The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Is Obasanjo the puppeteer?

    Is Obasanjo the puppeteer?

    Whose who have stepped on his toes either by omission or commission have sad tales to tell.

    For former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, literally making a mincemeat of his real or perceived political foes has allegedly become a pastime of sort. The retired Army General, according to his critics, is imbued with a persona that hides his capacity to get even with his political opponents at any time.

    A former governor of a South-West state can not easily forget the Owu-born general. Having fallen out with Obasanjo over some undisclosed reasons, the former president had allegedly told close aides that he will ensure the governor ends up in jail at the end of his first term in office.

    Desperate to secure a second term, the governor reportedly mobilised some traditional rulers in his state to plead with Obasanjo on his behalf. As soon as the guests were ushered into Obasanjo’s office, the governor allegedly went on all fours, asking the then president to forgive his transgressions while assuring him of his unalloyed loyalty from that moment on.

    Almost close to tears, the governor was quoted as telling Obasanjo, “Sir, I know you don’t easily forgive those who offend you but please in the name of God, forgive me.” Obasanjo’s response was straight to the point. “If you know I don’t forgive, why did you offend me in the first place?”

    The governor was lucky after all. The intervention of the paramount traditional ruler of his state got him a reprieve. He was forgiven and went ahead to win a re-election.

    Those who know the general intimately will most likely say the above scenario is an exception and not a rule for Obasanjo, the man many Nigerian politicians and elites love to hate.

    His speculated frosty relationship with President Goodluck Jonathan and his alleged role in the crisis currently ravaging the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again brought to the fore the complex personality of a man who has had the enviable reputation and yet unequalled feat of ruling his country in both civilian and military dispensations.

    Long before the PDP crisis climaxed with the formation of a splinter group two weeks ago, loyalists of Jonathan, according to sources, saw clearly Obasanjo’s imprints in the whole saga.

    Sometime last year, the former president resigned his chairmanship of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT), on the excuse that he needed to devote more time to his international engagements. His decision, analysts said, was the first sign that all was not well between him and Jonathan. Strident denials by Presidency officials failed to douse this speculation.

    Then came the unceremonious removal of Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Olusegun Oni and Bode Mustapha as the PDP National Secretary, National Vice Chairman and National Auditor respectively. What more, the national headquarters of the party sacked the State Executive Council of the party believed to be loyal to Obasanjo, replacing it with a new executive council backed by a chieftain of the party, Prince Buruji Kashamu.

    It was akin to drawing the battle line. But Obasanjo decided to stay away from all party activities and official events at the Presidential Villa to which he was duly invited.

    Except for his occasional verbal jabs reportedly directed at the Jonathan Presidency, the former president refrained from speaking specifically on his alleged feud with the president.

    The opportunity to get even with Jonathan came following the crisis that erupted in the Rivers State chapter of the PDP, which has pitched the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, against forces backed by the Presidency.

    Five northern governors, Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger), moved in to save their colleague (Amaechi) who had been suspended from the party.

    These governors with their Kwara State counterpart, Abdulfatah Ahmed, are now the arrowheads of the new PDP. They also have an ally in former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

    Sources say the former president, who has lately taken up the role of a peace maker, and the five ‘rebel’ northern governors have been fingered in a security report as the brains behind the formation of the ‘ New PDP’ and the crisis tearing the party apart.

    The Nation gathered from a national officer of the party that Atiku Abubakar, also an antagonist of the Jonathan government, was co-opted into the plot by the aggrieved governors in order to give the new group a wider reach and acceptability.

    Those linking the former president to the crisis are quick to refer to his close ties with the ‘rebel’ governors. Obasanjo is allegedly instrumental to the political success of the five men.

    Kwankwaso served as the Minister of Defense under Obasanjo after he failed in his re-election bid in 2003. Ditto Sule Lamido, who was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1999 by Obasanjo serving for about four years before he was dropped. The former president also allegedly played a major role in the election of Lamido as governor in 2007. He succeeded Taminu Turaki, a member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

    The Niger State helmsman, Babangida Aliyu, also owe his rising political career to Obasanjo. A retired federal permanent secretary, Aliyu’s lifelong ambition was to become the Head of Service of the Federation. But Obasanjo, it was, who allegedly insisted on Aliyu succeeding ex-Governor Abdulkadir Kure in 2007.

    Wamakko’s and Nyako’s cases are also similar. Both former members of the defunct ANPP, sources say the former president facilitated the movement of the two governors to PDP and their subsequent election as governors in 2007.

    The PDP governorship ticket for Sokoto State in 2007 was initially won by Mukhtar Shagari, who served as Minister for Water Resources under Obasanjo. He was allegedly asked by the then president to step down for Wamakko and was picked as the latter’s running mate. He is still Wamakko’s deputy till date.

    PDP many crises and OBJ’s role

    The ruling party has been faced with countless internal crises since its formation in 1998, mostly bordering on its leadership. And either by deliberate design or fortuitous circumstances, Obasanjo’s name has been linked to them.

    From Obasanjo’s alleged roles in the elections and unceremonious removal of PDP National Chairmen from Solomon Lar (who in 2004 set up a parallel PDP secretariat), Audu Ogbeh, Barnabas Gemade and Ahmadu Ali, analysts say it is not out of place to state that the PDP’s destiny seems to be to the whims and caprices of the former president.

    Though Obasanjo on his part hardly makes any effort to deny or acknowledge allegations linking him to such crises, his silence may have contributed in making it difficult to deconstruct his roles in these lingering PDP crises. In the current matter, it remains doubtful, given the history of their political association since after their re-election as President and Vice-President respectively, if Obasanjo and Atiku can sit down together to plot the current split?

    More than this puzzle, the big question remains, who bites the dust in this current ‘war’ between Obasanjo and Jonathan? Interesting times, no doubt, lie ahead in the next few weeks and months.

  • Understanding Wike’s politics

    If late, the nation’s political space has been inundated with several political reports and commentaries on the person of Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education. If he travels to his home state for a weekend, his political adversaries manipulates the media to question why he returns home every weekend.

    These opponents make ridiculous comments which attempt, though without success, to question his commitment to his assignment as a minister of the Federal Republic. If he fails to travel any weekend, the same adversaries, who usually hide under the mask of phantom political groups, call him an “Abuja politician”. Whichever way it is viewed, it is a case of the proverbial cockroach in a court presided over by chickens. The cockroach will always be adjudged guilty.

    The unfolding political drama in the country has clearly revealed who the men of honour are. Those who have principles which they are willing to stake their necks and political future for. Those who are ready to stand by the generality of their people, irrespective of the economic consequences and the likely pains that their personal preferences may suffer.

