The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Imoke’s large heart

    Imoke’s large heart

    Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, has once again displayed his much-talked about large heartedness by recalling 19 out of the 20 commissioners and special advisers he suspended late last year.

    Imoke had, on December 2, 2013, suspended the cabinet members for failing to participate in the World’s AIDS Day celebration and other activities to mark the 2013 Calabar Festival.

    Not a few had thought the suspension marked the exit of the affected officials from the administration.

    But in a statement on Wednesday in Calabar, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Mike Aniah, said the state governor had lifted their suspension, hence they should return to their duty posts to continue with their official duties.

    Some of those pardoned include Attah Ochinke, Etim Caifas, Patricia Endeley, Elemi Etowa, Gerald Adah, Fred Osim, Gabriel Odu Oji, John Eyikwaji, Edak Iwuchukwu, Obo Ekpenyong, Fabian Okpa etc.

    Only the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Sandy Onor, remained suspended as we speak. Although no explanation was offered for his non-recall, many are still optimistic that the governor will still, in continuation of his large heartedness, look in his direction mercifully.

  • NASS: Jonathan’s men battle defection undercurrents

    NASS: Jonathan’s men battle defection undercurrents

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that many new groups are emerging at the National Assembly with the task of countering anti-Jonathan sentiments

    Worried by threats to President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid in the National Assembly, and the seeming inability of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators to agree on the issue, the president’s political strategists may have embarked on a move to douse growing opposition within the lawmakers.

    The Nation gathered that following series of meetings between the president’s men and some federal lawmakers, it has been agreed upon that there is a crucial need for pro-Jonathan groups to be floated to counter growing opposition to the president amongst members of the National Assembly.

    It was gathered that in pursuit of the resolution, some prominent party leaders and aides of the president recently held a secret meeting with the PDP leadership in the National Assembly.

    Investigations showed that the meeting, which was held last weekend in Abuja, discussed the intractable crisis in the PDP, the ongoing gale of defections of its elected officials to the APC; and the delay in presenting the 2014 budget.

    According to reliable sources, those at the meeting included some leading principal officers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Some caucus leaders in the national assembly as well as a few selected prominent lawmakers were also in attendance.

    Sources, however, confirmed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, and his deputy, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, were not at the meeting.

    It was gathered that the lawmakers were told in clear terms by the conveners of the meeting that the president was concerned that with the ongoing defection saga, which started with the exit of five PDP governors, the PDP might lose its majority position in the National Assembly to the APC.

    Consequently, the lawmakers were urged to come up with urgent measures that could be adopted to halt the growing opposition to the president within the national assembly even by lawmakers elected on the platform of the ruling party.

    It was gathered that among measures being considered to counter opposition lawmakers on the floors of the national assembly, promote the candidacy of the president and ensure the smooth passage of the 2014 budget and other executive bills, is the promotion of pro-Jonathan groups within the federal legislature.

    “It is wrong to describe the said meeting as a secret meeting. What is secret about members of the same party meeting to discuss their common problem? We discussed the defection of some of our colleagues in the National Assembly to other parties.

    “We also discussed the recent threat by the opposition to block the passage of certain bills. We touched on the growing disrespect for the president by some overzealous lawmakers. We discussed other issues that are of interest to our party,” our source said.

    Also recently, some PDP senators from the South-South geo-political zone met with some top aides of the president also of the zone’s extraction to discuss on how to handle the situation.

    The meeting, according to a source, was held at the instance of a top shot in the presidency from Edo State, in collaboration with the zonal leadership of the party. The party in the zone, which also produced the president, is said to be concerned about political developments in the national assembly.

    “The meeting became necessary following the report that some members of the party from the region had openly demonstrated resolve to support the House Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, to contest against Jonathan in the forth coming presidential election in 2015.

    “Following the disturbing report, it became necessary to arrange a forum where we can all meet to discuss what could have led to such unpatriotic display on the part of some of our colleagues. “This is what gave rise to the scheduled meeting.

    “Largely, we discussed the need for continuous unity of lawmakers from the geo-political zone and the need to support Jonathan, who is from the region, to seek a renewed term of four years in office,” a source who was at the meeting revealed.

