The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Can Oyinlola work with Tukur?

    Can Oyinlola work with Tukur?

    The Appeal Court’s judgment that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should reinstate its estranged National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has generated ripples. Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE examines the implications of the verdict for the self acclaimed party in Africa.

    Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has cause to smile. The Appeal Court has ruled that he should be reinstated as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But he has also not renounced his position as the National Secretary of the Baraje faction.

    The puzzle is: can Oyinlola work harmoniously with the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur?

    The Okuku-born politician is at war with the party that launched him into partisan politics 14 years ago. The party is also at war with him.

    Little did the chieftains guess that the intra-party wriggling, which was triggered by the distribution of party positions a year ago, would fester. The members of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tukur came into office amid the controversy. The PDP national convention, which held in Abuja on March 24, last year, was the bone of contention. Many chieftains complained that they were excluded from the exercise.

    A crisis broke out between Tukur and Oyinlola, few days after the party officials were sworn-in. The 2015 presidential elections divided the two leaders. While Tukur is believed to be supporting President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term; it was difficult for the President to get the secretary’s support.

    The relationship between the two leaders degenerated when they started exchanging memos. Oyinlola accused Tukur’s aides of usurping the functions of the national secretary. He drew the attention of the chairman to extant establishment manual guiding the day-to-day running of the secretariat. Responding to Oyinlola’s memo, Habu Fari, for Chief of Staff to the national chairman, cast aspersions on the office and person of the national secretary.

    Things started falling apart at the PDP secretariat. Miffed by what he described as the aide’s insolence and disregard for constituted authority, Oyinlola demanded Fari’s sack. It degenerated to open confrontation between the chairman and the national secretary. The furore died down when Tukur eventually fired Fari. But that did not end the animosity between the chair manand the scribe. On September 11, 2013, Tukur and Oyinlola took one other to the cleaners. Tukur had through his Special Adviser on Media, Oliver Okpara, described Oyinlola as an incompetent official, whose politics is at variance with the prevailing political dispensation.

    The chairman also accused Oyinlola of getting into elective positions through the “back door”, citing his ouster as the governor of Osun State by the Court of Appeal in 2010 and his removal from office as the PDP National Secretary. Tukur also accused Oyinlola of directing his frustrations at him, since he was removed as National Secretary. he said: “Under normal circumstance, he should not be heard to resort to platitudes or righteous pontifications on the ideals of democracy and the rule of law.

    “This is because, by training and orientation, he (Oyinlola) is a slave to ‘Order and Command’ of the military. Oyinlola was smuggled in as the National Secretary of the PDP, when he was bereft of the basic competence, experience and the pedigree to hold such a sensitive position in a big political organisation like the PDP. Since his removal from office, following the patent loop-holes in the electoral process that produced him, Oyinlola has continued to besiege the portals of our courts in search of far-fetch reliefs, which are neither here nor there. Besides, he now relishes brick-bats and vitrioli on perceived enemies, especially Alhaji Tukur.

    “Unfortunately, Oyinlola has refused to understand that Tukur is not the architect of his political problems. Oyinlola’ nemesis is traceable and also has its roots in the way and manner in which he was foisted on our party. His political career will continue to nose-dive, until he undertakes a political re-think. The major mantra in PDP is adherence to the core values of rule of law and due process. In politics, rules and regulations are obeyed, for a statesman is judged by his selfless love and service to his people and not by the enormity of effusions and vituperations from his mouth or pen. Oyinlola should retrace his steps, return to the path of political rectitude, remove his military toga and dictatorial tendencies, study the manifesto and constitution of any party he chooses to join in order to have a place in our current political dispensation.

    “Oyinlola was one of those militray putchists, who held down our democracy for a long time. As a former military man, Oyinlola is an unrepentant dictator of the first-order. He lacks any credible credential to sermonise on democracy and due process, including rule of law. No self respecting party can afford the chalice of imposition of candidates like in Oyinlola’s case, which is the bane of Nigerian politics. Oyinlola’s antecedents are well-known. He has been a miliatry dictator, who suddenly became a letter-day democrat. He miraculously became the governor of Osun State and was booted out, following litigation over his election which swept him out through judicial fiat.

    “There must therefore, be something vehemently wrong with Oyinlola and his peculiar brand of politics, which always sees him mount the saddle of leadership only to be found tumbling and crashing thereafter. Oyinlola has refused to change with time. He has failed to come to terms with the fact that democratic dispensation is in place in Nigeria and that the ways of democracy are not the same with the command structure of the military. Oyinlola might have been a good military tactician,but a kindergarten politician who requires total political re-adjustment and the removal of his military toga to face the realities of the moment. Oyinlola’s differences with the chairman stemmed from the fact that he could not appreciate the essence of rule of law against the essence of rule by force. It is his lack of democratic posture that made it impossible for him to work with Tukur who is an accomplished statesman, politician and a highly successful businessman with outstanding administrative sagacity and acumen”. Many believe that the statement was full of bile.

    But Oyinlola would not let the verbal assualt go unchallenged. According to him, the party chairmnan must have gone senile, owing to his advanced age. He said: “ While I don’t want to join issues with Baba Tukur, out of respect for his old age, one can excuse him on his account of senility.

    “Tukur has gone senile. In addition, the fact that I trained as a military officer has never negatively affected my administrative capabilities and abilities. I remain a gentleman in all my services as a public officer and a politician. Tukur should attempt to do an opinion survey at the headquarters of his PDP and I can assure him that his findings would make him abdicate his position without further delay, based on the fact that he lacks the support of the members of staff, who regard his authoritative style as being responsible for the crisis in the PDP.

    “That I’m a stickler for due process is a plus for me and Tukur should find out, if I ever circumvented rules and regulations or acted in an improper manner that he (Tukur) always does in company with his co-travelers. I remember he (Tukur) once granted an interview, in which he described me as a fine officer and a gentleman. This same view was expressed by Olisa Metuh in a media interview recently. His statement shows inconsistency and poor leadership qualities”.

    Oyinlola described his brief tenure as the National Secretary as the best ever, adding that the records are there to speak for him. He stressed: “It is on record at the headquarters of the PDP, that the period I served as the National Secretary marked remarkable changes in the administration of the PDP. For instance, I made sure that all the rules and regulations of the PDP were strictly followed to the letter and that made it impossible for Tukur to appoint the Chief of Staff, which he wanted, in violation of extant rules and regulations. He also attempted to appoint innumerable special advisers, who were unknown to the establishment manual of the PDP. It is on record, and you can ask any member of the National Working Committee, that he (Tukur) used his special advisers as parallel NWC members, thus effectively undermining the leadership of the party.

