Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have responded to Minister of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and his loyalists, pledging to enforce discipline within the party and declaring that the PDP will not yield to arrogance, impunity, or divisive tendencies.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Bala Mohammed, Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, stated at the National Convention Planning Committee’s inauguration on Tuesday that they are not cowards and will confront anyone who attempts to obstruct the party’s progress.
He was responding to threats made by Wike and his supporters, who have continued to oppose the party’s National Elective Convention, which is planned for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Following their meeting on Monday in Abuja, Wike’s camp issued a list of six demands that the PDP leadership must achieve in order for the convention to be peaceful.
In response, Mohammed stressed that the governors would not be distracted, stressing that the convention would proceed as planned.
The Bauchi governor said, “We are not cowards, and we are not afraid of anybody.
“We are capable of navigating this party beyond the shenanigans, beyond the arrogance, and beyond the impunity of others.
“We cannot continue to take part and allow people to take us to the slaughterhouse. That’s our job.
“And our job is to make sure we don’t go to the slaughterhouse.
“And we are working as governors and working with the committee to ensure that. The keyword is discipline.
“We will no longer allow or tolerate anybody to take us for granted. It has to stop. Enough is enough. We are not going to tolerate it any longer.”
More details later…
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