    It was also gathered that the south-south lawmakers also toyed with the need to form a pressure group among the federal legislators to promote its resolve to support the candidacy of their kinsman and party leader, President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Already, a Pro-Jonathan group, National Unity Group, has emerged in the House of Representatives to suppress what the president handlers described as the worrisome growing number and influence of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the chamber of the lower house.

    The Nation gathered that the emergence of the group last Monday was an impromptu response from the political camp of President Jonathan to an alleged threat issued by the leadership of the APC to block the 2014 budget and the confirmation of the Service Chiefs and ministerial nominees.

    Led by Hon. Bitrus Kaze, a PDP federal legislator from Plateau State, the newly formed group draws its membership from amongst the Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (AP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as well as PDP legislators in the House.

    The group, which is not hiding its pro-Jonathan stance, said it is out to protect the Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan administration. It also frowned at what it called moves by the APC to impose itself as the majority party with a view to changing the leadership of the house.

    “These latest directives are a provocation and, as far as legislative maneuvers go, they will once again fail. Hence, everything must be done to arrest the APC attempt to turn Nigeria into a laughingstock.

    “We the National Unity Group in the House of Representatives, made up of the PDP, Labour, Accord and APGA members, wish to aver that any attempt to tamper with the 2014 budget, and hence the Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan administration, would be met with robust resistance.” Kaze vowed last Monday, while announcing the birth of the group.

    The Nation also learnt that aside Kaze’s National Unity Group, two more groups of pro-Jonathan legislators are being expected to be formed in the lower house soon.

    “One of these groups is being co-ordinated by a member of the House from Katsina State. It is also a pro-Jonathan group with the sole assignment of countering the positions of defecting northern legislators.

    “It is most likely that the group will address a press conference to denounce all the earlier defections while urging the people of the northern region to press for the recall of all federal PDP legislators who had defected.

    “The group met in one of the hearing rooms last Thursday. They have members from states in the three zones of the northern region. They are merely waiting for the right time to unveil their group,” our source said.

  • APC boss seeks free polls in Ekiti, Osun

    APC boss seeks free polls in Ekiti, Osun

    The Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Cardinal James Odunbaku, has urged the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Athahiru Jega, to do everything possible at ensuring a free and fair election in Ekiti and Osun states later this year.

    The APC chieftain was reacting to recent comment from Jega that Nigerians should not expect perfect election in 2015. The party leader said Jega should be mindful of his statements ahead of elections in the two APC-controlled states.

    Speaking with The Nation during a sensitisation meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Lagos, Odumbaku advised the INEC boss to tell Nigerians in clear terms if he is unable to hold credible elections rather than throw the states into crisis by conducting unacceptable elections later in the year.

    “I read what Jega told Nigerians recently that we should not expect perfect election. Imagine that coming from the man we all expect to conduct free and fair election. Our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has already advised him to resign if he can’t do the job. Yes, let him quit. What do we pay him for? Without a perfect election, how can we have a perfect democracy?

    It has to be a perfect election, especially in Osun and Ekiti states. As a party, we will not tolerate any imperfection in the elections of these two states. We saw what happened in Anambra and Ondo, so we are better prepared. And also in 2015, it has to be perfect. Nigerians want nothing short of a perfect electoral process,” he said.

    Odunbaku, who is very optimistic that his party will trounce the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, urged members of the APC nationwide to go all out and register during the party’s forthcoming registration exercise.

    “Ours is a party ordained by God to liberate the good people of Nigeria. I am very sure that come 2015, the PDP will be defeated by the APC at the general election. Nigerians are tired of the misrule by PDP. They want change and that is what we are offering them.

    “My appeal is to the members of APC nationwide. They should go all out and register during the party’s registration exercise. That is one major way of ensuring that we all come together to defeat this non-performing government of the PDP all over the country,” he said.

  • Rivers budget row: Our concern is for the people, says APC

    Rivers budget row: Our concern is for the people, says APC

    The state Interim Chairman of All Peoples Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, has said  the party took the larger interest of the people of the state into consideration in the process that led to the passage of the 2014 budget in court.