    “Everybody knows that Tukur’s tenure, so far, has been the worst in the 14 years of the party and nobody should be surprised that Tukur, who came in with pre-conceived personal agenda of caging and antagonizing state governors and other interest groups in the PDP, has been a monumental failure and he is the root of all the crises within the PDP today.

    “I ask that the leadership of the PDP should subject our tenure to a management audit to be able to determine who serially violated the PDP constitution through reckless administrative actions and who attempted to sanitise the whole administrative procedure at the national headquarters”.

    The staff at the PDP national secretariat will never forget Oyinlola’s brief stay as the national secretary. Within few weeks, he ensured an upward salary review for the workers, who had been on the same salary level, since the inception of the PDP in 2008.

    He also ensured that all outstanding allowances owed the staff were cleared. Up to now, the workers testify to the fact that Oyinlola brought a new lease of life to the PDP. So, it was bad news for the workers when a Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, January 11, voided Oyinlola’s election as the National Secretary. On January 14, the party replaced Oyinlola with his deputy, Onwe Solomon Onwe, as the Acting National Secretary, pending the time a new national secretary would emerge. Justifying Oyinlola’s replacement, Tukur said: “Pursuant to the powers conferred on the National Chairman by Chapter V Section 35 (1), 35 (1)(b), as well as section 36(2) of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party, (as amended), the Deputy National Secretary of the PDP, Barrister Solomon Onwe, is hereby directed to assume duties as the Acting National Secretary of the PDP. Barr. Onwe shall, by this directive, conduct all correspondences of the party, issue notices of meetings of the National Convention, the National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the National Working Committee as stipulated in the Constitution of our great Party.

    “This directive takes immediate effect and is hereby communicated to all the levels and offices of the party”. Many said the speed with which the national chairman replaced Oyinlola with Onwe smacked of vindictiveness.

    But the party defended the chairman, saying that the action was in compliance with the court judgment that voided Oyinlola’s election. The statement, dated January 15, 2013 and signed by Metuh said: “The National Working Committee wants to make it very clear that what happened was nothing more than obedience of a court judgement, and the consequential application of the relevant sections of the party’s constitution. Section 45 (1) states that if a national officer of the party is removed or resigns from office, he shall immediately hand over to the National Secretary all records, files and other properties of the party in his or her possession. Section 45 (2) states that inthe case of the National Secretary, he shall hand over to the Deputy National Secretary.

    “We want to make it clear that our great party is a law abiding party, which bases its conducts and activities on internal democracy and rule of law. Whatever a court of competent jurisdiction decides on any matter involving the party, the PDP will have no hesitation in obeying and implementing the judgement”. Metuh, in that statement had acknowledged the fact that Oyinlola had appealed the judgment and that the case was pending before the Court of Appeal”.

    Metuh also gave a commitment that the party would accord Oyinlola immediate recognition, should he win the appeal.

    He said: “In any event, reports have indicated that Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has appealed against the court judgement and the NWC wants to say that, as soon as the appeal is decided, the party will, in the same way as it did in the case of the Federal High Court ruling, obey the appeal decision”.

    Now that the Appeal Court has ruled in Oyinlola’s favour, will the PDP honour its own word?.

    However, when he was contacted, the National Publicity Secretary said that the matter has not been discused because the chairman travelled out of the country. He also said that the party’s National Legal Adviser said he did not have a copy of the ruling yet. Metuh promised that the leadership of the party would meet today to take a decision.

    The ruling party, according to analysts, have some options. The party can appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court or reinstate Oyinlola in the spirit of reconciliation.

    Also, since Tukur and Oyinlola are not the best of friends, the party should broker peace between them, so that they can cohabit peacefully at the PDP secretariat.

    But, are politicians good in mence mending?

  • ‘Baraje faction can’t survive’

    ‘Baraje faction can’t survive’

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former Transport Minister Hon. Ibrahim Isah Bio contested for the governorship in Kwara State in 2011. He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on the crisis in the party and how it has affected the Kwara Chapter

    Senator Bukola Saraki is the leader of the aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party. Are you with him in that boat?

    I am not with him and I am not going to be with the new PDP. I belong to the PDP and I don’t believe in the struggle or the ideals of the new PDP. I’m an ardent follower of Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, the great Waziri of Ilorin, and for the last 20 years, I have been very close to Baba Saraki (may his soul rest in peace). I believe in his leadership because it is genuine and transparent. You could see the zeal in what he was doing and you could see him being a good philanthropist, kind and focused.

    By 1998, I was one of the people liaising for Kwara State for those people who wanted to be in the PDP. But shortly after, I was almost neck deep in the PDP when we realised that Baba Saraki was going to join All Peoples Party (APP). So, most of us left the PDP and followed him to the APP. Unfortunately, in 1999, they denied him the presidential ticket in Kaduna and gave it to Ogbonnaya Onu, if you can recall, and it metamorphosed to Chief Olu Falae/ Shinkafi ticket. But Baba Saraki did not revolt in Kaduna. He pleaded with us to stay calm rather than being violent. He left in the night to avoid violence. These are good qualities of a leader. In politics, you don’t win all the time. You lose some time and at other times you gain. That is the kind of philosophy I believe and agree with.

    But the present leadership of Bukola Saraki that we have is about the politics of elimination, politics of coercion and politics of me first before others. It’s no more politics of carrying people along.

    Are you faulting the style of the new PDP?

    When they came up with the issue of the new PDP, I believed it was ill-timed, ill-conceived and very selfish. In every organisation, there are supposed to be grievances and misunderstanding; there are supposed to be some sort of disaffection. But you don’t tear an organisation because you are not getting your issues addressed. There are structured ways of addressing grievances in any organisation, including your house. If your child is aggrieved, he will go and tell his mother that Daddy didn’t pay my school fees or Daddy didn’t do my shoe, not that the boy will just get rid of you. I think they have taken are wrong because there are better ways they could have expressed their grievances and they could have been heard.

    Again, those people that are complaining, most of them have presidential ambitions. I know the governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, has a presidential ambition. It is not a secret that Sule Lamido has presidential ambition. It is not a secret that Dr. Bukola Saraki has presidential ambition; neither is it a secret that Rabiu Kwankwaso has a presidential ambition and they believe the best way to go about this is to, first of all, get rid of President Goodluck Jonathan ,who is the current President, and the coast will be clear for them.

    If you want the party to survive and you want the Presidency to be honoured as the highest authority in the country, then, people should respect that office and negotiate. But in any case, whether we like it or not, President Jonathan is already there. 2015 is the hand of God. Who knows who will be alive in 2015? Who knows what will happen in 2015? You sit down with him and say Mr. President; you have already gone more than half way. If the constitution allows you to go for a second term, so be it; then, we can renegotiate. After the Southsouth has gone, let it come back to the North. But for people to say they must tear the party or disgrace the President, I don’t buy it and I don’t believe it’s the right thing to do. I don’t think I should belong to that kind of arrangement. Even, in the school, there are ways of addressing grievances. In your family, there are ways of addressing grievances. The same goes for a political organisation.