    For Wike, politics has always been and will always be people-centric. All pursuits must be determined by the overall strategic interest of the people. At all times, the aspirations and the collective will of the people must be considered before any position is taken.

    For him, once such a position is taken, the eyes must be on the goal to ensure that the interest of the people is protected. The interest of the people in this case supersedes the interest of one man or a cabal. Therefore, at every turn, he is with the people, irrespective of whose ox is gored.

    As a local government chairman, this political philosophy drove his actions. It was on this basis that he put in place unprecedented achievements that set him aside from the crowd of local government chairmen. As a firm believer in grassroots development, he evolved as the national president of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON. All Nigerians know the collective achievements of ALGON under his watch. The promotion of primary healthcare, security and staff welfare across the country.

    Standing with the people is second nature to Wike. This is fundamentally why he is in politics. It is only natural that if you stand with the people, the people will stand by you.

    As Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government, Wike was the politician that brought stability into an administration that his hardwork , dedication and commitment gave life to. At the time, despite all political grievances that stakeholders had, he was able to build a rare unity of purpose in the state’s political framework. Since he left, the administration in the state no longer has a stabiliser as there is no administrator that is willing to sacrifice personal ego and ambition for the people.

    It is clear that the minister comes from a solid political background that he always works in a manner that promotes the interest of the larger percentage of the community. Little wonder, the negative, paid political propaganda against his person has yielded no fruit. The people know him personally. They know what he stands for and are not deceived by the antics of paid political commentators and advertorial consultants whose assignment has been to feed the public with concocted stories.

    Since Wike became the Minister of State for Education, the game has changed. For those who remember the mantra, no longer business as usual, they will gladly agree that there is a new way of doing business at the basic education sector under the supervision of the minister. We can only highlight some key performance indicators in this piece. First, the minister executed on behalf of President Jonathan,  the overwhelming delivery of 125 Almajiri Schools, 16 girl-child schools, implementation of N150billion nationwide adult literacy programme, 72 e-libraries for Federal Government Colleges, phased total rehabilitation of 24 Federal Government Colleges and the commencement of the construction of vocational and technical colleges in all the 11 states of the South-East and South-South zones.

    Lest I forget, he has successfully executed the distribution of over 60million textbooks and library resource materials to pupils and students of primary and junior secondary schools nationwide. We cannot leave out the fact that he is a champion of training and re-training of teachers across the country. Over one million teachers have been trained under his watch to improve efficiency and national development

    The facts of the minister’s achievements since he joined politics are public knowledge. Wherever he found himself, he has worked relentlessly to improve the condition of the people. In doing this, he has rejected every single attempt made by those who are self-centred, to intimidate him. It is his rejection of the intimidation antics of political adversaries that has generated this campaign of falsehood and name-calling.

    Even in our community setting, those who resort to name-calling and the raining of insults at the height of an intellectual argument are people who upon sensing defeat would attempt to divert attention.

    It is no longer news that the Rivers community, nay the South-South geo-polittical region and the entire nation crave a Jonathan Presidency post 2015. The reason for this preference is not far-fetched. The President, in the last two years, has set in motion an unprecedented pace of development. The only areas he is faulted by his critics are areas that relate to “our local political procedures”. For the Nigerian people, these areas are better ignored since the President is serving them well. Wike, being a people-centric politician and administration like always, remains with the people.

    This is where he derives his might and followership. With the people by his side, he is always at home in Rivers State and elsewhere, while his opponents find solace on the pages of paid advertorials, documentaries and falsehood. No politician of South-South origin, who understands the loud voice of the people, will be anti-Jonathan. It is unfathomable, to say the least. Just of recent, those who performed less enjoyed a second term, while should a performer be denied a second term, simply because non-performers have declared so?

    — Simeon Nwakaudu is the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education.

  • Presidency positions Abdulrahman Oba

    Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Abdulrahman Oba, is being positioned by the Presidency as the next governor of Kwara State, sources have disclosed. This plot may not be unconnected to the opposition of Senator Bukola Saraki to President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Saraki currently controls the PDP structure in the state, with all the party’s elected officials from the state, both at the state and national levels, solidly backing him. Oba recently fell out with Saraki over the latter’s alleged opposition to his (Oba) reappointment as FCC boss.

  • Nunc Dimitis, PDP?

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has proved correct many analysts who predicted that an implosion in it before 2015 would set the country and its people free. At the moment, the party’s leaders and technocrats are working out a formula to put together the broken pieces, but this appears an uphill task. The question being asked is whether Mr. Fix It can actually plough into his book of tricks to manufacture a solution. It has become the more difficult to handle because Baba Iyabo is also at work- behind the scenes.

    Fortunately, President Goodluck Jonathan still has the Obasanjo scheme to follow. At a point when it was clear that Obasanjo was pursuing a third term dream as if his life depended on it, he kept denying the self-evident fact. He instructed those who kept the key of the treasury to release as much as could be needed to suborn the lawmakers. Each of those who indicated interest laughed all the way home with N50 million dropped in his account. Yet, he failed.

    But, because Baba Iyabo made his move early enough through pliant legislators, he was able to deny ever nursing the ambition. Jonathan could yet adopt the same option. His aides have continued to deny his moves to contest the 2015presidential race. Rather, they have chosen to obfuscate issues by concentrating on his constitutional right to pick the PDP ticket and submit himself to the democratic process. On educational qualification, they are quick to point out that Dr. Jonathan is the first occupant of the presidential palace to hold a doctorate degree. This is sophistry at its worst. The wrong question is being asked and answered in a bid to confuse the people.

    Back to the PDP, what is the way forward? The first step is to conduct a sincere soul searching. What went wrong? Where did the President and leaders go wrong? Only when the correct answers have been proffered can the next question-what is to be done be asked.

    Dr. Jonathan missed the point when, upon trouncing more experienced politicians of Northern origin to emerge the presidential candidate of the party in 2011, he threw a bash believing all things had been put under his feet. Thereafter, he failed to do the needful by calming frayed nerves and reconciling warring groups. His supporters went about singing victory songs and some even said the North would never come near the epicenter of political power again.

    The post-election violence that rocked many Northern towns was dismissed as child’s play, with his men threatening that the full weight of presidential power would be used to crush the opposition. The context encouraged breakdown of law and order in many parts of the country. Northern leaders looked on as agents of darkness descended on the land with fury. The audacious insurgents seized the country by the throat, struck at the Police Headquarters in Abuja, drew attention of the international community to the state of things by taking the war to the United Nations House in Abuja. They attacked churches in a bid to cause anarchy by promoting religious war and at a point took control of a number of towns in the far North. It took the declaration of a state of emergency that handed power to the military in the troubled states to restore some measure of normalcy.

