The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Ekweremadu’s guber ambition causes stir in Enugu

    Ekweremadu’s guber ambition causes stir in Enugu

    Will the alleged zoning formula in Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) be maintained in 2015? This is the root of anxiety over an alleged plot to jettison the agreement, Remi Adelowo reports

     

    About two weeks ago, Enugu residents noticed some posters announcing fresh electoral ambition of the Deputy Senate President,  Ike Ekweremadu.

    Curiously, the posters, located at strategic locations in the metropolis, did not specify the position Ekweremadu would be contesting for in 2015. The only message on it reads, “Ekweremadu, our dream for 2015.”

    This seemingly dumb poster has, however, caused a stir among the common people and political stakeholders.

    Swiftly, his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, dismissed the posters, describing the development “as the handiwork of opposition elements trying to cause confusion in the polity.” Speaking further, Anichukwu recalled the several attempts to drag his boss into a personality clash with the state governor, Sillivan Chime, in 2011.

    Unconfirmed reports had alleged then that Ekweremadu felt slighted over how his loyalists were removed from the state executive council shortly after Chime was re-elected in 2011.

    But in spite of this denial, the state polity in the last few weeks has been awash with stories of Ekweremadu’s alleged intention to contest the 2015 governorship election. Not a few people in the state readily point to his purported ownership of a popular radio station, which sources alleged the senator established to promote his governorship ambition.

    Mention is also being made of his numerous philanthropic gestures, including a scholarship programme and his political structures in almost every ward in the state.

    The Nation gathered that presently, fears have gripped some governorship aspirants in the PDP over Ekweremadu’s alleged ambition. The argument is that if Ekweremadu throws his hat into the ring, he will surely be the man to beat in the PDP primaries.

    By a combination of fortuitous circumstances and a well planned strategy, the Deputy Senate President is believed to be well prepared for the exalted seat. A trained lawyer from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ekweremadu was elected Chairman, Aninri Local Government in 1997. In 1999, he was appointed the Chief of Staff to the then newly-elected governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani.

    Two years later, he was appointed as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and in 2003 he was elected as senator to represent Enugu West at the National Assembly. In 2007, he became the Deputy Senate President, a position he holds till date.

    With many political stakeholders in the South East state still pondering over the rationale behind the senator’s alleged bid for the governorship seat, which they consider lesser in status, a fresh debate has ensued over an alleged plot to truncate the unwritten zoning formula in the state.

    The power rotation has seen Chimaroke Nnamani from Enugu East being elected as governor in 1999 and the election of the incumbent governor, who hails from Enugu West, in 2007. The expectation before now was that the Enugu North senatorial zone (Nsukka) will take its turn in 2015, but sources have alleged that this unwritten political pact may be breached for the next general elections.

    If Ekweremadu contests for the governorship as it is being speculated, the implication is that Enugu West, where he and the incumbent governor hail from, would have spent an uninterrupted 12years at the Lion Building Government House by 2019.

    For Chime, who has also been in government since 1999, The Nation gathered that like most second term governors, he will be moving to the senate in 2015 to represent Enugu West, the same seat Ekweremadu currently occupies.

    Prior to his election as governor, Chime first served as ex-Governor Nnamani’s Special Adviser on Legal Matters and thereafter appointed as the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General.

    Among leading political gladiators in the state, it is feared that there is an understanding between the governor and the senator, which may compel the former to renege on his alleged promise to help the Nsukka zone realise its governorship dream in 2015.

    Ekweremadu’s denial to contest the governorship election in 2015 notwithstanding, leaders of thought in Enugu North, sources disclosed, are not taking anything for granted.

    In a strongly worded press statement issued recently, the leaders, who include Chief Mike Ojike, Chief Maximus Ukuta, Major Gen. Godwin Ugwoke (rtd), Prof. Damian Opata, Dr. Chuka Ezema, Sir Albert Nnamani and Chief Emmanuel Alachi, frowned at the alleged surreptitious plan to ‘deny Enugu North of its rights.’

    Excerpts of the statement read, “May we, therefore, remind the faceless groups behind this devilry even at the risk of over flogging what is common knowledge in Enugu State politics, that the state is made up of old Enugu and Nsukka zones. The governorship seat has been in old Enugu zone since 1999 and by 2015, it would have been 16 years in that zone.