    You were a close ally of late Olusola Saraki and Governor Bukola Saraki. Did he not take you into confidence on the agitations?

    Regrettably, I don’t think Bukola Saraki trusts me as much as Baba Saraki did. I have personal issues, which I’m not ready to discuss at this moment because I’ve followed Bukola Saraki and I’ve come to a conclusion that this is a man who does not trust me the way Baba trusted me. I tried to belong, but invariably, I found out that I wasn’t fitting into his system. So, I stayed back. For instance, way back in 2003, I was in the House of Reps when Baba Saraki said I should leave the House of Reps. He initially promised that I was going to the Senate. But later he said, please, can you come back to serve the people because I don’t want the kind of political infringement I had with late Lawal. That is why people unanimously agreed that Dr. Saraki should bring Bukola on board to be the next Governor so that he wouldn’t have crisis with any other Governor and he said he wanted somebody with experience and whom he trusts to come and handle the House of Assembly and I accepted. I left the House of Reps and became the Speaker of Kwara Assembly for six years. But the same Baba who told me that if by the grace of God governorship comes to my area, he was grooming me up later said he needed to give me national exposure. That was why he asked me to be Minister. Before the 2011 election, I sat down together with Bukola and I said, can I put in, if it is the wish of God to succeed you. He said go ahead. I bought the form. But later, Bukola Saraki denied that he ever asked me to buy the form.

    I left, flagged off my campaign and I asked all Kwarans to elect me as governor. It was the mother of all campaigns, only for Bukola Saraki to call me around 2.00 am on the night of the primaries and said he had decided to zone to Kwara South and give it to Abdufattah Ahmed. I took it with faith. After all, it’s not everything that one wishes that one would get. But while I expected Bukola to have called me and said okay, it’s not everything you look for that you get, and sooth the balm of all the injuries he has caused me, he continued to treat me like a cancerous part of the body.

    Apart from that, he promised to refund my campaign money. But up till today, he has not and it has been very well known in Kwara State that anybody close to me in Kwara has never been given any appointment, whether as SA or even a Commissioner or an Assistant. Even, the ward chairman in my place, anybody close to me, they make sure he is eliminated. So, I decided that let me stay aloof and watch. So, that is the difference between’s Baba’s leadership and Dr Bukola Saraki. Bukola Saraki’s leadership is the leadership of annihilation; break them and extinct them. If Baba offends you, he will call you and one way or the other sooth you and make you feel that you are important and you go ahead fighting a common cause for the party.

    If the Baraje faction leaves the PDP, do you think it will spell doom for the party?

    Let me confess to you that the loyalty Baba Saraki commanded for 42 years, I don’t think Bukola Saraki has the capacity and wherewithal to command that kind of loyalty and support of the people. Well meaning people, well meaning Kwarans and well meaning politicians are not happy with the events in Kwara. For some of us, we just stayed aside and said let’s watch. For instance, look at thelocal government election that took place in Offa. Everybody saw it and it is still in the internet. The APC had about 11,000 votes and PDP had about 4,000 votes. Then, they went and changed it overnight and announced the PDP with 25,000 and made the APC 20,000 votes. That’s not the quality of good leadership and that is not a democratic culture in the state. People are aggrieved and people are not happy with that kind of thing. The last local government election that took place sometimes on the 26th of October was a kangaroo election where they bought the SDP and one party called Labour Party and no other party had a candidate in the whole of the 15 Local Governments in the State, either as a Councilor or a Chairman. The beauty of democracy is let the people have their say, and then the majority will have their way. But when you cajole the people, you oppress the people and you use state machinery and you think you are a good leader that people will follow, you just watch and see. People are fed up with the kind of system we are practicing. I believe PDP is the party that everybody wants to follow.

    The major grievance of the ‘G-7 Governors’ of the PDP is that there was a certain agreement with President Jonathan not to re-contest. Are you are aware of such agreement?

    The way the seven governors are going, if there was actually a written agreement, they would have published it by now. Commonsense would have prevailed on them by now to produce that agreement to the press and to Nigerians.

    One of the issues that the G-7 Governors are talking about is power shift to the North. Should power shift to the North in 2015?

    Power shift or party arrangement or zoning arrangement, either agreement with Jonathan, those are based on moral understanding and political ethics. But the issue of legality and constitutional power to contest, nobody can take that one from you. The only person who can say okay power should shift to the North is, if Jonathan is not interested. But if he is interested, he has the rights and the Constitution says he should contest, if he so desires. So, the issue of power shift, zoning and rotation doesn’t arise, unless we remove the legal issue. But when the man says he is interested, it has overridden every other thing.

    it is the main thing that the President is trying to fix and I admire it a lot.

     

    One of the reasons Nigerians are against Jonathan’s President is the issue of insecurity. Secondly, is the issue of corruption. I remember there was a time he said some Directors in Abuja have more houses than Dangote. People are worried that not much is being done to curtail this. You have seen the man accused of pension scam. The man is still hiding and the police have been unable to arrest him, even after declaring him wanted?

     

     

     

    Let me talk on security first. Security issue is a very complex issue. For instance, who would have believed that the al-Quaida that Bin Laden started will now come and engulf the whole world today. Bin Laden is long gone, but we still have elements of Al-Quaida which had metamorphosed into Boko Haram, Taliban and all sorts of things. The security challenge we have with Boko Haram in the North-Eastern part of the country, I think the President has tried to address the issue as a human being who does not have the monopoly of wisdom. First of all, he opened the window for dialogue and called all of the Boko Haram members to put down their arms, just the way they handled the Niger Delta issue and that they will give them amnesty. That is a leadership that wants to resolve an issue. That is dangling the carrot. Then he set up a Committee led by Hon. Minister of Special Duties, Barrister Turaki to go round the whole place and try to get the Boko Haram to come to dialogue. That is an attempt. Then when all those ones failed, he imposed curfew, declared state of emergency and then the soldiers have been asked to address the insecurity which is on-going.

     

    You can agree with me that since the last five or six months, we’ve been sleeping well in Abuja. There is relative calm in Kaduna now and there is relative calm in Kano as well. In the past, we were not even safe in Abuja. We had at least three attacks. A military barrack was attacked, the Police Force Headquarters was attacked and the UN was attacked. Thisday was attacked in Abuja. But within the last six months, I don’t think Boko Haram has been able to attack Abuja and Kaduna. So, these are the progress being made in my own assessment. You can see America using Drones to kill Taliban daily. But it has not come to that level in Nigeria. Even the people in the North have come to agree that these things are no more religious issues. I don’t believe a Muslim will slaughter another human being like a ram and be happy. I believe that there are more undertones, which is predominantly the issue of unemployment and people have been left aggrieved for long. They say an idle man is a devil’s workshop. They didn’t emanate or start with Jonathan. They are things that have been there over the years and apparently we are seeing the overflow now and he is doing his best in addressing them.