    The APC boss was reacting to the decision of the State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to approach an Abuja High Court over the legal validity of the controversial 2014 Rivers State Appropriation Bill passed by 23 members of the State House of Assembly on January 6, this year.

    The Felix Obuah-led PDP in the state wants the court to declare the budget null and void and of no consequence because its passage was “shrouded in secrecy” and was carried out outside the designated legislative chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

    “As a party, we knew very well that without budget, the government can’t finance most of its projects or pay salaries. We are surprised that PDP is complaining that a budget that will benefit the people is passed into law,” he said.

    While stating that all the developmental strides currently going on in the state had drawn wide applause from both far and near, he pointed out that only the leaders of the PDP, who had chosen not to see, were the ones left in their sustained criticism of the Rotimi Amaechi administration.

    He enjoined the people of the state to discountenance the lies being peddled by the opposition on the passage of the 2014 Appropriation Bill, saying it followed all known legislative norms. Ikanya called for the continued cooperation and support of the people of the state for Governor Amaechi.

  • Between Tinubu and Aribisala

    Between Tinubu and Aribisala

    Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible —Aristotle

    Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an enduring brand, occupying a pride of place in Nigeria’s political space. Love to hate his pervasive persona or hate to love his courage in the face of daunting odds, you cannot take away the long-held concepts of democracy etched deeply in the minds of his people or the principles he stands for. A political strategist of no mean measure, his towering political stature belies his lean frame and sends some shock waves down the spine of crass political opportunists, especially those who love to reap where they never sowed.

    Mention his name, not only in Nigeria but the world over and the image that comes to mind is that of an indefatigable defender of the doctrines of democracy, passionately propelled by the principles of equity, fairness, and justice all in the search for the common good. For that he has made a lot of sacrifice; of energy, time, resources and even his cherished freedom. He was there during the dare-devil days of military dictatorship and exhibited that uncommon courage to stand on the side of his people when it mattered most. And he is still here now witnessing that same democracy he fought tooth and nail for in the throes of annihilation. Nigeria is being besotted by storms of political ineptitude, cluelessness, crass corruption riding on the wave crests of opportunism and he is saying “no” to it all. Only a patriot would do that.

    Yet, he is being misconstrued as a self-serving politician. But this cannot be true. Were it so, he would have been contented with being the chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN now defunct) now in firm control of five out of the six states in the South-West geo-political zone. Even in Ondo State where the Labour Party now holds sway, he it was who used his political clout to assist incumbent Governor Olusegun Mimiko to send the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) packing just as he had done in Ekiti and Osun states. Notably, it would be recalled that when the PDP rigging machinery bulldozed its way through the South-West, the legendary Asiwaju as the governor of Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence became the ‘last man standing’ in that ultimate battle for political survival.

    From this unbiased perspective one would want to respond to Femi Aribisala’s recent self-serving, myopic and jaundiced opinion entitled: What does Bola Tinubu want? In his words: “Over the past few years, Bola Tinubu has made himself something of a colossus of South-Western politics in Nigeria.  Against the onslaught of vociferous PDP electoral manipulations in 2003, Tinubu drew the line in the sand and held on to the biggest prize: Lagos.  He became, in effect, the lone survivor of his party in the South-West.  By 2007, using just Lagos State as his stronghold, he fought back to wrest ACN control back in all but one of the South-western states.  By 2011, he had consolidated his hold in the region.  With 2015 looming, it would appear to be high time for Tinubu to unfold a national, as opposed to a merely regional agenda.

    “Accordingly, Tinubu has now become the grandfather of the All Progressives Congress (APC); a coalition forged between his ACN party, Buhari’s CPC, the ANPP and Rochas Okorocha’s wing of APGA.  But the question needs to be asked: what is in this new-fangled APC for Bola Tinubu?”

