FRESH

PRESS RELEASE
FRESH DEMOCRATIC PARTY WARNS GOVERNORS OVER IMPERSONATORS
Once again, we are constrained to alert state governments, to the criminal activities of certain imposters who roam the corridors of power soliciting for donations or financial support purpotedly on behalf of our great party, FRESH Democratic Party, FRESH.
Our party has never authorized anymore, including political associates or party operatives by whatever named called, to solicit for funds or collect money from any organisation, government functionaries or rival parties, on our behalf. We disassociate our party from the nefarious activities of these faceless political jobbers and touts who are involved in any dirty deal. We hereby inform operatives of all institutions of state and governance not to dispense financial patronage to anyone or organisation who claims to be acting on our behalf, as this is contrary to the FRESH philosophy and code of ethics.
In due course, we shall make a formal complaint about those impersonating our officers to the relevant law enforcement agencies and INEC, while also pleading with the general public to report the activities of these criminals to the nearest FRESH office and the Police.
Finally, FRESH is not involved in any clandestine meeting with any political party factions seeking alliance or merger as a mega-party ahead of the 2019 general elections, or any election for that matter.
SIGNED
Ladi Ayodeji
Director, Media &
Communication Strategy

OKOTIE MOURNS FRED AGBAJE

The chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, Rev Chris Okotie has described the death last Saturday, of legal icon, Dr. Fred Agbaje as a great loss to the nation.
Rev Okotie said in a statement signed by the party’s spokesman, Ladi Ayodeji that Agbaje was a dogged civil rights activist, consummate legal practitionner and social commentator who always stood for good governance, human rights and justice.
He lamented that the late lawyer died in his prime and at a time in Nigeria’s history when his contributions to the debate for national reconstruction was needed most.
Agbaje was part of the vocal group of activists who fought for the restoration of democracy after a long spell of military rule.
He acknowledged that Agbaje was the lead counsel in the case against INEC in which FRESH won a landmark legal victory that voided the purported deregistration of the party, and laid to rest, the controversy over the electoral umpire’s alleged legal right to ban political parties.
“This epochal judgement deepened our democracy and affirmed our faith in the rule of law”, Rev Okotie said, adding, “my heart goes out to his family at this trying moment, and I pray that God takes his soul.”
Dr Agbaje worshipped regularly at the Household of God church. Rev Okotie, who is also the Pastor of the oregun, Lagos based church said, he got to know that the late lawyer was ill, when he noticed he had been absent from church since late December, 2015.
“I was happy when I was told Dr Agbaje was on his way to full recovery. His sudden demise came to me as a rude shock. We thank God he went home as a Christian, the Pastor concluded.

PRESS RELEASE
OKOTIE MOURNS LATE ATHELETES: ALI, KESHI AND AMODU
The Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH has condoled with the families of late boxing legend, Mohammad Ali, and those of Nigerian coaches, Stephen Keshi and Amodu Shuaibu, on the deaths of the celebrated sportsmen.
According to the chairman of the party, Rev. Chris Okotie, “Ali was the finest and most colourful gladiator of the boxing ring, whose influence on the sport is unparalleled. Ali globalized the sport with his sublime boxing skills, style and poetic, humorous jibes. He brought glamour and pure fun to a sport known for its brutality, and won it a global audience, such that every Ali fight was a world event”, according to Rev. Okotie.
The Reverend Okotie, who confessed being a fan of the late boxer, said the man famously called “The Greatest”, was a true hero across racial, ethnic or religious borders and would be missed by fans world-wide. “When future boxing fans see his epic fights in films, they’d wish they lived in his day to watch him live and savour the sheer glamour and beauty of his fights”, Rev Okotie added.
The FRESH party chairman also expressed shock at the demise of Keshi and Amodu, whose back-to-back sudden deaths shook the sporting world. “Both coaches were Nigeria’s finest and the best. The duo worked together at home and won laurels for the country. They epitomized the highest quality of the Nigerian bench and brought respect and recognition for local coaches by winning important continental competitions.
“As Nigerian exports, they left memorable imprints outside the shores of the country: Keshi, in Mali and Togo; Amodu in South Africa. They played a huge role in transforming the Nigerian game, despite the perennial problems that have dogged its administration”, Rev. Okotie observed.
He urged sports men and women in our nation to emulate the good works of the late coaches as a tribute to their great legacies, according the statement signed by the FRESH party spokesman, Ladi Ayodeji.