     

    The issue of corruption, you will agree with me that corruption has become so endemic in Nigeria. It has almost become our way of life. In our individual homes, we all witness corruption. If you send your brother to go and buy petrol, seven of them will buy petrol of N7,000 and tell you it is N10,000. If care is not taken, you go to school, you find teachers probating marks and sleeping with students and students ready to buy ties and shirts for lecturers just to get marks. Corruption is not only in government. Corruption has eaten deep down in the fabrics of our moral existence in this country and it is going to take a long time. I believe the religious leaders must intervene from the mosques and the churches for people to develop moral righteousness. It’s not an issue of carrot and stick that will address Nigeria’s corruption because it has gone deeper than that. It’s not just the ones you see in government because there is corruption everywhere. Today for instance, I came back from Lagos and by the time you come down, somebody who opened the booth for you is expecting you to give him gratification. By the time somebody weighs your clothes and luggage, he is expecting you to give him gratification. So, it has become our way of life. It’s a national malaise and it cuts across even in our homes. If you ask your boy to go and buy you bread, if you have a balance, he will not give you until you ask. It’s a sort of corruption. In as much as I’m not going to hold forth for President because he holds the ace, corruption should be tackled vertically and horizontally and both at government level, religious level, in our homes and at the village level. So, I will ask Mr. President to take a more serious stand against corruption so that he will be adjudged to have done his own bit while in office, just like I’m appealing to all Nigerians to do their own bit both in the house, in the communities, even in the churches and mosques.

     

    ENDS.

  • It’s senate or Tor Sankera, Shuluwa tells Suswam

    It’s senate or Tor Sankera, Shuluwa tells Suswam

    The Vice Chairman, Benue State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Elders Forum, Chief Abu King Shuluwa, has advised Governor Gabriel Suswam to choose between running for the Zone ‘A’ Senate and allowing his brother, Chief Terkura Suswam, to go for the Tor Sankera stool.

    It is widely held that Governor Suswam is nursing a senate ambition to replace the incumbent, Senator B. A. I. Gemade, while his immediate elder brother, Dr Terkura Suswam, is already the acclaimed Tor Sankera.

    Speaking at a thanksgiving mass recently organised for him at St. Mary’s Catholic Rectory, Uma, Ijoo Mbatyough, Ikyurav Tiev II in Katsina Ala Local Government Area (LGA) Chief Abu King Shuluwa said the two positions cannot go to one family even as he has advised that the issue of first class chiefs should be handled with care.

    In his position, one of the current second class chiefs from Sankera should be elevated to first class status owing to their wealth of experience and age.

    Their Royal Highnesses, Chiefs Fezanga Wombo and Jimmy Meeme, are the current occupants of Ter Katsina-Ala, Ter Logo respectively.

    Reacting to demand by his Ikyurav Tiev kinsmen that the Sankera Federal Constituency seat be returned to them, Chief Abu King Shuluwa noted that Loko people had loaned to their neighbouring Ukum people, urging all to remain patient till 2015 when the issue will be easily sorted out.

    He wondered why the arrangement took place between the Ikyurav Tiev and the Ukum people and now the Shitile people are desperately trying to settle a matter they are not involved in and know nothing about.

    The Sema Wan U Tiv wondered why the Ikyurav Tiev loaned the Ukum people their turn in 2011 with trust and a Shitile man would act as a middleman at the end. He said that if left alone, the matter between the two major areas in Sankera wouldn’t be compounding, stressing that the intervention of people who were not party to the agreement is rather bringing confusion in the matter.

    He however urged the Loko people to be calm and patient saying, the time to sort the matter out is even at the corner.

    The Executive Chairman of the local government, Hon. Martins Iorungwa Agir, had earlier expressed willingness and preparedness of the people of Ikyurav Tiev to reclaim the Katsina-Ala Ukum and Logo Federal House of Representatives seat in 2015.

    The chairman said as the leader of the ruling PDP in the local government, as well as the general overseer of the area, he has been under enormous pressure from individuals, groups and well wishers from Ikyurav Tiev to make the position of the people known to the state government and the general public as regards the House of Representative seat for Sankera come 2015.

    Hon. Agir said his people want to reclaim the seat in 2015 when the loan they (Ikyurav Tiev) gave to Ukum people would have expired.

    “I am not speaking my mind but that of my people. My people are larger than me”, Hon. Agir told newsmen in a separate chat.. Speaking further, Agir warned those who, without provocation, are attacking the Sema Wan U Tiv in Ikyurav Tiev and Katsina-Ala in general to desist from the act or face the anger of the teeming supporters of the Sankera political leader.

    “No past administration in the local government was ever peaceful like mine because I am adhering strictly to the advice of Chief Shuluwa that I should tolerate all kinds of political behaviours so that peace and unity shall continue to reign and pave way for development to come in the area. This has rather made Suluwa an enemy in the eyes of those who don’t mean well for us. I have watched with enough patience, tolerance and endurance the attacks on him and has now decided that whosoever points his or her fingers on his face again shall not be allowed to go free; the position of the law will determine what happens to him or her”, Agir warned.

    On his part, the Ter Katsina-Ala, Chief Fezanga Wombo described Chief Shuluwa as a courageous politician who stands for the truth.

    Chief Wombo, who confessed of almost giving Shuluwa a wrong identity in the past, said he later realised that he is a real man and advised the people of Sankera to rally around him for their political knowledge or perish in ignorance, adding that the moment Sankera tries to leave Shuluwa behind, that will be the beginning of their downfal.

  • Ajimobi’s grand  plot against PDP, Accord

    Ajimobi’s grand  plot against PDP, Accord

    The choice of the members of the new Executive Council in Oyo State is Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s grand plot to rout opposition parties in 2015 elections, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and his political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) is not leaving anything to chance in their resolve to ensure the routing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Accord Party (AP) in the 2015 governorship election in the state.

    PDP and the AP, the two leading opposition parties in the state, have been unrelenting in their bid to oust Ajimobi and the APC from the Agodi Government House come 2015.

    At every forum, leaders of the two parties like former Governors Rasheed Ladoja and Adebayo Alao-Akala, are wont to tell their supporters of how they are plotting to stop Ajimobi from securing a second term in office the same way they were both stopped from earning re-election.

    Recently, Ladoja and Alao-Akala entered into an agreement that will see the two of them collaborating ahead of the 2015 governorship election all in a bid to ensure the failure of the re-election bid of Ajimobi.