    “Nsukka cultural zone, which is 52 percent of the voting population in the state, has been held down for the two senatorial zones of old Enugu zone to have their turn of eight years each consecutively as governor of Enugu State.”

    Though the agitation from the Nsukka zone to produce the governor in 2015 has become vociferous in recent times, sources told The Nation that agreeing on a consensus candidate could be a major challenge for the zone, with many aspirants from the area alleged to be oiling their political machinery in their bid to succeed Chime in 2015.

    Touted as possible candidates from Nsukka include the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, who was quoted recently to have said it would be unfair to deny the zone of the governorship seat when Chime’s tenure lapses.

    Others being mentioned are Chief Ayogu Eze, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works; the state PDP chairman, Mr. Vita Abba and boss of the State Housing Corporation, Ikeji Asogwa.

    Until Ekweremadu’s alleged governorship became public knowledge, Eze was reported to be the leading aspirant, with the resources and the clout to prosecute a governorship campaign.

    Like most of the leading appointed and elected public officials at the state and federal levels, Eze also hit public limelight during the administration of Nnamani during which he served as a commissioner. He was elected as senator in 2007.

  • David Mark at 65: Still marching  on

    David Mark at 65: Still marching  on

    Perhaps George Bernard Shaw was right when he wrote about life to wit; “this is true joy in life; the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy . I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me . It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations”.

    George did not have Nigerian Senate President, David Mark, in mind when he made the above observation about life, but x-raying the life of service, sacrifice and commitment to the ideals of nation hood of the latter, he unarguably fits into the description . For David Mark, life represents  the totality of the value he has been able to add to his family, his community, and  the nation at large.It is in living life to the fullest, not for the sole benefit of the self but to the larger advantage of the many.

    On April 8, 2013, Senator Mark will reach the milestone of 65 years on earth. He would have reached the rank of statesman per excellence.

    Born in the nondescript and sleepy village of  Akpegede in Local Government Area of Benue State in the 1948, Mark seems to have been destined for the top. After completing his primary school at St. Francis Catholic Practicing School, Otukpo, Mark proceeded to the prestigious Nigerian Military School, Zaria, where he laid the foundation for what turned out to become an eventful and indeed accomplished career in the military.  After graduation from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Zaria, Mark’s professional skills in the military were further sharpened in some of the most elite military training institutes in Europe, Asia and America. What began as a childhood fancy to appear in crisp military camouflages turned out to become a fulfilling career where Mark’s leadership credentials stood as an invaluable asset to all formations that he had the privilege to serve, not the least of which was as Military governor of Niger state and later, Communications Minister.

    But whatever exploits Mark achieved during his sojourn in the military pales to insignificance compared to his remarkable stewardship on the political turf. Agreed, battles fought in military combat can be ferocious and deadly. Yet they appear simpler when compared to political battles. In the former, the battle lines are fairly clear and the enemy is more often than not, known. For the latter, the enemy is more often than not, the seemingly innocent neighbour next door, the apparent political ally or the ubiquitous godfather. Here there are no battle lines, no clear enemies and the theatres of war are so fluid as to be indistinguishable. It goes without saying therefore that political battles are more difficult to prosecute, and far less easy to win. It is against this backdrop that we can safely say that winning political wars demands much more than brawns and the quality and quantity of the arsenal in the armory.  It demands a lot of political savvy, prime amongst which is the ability to command followership. And this is where David Mark’s leadership credentials have buffeted the grand posturing of his political opponents and traducers.

    When Mark, on the return of democracy in 1999 decided to try his hand in partisan politics, many looked upon him as just another ex-military man seeking to satisfy yet another craving for power and relevance. But as we would suddenly realise, here was a man whose heart was out there with the people, the common men and women in the streets. Mark had no illusions about the toughness of the task he was about to undertake, but his eyes were trained on the objective-to first win the people’s hearts, then votes; which comes with a huge opportunity and privilege to represent his Benue  South Senatorial District in the senate. This, again for Mark was just a means to an end-the opportunity to serve and add value to the lives of his constituents.