    To call the merger as ‘Politics without principles’ is a clear miss of the point more like a boxer’s blow below the opponent’s belt. Said he: “Tinubu’s midwifery of the APC is conclusive proof he is anything but a progressive politician.  The APC is an all-comers alliance of strange bedfellows without any defined policy objectives.  No one can tell what is progressive about this new cocktail.  Former arch-enemies of the ruling PDP, hitherto derided as corrupt and incompetent by Tinubu, are now courted and welcomed in APC with open arms.”

    Reading between the lines, it is patently obvious that that singular epochal mid wifing of the opposition against the PDP behemoth has left not a few politicians of the PDP sleepless. Will the fear of Tinubu become the wisdom of PDP? Not likely, as events unfold. And going by Aribisala’s hypocritical and foul-mouthed vituperations.

    Rather than seeing the merger in the light of true patriots coming together to salvage and bale a water-filled canoe from capsizing into the deep sea of political incompetence, he is throwing point-missing jabs. He should be true to his spirit and conscience. Is he truly happy and satisfied with the polity drifting to the realms of great incompetence where corruption has been crowned as king, where past thieves of state are being pardoned in questionable manners? What about a serving Minster of Aviation with a weighty allegation of deliberate inflation of the cost price of two armoured cars at astronomical price of N255million,still occupying her seat as if nothing happened?

    In a similar vein, Aribisala ought to have moved away from the cocoon of a blind defender of the might is right authoritarian rule within the PDP, when Tukur at the bidding of President Goodluck Jonathan wielded the big stick. The PDP and by extension the nation-state was drifting precariously to a state of anarchy. What Tinubu and the top hierarchy of the APC did by visiting OBJ was an act of patriotism. As rightly noted by a political philosopher, in politics there is no permanent enmity but interest. This time, that interest is to save Nigeria from total collapse. But Aribisala says otherwise.

    Said he, “Tinubu was part of a delegation of APC leaders who visited Obasanjo at his residence in Ota, pleading with him to decamp (should be defect) from the PDP to the APC.  The nation watched with incredulity as Tinubu was quoted as saying to arch-enemy Obasanjo: “We’re resolved and determined to rescue Nigeria. We want you as navigator.”

    “Such duplicity is par for the course with Tinubu.  He cut his political teeth as a NADECO politician in the heydays of the annulled June 1993 elections.  In consonance with his NADECO colleagues, Tinubu is on record in insisting repeatedly that: “Because of the multiple issues surrounding our skewed federalism and constitutional flaws, the Nigerian nation is weak…  We must convoke a national conference.”  Fast-forward to 2013, after President Jonathan decided to convene the requested national conference, Tinubu started singing a different tune.  He declared: “The national conference is by whom, for whom, and at what stage?  How many levels of deception?  I see a contradiction.  I see diversion.  I see deception, lack of honesty and integrity.”

    Unknown to Aribisala, even President Jonathan was averse to the very idea of a National Conference. So, why did he change his mind? Tinubu raised alarm because of the suddenness in the other’s decision to support it now. Besides, the timing, being so close to the 2015 general elections is seen by many as being used for the president’s political gains.

    On the querulous issue of Tinubu controlling the South-West politics “not because he is popular in the region, but because he has been allowed to get away with anti-democratic tendencies” Aribisala should understand that in politics whether in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world loyalty to the party hierarchy is imperative. There are laid down rules and regulations to be followed.

    Candidates who refuse to follow due process are the very ones who would go out there to demonise a party chieftain as if Asiwaju is the be all and the end all to the party he belongs to. Such a line of reasoning is an insult to the other members of the party decision-making body. To those who may not know it Tinubu, as a strategist has an open mind, is good at wide consultations and has a listening ear. He is far from the toga of dictatorship that his political detractors try to ascribe to him.

    It is to Tinubu’s credit that the candidates he chose “undemocratically” have tended to do better than others.  Justifying himself, Tinubu said: “I play god-fatherism in the South-West for the good of our people.  My god-fatherism is for progress.”And you ask yourself is that not a mark of rare vision to be applauded by all and sundry?