    But watchers of the politics of the state say the governor and his party may have moved ahead of the opposition in strategising how to remain in office beyond May 2015.

    Duro Adesanya of the Coalition for Democracy and Rule of Law (CDRL) said with the new cabinet for the state, the ruling APC has shown that it is desirous of remaining in office beyond 2015.

    According to the public commentator, the cabinet is a mix of people who can help the governor continue his quest to serve the people of the state better as well as people who can help him get the votes of the people come 2015.

    “With the recent dissolution and reconstitution of the state’s executive council, Ajimobi may have put paid to the hope of the opposition to stop his re-election bid. The new cabinet is a political masterstroke by all ramifications. The APC must have had winning the 2015 election in mind when they drew up the list of the new team. It shows the party is serious with shutting up Ladoja and Akala forever,” he said.

    Gov. Ajimobi of Oyo State had, in what came to many as a surprise move, on September 23, dissolved the State Executive Council (SEC). Party sources, however, said the plan to dissolve the cabinet was conceived long before then.

    A statement issued by the Director, Cabinet, Mr Dotun Omokemi, said the dissolution was informed by the need to inject fresh blood into the administration in the quest to serve the state better.

    And on Monday, Ajimobi forwarded a list of commissioner-nominees to the Oyo State House of Assembly. The House started the screening of the 12 commissioner-nominees the next day.

    A cursory look at the names on the list, analysts say, revealed how far the APC has gone to ensure that opposition parties will find it difficult wooing the people of the state to vote for them in 2015.

    Duro Adesanya observed: “This is politics. You don’t need a soothsayer to tell you that what the APC has done is to appoint people with electoral value into positions. With this list, the party has successfully married competence with electoral weight in chosing the new cabinet members.

    “I see one of the sons of the Olubadan, Prince Gbade Lana, on the list. His position as a prince is a plus for APC during election. And he is a capable hand too. As the chairman of the Oyo State Library Board, he made his mark.

    “Take a good look at the five former commissioners who made the new list – Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Mr. Adebayo Ojo, Mr. Dapo Lam Adesina, Princess Adetutu Adeyemi-Akhigbe and Mr. Zaccheus Adelabu , these are political heavyweights in their various constituencies.

    “Dapo Adesina is the son of the late former governor of the state, Lam Adesina. Adeyemi-Akhigbe is the daughter of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi. Gbadegesin, Adelabu and Ojo are respected chieftains of the party.

    “Mr. Faruk Arisekola-Alao, is the son of frontline businessman, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola- Alao. No one can ignore the importance of the Arisekola-Alao family to the politics of the state.

    “No doubt, this is a brilliant way to show the opposition that the people of the state, across social strata, are still very much pleased with the government of the ruling party,”

    Speaking on the 2015 election, Honourable Kamil Akinlabi, representing Oyo in the House of Representatives, said it will be practically impossible for the opposition, especially the PDP to defeat APC in the next governorship election in the state.

    “There is no other party in Oyo State.”he said, “We have no opposition. Where is the opposition against APC? We don’t have any opposition against us. Which PDP? Is it the PDP of Teslim Folarin, PDP of Alao-Akala or the PDP of Jumoke Akinjide, which of the PDP?

    “So, a fractionalised party cannot confront us, we don’t have any opposition. Already, we are taking maximum advantage of their crisis. Our camp is growing in leaps and bounds every day. By the time they wake up to mend fences among themselves, they won’t see their supporters again,.”

    The lawmaker said with the level of performance of the Ajimobi-led APC government in the state, the people of the state will surely prefer the party to any other one in 2015.

    In his wards, “When somebody plans a lasting legacy, it is something worth-while. Other governors before him have contributed their quotas by their various achievements. After all, they were not sleeping while there. But what he has added is rooted in his approach, how are they doing it, let me do my own differently. Of course, other administrations constructed roads, but in his own wisdom, he said let me dualise those road”.

    “So, when you talk of all those roads dualised, it will be recorded for Ajimobi’s administration. He has constructed an overhead bridge at Mokola. Even, if you don’t agree with him, it will outlive him as governor. No one can take that credit away from him. We are not condemning those before him, but he has done things differently in a way that will make life meaningful for the general citizens of Oyo State,” Akinlabi said.

    The State Acting Chairman of the APC, Chief Akin Oke, shares Akinlabi’s opinion.

    “On which platform is PDP going to defeat Ajimobi in 2015? Is it the old or new PDP? Is it on the platform of Senator Lekan Balogun, Elder Wole Oyelese, or that of the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ms Jumoke Akinjide,” Oke asked ?

    Oke said while the APC is busy restrategising and winning more people into its fold ahead of the 2015 election, the opposition, especially the PDP is busy fighting within itself. According to the party boss, the crisis in Oyo PDP is worse than that of any other state across the country.

    He stated“With the kind of problem in Oyo PDP, it will be a pipe dream for the PDP to win 20 per cent votes in the state in 2015.

    “When they boasted that the PDP will win Oyo in 2015, did they forget that the PDP governed the state for eight years with nothing to show for it, other than bloodshed, violence and retrogression.

    “Ajimobi’s two years in office is far better than the PDP’s eight years’ reign of terror. Let Folarin tell the world which PDP he is boasting of. Is it the new or old PDP that will defeat Ajimobi in 2015?”

    “In spite of all these, as serious politicians, we are not resting on our oars. We are daily reaching out to the people and asking them to come and join us. The people of the state are daily praising the party for bringing to them a government that really cares,” he added.

  • Labour Party: Mimiko, Nwanyanwu on war path?

    Labour Party: Mimiko, Nwanyanwu on war path?

    There are rumbles over alleged plans of the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, to perpetuate himself in office, reports Assistant Editor Dare Odufowokan

    The Labour Party (LP) which prides itself as the party to watch in the forthcoming 2015 general election, especially in the South-West geo-political zone, has been very much in the news lately due to what could best be described as a brewing internal crisis.

    The LP that has in recent times seen a number of aggrieved leaders of other political parties moving into its camp ahead of the 2015 general election, is currently afflicted by internal dissension over an alleged plan by its National Chairman, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, to seek a third term in office.

    According to reports, majority of the members of the National Executive Committee of the party are opposed to Nwanyanwu’s alleged bid to remain in office beyond December 19, 2013, when his second term in office will expire.

    And while the embattled party boss is busy struggling to woo his fellow executive committee members to his side, party sources claim Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, his leading ally within the party, may have decided against a third term for Nwanyanwu.

    Mimiko is the only governor elected on the platform of the Labour Party and Ondo State is the only state where the party boasts of national assembly members as well as a majority in the state’s House of Assembly.