    The rest, as the old saying goes, is now history. Mark contested the election and won a seat to the senate in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Expectedly and characteristics of politics in our clime, virtually  the elections were acrimonious, bitterly fought and won, to state it mildly. To be sure, they were those who felt that going into the senate, or any political office for that matter was “a turn-by-turn” arrangement, where people “will come and chop”, as we say in local parlance in this part of the world, and give way for others. That is why even when his opponents were trounced resoundingly at the polls, they thought victory and the peoples’ mandate could be secured through the back door- the law courts.

    But Mark had a dream, a vision and mission in the National Assembly- to redefine the parameters of leadership where service to the people is the cornerstone. It is this new vision of leadership that Mark espoused in his first two terms in the senate, ‘marking’ him out as one of the most outstanding lawmakers of the 4th and 5th senate. It therefore left little to the imagination, when in 2007; Mark contested and received the overwhelming mandate of his colleagues to lead the senate as its president in an open, transparent and democratic process. That election was significant in several respects, not least of which was the rebirth of true democracy in the senate.

    That was the first time in a long while that the leadership of either House of the national legislature emerged through a democratic process. There is the tendency to miss the huge significance of that epochal event, but it bears mentioning that the sanity, stability and the now entrenched democratic culture prevailing in the senate today is a direct result of that seemingly innocuous democratic exercise. And we must never miss the point, again that David Mark was, and remains the symbol of that transformation. If our memory does not fail us, we would recall the chicanery that was the hallmark of legislative practices and procedures pre-David Mark’s ascendancy to the leadership of the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. It therefore speaks loudly to the astute leadership qualities of the senate president that the several hurricanes and tsunamis that use to sweep with profound regularity in the upper chamber, and had brought to a premature end to the vaunting proclivities of many a senate president have become a welcome bygone since Mark assumed office in 2007.

    As senate president, David Mark has always pursued the pan-Nigeria agenda. The senate under his leadership has earned a reputation for itself for standing up for the ordinary citizen on the street through the passage of laws and motions that aim to improve the material condition of their existence and stabilize the polity. In this wise, two critical interventions of the senate at a time of grave national peril bear some mentioning- the  invocation of the Doctrine of Necessity in the wee hours of the late Yar’Adua presidency to rescue Nigeria from the abyss and the mediatory role it played during the conflagration spurned by the fuel subsidy removal earlier in 2011. In a country so used to holding the national legislature to blame for all manner of ills plaguing the nation, the role of the Senate in the situations under reference was not only a welcome and most desirable breathe of fresh air, but more poignantly gave strong indication that we are not doomed after all. No one can quite reasonably argue that the resolution of those epochal crises were a mere happenstance. To the contrary, the strong leadership provided by the senate president during those trying periods played more than significant role in the final outcome of those events.

    As Mark turns 65 today, our only hope and prayer is that the Almighty God continues to endow him with the needed strength and wisdom to carry to logical conclusion at the end of his term, the radical transformation and evolution that the 6th and 7th senate has come to witness under him. Needless to add that all the accolades and recognitions that are daily being bestowed on the president of the senate are well deserved. But more poignantly, there are a call to  spur him  for  further dedication and selfless service to our  fatherland in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

    * Paul is a media aide to the Senate President, David Mark

  • Troubled APGA goes in search of peace

    Troubled APGA goes in search of peace

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, examines the ongoing peace efforts in All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and reports

     Following months of severe internal wrangling among its leaders, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) is making frantic efforts towards mending its fences, a development many say might have been informed by the forthcoming 2015 general elections.

    Sources say some chieftains of the party who met recently at the Enugu residence of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, agreed to pursue the path of peace, as well as reorganise the party ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    These decisions, which came after about seven years of crises which started following the expulsion of Chief Chekwas Okorie, APGA’s founding national chairman, from the party by a faction led by Chief Victor Umeh, the then party’s national treasurer, are aimed at rebranding the party ahead of the general elections.

    Following Okorie’s exit, Umeh had emerged as the party’s national chairman after the national convention of the party, which was held in 2005.

    The confusion within the party continued until February 8, 2013 when the entire National Working Committee, NWC of the party, led by Umeh, was sacked by an Enugu State High Court, presided over by the state Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike.

    The court declared the February 10, 2011 election and the party’s national convention that produced the Umeh-led National Executive Committee as “unconstitutional, null and void” just as it restrained Umeh from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party henceforth.

    Consequently, on February 17, 2013, at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State led the National Caucus meeting of APGA to appoint Mr. Maxi Okwu as its new Acting Chairman and Alhaji Sanni Shinkafi as Acting National Secretary.