    Aribisala’s argument on the influence of Tinubu towards Tambuwal’s emergence only lends credence to his mastery at political strategy. He said, “In 2011, President Jonathan supported Mulikat Akande of Oyo State for the position of Speaker of House of Representatives.  But Tinubu corralled ACN representatives to defeat his candidature in favour of Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto.  He did this so he can play a South-West marginalization card against Jonathan’s PDP government in subsequent elections.  He was also mindful that a Yoruba Speaker should not provide a rallying point for the PDP in the struggle for supremacy with his ACN in the South-West.”

    For him to say that “the South-west is still the only region in Nigeria that votes ethnically” is a tissue of lies and absolute balderdash. Did the former elected presidents such as Shehu Shagari, the late Umar Yar’Adua and incumbent President Jonathan not benefit from the massive votes of the South-West? The answer is obvious.

    On support for Northern APC president, Aribisala went beyond the boundary of common reasoning. What an insult to say that if “Therefore, if Tinubu has ears, he should use them.”  The Northern politicians clamouring for power after being starved of it for 16 years are not dying to do any favours for the South-West, given the eight years of Obasanjo’s presidency.  They are dying to do favours for themselves.  Once a Northern president is firmly installed in Aso Rock, they are going to stop returning Tinubu’s phone-calls.”

    Many are shocked by Aribiosala’s submission that  “The APC adventure marks the end of the road politically for Tinubu.  It is downhill all the way for him from now on.  The very things that made Tinubu successful in the South-West are bound to shipwreck him in the APC.”

    All said, it has become crystal clear that Aribisala’s sponsored opinion essay on Tinubu is that of a man on a mission to twist the facts of history, from the narrow prism of hatred, mischief making, political grandstanding all for self-serving purposes.

    As Nigeria moves towards another landmark election we need politicians of Asiwaju’s all-encompassing vision, charisma, character, clout and connections to get the right people to steer the ship of state in the right direction. Nigerians must return to the once-cherished values of putting the state before the self unlike Aribisala who would want to denigrate and destroy the noble and worthy legacies of a patriot in the mould of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

  • Lagos Ohaneze leaders unveil vision

    The Ohaneze leader in Lagos, Phebian Onwughalu, and the other newly elected executive of the Lagos branch met during the week with Igbo prominent citizens in Lagos. At the meeting, Onwughalu explains the vision and plans of the new state executive.

    “We have been doing our best to reconcile the factions and carry everyone along. Our desire is to take our people to the next level so that peace is achieved. There must be decorum, respect of our tradition and warning for those going against the injunction of the court. We have had petitions from farmers and some obas in the South-West. The National Secretary has been trying to reach out to host communities for peaceful co-existence,” Onwughalu said.

    He added: “The first project is to acquire a massive piece of land to build an Igbo secretariat in Lagos State. We do not have the funds for the project, but we know that there is nothing we ask in our name that we cannot get. There would also be a three star hotel inside the secretariat, where our people can relax.  We also want to pay courtesy visit to all the governors in the South-East”.

    Onwughalu a lawyer goes on to talk about the proposed National Conference and its importance. “Everyone has a right to associate, speak and carry out their daily obligations without offending other people. Where your right stops is actually where the other person’s rights begin. As Igbos, we are supporting the National Conference and we are mobilizing towards it. We want the conference because we know that it is good for the South , it is about equity and those who know that they would lose some of their privileges are those against it. For a long time , we have been on the receiving end.The basis for sharing the national cake should be the zones and not states or local government. Resource control is what would be properly discussed at the conference and we would advance from there,” he informs.

    Onwuahalu adds that: “We also have problems with mobility. We need three buses for the executive, the youth wing and the women’s wing of the organisation.

    On his part,the host Chief Solomon Ogbonna said the meeting would usher in a turning point for the organisation. “I thank the Ezes for their support and for bring me to join the group in Lagos. I am into artwork and I am building a Museum. When they elected this new government, I knew it was from God. The preservation of art, culture and tradition of the people is a vision flowing in the bloodline of the Aguene Okorie’s family that I hail from.

    The family has a vision of a society where art, culture and tradition of the people will be preserved for posterity. My grandfather, Chief Okorie Oti  was a great traditionalist and he became an inspiration to his father, Chief Aguene Okorie who passed the baton to me. I am therefore ready to assist our people and be a part of the positive dreams of the organisation.”