    Analysts say a decision by the governor to oppose the LP chairman’s bid for a third term will end the political romance that has existed between the duo since 2007 when Mimiko dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fly the banner of the LP in the Ondo State governorship election.

    But sources say the governor may have simply chosen to support what appears to be a popular decision within the party. According to a political associate of the governor and LP chieftain in Ondo South Senatorial District, it is not just a personal decision of the governor, but a popular opinion among party leaders and members nationwide.

    The LP chieftain, who sought anonymity while speaking to The Nation during the week in Akure, said a third term for Nwanyanwu will portray the party in bad light before the electorate.

    “The governor still sees the chairman as a friend and dependable political ally. But it has become very important for him as a leader of the party, not only in Ondo State but nationally, to listen to the wishes of party members across the states and ensure that their desires are met.

    It is obvious that our members are not in support of a third term for Chief Nwanyanwu. While we readily admit that he had led the party well, we are conscious of what our opponents will say should we allow him to sit tight at the helms of affairs.

    “It is not the leaders or members of LP here in Ondo State that are saying this. It is the popular opinion within our party. That perhaps will explain why the governor may also be opposed to his continuing in office beyond December 19, 2013.

    “Even members of the national executive committee are opposed to his bid for a third term. It is not because he has failed to perform but because LP is not a party without capable leaders. It is our view that he should step aside for us to showcase another person’s capability to lead the party,” he said.

    The Nation gathered that though the Ondo State governor is yet to publicly declare his opposition to Nwanyanwu’s bid,he has allegedly told party functionaries on a number of occasions of his position on the issue.

    “Recently, the governor, while urging leaders of the party to prevent any crisis from weakening the party, said it is not compulsory that one person should continue to lead the party. He asked all those concerned to go and seek an amicable solution to the problem.

    The governor is also of the opinion that it is wrong for the party not to call a national convention four years after the last one. He has suggested that the leadership of the party should put machineries in motion for one before the end of the year,” another party source revealed.

    Earlier, LP’s Deputy National Secretary, Babatunde Ayelabola, has publicly warned Nwanyanwu against throwing the party into confusion by seeking to extend his stay as its National Chairman.

    In a letter dated October 9, 2013 and made available to journalists, Ayelabola said by December 19, it would be four years since Nwanyanwu was returned for a second term at the party’s second convention, having been elected in February 2004 at LP’s first convention

    Ayelabola expressed concern that two months to the expiration of Nwanyanwu’s tenure, there was no sign that the LP would call a third convention. This, according to him, is suggestive of a bid by the Chairman to perpetrate himself in office.

    “You should leave when the ovation is loudest and with your track record intact. There will always be sycophants who will egg you on at the detriment of your good name. They are like the sirens to Odysseus and are best kept at bay,” Ayelabola said.

    The Nation also learnt that aside from the opposition to the continuation in office by the current chairman, another issue brewing crisis in the party is the call for the zoning of the chairmanship to a particular section of the country.

    According to party sources, there is a growing agitation that the position of national chairman of the party should move to another zone when the second term in office by Nwanyanwu, from the south-east, ends in December.

    “Like you find when the issue is an elective office anywhere in the country, there is already an agitation by a particular section of the country that they be allowed to produce the next national chairman of our great party.

    The party is, however, yet to even consider the agitation or zone the position to any section. What we are concerned about now is how to ensure that this succession issue does not precipitate a serious crisis within our ranks. This is the build up to a general election and the LP want to surprise our opponents ahead 2015. So, we want to avoid all forms of distractions,” another party source said.

    This is just as reliable sources said the embattled National Chairman is unrelenting in his bid to secure another term in office. According to party sources, Nwanyanwu has embarked on a move to douse opposition to his bid.

    “He is not giving up on his bid in spite of the now public opposition by notable party leaders and members. Rather, he has come all out to counter the move to stop him. Recently, he met with members of the national executive committee and sought their understanding on the matter.

    “In fairness to our chairman, he has very good reasons for wanting to remain in office at least till the next general election in 2015. One of his reasons is the need to build on the gains of the last couple of years by winning in some more states at the next election.

    He is the one known to many of the people defecting to our party across the country. He is the one assuring them that they will be well treated within the LP. He is the one talking to those who are yet to publicly decamp but already co-operating with us.

    So, it is an opinion that he should be allowed to finish what he is doing by 2015 before the party thinks of changing guards. A change before 2015 may affect us badly as a party. That is why some of us were convinced on the need to listen to his pleas,” a member of the executive committee from Abia State said.

    But Ayelabola disagrees completely with the above position. According to him, there are numerous other ways the party can continue to benefit from the activities and experience of the chairman even when he is no longer in office.

    “There are ways the party could continue to tap from your experience and goodwill. It is in this light that I proposed that a Board of Trustees (BoT) could be constituted where you could continue as a leader – if you so choose – and if it is democratically assented to by the party,” he suggested.

  • Group lauds Amosun’s performance in Ogun

    Group lauds Amosun’s performance in Ogun

    The Remo Group (TRG), a socio-cultural organisation, has commended Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Governor of Ogun State, over what it called his laudable infrastructural development of the state within his two years and a half in office.

    The group, which praised the current administration’s choice of projects, said it is satisfied with the effort of the government so far in areas such as road construction, education, agriculture and urban renewal.

    In a communiqué issued after its third leadership congress, held in Ilishan-Remo, read out to reporters by its Director of Organisation, Otunba Lanre Oshin, the group also commended the state government for providing armoured tanks and other vehicles for the police and other security outfits in the state.

    “TRG also gives kudos to the government for providing vigilance groups across the state and equipping the groups adequately. The effort of the vigilance groups at complementing the police in combating crimes in the state today is noteworthy.

    “The provision of armoured tanks and other security vehicles for the police and other security agencies in the state is also commendable. We also thank the government for the numerous road projects it has embarked on across the state.

    “Of special interest and joy to us are the roads constructed and under construction in Sagamu and other towns in Remo-land. With these road projects, the governor is helping a great deal to further open up our ancestral home to much needed development and growth.

    “We equally praise the administration for retaining and adequately funding the State Polytechnic at Saapade. We urge the government to continue in its stride towards making the institution more befitting of its status,” the communiqué read. It added, “TRG is, however, using this medium to tell the governor that there is still more work to be done. We urge Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his government to hurry up in the repairs and reconstruction of all dilapidated roads within Remo-land as well as hasten up the provision of amenities for rural communities in the area,” the group said.

  • Chime under pressure over wife’s confinement

    Chime under pressure over wife’s confinement

    Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, has been explaining why his wife, Mrs. Clara Chime, has been confined indoors for a while now. His explanation followed allegations that he subjected the First Lady to house arrest for several months.