    Okwu until his appointment was the National Chairman of Citizens Popular Party, CPP, while Alhaji Shinkafi was the National Secretary of APGA faction, led by Chief Victor Umeh. The party also appointed the former Minister of Health, Dr. Tim Menakaya, as its Acting Chairman, Board of Trustees, (BoT)

    Sources say the governor is solidly behind the reconciliation move. He is of the opinion that all aggrieved members of the party should be approached. He wants the party to be repositioned ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    To flag off its reconciliation project, the national leadership of the party recently paid a historic visit to its founding National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie. The APGA delegation, led by its interim national chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu, said the aim of the visit was to apologize to him over the injustice he suffered, which eventually led to his removal as the party’s national chairman.

    Full of emotion, Okorie said he was glad that his vindication was coming while he was still alive. He said despite the spirited efforts he made to effect reconciliation, those who were working against him never gave peace a chance.

    Party sources say the visit to Okorie is just one of many of such visits liened up by the leadership.

    “It is not only Okorie that will be visited. Quite a number of angry party chieftains will play host to our leaders in the following weeks. It is all part of our effort to bring back the real owners of the party.

    “The bottom line however is that we are not talking about factions here. Let me tell you that even Umeh and Massalla will be approached for reconciliation. They are part of the real owners of APGA. Just like Okorie, we want them in one united APGA.

    Tim Menakaya, the only surviving member of the party’s original board of trustee, BOT, who is now the board’s chairman, is very optimistic that the reconciliation effort of the Okwu-led NWC will yield positive fruits.

    “Have you ever been so pessimistic that the problems you have cannot be overcome? It borders on one single thing, as soon as the party is well organised and all the functionaries are in place, the crisis will be over and we will move on. For me, I am optimistic that we can achieve peace,” he said.

    While leaders of the party are exuding confidence in the ongoing peace process, observers of the politics of APGA are cautious about predicting the eventual outcome of the process.

    “Apologies alone will not eliminate grievances, and the roads ahead will be neither short nor smooth for a party like APGA that spent the last seven years on infighting and litigations. Justice must be done and be seen to be done if APGA is not to fumble this chance for peace,” Itchie Goddy Nwosu, a chieftain of the party in Anambra said.

  • ‘Jonathan should reshuffle cabinet’

    ‘Jonathan should reshuffle cabinet’

    The Executive Secretary of the  National Summit Group, Mr Tony Uranta, spoke with with EMMANUEL OLADESU on the recent controversial state pardon, national security and other issues.

    What is your reaction to the recent jailing of Henry Okah by a South African court?

    Considering the antecedents and struggles of MEND and other Niger Delta activists and agitators, it is reasonable to say he is a factor in MEND. It’s on record that he was the first person to receive amnesty from the government. I find this interesting because I now hear recurring statements that he never accepted amnesty. I know that his acceptance of amnesty was a precondition to his being released. However, as an individual, he may have decided to rescind his decision at that time.

    It is undisputable that Henry Okah was playing a major role, whether intellectual, arms or otherwise in the struggle of the Niger Delta for emancipation, justice and resource control. There was any bombing on October 1, 2010. Up till this moment, I don’t know who carried out the bombing.

    If Tompolo, Boyloaf, Chief Ateke Tom, Farah Dagogo, Egberipapa, General Africa and all of the grand commanders of MEND came out to declare they were not involved, we know that truly, for a fact, that was not a MEND action. However, a court in Nigeria has proclaimed guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment a nice young man called Ebiware and Charles Okah is still waiting his days in court and they are being charged as accomplices to Henry Okah. Many have asked why was Henry Okah tried in South Africa? I would like us to cast our mind back to when the son of Mrs. Margret Thatcher was accused of plotting coup against Equitorial Guinea from South Africa.

    He was tried and convicted in South Africa. In fact, at the end of the day, he was pardoned in South Africa. It therefore, showed that there have been precedents for South Africa as a sovereign state to decide whom it will try, over what issues and how it will go about it. I am happy that Thatcher’s son was pardoned and released in the end. Maybe Henry Okah would be pardoned and released by South Africa in the end.

    Did you say he was not the leader of MEND?