    Jonathan also engaged in a needless, naked display of power when he interfered in the affairs of the Nigerian Governors Forum; encouraged those he had procured to do the job rig an election that had transparently returned Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to office and backed a spineless Plateau State Governor to pretend to leadership of the Forum. What did he achieve? He acquired more enemies and pointed the way to the opposition to come together and work for victory. Now, the PDP has three factions. There is the PDM, made up of loyal supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and another, a group of seven disaffected governors have distanced themselves from developments in the party. The rump is as weak as a sheaf of papers. The factions have openly taken the battle to the party’s leaders and the attendant crisis can no longer be dismissed. A president who had been unwilling to sit with the “dissidents” suddenly found time to sit at crisis resolution meetings and sought to enlist ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to douse a raging fire that had already consumed the roof of the building.

    Does Jonathan, with his famous Ph. D. have the capacity to read the handwriting on the wall, or does he have a Daniel who could decode the script? It appears that, by divine arrangement, the PDP’s time is up. The leaders need to look at the foundation of the house, realising that a building divided against itself cannot stand. Elders who could have been called upon to resolve the crisis are themselves aggrieved. Founding fathers like General T. Y. Danjuma, Alex Ekwueme, Solomon Lar, Jacob Nwokolo, among others are now in the cold.

    The future is bleak. The light is merely blinking and the ship is sinking. Who shall save the House of PDP? Its friends can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

  • 2015: Bauchi PDP governorship battle picks up

    2015: Bauchi PDP governorship battle picks up

    Austine Tsenzughul in Bauchi reports on the emerging aspirants for PDP governorship ticket in 2015

    Mallam Isa Yuguda, an ex- banker, took charge of Bauchi State affairs on the heels of a popular dissatisfaction with the state government’s affairs and its functionaries led by Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, then Bauchi State governor from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007, for alleged corruption, and insensitivity.

    Yuguda achieved an extra ordinary feat by flooring an alleged annointed of the incumbent, Mohammed Nadada Umar, who had served faithfully as Bauchi State Secretary to the State Government [SSG] for almost eight years. Like every new leader whose tenure is expected to make a significant turn-around, and push up the much-needed material upliftment of the people, Mallam Yuguda’s return on the Bauchi political scene was a monumental relief.

    This was largely because he had served as a junior minister in the Federal Ministry of Works and Transport, and senior minister, in charge of Nigerian’s Aviation with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. Besides, the good name he made for himself as a grand midwife, who took delivery and nursed to maturity the defunct Inland Bank Ltd, the state’s first owned financial outfit, it was natural for electorates to bear the scorching and ear-roasting April heat to queue up and vote for him as a ‘Savior-Governor’. But those who understood him and a handfull of skeptics treated his campaign for the Bauchi Government House Tenancy with mixed grill.

    Today, as the race for 2015 picks up, Bauchi people, according to a source, “are looking for a peron who will not crack jokes with our destiny; who will not give us water via television screen, or provide functional healthcare service on radio waves but real things that can make our lives bearable, somebody who will not be feathering his nest from Abuja instead of living, staying and working with his electorates’’.

    To meet the people’s yearnings and wipe away their bitter blood-laced tears of many years of deliberate neglect and abuse of mandate, some politicians, Bauchi sons, who believe they are capable and can adequately deliver on the people’s desires, having tested the electorates’ pulse in areas of infrastructural development, human and other resources management, have begun clandestine but deep consultations with their constituencies, either directly or through their agents. While some have begun forming assorted youth fora, associations, development unions and pressure groups, others have ordained and are empowering some high class traditional leaders as their campaign arrow heads ahead of 2015. Though, none of the aspirants and potential aspirants has openly come out to make a categorical statement, their agents have been singing their praises, telling members of the public what such aspirants are capable of doing and what the electorates should do so as to avoid the current quagmire and take Bauchi State to the desired wonderland. Such aspirants include:

    BALA ABDULKADIR MOHAMMED

    Among those being paraded for the millennium tasks are the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed. To place him where he is currently and where he could go, the FCT boss, over 10 years ago submitted himself to the sitting Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda as an acolyte when the governor served as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To prove he was a serious apprentice, Sen. Bala, as he is fondly called by his admirers, but known in Bauchi as Kauran Bauchi, contributed immensely to Yuguda’ Stenancy at Government House, Bauchi in 2007 to date. As an indispensable strong tag team partner to Yuguda, Bala also contributed hugely in scuttling Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mua’zu’s ambition to the Senate when the latter’s tenure as the 13th governor of the state and 3rd Bauchi state civilian governor terminated on May 29, 2007. He hails from the ancient chiefdom of Duguri, south of the famous Yankari Games Reserve in Alkaleri Local Government Area [Bauchi South Senatorial Zone] of Bauchi State.

    His relationship with Yuguda is, at the moment, said to be sour. He is variously tagged as a ‘’goal getter and a man of the people, detribalised, has a listening ear to those that have access to him and passionately loves Bauchi.”

    The FCT Minister is also said to be well-connected at home and abroad and can bring the extremely needed meaningful development to the state. Having been at the affairs of the nation’s capital since 2010, after he and other Senators threw their weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was ill, he has been enjoying tremendous followership across the state.

    He has formidable financial and political structures from Bauchi South, Central and North Senatorial Zones.

    There are, however, fears in some quarters that he may activate the alleged Gov. Isa Yuguda’s carefree kind of governance once he is on the saddle, thereby not delivering the necessary dividends of democracy to the people that yearn to belong to the global circle.

    And unless, strong voice from Bauchi North, commonly referred to as’’ the Katagum Mafia’’ decides that Bauchi South has produced two governors for 16 years and there must be power shift, Sen. Bala has a signed and sealed deal for the governorship on the platform of a popular party in the state barring man-made obstacles.

    Another potential militant factor before the FCT boss on his way to Government House, Bauchi is his love lost with the present Bauchi number one citizen, who has repeated and public referred to him as ‘’the Bauchi PDP in Abuja.”

    At the hot height of their iced friendship, Mallam Samaila Burga, a former Personal Aide to Gov.Yuguda and then Acting Secretary of the state PDP at different fora (it is on record) declared that ‘’as far as Bauchi PDP is concerned, Kauran Bauchi (Sen. Bala Mohammed) is not registered in his ward as a PDP member. He has not registered in his ward, not registered in his local government area, (Alkaleri LGA) and certainly not registered with us at the state level. This means clearly that he is not a Bauchi PDP member and no more arguments on his PDP status in Bauchi State’’. Curiously, it is not known if the popular ‘’Kamashi Kaura ‘’, of the Yuguda election campaign fame has normalised his PDP membership.