    Explaining, the governor said, “As my wife, I will continue to protect her integrity. Well, my wife has some medical challenges and it would be very unkind for me to talk about her condition on the pages of newspapers. I have done everything to protect her integrity and I’m not now going to expose her to ridicule because some people want to exploit her situation to drag me into a needless war of words. There was a time she was confined indoors and that was strictly on her doctors’ advice. She’s here and she can confirm or deny it. Also, the doctors then advised against allowing her access to telephones and laptop,”a critic said.

    Well, the governor is entitled to his right of reply, even denials and refutals if need be. But the question many people are still waiting for an answer to is if by his actions, Governor Chime was wrong or right.

    This question was further fuelled when the “victim” herself, Her Excellency Clara Chime, during the course of the same briefing where her husband explained what transpired between them, said she was once confined to a room without access to her telephone and laptop, saying, ”That was when I had a serious crisis.”

    Her grouse, however, was that she had not been allowed to leave the premises. “Though I attended mass last Sunday,” she said.

    The explanations, notwithstanding, Chime has been under pressure over the way he handled the wife’s health challenges.

  • Anambra 2013: Who wears the crown?

    Anambra 2013: Who wears the crown?

    As the campaign for this month’s governorship race in Anambra State ends this week, ahead Saturday’s election, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports on the major campaign issues that are likely to swing the votes, plus the candidates’ strong and weak points

    The campaigns for this Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State may  be described as one of the shortest and most intriguing since  the return of civil rule in 1999.

    Most of the major candidates had barely a month to campaign, partly because of intrigues that trailed their emergence as the candidates and other fundamental factors.

    As is usual with the politics of the state, the lists of aspirants in virtually all the major political parties were very long. As a result, the primaries not only witnessed some unhealthy rivalries and unconventional competitive strategies, but were, in the process, over prolonged.

    So, by the time the candidates finally emerged, so much bad blood had been created within their political families, thus, not only creating heavy baggages for the candidates but also further weakening the concerned political parties.

    The most prolonged of the intrigues was that of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP), which only got its candidate on Monday, November 4, precisely 12 days to the date of the election.

    The short period of campaign notwithstanding, it turned out to be a well knit series of action-packed drama, full of intrigues, conflicts, verbal arsenals, tragic occurrences, and political carnivals ironically flavoured with colourful dances amidst betrayals and outright blackmails.

    Great expectations

    It is therefore in the light of these movie-like intrigues, plus the pomp and pageantry, which defined the campaigns, that most observers today anticipate a keenly contested election this Saturday, November 16, 2013.

    The Nation investigation shows that as the parties and their candidates wind up their campaigns, the tension generated by the campaign has not died as the electorates are now left with the task of coming to terms with the right candidate and party to give their votes to. “That is the present challenge we all have today. The parties and their candidates have made endless promises, presented in very humble ways, so we are confused. They are all our children, and a a result, it is not easy to make a choice,” said Mazi Ukachukwu Udoka, a community leader in Anambra State.

    To resolve this riddle, most of the electorates are wondering which of the political parties holds the answer to the many problems of the people of  state? They are asking which of the candidates in the race has the ‘magic wand’ with which to take the state to the promised land? They are asking so many questions whose answers will ultimately determine the candidate they will cast their votes for.

    Given the quality of campaigns, especially the promises made, the expectation is high.

    Aware of these great expectations, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) and other concerned stakeholders, we learnt, are not taking chances at all. For example, by late October, we gathered that the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of over 400 civil society groups, had concluded plans to deploy about 600 election observers to all the 21 local government areas. This precaution, and others are born out of the belief that the outcome of the Anambra State governorship election will, to a very large extent, serve as a sign post to what will likely happen in the 2015 general elections.

    Issues that may swing the votes

    Our investigation reveals that Anambra State is currently undergoing a crucial state of political rebirth. The state, known to be the den of political godfathers, appears determined to give more attention to issues of concrete and enduring development.

    This revolution, spearheaded by a few members of the intellectual elite in the state, has helped to create a kind of division in the overall value system of the electorates. This means that instead of the usual situation, where the factor of money and mafia-like use of raw primitive power would have topped the list of the issues that may swing the votes in this election, it may take a back seat.

    The man that can do the job:

    So, the most likely factor that may swing the votes in the forth coming Anambra State election is the man that can do the job. The top question on the lips of electorates is, amongst the candidates of the leading political parties, Senator Chris Ngige of All Progressives Congress ( APC); Chief Willie Obiano of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah of Labour Party (LP) and Mr. Tony Nwoye of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who has what it takes to lead Anambra State at a time like this? Who, amongst them have the requisite experience, exposure and charisma to deliver the needed dividends?

    Our investigation confirms that most electorates in Anambra State today, including the commoners in the rural areas, have been secretly indoctrinated by the elites to place this factor above other factors, including party loyalty and zoning, which have been previously harped on the media.

    This explains why multitude of people trooped out to attend campaign rallies of all the candidates, without discrimination.  The point is that the people wanted to see, hear and personally assess the candidates before making their choice.

    If this works out fine, the political party that is fielding the most experienced and popular candidate, in this case the APC, which is fielding Senator Ngige, a former governor, will likely win the election in a free and fair contest.

    Politics of issues

    Closely linked to the factor of the right candidate is the agenda that is placed on the table. Our investigation shows that as at today, some electorates are somehow confused because virtually all the leading candidates have mouth watering promises.

    As Mrs Comfort Chukwudi, a retired matron, puts it, “For now, we are somehow confused because so much have been laid on the table. So much promises have been made. Ngige has, for example, promised free education and to lift the embargo on employment. Ubah has promised to create 40,000 jobs before his first hundred days in office. Obiano has promised to set up free health care policy for children under 10 years, less privileged pregnant women and the elderly above 60, amongst others. So, in terms of promises or ideas, so much have been presented to us and we are interested in them. All we are doing now is to look critically at the candidates and their political parties in order to distinguish between empty promises and genuine resolve to serve Ndi Anambra.”

    The political parties

    Another factor of appreciable importance is acceptability of the political party and the current state of the said party. If the issue of traditional party loyalty remains potent, Chief Willie Obiano’s ruling party (APGA) and Mr Tony Nwoye’s PDP, which once held sway in the state, will be favoured in that order.

    But the problem that may affect the potency of this factor in this election may be the current state of the favoured political parties.

    APGA and PDP in the state have been affected lately by internal rifts directly and remotely linked to party leadership and choice of governorship candidate. While APGA first resolved its leadership crisis and made amends, PDP took more time, until the Supreme Court on Monday, November 4, resolved the matter.

    This development, according to insiders, gave Ngige’s APC and Ifeanyi Ubah’s Labour Party an opportunity to make appreciable inroads. Sources said the two parties now enjoy wide acceptability in the state.