PRESS RELEASE
OKOTIE MOURNS TUNJI BRAITHWAITE
Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, Chairman, Rev. Chris Okotie has commiserated with the family of Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, on the death of the legal icon and politician.
“Dr. Braithwaite was a friend of the masses, a genuine democrat, defender of human rights and one of the few public figures who spoke truth to power. My heart goes out to the family, and I pray that God takes his soul,” the pastor- politician said in the tribute.
Rev. Okotie recalled that Dr. Braithwaite stood by FRESH during its legal battle to reclaim the party, after INEC deregistered it in 2012. “He fought on our side along with top human right activists until we finally got our party relisted by the electoral agency’’. He added.

PRESS RELEASE
FRESH PARTY CAUTIONS EL-RUFAI ON PREACHERS’ LICENCE
The Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, has advised the embattled Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, to rethink his plan to introduce a law that would require preachers – Christians and Muslims – to obtain a license before preaching in the state.
A bill to this effect has reportedly been sent to the State Assembly, consequently, the PFN, CAN and other religious bodies across the country have kicked against the proposed law.
According to the FRESH Chairman, Rev. Chris Okotie, in a statement issued by his publicist, Ladi Ayodeji, the proposed preachers’ license law is potentially combustible and could adversely affect the good image President Muhammadu Buhari is building for Nigeria, after decades of negative perception by the international community.
The Governor should also consider that religion is on government’s exclusive list, and the parameters for effectively executing such a widely berthed licensing action, without stepping into the murky waters with accusations of selectivism, is beyond the purview of government understanding of the numerous religions. The criteria for licensing, as enunciated by each religion, especially as it transcends just for Christianity and Islam, would be impossible for the government to put together.
Okotie said that he is aware that the new law is intended to check the activities of religious extremists in the state, following the recent bloody clashes between the Army and a Muslim sect, but insisted that there are enough laws in the statute books already to deal with sectarian crisis if they are enforced strindently.
“It is ill-advised for the Governor to enact a law that could inflame religious passions at a time when his party, the APC, under the leadership of President Buhari, appears to have defanged the terrorist Boko Haram insurgent, with a real hope of their final defeat clearly on the horizon,” the FRESH chairman said.
Rev. Okotie warned that any action that could upset the growing amity between various religious groups in the country must be avoided. “Instead, we should all unite with the governments in its battle to contain cult violence, street crimes, kidnapping, child abuse and youth restiveness across the country,” he added.