    SENATOR ABDUL AHMED NINGI

    Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, current Senate Leader, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial Zone in the Red chambers, is the longest serving national lawmaker from the state. With a long and certainly an enviable political profile that began with his entry into the House of Representatives in 1999, Ningi’s stint in the banking sector thought him not only how to manipulate figures, but also manipulate humans and supply to their needs for his mission’. He has being generous with his wallet, sharing dividends of democracy to his impoverished constituents who need basic infrastructures that make life bearable in the present global village.

    Variously described as ‘’a born-orator, endowed with leadership qualities’’, he politely tells his elders their wrongs openly.

    Politically, he will get the nod of his constituents whenever he declares his governorship interest. But he has shaky political structure in Bauchi South where Sen. Bala Mohammed is in charge like the Pope in Rome.

    Abdul Ahmed Ningi, former Majority Leader under PDP in the House of Representatives, is a potentially strong contender for the Bauchi Government House come 2015. He can do the job, but the legislative work is more or less verbal, and the art of lawmaking et al is within the confines of a select-enlightened persons, whereas at the state level, it involves practicals, putting up infrastructures and attending to people’s physical needs, even contributing to their spiritual development and spreading dividends. He is likely to copy and re-introduce the Sardauna of Sokoto and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s administrative styles in this 21st century.

    MUSA BABAYO

    Dr. Musa Babayo, father-in-law to Gov. Isa Yuguda’s son is not popular like Senators Bala Mohammed and Ningi. He is however, known by few in the state who described him as ‘’technocratic politician’’, who has no worthy political clout in the state as at the time of this write-up. He was the National Acting Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] Secretary.

    He was chosen by the Northeast PDP Zonal Delegate Conference held in Bauchi in 2012, for the post of National PDP Chairmanship before Alhaji Bamanga Tukur of the defunct Gongola State pulled the carpet under him at the party’s national convention in Abuja.

    Babayo may find it hard, for he is not popular, not famous, and generally described as “a dark horse.”His political and financial impact is said not to have been felt in the state when he was the National Acting Secretary of the most populous political party in Africa, the PDP’’.

    BABAYO GARBA

    Senator Babayo Garba, a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was elected as a member, Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Gamawa Constituency, 2007 and became Speaker of the House after Hon. Haliru Dauda Jika was impeached. He was later promoted to Deputy Governor after Garba Mohammed Gadi, elected in 2007 as Yuguda’s deputy, was impeached.

    Babayo, at the 2011 contest, dethroned the then incumbent Senator Nazeef Gamawa. He is not the choice of many Bauchi PDP members, especially in the South and Central, for the alleged role he played in the impeachment of Garba Gadi who hails from the same senatorial zone with him.

    But political watchers in the state say ‘’Senator Babayo Garba Gamawa has acquired wealth these past few years and with the present poverty level in the state, money can establish any structure over night and can easily buy his way and or manipulate his way to Government House.

    IBRAHIM ZAILANI

    Ibrahim Zailani is not new to Bauchi politics, having represented Toro Federal Constituency at the House of Reps. from 1999 to 2003.He was also a commissioner for Information and Justice under Governor Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu. Being a lawyer and having served the state for over 6 years, he understands the dynamics of Bauchi politics.

    MOHAMMED NADADA UMAR

    Mohammed Nadada Umar certainly does not need introduction when it comes to Bauchi State politics and its dynamics. He was the engine room of the now cherished Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu government that is said to be common people-oriented from 1999 to 2007. As a lawyer, company secretary, traditional title holder, administrator cum politician, Nadada, as he is fondly called by most Bauchi people, was the Secretary to Bauchi State Government when Mu’azu served Bauchi well.

    Nadada hails from Dambam local government area of the Bauchi Central Senatorial Zone.

    For now, these are the frontline Bauchi sons that have indicated their intention and or are likely to contest the governorship election come 2015 under the present embattled and factionalized Peoples Democratic Party [PDP]. However, spoilers and publicity seekers, even blackmailers are expected to join the race when campaigns for elective offices at the general elections, 2015 begin on various political party tickets. Defection, [decamping] and or cross-carpeting would not necessarily be a surprise.

  • PDP: Factions explore survival options

    PDP: Factions explore survival options

    The deepening crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which led to the recent split and emergence of a faction, known as the ‘New PDP,’ has shaken the power base of the ruling party, as the leading actors in the battle explore options for survival and relevance, report Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu and Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    Things finally fell apart in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday, August 31, 2013 as the warring members dared the leadership and declared their faction as ‘The New PDP.’ Before the split, the lingering crisis in the party had been precarious but both the leadership of PDP and the dissatisfied members had tried to manage the situation, pretending that the matter had not gotten out of hand.

    Even the seven breakaway PDP governors, who were the first top officials to openly threaten to leave the party in anger, first gave impression that the matter may still be resolved internally, when they consulted with major political leaders across the country, beginning with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. As the consultations and negotiations continued, there were speculations that PDP, touted as the biggest and the most professionally managed political party in Africa, would be saved.

    But it seems all that ended that Saturday, when the much advertised and controversial special National Convention of the party was held in two different places, by two factions, with each of the faction naming its officials. While the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led group elected some members to fill up some vacant positions, the New PDP announced Alhaji Abubakar Baraje as the National Chairman, former governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was named the National Secretary, positions they both held respectively before the PDP crisis escalated.

    From this point, no faction or member could play the pretense game any more. The war has been declared at last. What remains, therefore, is the survival intrigues.

    All through this week, the political actors involved in the game of power have shown the stuff they are made of. Our investigation shows that the game also has been played both in the open and behind closed doors. In each case, however, the modus operandi seem similar. For example, instead of the usual style, where the opposing leaders tried to remain diplomatic in their public utterances, they have become more blunt and confrontational.

    The war of words picked up from Wednesday this week when a seemingly unruffled Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (that is ‘the old PDP), who addressed reporters at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja declared that the party was ready to wield the big stick on “renegade” members of the party who recently formed a parallel party called ‘New PDP’.

    Not done yet, he stated that the party will soon ask the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the elective seats of such “disloyal” members vacant.

    Dismissing the existence of the new PDP, Tukur had said, “No stone will be left unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual, who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP, shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions.