    He so claimed. He claimd he was not involved with MEND. I am not therefore, going to say he was or not with MEND. But we all know the facts.

    What is your reaction to the presidential pardon granted to former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alaimeyesigha?

    I am a human being who has fought for justice all my life. I do not believe that what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. If President Obasanjo, for example, could pardon Salisu Buhari, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives in this Fourth Republic, hours after he was convicted of a crime of forgery, altering and deception, even without recourse to the National Council of State, I find it difficult to understand why President Jonathan, in concert with the National Council of State, considered it wise in their opinion to grant pardon to that vast gamut of people, it should not generate the level of criticisms it has. I agreed that we must show ourselves and the world that we are fighting against corruption. But how come we forgot about Halliburton and Siemens? What gives America the moral platform to condemn Nigeria? Alamiesighega served his term; he is virtually financially destitute at the moment and yet, he has been so keenly involved in maintaining peace and stability in the Niger Delta, right from the day he was released. People don’t appreciate that anymore, Like Prof. Wole Soyinka said, we have selective amnesia.

    Would you encourage President Goodluck Jonathan to reshuffle his cabinet?

    Good governance comes with a resolve to be transparent, accountable and to be responsive to the wishes of the people. To that extent, the government of this country has set in place a system of anti-corruption trying to bolster the ICPC and the EFCC. although I do not know what Lamorde is doing there. But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has tried to create a level of transparency with NEITI and other instruments available to her office as the Coordinating Minister of the Economy. However, there are many too many deadwoods in the government of President Jonathan. I don’t know what Prof. Gbenga Ashiru is doing in that government. I do not see anything new about our foreign policy. I do not see it as being dynamic or in anyways representative of the interest of Nigerians. For example, we are in Mali, we would lose people and spend billions. At the end of the day, I do not see how he has tied this thing with post-conflict economic gains. I do not see how he has pushed for Nigeria to have economic gains in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other frontline states we have supported in the past. You don’t know who the Special Adviser MDG is. When Amina Ibrahim was in that office, we saw her, held her and felt her. Everybody knew that she was President’s adviser on MDG, one of the most important agencies this country has. I have been told she is an Ijaw sister. Who is she and what was her background? Even, if she was the most brilliant person in the past, what has she done so far to justify her being put in the position? Mrs Ama Pepple is overdue for retirement. You don’t put her there to fulfill a quota. She is not representing anybody; not Rivers State, not Ijaws or Niger Delta. So, why leave her there? The Minister of Niger Delta, you will notice that I am concentrating mainly on my brethren in the region. I have call for his removal, but let us say to his favor that sometimes, when you place fire under a man, he leaps up. He is making moves to redeem himself now. The East-West road seems to be progressing faster in the last past four months than it has progressed in the last four years. Even though many of us have warned, especially with the flood that is coming again to Nigeria, that the East-West road is not well designed. You cannot say that it will not be washed away by the flood. It should be a bridge like the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. So, there can be a lot of motion without movement, but I still say it is to his credit that Godsday Orubebe is beginning to react positively to criticism. I had asked for the removal of Allison Madueke because her ministry seems to be involved in the imbroligio of corruption, accusations and controversies at different levels. She did not seem to care what we think and that cannot represent the administration of Goodluck Jonathan, which is for transformation. We must remember that when you are the President, you are in Aso Villa. You are cocooned from the world, except through what your ministers and advisers tell you. Remember on the death of Sani Abacha, his wife, Maryam, cried inconsolably because she said she did not believe that Nigerians hated her husband to that extent because it was contrary to the information herself and her husband had been receiving constantly from their adviser’s feedback. It is so easy to mislead a man at the top, if you don’t do your work properly or you don’t make sure that you stick to truth and facts when reporting back the dynamics and realities of the nation to him. For Goodluck Jonathan, whether he is going to run in 2015 is not my issue, but let us survise 2013.

  • Can power shift to Ekiti South?

    Can power shift to Ekiti South?

    When Ekiti State was created in 1996, the people of the 120 towns and villages believed that it was one political zone. In

    1999, zoning was not at play when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD) selected their governorship candidates; Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo. The idea of zoning came when the state was divided into three senatorial districts for the purpose of senatorial elections. It was a product of political expediency.