PRESS RELEASE
THE FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON THE ECONOMY – Rev.OKOTIE
The Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, has expressed support for the two-day National Economic Conference which kicked-off in Abuja yesterday.
According to the party chairman, Rev. Chris Okotie, the conference is an opportunity for the APC federal government to engage all stakeholders across the party spectrum on the economic direction of the government.
Rev. Okotie observed that the economic focus of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 10- month administration has been a subject of much controversy because of the government’s relentless war against corruption, and its anti-terror military campaign which appear to have over-shadowed the other activities of the administration.
“This important parley will enable the APC government to fully articulate its economic objectives, so that all stakeholders would know where to key in,” Rev. Okotie said during a meeting of the party’s caucus in Lagos over the weekend.
“The position of our party on the economy has not changed since we launched our manifesto in 2007. There’s need for a shift in the governance paradigm, which, when contextualized within the prevailing circumstances, is the creation of a new national economic order that focuses on the development of our abundant human capital as a developmental priority, so that the indigenous manpower so developed would now cultivate our extractive assets for the benefit of all”.
Rev. Okotie said, the over-concentration on oil revenue is the root cause of the present unprecedented looting of the national treasury, as it has bred a lazy and corrupt political class, who angle for power because of the opportunity to steal and vandalize our national assets.
“Our party, therefore, advises that the economic summit seriously deliberates on what we consider to be the three key battle grounds – Agriculture, Power and Human Capital Development. Nigeria needs quality manpower to develop its economy, so, we must modernize our educational sector and its moribund curriculum, by investing in infrastructure, training, research and development.
“Every sector of the economy needs quality manpower to develop programme initiatives that could drive the economy towards self-sufficiency, rather than import dependency. No nation survives if it cannot feed itself, so our agriculture, more than any sector; apart from power generation, requires holistic new and revolutionary policies that would ensure food security on the short-term, and turn Nigeria into a major food exporter on the long-term, like it used to be in 1960s.
On the controversy over the skyrocketing dollar exchange rate, the FRESH chairman said that the dollar is not Nigeria’s national currency, but explained that while the CBN should defend the integrity of the naira, only a strong, productive national economy can sustain a strong currency. This deficit which makes us engage from a point of disadvantage has put our economy at the mercy of global politics and disruptive market forces.
“Our position is that the forex system is corruption soaked with insider dealings and round-trippings, as the on-going revelation of the EFCC has shown. We expect that, the money and capital markets must come under rigorous scrutiny to rid the financial system of debilitating corruption.
Finally, Rev. Okotie warned stakeholders against canvassing for the adoption of foreign economic models that are alien to Nigeria, saying we have seen how the presidential system which we copied from the USA has been so corrupted that operating its executive and legislative branches alone is costing tax payers over half of the national budget.
“China, Singapore and other South East Asian countries designed economic and political models that best suit their peculiar circumstances. Nigeria should look inwards as President Buhari had posited and I believe, we’d get it right,” he concluded adding that FRESH would henceforth make policy interventions to offer viable alternative ideas to government policy makers.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/between-christians-and-political-patronage/232796/

Between Christians and Political Patronage, Articles | THISDAY LIVE Default Description

BUHARI’S BATTLE AGAINST GREX VENALIUM
By Rev. Chris Okotie

[email protected],Twitter:. 08078421451 (sms only)

These, certainly are not the best of times for the grex venalium (the venal crowd) popularly known by ordinary Nigerians as treasury looters. The ongoing battle by President Muhammadu Buhari against this corrupt cabal who have held this nation hostage for years leaves no one in doubt that it is no longer business as usual for politicians of fortune.

It is a mistake to assume, that this is President Buhari’s private battle to clean the Augean stable. Rather, it should be seen as a determined effort to right the wrongs of the bad leadership which has been the bane of Nigeria’s development for decades.

Previous attempts to fight corruption were somehow symptomatic but the present government has adopted a strong, pathological approach that aims to get to the root of the matter, which is why every Nigerian should give the president total support. What is being done now, if carried to the logical conclusion, would free the country from the labyrinth of a deeply entrenched tribe of Machiavellian politicians whose sole purpose for seeking power is to loot our common patrimony.

When former President Goodluck Jonathan emerged on the scene, he came across as a power –shy, harmless politician on whose shoulders providence placed the leadership of this great nation at a critical period in our political evolution. His moving story of grass to grace, with the memorable line that he went to school like many Nigerians without shoes, caught the attention of the electorate who gave him the mandate in his first-ever quest to seek elective office in 2011.

Once on the Presidential seat in that enclave called A*o Rock, we saw a different Jonathan altogether. Never has a President in this country come to power with such level of goodwill and blow it just as fast as Dr. Jonathan. Perhaps, overwhelmed by the demands of office, or ill-prepared for its challenges, the first president from a southern minority exhibited poor governing capacity and inherent weakness unbecoming of the leader of a huge country like ours. He had to be goaded to act with firmness when occasion demanded, which was why he virtually lost control of his presidency to his cronies.

His appointees and associates went about looting the public treasury with unprecedented impunity; not even the intermittent public outrage moved President Jonathan to sanction them. And when he did, it was either too little or too late. Corrupt ministers were relieved of their posts with slaps on the wrist, while nothing was done about their loot. With the current anti-corruption saga, we can now understand why Jonathan and his PDP cohorts spared no expenses to buy themselves back to power. This time however, the fairy tale run of goodluck failed them. The hapless President was sent packing. Serendipity was out of kilter!

