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Reno Omokri, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted some claims and allegations Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State made against the embattled National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, in his media interview yesterday.

The Nigerian author also debunked other allegations made against the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar.

Omokri raised 10 issues in a reaction to Wike’s claims and allegations, which he described as “fallacies from Wike’s media chat on the artificial PDP crisis,” said only the constitution of the party should determine the fate of the Senator Ayu, and not any other consideration.

He said, “the Governor of Rivers state, and an esteemed member of our party, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike addressed the press on current issues within our party, and in the encounter he made some utterances which are fallacious.

“I believe he did not lie. It may just be a case that, because of the task of running a very successful state, like Rivers, his memory may have failed him. So I have written the below to refresh his memory.”

While he maintained that embattled National Chairman, Senator Ayu, never promised to resign if a Northern Presidential candidate is elected, reminded Wike that Ayu had rather openly said “on video that he would resign if the PDP asked him to.”

Omokri then queried, “Since the PDP NEC passed a vote of confidence in him, why should he resign?”

Among the 10 fallacies he claimed Wike made in his media chat were that; the PDP did not jettison zoning in favour of the North adding that zoning was jettisoned in favour of the South. “The last PDP President is from the South. By virtue of the party’s Constitution and tradition, the next President should come from the North.

“If Wike has evidence that the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, is not a trustworthy character, he should provide such to the police and other law enforcement agencies.”

The Rivers State governor, had earlier in his media briefing, alleged the Ayu manipulated the process of the party’s presidential primary/national convention in favour of Atiku, claiming that he called several aspirants to withdraw for Atiku.

But Omokri faulted the assertion adding that PDP presidential primaries were not flawed. “They were transparent and watched live on TV by Nigerians. A winner emerged. Many also did not win. Saraki, Tambuwal, Mohammed, Hayatudeen, Dele Momodu, Anyim, Fayose, Emmanuel, Momodu and others have not complained of any untoward happenings.”

On other issues, he said “If the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, convened any illegal meetings in the house of retired generals, then proof of that should be tendered by the one making the allegations.

“How can a man who almost single handedly installed the last two PDP chairmen and many members of the NEC call the same party “arrogant”? If an engineer builds a house and calls it ugly, what is he inevitably saying about himself?

“Wike says Waziri Atiku is surrounding himself with people without much political value, why is he resisting joining the PCC. We need Wike because he obviously has much political value.”

Omokri, however, noted that no member of the party was more important but every member of the party was important.

“The Peoples Democratic Party has a NEC. The NEC can discipline any member according to the Constitution of the party. Every member of the party is a vital picture, but no member is the big picture.

“The PDP Constitution should determine the fate of the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.”

Following the National Industrial Court (NIC) ruling that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) quit their strike and go back to work, ASUU has commented that the industrial court lacks evidence to give such ruling.

ASUU said that the Industrial Court lacks the evidence to back its claims that Nigerian students would lose many lives changing opportunities due to increment of age caused by the ceaseless ASUU strike.

The union made this known in the court documents filed before the Court of Appeal on Friday to challenge the ruling of the National Industrial Court which ordered them to end the lingering strike and resume classes on Wednesday.

The appeal which counsel to ASUU, Femi Falana made available to the public was also accompanied by a request for stay of execution on the ruling by Justice Polycarp Hamman.

The point being made is that, even where the lost academic semesters/sessions are covered upon resumption, the increase in the age of these students who are being deprived of the opportunity to complete their studies as and when due cannot be reversed. Section 2 (2) of the National Youth Service Corps Act for example prohibits any person who is over the age of thirty (30) at the date of graduation from being enlisted into the Service Corps,” the National Industrial court said among other things while delivering its interlocutory judgement.

Reacting, the striking university lecturers contended, “There was no evidence before the lower court about the age of these innocent students being denied of the opportunity to complete their studies.

“Even though the issue of National Youth Service was raised suo motu the Learned Trial Judge did not invite parties to address him on it.

“The Learned Trial Judge made a case for the Respondents by relying on extraneous matters and thereby violated the fundamental right of the Appellant to fair hearing.”