    “There is only one lawfully recognised PDP and I am firmly in charge. The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) under my Chairmanship. I wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons, parading themselves as leaders of NEC or any other organ of our party, are impostors and I urge all Nigerians, especially the security agencies and other institutions of democracy to regard them as such,” he affirmed.

    The remarks, analysts have pointed out, were the clearest indication that the Jonathan administration, pressured by an internal party rebellion it has never faced, has jettisoned peace efforts with aggrieved PDP governors and other aggrieved party members and is now spoiling for war.

    Tukur’s declaration, The Nation gathered, was the fallout of a meeting late Tuesday between the PDP Chairman, loyal governors and President Jonathan. The meeting was summoned after the seven breakaway governors refused to attend an earlier reconciliation talk scheduled for Tuesday on the excuse that they needed to make consultations with other stakeholders in the crisis.

    The governors subsequently proposed a new date, September 10, for the next peace parley.

    Sources, however, told The Nation this weekend that given Tukur’s latest riot act to the alleged ‘recalcitrant’ PDP members, the new date for reconciliation talk with the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led faction may not hold on the scheduled date. Skeptics also alleged that it is not likely to ever hold successfully as the situation has already fallen out of hand. “It will never be the same again. Attempts to advise our leaders to adopt give and take strategy in the interest of the party’s survival was brushed aside. Now, the war has commenced. I think we should be talking of political survival of each of the major actors as PDP is bound to change,” said an “old PDP” top member, who does not want to be quoted at this point in time

    Two irreconcilable differences

    Aside the well publicised demands of the PDP factions, which include the removal of Tukur and return of state party structures to Governors Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and Murtala Nyako in Rivers and Adamawa States respectively, two requests of the aggrieved governors have been described by insiders at the presidency to be “irreconcilable with reality and therefor unacceptable.” One of such demands is that Jonathan should ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stop the investigation of governors. The second request is their demand that President Jonathan should forget his ambition of seeking re-election in 2015. “These demands do not make sense and so we do not see them as being anything less than cheap blackmail. We can’t accept that,” said the source.

    Other sources also disclosed that at the meeting between the president and his loyalists, a governor from a core northern state and another colleague from the South -South were said to have impressed it on Jonathan that acceding to what they called the ‘unreasonable demands’ of the aggrieved governors is akin to committing political suicide.

    They were also said to have pointed out that the sole agenda of the opposing governors was to stop the president from recontesting the 2015 race, while adding that other demands were just addendum.

    Other governors present also reportedly passed a vote of confidence on Tukur’s leadership of the party. The chairman’s only sin against those calling for his removal, according to the governors, is his unalloyed support to the president.

    How long can Tukur hold on?

    A Presidency source said while the president is not completely averse to Tukur stepping aside, his only concern is the timing.

    Tukur, the president strongly believes, may not be able to withstand the rigours of the next elections due to his advanced age. “In the president’s opinion, Tukur should not be disgraced simply because of his loyalty to him. A new chairman will likely oversee the party affairs in 2015, but it has to be a trusted party man,” said our source.

    A cat and mouse game

    The Nation gathered that quite a number of resolutions were reached at the meeting between the president and his supporters.

    According to our source, all the leaders of the PDP faction have been placed under intense security watch in order to ascertain their next move.

    In addition, security agencies have been given stern directives to prevent the opening of the parallel secretariat being planned by the Baraje group.

    Aware of this plan, the Baraje faction has kept details of its new office a closely guarded secret, while it has also resolved to be more discreet in its operational strategies. This strategy has worked well so far for the group, with some of its activities completely taking the Presidency and the security agencies unawares.

    If the power game has remained underground, the leaders of the two groups are no longer discreet in their verbal exchanges and open declaration of their actions against one another. Tukur has not only threatened to sack or remove Baraje, the ‘rebel’ governors and lawmakers, but has also asked the court to deregister the Peoples Democratic Movement which was recently registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC). On the threat to remove National Assembly members, legal experts have been consulted across the country to know if the Constitution empowers a ruling party to remove a lawmaker that got into the house on its ticket.

    In his reply, Baraje and the others retorted that Tukur should go to jail for court contempt. By this weekend, the war of words had become so crude that some elders of the party, including the Chairman of Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, Chief Solomon Lar and Chief Edwin Clark sued for caution.

    This plea, according to our sources, has not dissuaded the Presidency and Tukur-led PDP from their current resolve to fight out the battle.

    On the part of the Baraje- led New PDP, The Nation gathered that aside laying open claims to being the real PDP, the group, also led by foundation members and influential leaders of the party, has resolved to tilt the power equation and control of the party at the various states in their favour.

    Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the leader of People’s Democratic Movement before the formation of PDP in 1998, wielded tremendous grassroots support across the country. When PDP won the Presidency in 1999 and became the Vice President, he allegedly maintained direct contact with PDM supporters across the country. It is alleged that those supporters and power brokers across the country are already being mobilized to accept the New PDP.

    Options open to the actors

    Based on the almost unanimous decision of the Jonathan/Tukur group to call the bluff of the factional PDP members, the group is reportedly considering several options.

    The first, which Tukur revealed last week, is the declaration of seats occupied by such members vacant. Sources disclosed that the INEC will, in the next few weeks, be put under intense pressure to declare vacant the seats of governors and members of the National Assembly who have pledged loyalty to the Baraje-led faction.

    If this option fails, sources say such members will be suspended and if they fail to show remorse and retrace their steps, outrightly expelled from the party.

    Furthermore, it was learnt that ministers in states controlled by governors considered as disloyal will be given the brief and the logistics to set up parallel PDP structures to challenge the authorities of the states’ chief executives similar to the scenario playing out in Rivers State where the Minister of State for Education, Nyesome Wike, has been engaged in a war of attrition with Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    Another option on the cards for the Presidency is to keep the EFCC busy by asking it not to relent in its probe of states controlled by opposing governors, their relatives and associates. “In the next couple of weeks and months, more heat will be turned on the Baraje group,”said our source.

    Options before the Baraje-led faction

    From all indications, it appears the battle for power struggle in the PDP will make the the courts a beevive of activities in the weeks to come.

    One option being explored by the Baraje group is to ask the court to declare the last convention of the PDP illegal. A case has already been filed at a Lagos High Court to this effect.

    But aware that asking the court to declare its group as the authentic executive of the party may not succeed, the Baraje faction is reportedly considering moving enmasse to the newly registered Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) which is being run by loyalists of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who is also a members of the Baraje group.