  • Enugu 2015: Chime’s political family battle over succession

    Enugu 2015: Chime’s political family battle over succession

    Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, who just returned from Enugu, reports that the controversy surrounding last Monday’s evacuation of the birds in the deputy governor’s executive poultry reveals the intense battle for Governor Sullivan Chime’s succession.

    As aspirants for 2015 governorship ticket of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State prepare for the primaries, the battle within Governor Sullivan Chime’s political structure is getting out of hand.

    Insiders told The Nation in Enugu this week that last Monday’s evacuation of about 3000 birds from the executive poultry of the deputy governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, was much more than “an environmental exercise” as it is, “deeply rooted in the desperate struggle for the succession of the outgoing governor.”

    When the invasion of the deputy governor’s poultry in his official residence at the Government House was first reported, informed observers expressed doubt over the expressed reasons for the exercise.

    Officials of Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) and the Ministry of Environment, who carried out the exercise, had explained that the said poultry constituted health hazard to workers at the Government House.

    Also Governor Sullivan Chime, through his Chief Press Secretary, Chukwudi Achife, provided the government’s position on the matter.

    According to Achife, the facts surrounding the evacuation were as follows: “The said poultry is located in the official quarters of the deputy governor, which shares a wall with the office of the governor; In recent times, the stench from the poultry had been pervading the Government House and causing much discomfort to all workers within the Government House, including of course, the governor; He Added that the “birds” were evacuated to a safe place and would be handed over to the deputy governor whenever and wherever he chooses; It is important to also state that the deputy governor does not currently live in the premises as it is being renovated by the government.”

    Reacting to the governor’s explanation, the deputy governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, described it as “a wicked act and a clear exhibition of impunity by a power-drunk official of the government.” He also said that the action was intended to humiliate him.”

    Dismissing the explanation offered by the governor’s spokesman, Onyebuchi told press men that the people that the reason given to him for the exercise was an alleged violation of Certificate of Occupancy clause and so expressed surprise that the press release from the office of the governor did not mention it.

    He added: “Let them also deny that I have not operated the poultry since 2008. And that is why I put in my Asset Declaration at the end of my first term in office and at the beginning of the current term that I have operated the same poultry and this was verified by the Code of Conduct Bureau. How suddenly my poultry became a health hazard when it has been in existence since 2008.

    Let them also deny that I have not operated the poultry since 2008.  And that is why I put in my Asset Declaration at the end of my first term in office and at the beginning of the current term that I have operated the same poultry and this was verified by the Code of Conduct Bureau. How suddenly my poultry became a health hazard when it has been in existence since 2008.

    “Let them also deny that there is no bigger poultry, piggery and cattle ranch in the Governor’s lodge. My poultry was properly run and cleaned because it was run with the Technical support from Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.

    The succession politics

    The Nation investigation during the week shows that the bird evacuation incident would not have been possible if the warm relationship that has existed between the governor and the deputy governor has not been ruptured.

    Although before he went abroad for medical attention, the governor has allegedly been doing everything possible to ensure his powerful Chief of Staff, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo, succeeds him, we gathered that he has, since after his return back to the state, remained uncertain how to resolve a seeming dilemma of choosing a successor.

    According to his close associate, the governor’s dilemma derived mainly from the observed loyalty of his deputy during his long absence oversees. “Since his return, the governor had therefore been finding it difficult to make a choice, but now, I think he is poised to make that choice and it seems the deputy governor is out of it.”

    Asked why the deputy governor suddenly fell out of favour, the governor’s associate, who pleaded not to be named, said: “The governor has information that the deputy governor attended nocturnal meetings at Chimaroke Nnamani’s house at Agbani. It was a meeting of the Ebeano group. Ekweremadu was present in all the meetings. The deputy governor did not know he was being monitored. He disguised himself each time he attended the said meetings. And it was during these meetings they hatched the plan to suspend top government officials from Udi Local Government Area, the governor’s home town. The plan leaked through security report with video clips,” resulting in the current attitude of the governor towards his deputy,” the associate said.

