation and to canvas for more members in the state,” she said.

She advised members of the party to shun acrimonious attitude and embrace unity and peace.

“We want to bring back peace and unity in Imo APC because misunderstanding and rancour among members is affecting the party’s progress in the state.

“We must respect party leaders at all level, only such respect can translate to lasting peace in the party,” Akobundu said.

She also related President Muhammadu Buhari’s new year message and assured of continued financial support to the party for grassroots activities in Isiala-Mbano.

Also, APC state caretaker committee Chairman, Mr Marcelinus Nlemigbo, said that the only way to guarantee the future of APC was for the party to strengthen succession plan.

Nlemigbo advised party members against anti party activities, while urging members to participate fully in the ongoing party registration. (NAN)

By Obinna Unaeze

About 2,000 members and supporters of the Advanced Congress for Democrats (ACD) defected to the ruling APC in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State on Sunday.

Alhaji Jafaru Agwara, the member representing Borgu-Agwara Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, received the decamped and assured them of equal treatment and quality representation.

He advised the new members and their supporters to always work in line with APC’s ideology of moving the state to greater heights.

He said the APC as a political party would continue to champion the course of human and capital development in the 25 local government areas of the state.

He restated his commitment to provide more dividends of democracy to the electorate and solicited their support and cooperation to enable him to succeed.

Also speaking, Alhaji Nura Kokoli, Chairman of Agwara Local Government Council, assured the decamped that they would be carried along in the scheme of things in order to better their lots.

Kokoli urged the new APC members to be loyal and supportive toward ensuring the success and development of the party.

Also, Alhaji Shehu Agwara, former Chairman of the ACD in Agwara Local Government Area, who led the decamped expressed happiness for joining the APC and urged the party to continue to be accommodative.

He said that the new members were motivated to join the APC because of the tremendous successes and achievements of Jafaru Agwara and that of Shehu Agwara in providing dividends of democracy for the people of the area.

He commended Jafaru Agwara for providing four Sharon buses to the butchers association in Agwara as well as more than 50 Bajaj motorcycles to men of the vigilance team in the area. (NAN)

A group of 11 Republican senators and senators-elect on Saturday said that they intend to appeal the upcoming certification of the results of the presidential election.

The group, led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, in a joint statement said that they will vote against the certification of electors from states where U.S. President Donald Trump has disputed Democrat Joe Biden’s win in the November election.

The 11 Republicans justified their plans by claiming that the election “featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.

“We intend to vote on Jan. 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ (the statutory requisite), unless and until (an) emergency 10-day audit is completed,” they said in the statement.

In a separate action, Senator Josh Hawley had previously said he would join with some House Republicans to object to the certification of the election results.

The moves are expected to simply draw out the certification process.

Trump, with the support of many congressional Republicans, has been promoting unfounded claims that the election was rigged against him, but has provided no proof that swayed any court to his side.

His legal team has lost dozens of cases in the courts, and cases brought by his allies to the Supreme Court were also rejected.

The U.S. Electoral College has voted to confirm Biden as the next president, while some Republicans have also recently acknowledged the Democrat’s win after weeks of allowing Trump to spread false claims of widespread voter fraud.

Congress is mandated to certify the results on Wednesday before Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

By Emmanuel Mogbede

The registration of new members and update of register of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will commence on Jan. 25, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The party said this in its New Year message to Nigerians, issued by Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, Secretary of its Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), on Friday in Abuja.

“We have recognised the need for continued conflict resolution and have decided to vigorously pursue reconciliation on all fronts in order to emerge as a stronger party, ahead of the congresses and the 2023 general elections.

“Having got the approval for the party membership registration, CECPC is now set to undertake the exercise efficiently and effectively in a record time, beginning from Jan. 25,” he said.

Akpanudoedehe added that the party’s CECPC was fully prepared to conduct total congresses at all levels, through a fair and transparent process of electing officials for its various organs.

This, he said, would culminate in the party’s national convention.

The CECPC secretary added that the committee was working to create a member-centered party structure that would guarantee full participation of all and accord privileges to strengthen members’ trust, beliefs and engagements in all its activities.

He further added that recognising that time was well against it, the CECPC was already doubling efforts to meet up with the tasks ahead of it in 2021.

Akpanudoedehe stressed that the committee was rebuilding the party to strengthen democracy, assuring that its commitment to leading the process of political change in the country was unwavering.

He said the party’s national secretariat had discussed the need for registration of new members and update of its register to improve on its membership and support-base nationwide.

“Our party, its leadership and members join Nigerians to celebrate the commencement of another year – 2021; indeed, the year 2020 evokes mixed feelings for our great party.

“Just like every other sector and activities belaboured by the year-long restrictions globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a party, we did have our share of the inconveniences.

“Aside the pause of party activities in the course of the year, we spent part of the year witnessing internal rancour that almost threatened the kernel of the party,” he said.

This, Akpanudoedehe added, warranted the prompt interventions of the party leadership, including its National Executive Committee (NEC).

He added that the fact that the party survived the onslaught, emerged yet stronger and went on to win a number of critical elections across the country in 2020, was a testament to its great strength.

He thanked party members across the federation, the leadership and President Muhammadu Buhari for the support and encouragement given to the committee since its inauguration.

Akpanudoedehe also appreciated the leadership of the National Assembly and the entire APC caucus of both chambers for their total support, collaboration and understanding within the period.

“We thank our ministers for their support, particularly the Attorney-General of the Federation, for providing legal guidance and advice that have helped the CECPC’s decisions.

“The CECPC also deeply appreciates the confidence and trust our esteemed governors of the Progressive Governors’ Forum reposed in it.

“We equally thank and appreciate all others, the media inclusive, who have contributed in various ways to the success of CECPC,” he said.

Akpanudoedehe added that the party’s efforts at resolving internal conflicts at various chapters had paid off.

This, he said, was especially so with members’ desire in complying with the party resolutions to withdraw and terminate all ongoing litigations that involved the party.

He noted that in the course of the year, the committee was able to resolve the ownership tussle surrounding the building that housed the party’s national secretariat, adding that necessary settlement to take full control of the building was already in progress.

According to him, settlement of outstanding litigation fees is one of the targets of CECPC from the outset, which it has been able to deliver to a large extent in the last six months.

“Suffice to say that as much as CECPC is proud to announce that it has done well by all standards in the last six months, there is still more to be done and which we are set to do and complete before the end of the tenure of CECPC” Akpanudoedehe said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the CECPC was inaugurated on June 25, 2020 as an interim administration, to steer the affairs of the APC and organise a national convention to elect substantive party executives. (NAN)