That era of impunity ended suddenly, but we cannot just sweep what happened during the PDP government under the carpet. Regardless of who is involved, justice must be done to send a clear message that leaders must be accountable even after they leave office. I perceive that this is what President Buhari is trying to prove, that is why I support him.
The charge of selective prosecution and the ethnic or religious card being played by some to discredit this Anti-corruption war is nothing but a mischievous charade. Those arrested for suspected corrupt practices cut across the party, ethnic and religious divide. Nigerians must therefore, not fall for the antics of the venal rich, who are fighting back, using media propaganda to win sympathy.

One is however, constrained to raise this point because of a public statement credited to Anthony Cardinal Okogie in which the Catholic prelate expressed reservations about the government’s philosophy in prosecuting the Anti-corruption war vis-a-vis the Rule of Law and his perceived thinking that other governance issues are not being addressed as should. The cardinal is entitled to his opinion, but there is no factual evidence to support this claim.

The venerable Cardinal is unappreciative of the dialectics of change within the Nigerian context. The Nigerian scenario is indicative of an aberration embedded in our political genes. Whereas politics and economics are sociological kinsmen, yet politics maintains an ascendancy over economics in practical realities. The hoi polloi determines the political leadership but economic superintendence is the prerogative of the elite. Nigeria’s existential bane is not lack of professors in mantled academia, nor is it a paucity of economic knowledge in the geo-political arena. Rather, it is leadership, leadership and yet leadership. Ad nauseam!

Leadership is the terra-firma upon which the citadel of progress can be erected. If the foundation be destroyed by corruption what can the righteous do? It is my founded expectation that the respected cardinal would urge the government to probe the leadership of CAN, PFN and other pseudo religious organisations who acquired their fabricated titles under spurious Christian nomenclature.

If Attahiru Bafarawa was the accredited agent of the Muslim prayers welfare package, who then collected on behalf of the multitudes of Christians? Who? Who is that Christian proboscis whose insidious suction availed himself of billions of naira on behalf of the followers of Christ? Who is that Judas? Maybe Judases? What about Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s one-plane airline becoming the surreptitious instrumentality for some covert military operations involving over 9 million dollars in South Africa? All sacred cows must become secularized.
Government must ascertain the scope of pecuniary inducement that informed their political alignments in the 2015 elections. What an irony, that those who should scrupulously guide the people are themselves poisoning the water from which the flock will drink. Corruption is a hydra headed monstrosity that must be confronted by the gladiators of righteousness. For indeed, he who dares to face his maker, will not tremble before the Sons of men. Satis verborum!

We must understand that even if the law is an ass, corrupt folks must not be allowed to ride it out of the dragnet of the law when apprehended. The present campaign is a challenge to the integrity of our jurisprudence. Members of the bar and bench are Nigerians, and they must not sabotage the efforts of this government to restore sanity to governance in this country. There’s nothing the EFCC has done so far to suggest that it disrespects the rule of law. The president himself has said, “You cannot fight impunity with impunity”.

__________________________________________________________
Rev. Chris Okotie, a former Presidential candidate of FRESH Democratic Party wrote from Lagos.

More than at any time in our history, we need discipline in the Armed forces. And, thank God we have an ex-general in power (President Muhammadu Buhari) who is an epitome of discipline and transparency. I urge Nigerians to support his anti-corruption campaign which aims to rid this country of PDP’s legacy of a government of the corrupt, by the corrupt, and for the corrupt- Rev Chris Okotie.