    There is also the possibility of the faction entering into an alliance with the major opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Fears are in fact being expressed in political circles that if this group teams with APC members in the National Assembly, tough times may indeed lie ahead both for President Jonathan and the PDP in the months ahead

    As the unbundling intrigues peaks, some of the questions being asked include whether Tukur’s PDP has the legal power to declare the seats of the rebel lawmakers vacant? Section 68, sub-section 1(G) for example, speaks on the tenure of National Assembly members.

    There are also questions on whether PDP will ever resolve this crisis and remain its old self. If it fails, which of the two factions, the old and the new, will gain the upper hand?

    Also, if Jonathan- backed Tukur continues to adopt the nuclear option of attacking or hounding the ‘rebels,’ will they chicken out or resolve to destabilise both the National Assembly and the PDP? Insiders said the number of lawmakers that are in Barajes camp are enough to cause a major headache for PDP and the President. “This is true, especially if they are pushed to the wall and therefore decide to form alliance with the opposition. You may be informed that this is not entirely out of contemplation. It could be the final option,” said a PDP lawmaker, who insisted that Tukur misfired, when he threatened lawmakers.

    Already, insiders within the corridors of power in Abuja, we learnt, are already directed to take into consideration that possibility and work out the way out. If this option is finally taken by the so-called ‘rebels,’ it remains to be seen how Jonathan will cope with it ahead of his 2015 presidential ambition.

  • Boko Haram: Is Amnesty Committee working?

    Boko Haram: Is Amnesty Committee working?

    The mandate of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges expires this month. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines its activities and scorecard.

    WHEN the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan, many thought that the days of the Boko Haram sect were numbered. Its main objective was to broker peace between the dreadful sect and the Federal Government.

    Recently, the committee claimed that it had reached an agreement on ceasefire with the sect. Many Nigerians received the news with cautious optimism. The reason is not far-fetched. The chairman of the committee and Special Duties Minister, Alhaji Taminu Turaki, claimed that his committee had engaged the leadership of the sect in dialogue and reached an understanding for a ceasefire. The minister also claimed that it had reached a truce with the authentic leadership of the sect. He said, although its spiritual head, Abubakar Shekau, was not directly involved, he was aware of the development.

    But Shekau objected to Turaki’s claim. In a video message, he debunked reports that negotiations were on-going with his group. He said the sect will continue with its campaign of violence. To prove that it was not ready for dialogue with the government, the sect launched deadly attacks in Kano two days after. No fewer than 20 persons were killed. In Borno State, gunmen believed to be on reprisal mission, also targeted youths, who had formed a vigilante team, the Civilian JTF, in Dawashe Village. About 21 persons were reportedly killed in the Borno attack.

    Ironically, at a time the Turaki’s committee claimed that it had brokered peace in Bauchi, gunmen, in another reprisal attack, killed 44 people at Dumba village, near Baga, Bornu State. The gunmen were also said to have set some houses in the village on fire. This attacks cast doubt on the true identity of those the Turaki Committee claimed to have dialogued with.

    More disturbing was the claim by the committee on May 9 that it met with Kabiru Sokoto and other suspected members of the sect in Kuje Prisons, Abuja. Sokoto, the alleged mastermind of the December 25, 2011 bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, denied ever meeting with the committee.

    The counsel to Sokoto, Mr Sharif Okoh, said the suspect was in court on the aforementioned date. He also pointed out that Sokoto was being held in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS), and not the Kuje Prisons, where the purported meeting with the committee took place.

    Okoh said: “We were in court with our client when members of the committee told the world that they visited Kabiru Sokoto in Kuje Prisons. We (lawyers) asked him, if it was true, and he said that no member of that committee or any other committee visited him. So, that means that the members committee are telling lies.”

    Committee’s mandate

    On April 24, the Presidential Amnesty Committee was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan to proffer solutions to Boko Haram insurgence within three months. It was mandated to develop a framework for granting amnesty to the sect, set up a framework through which disarmament could take place within a 60-day time frame and develop a comprehensive victims’ support programme and mechanism to address the underlying causes of insurgencies that will help to prevent future occurrences.

    Lacklustre performance

    Against the backdrop of the committee’s terms of reference, Nigerians are not impressed with its performance. A legal practitioner, Ibrahim Idris, said the inconsistency and insincerity of the Federal Government has manifested in the lacklustre performance of the amnesty committee.

    Idris noted that, initially, President Jonathan perceived the members of the Boko Haram group as ghosts and ruled out any dialogue with faceless people. Later, the Federal Government made a u-turn, saying it would dialogue with the sect leaders. “Less than a month after the committee was set up, the Federal Government proscribed the Boko Haram sect. Now that the Boko Haram sect has been outlawed, is amnesty committee still relevant? The answer is no. How do you negotiate peace or ask those you have engaged in military action to come to a roundtable conference for peace talk? It is not possible. The military in their operations keep killing the insurgents and innocent people on daily basis and you still want them to come out so that you will round them up. Boko Haram members are not fools.

    “The committee is a distraction. It’s of no use. Since its establishment four months ago, what has it achieved? Has the committee ever dialogue with the real leaders of the Boko Haram group? How many times have they visited Borno and Yobe states; these are places, which are considered as the haven of the sect, to seek audience with their leaders? However, the committee finds it convenient to stay in Abuja writing reports that are lacking in credibility,” he said.

    Idris also pointed out that the victims of the massive killings by the sect have not been rehabilitated.

    An Urban Planning Consultant, Abubakar Usman, said the Federal Government has failed to convince Nigerians that it has the capacity to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency. He said: “The fact that the situation got to a stage where amnesty has been combined with full military operations shows that the government has failed. He said the government ought to have crushed “But, here we are still talking of amnesty because incompetence has brought us here. Why should government include politicians that are most likely to hide the truth, if we are really interested in dealing with the insurgency? What is the big deal in having someone who has interfaced with the insurgent group as a member of the committee, if the Federal government is really sincere in pursuing peace?

    “The government needs to understand that the issue at hand is beyond politics and must, therefore, not use it as an avenue to reward political loyalists. The entire situation may not have gotten this bad, if government had not played politics with it when it first surfaced. Government should engage the right people, who can muster the courage to mediate between it and the sect and stay away from playing politics with the issue,” he advised.

    Road map for peace

    Civil rights activist Mallam Shehu Sani said the insurgency can be resolved, if the government embrace the right method. He advised the government to dust the report he submitted to former President Obasanjo and that of Dr Datti Ahmed, which was facilitated by a journalist, Ahmed Serkida.

    Sani added: “The road map for peace is first and foremost, to get mediators that are acceptable to the Boko Haram sect and recognised by the government. The Dialogue Committee, if recognised by the government and not accepted by the Boko Haram sect, as it is now, will fail. But when you have a mediating body, which has the stamp of approval from both sides, both sides will listen”.