LEADINGREPORTERS Wrote about the intention of ASUU to appeal the judgement of the industrial court following its order for ASUU members to resume work.

Governor Nyesom Wike has revealed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had offered him a Senatorial ticket to decamp to APC.

Gov. Wike said that Tinubu came with the offer in order to woo him to support his presidential bid and join the APC. However, he refused because of his love for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Tinubu offered the ticket after Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP failed to fulfil his promise after winning the presidential primaries.

Wike made this disposition during a media session in Port Harcourt.

The Rivers state governor accused the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu of manipulating the process that ensured Atiku won the presidential primaries in Abuja.

He claimed Ayu had encouraged many presidential candidates to step down for Atiku, a development which according to Wike gave Atiku the victory.

Wike however stated that despite the offer from Tinubu, he chose to stay in the PDP, adding that he did not contest the primary election to settle for a vice-presidential or senatorial ticket.

In his words, he said “I did not contest so I can become a vice presidential candidate, I am not like others who were not serious and bought senatorial form alongside presidential form and that’s why when Tinubu offered me a Senatorial slot, I didn’t go for it”

By Kenny Folarin, Abuja

Motorcycle, popularly called “Okada” business in the Federal Capital Territory is among the fastest growing business owing to large number of villages and streets in the federal capital territory.

The business commonly found among the hausas, and fulanis from Niger and other neighboring states is lucrative, averagely, an Okada rider makes close to ten thousand naira on daily basis after paying all the dues and maintenance.

Following the rising cases of insecurity in the country, the federal government on July 2022 proposed a ban on Okada Nationwide, the government after a security meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, informed the media that terrorists use Okada to abduct people for ransom.

They also engage in illegal mining to raise money for their operations and according to him, government considers these bans as the appropriate response to the problem.

Mixed reactions however trailed this intended pronouncement as many believed that baning Okada will not solve the issue but worsen it.

Some asserted that handling the lawlessness of Okada operators is a matter of competent governance.

Nigerians noted that can be trained, licensed and allocated to an area of operation, they can be made to belong to unions that are accountable to government so that lawbreakers can easily be nabbed. These unions can quickly identify any strange operator in their jurisdictions and report accordingly.

Others believed that in parts of the country where motorcycles have become the mode of transport for terrorists and other criminals, tricycles, bicycles and mini-buses can be used to replace motorcycles, at least for now. Thus, terrorists on motorcycles can be easily isolated.

However, the federal capital territory is not left out of these argument as the administration on several occasions have impounded and crushed thousands of seized motorcycles, this act has made some of them restrict operations to the villages rather than highways, but most worrisome part is how the Okada riders metaphormosed to dispatch riders.

Like wind storm, the dispatch riders have suddenly taken over the city with no recourse to traffic rules, they hardly wait for the traffic lights to turn green before they zoom off in high speed in order to meet up with their deliveries at the expense of motorists and other road users.

Worried by this lawless, the federal capital territory administration noted that all dispatch riders must be duly registered with the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO)latest by the first week of August or face sanctions.

In January, 2021, over 50 dispatch riders were arrested the Director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services DRTS, Alhaji Wadata Bodinga warned that the conduct and activities of dispatch riders in the city would no longer be acceptable by the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the motoring public.

“Just between Tuesday and today Wednesday, over 50 motorcycles and dispatch riders have been arrested for various offences, because majorly they are the major culprits when it comes to beating traffic and riding on one-way in the city which is not acceptable because they are toying with their own safety and the safety of other road users,” Bodinga said.

According to him, the directorate had directed all the people arrested for following one-way and those beating traffic to go for emotional evaluation at recognised hospitals in the FCT.

Dispatch riders operating in the FCT must register with the FCT Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) latest by the first week of August or face sanctions.

While the administration is doing all it can to sanitize the city and curb the excesses of dispatch riders, many of the dispatch riders ride under the influence of alcohol as no one can easily recognize them while riding, some even put on headphones and operate freely on expressway, to restore more sanity in the territory and obedience to traffic rules, stiffer and corporal punishment should be melted on them to have a safer and saner FCT.