PRESS RELEASE
FRESH REJECTS IPAC’S
ANTI-APC GROUP IN RIVERS

The attention of our great party, Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH has been drawn to an advertorial by the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), published on page 40 of Thisday Newspaper edition of Wednesday, January 20, 2016. In the said publication, IPAC listed FRESH as one of its (Rivers State Chapter) members accusing the APC and INEC of conspiracy to rig the forthcoming re-run of the Governorship election in Rivers State in favour of the APC candidate.
In the advertorial, one Chief Collins J. Ndegwe purportedly represented FRESH at an IPAC meeting in the Rivers State chapter, where our party joined other parties to condemn the alleged plot by INEC/APC to rig the APC into power in the state.
Obviously, the IPAC, Rivers chapter, is in sympathy with the PDP Governorship candidate and incumbent Governor,NyesomeWike. FRESH has no problem with that. However, it is criminal for anyone or groupto drag our party into this unholy alliance.
We would like to make it abundantly clear that Chief Ndegwe is not our member, and has never been authorized to represent FRESH in IPAC, or at any other forum for that matter.
Our party is constrained to issue this disclaimer because this is the second time Chief Ndegwe is dragging FRESH into this Pro-Wikegroup. Should Ndegwe continue these illegal activities, our party may be compelled to seek legal action against him.

LadiAyodeji,
Director, Media & Communication Strategy

PRESS RELEASE
HOUSEHOLD CELEBRATES GRACE AT 25
…HONOURS ADADEVOH WITH KARIS AWARD
The annual GRACE Programme of the Household of God Church, Oregun, Ikeja. Lagos, will hold on 13th December, 2015 at the church’s five-star auditorium, from 5pm. GRACE is a charity-based programme conceived by the Pastor, Rev Chris Okotie in 1990, with the vision to give back to society by reaching out to the less privileged who are made to normally benefit from the compassion of Jesus Christ as expressed by the church’s outreach.
During the event, four major charities in Lagos have traditionally been given cash donations of one million naira each. The usual beneficiaries are – Sunshine Foundation, Strong Tower Mission, Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted and Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria. The first ever GRACE programme was held at the indoor Sports Hall National Stadium in Surulere in 1990; and today it has become an internationally acclaimed event which attracts the movers and shakers of society from the entertainment, fashion industry, corporate sectors etc.
For 25 years, the church has championed the course of the underprivileged that look forward to the love feast every year with great expectations. In 1996, the KARIS award was launched and it became subsumed in the GRACE programme. It is an award given to unsung Nigerian heroes/heroines who, due to some errors of omission were not duly appreciated by the government in their generation. Dr. Stella Adadevoh, the late medical doctor who died during the controversial treatment of the index case, the late Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer is the 2015 KARIS Awardee.
The selection of an Ambassador for the church through the prestigious Queen Esther costume pageant competition is one of the highlights of the occasion. The evening usually features the parade and display of beautiful women in costumes inspired by popular female bible characters. It is, indeed, an evening of glitz and glamour in this unique costume pageant competition. The contestant with the most creative costume is then crowned as the Queen Esther and gets a cash prize of one million naira.
But this year, all the past Queens would merely showcase their costumes in a first of its kind parade of Queens to mark the 25th Anniversary of GRACE. There will be no new Queen Esther.
For the Pastor and members of Household of God Church, the Christmas season is incomplete without the colourful ambience created by the Christmas lights that adorn the shrubs lining the quiet street of the popular mega church. This 25th anniversary of the programme promises to be exciting.

PRESS RELEASE
FRESH REJECTS WIKE’S ENDORSEMENT CLAIMS
The attention of the Fresh Democrative Party, FRESH, has been drawn to an advertorial published on page 30 of the PUNCH edition of FRESH, October 30, 2015, by the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) in which one Collins J. Ndegwe, purportedly acting on behalf of our great party, signed he statement reaffirming a vote of confidence earlier passed on Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State by the group.
We hereby state categorically that Mr. Ndegwe is not authorized by FRESH to declare support for the Governor following the nullification of his election. We are indifferent to the outcome of the Governorship election that brought Mr. Wike to power, and FRESH is not part of any group mobilizing support for the Governor in his current bid to retain his mandate.
Mr. Collins Ndegwe acted alone and has never been authorized by FRESH to speak or act on its behalf on any matter whatsoever. We therefore warn the general public to be wary of the activities of people who go about dropping the name of our great party for selfish pecuniary advantages.
Mr. Ndewe should henceforth stop parading himself as a leader/chairman of FRESH in Revivers State or at any forum as we do not even know him.

LADI AYODEJI
Director, Media and Publicity.