    Sani stressed that both sides should agree on a ceasefire. Such a ceasefire should be announced by sect and not the government, because all the ceasefires that we have heard were announced by the government and dismissed by the Boko Haram sect.

    Sani and Ahmed were appointed members of the amnesty committee by the government, but the duo declined to serve because, according to them, they were not consulted. Ahmed explained further that his decision was based on his past experience in dealing with the government on the security issue. “First, the government reneged on its agreement to grant the two conditions the Boko Haram sect demanded for a successful dialogue to take place, thus displaying its insincerity. Secondly, the report of the committee may be filled with lies, considering the fact that the chairman and secretary are serving minister and civil servant respectively, who will feel obligated to tell the government what it wants to hear”.

    Many have also complained about the approach adopted by the committee. For example, a major stakeholder in the dialogue process, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has alleged that the committee did not seek any input or even contact the group, until it was about to round off its activities. CAN President Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor made the claim when members of the committee visited him. He said the report of the committee would not be acceptable to the Christian body.

    Idris has other grievances. He said that, despite the fact that the committe has not shown enough capacity, its mandate was extended by two months, effective from July 24. He said the extension was unnecessary because it will not make any difference in the performance of the committee.

    According to him, the committee has failed to come up with a frame work on disarmament, adding that violent attacks have persisted. “If the committee could not persuade the insurgents to surrender arms, five months after its inauguration, there was no guarantee that it will achieve this feat in less than one month”, he said.

  • Why I’m critical of govt, by Fasuan

    Why I’m critical of govt, by Fasuan

    Former Federal Commissioner, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Chief Deji Fasuan has shed light on why he is critical of the government.

    Fasuan, who turns 82 today, told newsmen in Afao-Ekiti, Ekiti State, that many public officers have not lived up to expectation.

    “It is shameful some people conceive my position like that. However, I must admit that they are entitled to hold their views. But, tell me, what should we clap for in Nigeria today? Is it the lack of power supply or the perennial transportation problems? Is it the graduate unemployment, is it the insecurity situation, is it the lack of integrity in governance? Look, I have not received my federal pension for two years simply because some civil servants pinched my money and those of others. Corruption has simply pushed the country to a fiasco and they want us all to keep silence? I have a determination never to refrain from telling the truth all of my life”, he said.

    Fasuan disagreed with people who hold the view that foreign media, both print and broadcast, have been unfair to Nigeria. He argued that the federal government has no ground to begrudge the international media for reporting events and developments as they unfold in the country.

    The one-time Permanent Secretary in the old Ondo State described the manner of reports as factual, accurate and fair. Said he: “The so-called negative reports are factual, accurate and fair reports of worrisome developments, which daily assail the world from the country. It really depends upon what you call negative. If foreign media say what they see, and you call that negative, that is another manifestation of our penchant for corruption.

    “I have not read or listened to any negative reports about Nigeria in the foreign stations. What they call negative reports are the actual events in Nigeria. Does the federal government expect them (the foreign stations) to make it positive by lying that those occurrences happen the other way or did not happen at all?

    “Unlike some of our own media in the country, they (these stations) don’t have party leanings to white watch some of the untoward developments or coal tar others, they tell the stories as they are. If anyone does not like that, it is unfortunate”, Fasuan said.

    Fasuan disagreed with those calling on the younger generation to take over the reins of governance. Thee octogenarian said: “There is no existing experience to justify such advocacy. The new are as corrupt as the old. It is a funny and half hearted proposal. Just yesterday, I watched the hearings in the American Senate, in respect of President Barack Obama’s proposal for military intervention in Syria. He wanted Congressional clearance and backing for such intervention, following reported use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in troubled Syria. The quality of debate, the age of the senators, their experience and patriotism made me marvel and then wonder, if we can claim enlightenment in governance at all.

    “Come and hear the senators speak according to their beliefs, not a matter of being members of the President’s party or not. I was glued to the TV for a whole hour, hearing what the US senators, US Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State, advanced as their positions.

    “In their discussions and arguments, you will observe pure patriotism. What do we have here in Nigeria? Most members of the National Assembly are inexperienced and they often promote sectional interests as though they represent the general. They had money to buy their way through into the parliament. Their arguments are ever tilted towards ethnic, religious, sectional interests. Never dispassionate, never sincere and are never fair and firm.

    “The advocacy that the so-called youth should run the affairs of Nigeria is not new. The youths have always been in charge. If you tell me the old people are corrupt, I would answer by saying that most of the present generation is rotten and self seeking,” Fasuan said.

  • ‘APC will liberate Nigerians’

    ‘APC will liberate Nigerians’

    House of Representatives member Hon. Abimbola Daramola from Ekiti State spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU and ADEKUNLE YUSUF in Lagos on the controversy surrounding salaries and allowances of lawmakers, the anti- corruption war and prospects of the All progressives Congress (APC).

    How did you receive the news of the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC)?

    It was with excitement. The type that every woman has after carrying her pregnancy up to the point of delivery and when the baby comes out and the mother hears the sound and cry of the new baby. That was the kind of feeling I have. But, immediately, like all the new mothers always feel, I see it as a sign of responsibility.

    I know that responsible parents are also mindful of the kind of schools they want their children to attend; they want to ensure that the kid grows up well and is prepared to face the uncertainties of the future. That exactly is my mindset when APC was eventually registered.

    What are the challenges facing the new party in your state as well as other states now?

    Don’t forget, unless we want to be unrealistic with ourselves, there will always be local realities. Therefore, there is the need to contextualize. If for instance, you have APC in Yobe, you will expect most naturally that the weight that APC will pull in Yobe may not be as a result of what a party like ACN could bring into the card; you will expect that the guys from CPC who have been there (are responsible for the feat).

    For instance, ACN used to have six states, and then we have come together with CPC coming with one or three states with ANPP. So you will expect that we will reflect the environment that has produced 80 legislators in the southwest; it will be very difficult for us to discount that. All we are trying to do now is the amalgamation of people with multilateral strengths so that they can overcome multilateral challenges and conquer.

    When I was in the business school, one of things we were taught is SWOT analysis. S stands for strength, W for weakness, O for opportunities, T for threats and so you can apply that to our present reality today. You need SWOT analysis, for instance, when you want to come out with a new product and you are thinking of penetrating the market; SWOT analysis will help you to determine the penetration strategies that you want to use. Whether you should go by way of packaging; maybe that is your strength to overcome the weaknesses that already exist and be able to capture the opportunities to annul the threats that already exist in that market.