    So, until the election is held and the results are declared, it may be difficult to say which of the parties will finally take advantage of this once number one factor.

    The zoning factor

    The outgoing state governor, Mr Peter Obi’s open declaration that it is the turn of Anambra North Senatorial District to produce the next governor of the state has formally made zoning a factor in the forth coming election. His party, APGA, in response to this, brought its candidate, Willie Obiano, from the district.

    While some reports say many people share the sentiment that the zone deserve to also produce a state governor, this zoning factor appears particularly interesting because out of the four leading participating political parties, two (APGA and PDP) produced their candidates from Anambra North zone, while

    APC and Labour Party produced their from Anambra Central and Anambra South respectively.

    So, except there is a general consensus, the votes in Anambra North District will most likely be split, thus reducing whatever advantage each of the candidates  may get.

    The role of the church:

    The church, especially the Catholic Church may play a crucial role in deciding who would occupy Anambra State Government House after Obi. It is clear that all the candidates are aware of this fact and have been falling on each other to please the bishops and their congregations. We hear of mouth watering donations, multi- million Naira church renovations and buildings and the endorsement prayers that follow.

    While almost all the candidates are caught in this game, it is not certain if the religious leaders will publicly condemn any of the candidates. This means also that the electoral value of this fact may remain largely intangible until after the elction.

    Traditional rulers

    Traditional rulers, as the royal fathers, have tremendous influence in their various communities. But like the bishops, the traditional rulers in Anambra State, aware of their role as fathers of all, have been diplomatic enough to bless all that come to them for traditional blessing. This strategy has made it difficult for anyone to quantify what their direct influence would be for or against any of the candidates during the election.

    The godfathers are still on ground

    Although the effect of ‘godfatherism’ in Anambra State has waned tremendously, we learnt they cannot be totally waved aside. They are still on ground and are being consulted secretly by some of the candidates.

    Sources said however that most of them are only being appeased to avoid a situation where they will decide to constitute themselves as obstacles.

    How far they can influence votes still remains to be seen on Saturday.

  • Shema’s dilemma over successor

    Shema’s dilemma over successor

    As the date for the 2015 governorship election in Katsina State draws nearer, Governor Ibrahim Shema of the state finds himself sinking deeper into a serious dilemma over how to handle the mammoth of interests being signified in the race by a host of close aides, political allies and mutual friends.

    According to close aides of the governor, he is finding it uneasy seeing his allies fight themselves dirty over who succeeds him.

    Prominent among the governor’s allies who are currently seeking his support ahead of the 2015 guber race is Umar Abdullahi Tsauri, popularly known in Katsina politics as Tata.

    The Dutsin-ma-born politician is all over the place canvassing for the support of party leaders and members in order to be given the governorship ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Tata is well known as a friend of the governor in Katsina.

    There are also talks that the current Speaker of the State House of Assembly and a long-time political ally of the governor, Yau Umar Gwajo-Gwajo, is also getting set to throw his hat into the ring. If he does, the pressure on Shema will be doubled.

    Another of Shema’s men in the race currently is Musa Sada, Commissioner of Agriculture in the state. A close ally of the governor, he is said to be banking on Shema’s support in his bid to govern the state.

    With so many of his men queuing up to succeed him, the job of anointing a successor for the 2015 poll, pundits say, is definitely not a laughing matter for Governor Shema.

  • Let the governors be

    It is dumbfounding how seven state governors are being hounded around as security men do everything to restrict access to them. Every citizen has an inalienable right to receive whoever pleases him within the precincts of his home or office. He also has the right to move freely except on the order of a court of law or by law enforcement agencies acting in the interest of the state and under the law.

    However, state governors of seven states have recently had their rights abridged by the police apparently on superior orders motivated by cheap politics. The governors of Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Niger, Rivers, Kwara and Adamawa States who have indicated their dissatisfaction with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur have been prevented from either meeting or playing host to people of their choice within the premises of their states’ liaison offices in Abuja.

    Uninvited, the police usually storm venues of their meeting with a view to chasing away visitors or disrupting the meetings. One is tempted to ask-on whose orders? Why is the state jittery over the impending exit of seven out of twenty-three governors? At the moment, there are only thirteen non-PDP governors. If seven should team up with them, the opposition would be going into the 2015 election with twenty governors to PDP’s sixteen. Wouldn’t the election be a test of strength? Is there any law that says an opposition party would win the contest just because the governor has defected to another political party?

    The PDP is afraid of its own shadows. When a political party becomes as jittery as the PDP is showing it is, it becomes open to recording avoidable mistakes. It could either become desperate and thus takes steps that alienate it, or it begins to lose confidence in itself ahead of the poll and that is the beginning of failure.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), as the main opposition party has gone after the disaffected governors. Leaders of the party have openly solicited defection of the seven and assured them that their future would be better in the new amalgam. This is probably not the time, forum or juncture to ask how the contradictions arising from movements from the PDP to the new party would be resolved.

    The main concern here is the use to which the PDP-controlled federal government is putting the Police Force in pursuit of partisan interests. It portends danger to the health of the country. What point is President Goodluck Jonathan making in preventing members of the PDP splinter group from meeting? Is the President so narrow-minded to believe that a state governor could be whipped into line simply because the security forces have been unleashed on him? Does the President think that Kawu Baraje, a former secretary, and later acting chairman of the party could be made to dump his chosen path simply by harassment by agents of the state?

    These are the wrong strategies. It is the wrong direction to travel. It is the wrong decision to take. It will not help the government or the party. The PDP leaders ought to conduct a serious soul search. Where did it get it wrong? Was it in deciding to push Jonathan forward in 2011? What could be done now?

    In any case, it is the business of the party what it makes of its journey to 2015. It is trite in political science that power is for the ruling party and incumbent to lose. An athlete who carelessly drops his baton knows that the race is over. The PDP and President Jonathan could afford to drop the baton, what they have no right to do is take panic measures that could provoke reactions that may threaten the health of the nation. Nigeria does not belong to the President and the crowd around me. It does not belong more to Jonathan than it does Omonijo. We are all stakeholders and are interested in ensuring that all enemies of the growth of democracy are kept out of the fold.

    The seven governors still have the right of association and a right of freedom of movement. Anyone trying to stop them is an enemy of Nigeria and all Nigerians and should be fiercely resisted. The political space is wide enough to accommodate all. In Ghana, when it pleased the people, the National Democratic Congress was made to quit the Government House, and, after a while, the NPP government, too, was served the quit notice. That is democracy at work.

    If governments can change without much rancour in Ghana, Senegal, Sierra-Leone and Benin Republic, why not Nigeria. All that we should be concerned about as we race to 2015 is that the will of the people must be done. For now, it must be sounded loud and clear: Let the governors go, if they so wish.