    But feelers from the deputy governor’s office suggest that his predicament was made possible by the governor’s Chief of Staff, who they described as a rival in the quest to succeed the governor, rather than the governor himself.

    Even the deputy governor himself made insinuation when he said, “For now I am presenting the matter to God first of all because the person behind it is so powerful that my challenging her will be like using a vehicle to collide with a moving train.

    “It is unfortunate that the person who is behind this answers a Deaconess in a church I have respect for.  So, let God be the judge and guide me on how to absorb the shock and the humiliation because I believe it is intended to humiliate me and show how politically impotent I am.”

    There are indications that as 2015 elections draws closer, the intrigues and the blame game may deepen. The Nation investigation during the week shows that the bird evacuation incident would not have been possible if the warm relationship that has existed between the governor and the deputy governor has not been ruptured.

    Although before he went abroad for medical attention, the governor has allegedly been doing everything possible to ensure his powerful Chief of Staff, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo, succeeds him, we gathered that he has, since after his return back to the state, remained uncertain how to resolve a seeming dilemma of choosing a successor.

    According to his close associate, the governor’s dilemma derived mainly from the observed loyalty of his deputy during his long absence oversees. “Since his return, the governor had therefore been finding it difficult to make a choice, but now, I think he is poised to make that choice and it seems the deputy governor is out of it.”

    Asked why the deputy governor suddenly fell out of favour, the governor’s associate, who pleaded not to be named, said: “The governor has information that the deputy governor attended nocturnal meetings at Chimaroke Nnamani’s house at Agbani. It was a meeting of the Ebeano group. Ekweremadu was present in all the meetings. The deputy governor did not know he was being monitored. He disguised himself each time he attended the said meetings. And it was during these meetings they hatched the plan to suspend top government officials from Udi Local Government Area, the governor’s home town. The plan leaked through security report with video clips,” resulting in the current attitude of the governor towards his deputy,” the associate said.

    But feelers from the deputy governor’s office suggest that his predicament was made possible by the governor’s Chief of Staff, who they described as a rival in the quest to succeed the governor, rather than the governor himself.

    Even the deputy governor himself made insinuation when he said, “For now I am presenting the matter to God first of all because the person behind it is so powerful that my challenging her will be like using a vehicle to collide with a moving train.

    “It is unfortunate that the person who is behind this answers a Deaconess in a church I have respect for. So, let God be the judge and guide me on how to absorb the shock and the humiliation because I believe it is intended to humiliate me and show how politically impotent I am.”

    There are indications that as 2015 elections draws closer, the intrigues and the blame game may deepen.

  • 2015: More PDP chieftains join Oyo guber race

    2015: More PDP chieftains join Oyo guber race

    A head of the 2015 general elections, more chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State are throwing their hats into the ring to contest the gubernatorial election.

    While the party is still struggling to rid itself of the intra-party crises that have weakened it tremendously since it lost to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2011, sources say not a few of its chieftains are warming up to pick its governorship ticket.

    Prominent names among the new entrants included that of the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao- Akala,  Nigeria’s  Ambassador to Jordan, Taofik Arapaja, and Asim Gbolarunmi, all of the PDP.

    Before now, Alao-Akala was rumored to be warming up to represent the Oyo central senatorial in the national assembly. Arapaja  and Gbolarumi were  both former deputy governors to Alao-Akala .

    Another aspirant, who recently declared his interest in the race, is Mr. Seyi Makinde, also of the PDP.

    Alhaji Kamal Badru, a PDP stalwart,  said the growing number of aspirants is a sign that the PDP in Oyo State is still a force to reckon with.

    “It is not a bad thing. In fact, I will say it is good for the party to have as many aspirants in the race as possible. It will help to create awareness about the new form of the PDP in the state. The party is back and better. It is a sign that the PDP is still very popular in Oyo State,” he said.

    He, however, cautioned the aspirants  involved  not to do so in a manner that will divide the party. “If they go about it properly, the party will benefit from their aspirations. Only one person will finally get the ticket to contest but all of them would have worked to further promote the party in the minds of the people of the state,” he said.