    We know that things are not working as we all expect; we know that we are not getting the best from the endowments of God over this nation; everybody knows it across and regardless of parties.

    And I dare say, that the opportunities are there, and the greatest opportunity we will be talking about will be the opportunity for people to merge the God-given endowments over this country with strength and be able to conquer the weakness and threats of corruption, the threats and weaknesses of social and moral decay.

    Decay, like in which sector?

    For instance the decay in the education sector, where the students are more at home than they are in school, hospitals don’t have drugs, Lagos-Ibadan express way will take another five years for it to be fixed and all of those things. People can now see, for instance, and I am proud to say with due respect, that the ACN, now APC governors have showed an increasing understanding of the fact that power belongs to people and the ultimate essence of power is the power that affects positively; we are seeing it everywhere. If we harness this together and root it in the ideology that has bred APC, that may just be drug to cure the ills and the malice of this country as at today.

    The opinion of those in government is that it is populated by those who lost out in the power game in PDP.How do you feel whe you hear make statements like this?

    It is a very puerile argument by the Presidency. Paul was formerly Saul; Saul was on his way to Damascus and he had an encounter with God. Of course, his mission was to go and persecute Christians; he was on a mission to further persecute Christians. He heard that voice and God told him “I am the one that you persecute on the road to Damascus.” But guess what happened? Saul met his salvation in the process of going to persecute the people of God. Then, he had that encounter and there was a turnaround and Saul became Paul; it is recorded in the Bible that he became the greatest preacher that the people of those times felt. He became one of the most courageous apostles and one of the greatest evangelists of all times.

    You can imagine and take a look at where he was coming from. Imagine when an armed robber becomes a Christian. The way he will preach the gospel, so, you may liken that to the scenario that we find ourselves today. Unless we want to deceive ourselves, a woman who is pregnant,does not have to wait for the ninth month before she knows that she is pregnant. So, the guys who are nailing this country to the cross know themselves. Don’t mind the sound bites that they give to Nigerians for comfort; don’t mind all those things that they say, so that they can appeal to the people.

    The truth of the matter is that everybody knows that Nigeria is at the tentacles. I am not a doomsday preacher, but I know when a country is working. Now, there is a global challenge and a global requirement and global demand for qualitative and purposeful leadership.

    How would you assess what is happening in Nigeria today?

    We should be able to tell if things are working, but it doesn’t appear that things are working. I must say this, there is a point in time that we have to start embarking on stocktaking as a nation and the time is now. It is even late; we should have done this many years ago, because development is not waiting for anybody.

    A friend of mine, Victor Ogene of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), moved a motion trying to reconcile the parity of entry-point scores into Federal Government Colleges (unity schools). In the north, or in some states in this country, what you need to get into those schools is four out 200 marks. In the Southwest here, you have to score well. Before my brother’s child could get into Queen’s College, she scored almost 180 marks.

    In the same country, some are being admitted with just scoring four out of 200. Is that a country that is working? Is that a signature tune of a nation that is working? It is a serious mater! So, when I tell you that we are sitting on tentacles or on a tinderbox, I sure know what I am saying. Unfortunately, we live in lies and deceive ourselves here.

    But your party is said to be lacking in presidential material?

    What is important at this point in time is not who will become the presidential candidate; when we get a systemic assembly, an assembly done out of a systemic ideology, when we have that in place and for people to have laid down their guards, they will be glad enough that anybody who emerges out of that process will most naturally be the one that may take us out of the wood. We are two years away from the election anyway, and there is so much work to be done. But Nigeria is not there yet, we are still in Egypt. It is about time we take a collective walk. When God even gave the direction, because God has given the direction by APC, it is time for the people of Israel, the modern day Israelites, that is Nigerians, to come together and allow the will of God for this country. The will of God for this country is to have a country that works; the perfect will of God for Nigeria is to have a country where everything works.

    How do you react to the allegation of overbloated allowances and salaries, that all this constitute a huge burden on governance in Nigeria.

    I believe very strongly that the cost of governance can be reduced. What you would have succeeded in doing is to reduce the cost of governance and have more money to deploy to good works. However, we have also discovered that when money has been saved in this country, you never get to see what it is used for. All the monies recovered from Abacha, Swiss bank, nobody knows where they ended up until today. It took the House of Representatives to move a motion and invite EFCC and ICPC to come and account for that. But when you say the National Assembly as an arm of government has also been one of the sources of conduit pipes and sources of leakage in the system, I am going to ask you to please take your time to sit back and ask yourself if that is true. Again, was Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that said the National Assembly takes a third of the Nigeria’s budget right? In the past six years that I know, the budget of the National Assembly has always been N150 billion per year for both House Representatives and the Senate.

    Does this amount include the allowances?

    Yes. I dare say when people call me honorable, I say in my mind vulnerable. Because virtually everybody that sees you feels you have now joined the class of the newly arrived. But that is not true. Senator Ojudu on his Facebook page the other day said if a senator earns N5 million per day, he will still be broke. Number one, the N150 billion can never be one third of the nation’s N4.9 trillion budget. The N150 billion is to maintain 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members, and about 3,500 Nigerians who report to work in the National Assembly as staff and legislative aides because every legislator has five aids that also get paid out of the N150 billion.

  • ‘PDP can’t recover from crisis’

    Niger State ALL Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Mr

    Yusuf Lawal has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may not recover from its crisis. He said the split in the party has marked the downfall of the acclaimed largest party in Africa.

    The politician attributed the factionalisation of the PDP to its violation of due process and rule of law, stressing that its leadership has been swimming in the pool of legitimacy crisis.

    Lawal, a lawyer, spoke in Kotangora on the political situation in the country. He noted that the ruling party has inflicted pains on the people in the last 14 years, adding that the governments it produced had failed the nation.

    The politician advised President Goodluck Jonathan to embrace the reality that his second term bid will hit the rock because he will not have a formidable platform to lean upon in 2015.

    He said: “President Jonathan should forget about 2015. He should heed the advice of “The Patriots” that he should not recontest. He should be ready to be a statesman as from 2015”.

    Lawal urged the APC leaders to sustain the tempo of the party’s popularity and aspire to succeed where the PDP has failed. He said the people of Niger State are now gravitating towards the APC, following a critical apparaisal of the political situation in the state and country

    He called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to conduct a more credible electionin 2015.

    Lawal said: “The PDP is factionalised. It will not win in 2015. APC is growing in leaps and bounds in Niger State. The progressives ideas are being propagated daily. We are ready for change in 2015. I call on Nigerians to do away with the PDP in the next general elections.”