  • The Boko Haram police chief

    It is difficult, really, to fathom why Commissioner Joseph Mbu is yet to be deployed to the Boko Haram Kingdom. The first person to recommend him for promotion to the war theatre was Professor Wole Soyinka. The accomplished writer and academic did a survey of the Police Force and introspection over the terrorism threat and came up with the ingenious recommendation.

    Mbu is a beloved cop in whom the presidency is well pleased. And, it has been proven over and over again that officers earn accelerated promotion when sent to the war front. The closest we have to a war in Nigeria today is the insurgency in the North East. Only our best should be sent to the area in order to bring the challenge under control in no time.

    Mr. Mbu (not Ibu) has demonstrated that he is a tough cop. It takes guts to take on a state governor and remain in the state. He has continued to dare the governor of Rivers State, providing cover for Amaechi’s opponents, while denying the governor’s supporters the freedom to freely associate. He also took on the state House of Assembly, daring the honourable members to force their way into the chamber to conduct the legitimate business for which they were elected.

    The Rivers CP is the only police commander that I know who could issue a caveat emptor to National Assembly members who sought to come over to the state to take up the task of lawmaking. He could and would not guarantee their security and, when a verdict was procured in support of the CP’s advisory, the lawmakers stayed away.

    Our dear CP sure knows his onion. He saw nothing wrong with placing a full page advertisement in national newspapers to salute his boss. Hitherto, police chiefs had kept their relationships away from the public glare, but our man would have none of that. If you have it, he believes, you should flaunt it.

    Once again, in the interest of peace in the land; in the process of setting up a potent anti-terrorism unit, I wish to suggest that Mr. Mbu should be considered as a commander. I know many may say the unit is being packaged by the army, not Police. But, what is wrong with locating talent in the Police and making good use of him? I believe the man is being under-utilised by the Police Force and may not find fulfillment in the job he is doing.

    It is no use suggesting that the environment may be strange to him. The Police Force is a federal agency. I will be surprised if he has never served in some parts of the North East. The talent with which the super cop has been well endowed; the intelligence that he freely gathers in Port Harcourt that allows him know when the Save Rivers Movement is meeting and the lightening speed he employs in getting his men break up such gatherings should be put to a better use.

    I know that the President and his men may be worried that there may be no other police chief who could handle the Rivers crisis to his satisfaction. But, that would be selfish. The President’s political interest should not override the national interest. While President Jonathan could be forgiven for sparing some thought for the man who would handle critical states like Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna and Oyo for him ahead of the February 2014, he only needs to span the gamut of the Force to locate men who would replicate Mbu’s loyalty and commitment in the states.

    Better still, the President could instruct the IGP to list a number of officers of Ijaw extraction to be deployed for such duties. In that case, he would have nothing to worry about. It would be their joy to take elderly counsel from Pa Edwin Clark on how to patriotically work for their fatherland.

    Those who have the ears of the President should take this message to him. Were I as greedy as some of the men and women who work for him, I would have got across to him for consultancy. This is a product of 25 years experience in the field and ought not be sold cheap, but because I appreciate the good work that the President is doing, and realising that he deserves a second term, I decided to pass the message across free.

    My recommendation of Mbu stems from a realization that one sector that could stop his reelection bid is failure to tackle insecurity. If he sends our brilliant super, loyal CP there, the result would come so fast that whoever is pitched against the best performing President Nigeria has produced would be wasting his time.

  • Echoes of ‘sack’ of Nasarrawa electoral officer

    Last Tuesday’s ‘sack’ of Mr. Mohammed Hassan-Ibrahim, a commissioner at Nasarrawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC), by the Nasarrawa State House of Assembly,  over alleged partisan conduct, is still creating ripples in the polity.

    The House took the decision in Lafia after deliberating on report of the joint committee on Information, Security, special duties and committee on NASIEC.

    After passing a vote of no confidence in him, the assembly recommended that he should be sacked within 24 hours and advised the governor, Umaru Al-Makura, to submit another name for confirmation in to the position.

    Already, the matter is generating heat as questions are being asked by the opposition. Everybody is now waiting for new developments.