    Adeniran, a retired university don, is from Ekiti North District. Adebayo, who won the poll, hails from Ekiti Central. In 2003, AD was dislodged from power by the PDP. But Ayo Fayose, who succeeded Adebayo, is also from Ekiti Central. In the Third Republic, when Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) defeated Chief Ayo Ogunlade of the National Republican Convention (NRC) during the governorship election, where the two candidates came from in Ekitiland was a non-issue. Olumilua is from Ekiti South and Ogunlade hails from Ekiti North.

    In 2007, there was a controversial governorship election won by PDP’s Segun Oni, an engineer from Ekiti North. When the stolen mandate was restored, the legitimate winner, Dr. Kayode Fayemi from Ekiti North, assumed the reins in 2010. Remarkably, those who competed with Fayemi at the Action Congress (AC) primaries were from the three districts. They included Otunba Ayo Arise (Ekiti North), Prince Dayo Adeyeye (Ekiti South), Hon. Adeyanju (Ekiti Central), Basorun Joseph Odetola (Ekiti North), and Dare Babarinsa (Ekiti Central).

    Why is zoning gradually gaining prominence in Ekiti State? Party insiders described the clamour for power shift based on zoning as one of the political gimmicks by certain politicians to gain advantage at the primaries. It is only peculiar to the PDP actors from Ekiti South, who are rationalising their agitations with the explanation that, since the restoration of the civil rile in 1999, Ekiti South has not produced the governor.

    In the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), it is evident that the governor, who has performed well, is qualified for a second term. In fact, the party has endorsed him. But the crisis-ridden PDP has over 15 governorship aspirants across the three districts. They include former Governor Ayo Fayose (Ekiti Central), Senator Ayo Arise (North), Senator Gbenga Aluko (South), Adeyeye (South), Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (Central), Sikiru Lawal (Central), Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi (North), Yinka Akerele (North), Bisi Omoyeni (South), Abiodun Aluko (South), Aribisala (North), and Owolabi (South). The aspirants outside the South do not see any merit in the zoning argument.

    The leading aspirants from the South, Adeyeye and Aluko, are at the vanguard of the power shift to the zone. To analysts, zoning has become a manipulative weapon in Ekiti. A group, the South Agenda, has been posting educative materials on the internet sensitising the people to the need for governorship zoning in the state. The latest statement by the spin doctors reads: “Ekiti Should learn from Ondo State, our neighbour, where no senatorial district is marginalised. Since 1999, the following have been governors there; Adefarati (North), Agagu (South) and Mimiko (Central). The South must produce the next governor of Ekiti for equity, fairness and justice”.

    However, observers point out that, while Akoko/Owo, Ilaje/ ikale, Akure and Ondo people are different sub-ethnic Yoruba groups in Ondo State, the people of Ekiti State speak Ekiti and there is no traditional or cultural difference hindering effective cohabitation and harmony.

    Shortly before the departure of the military, Ekiti leaders only pressed for a civilian leadership based on merit, standard and excellence. Differences among the people of Efon, Ado, Ikere, Ise, Ikole and Oye were imaginary. While there was a gulf between Ekiti and non-Ekiti in old Ondo State, Ekiti became one indivisible zone when it was created by the military. In his congratulatory letter to the Ekiti Obas and leaders, following the creation of the state, former Ondo State Governor Adekunle Ajasin, charged them to ensure that only a rational and progressive leadership capable of providing free education, free health services, employment and rural development should be installed in the interest of the state. Leadership based on zoning was never contemplated.

    Has the Ekiti South been marginalised in the scheme of things in Ekitiland because it has not produced another governor, since Olumilua left power? The distribution of appointments since 1999 shows the district has been given a sense of belonging.

    The Southwest PDP caretaker chairman, Chief Ishola Filani, noted the clamour by the PDP aspirants from the South. He said the agitation for power shift is natural. He also said that it is legal and legitimate. But the party leader quickly added that it is up to the party to make the final decision on how the governorship candidate will emerge. Other chieftains have cautioned against direct pronouncement that may give backing to zoning, pointing out that it may lay a dangerous precedent in the state.

    “This is elimination by manipulation and I doubt if it can work in Ekiti PDP”, said a PDP chieftain from the central, who added: “Party members feel that zoning is strange in Ekiti, especially when it is about the governorship. It is better to allow the best and most popular candidate to emerge in the PDP and that candidate can come from anywhere. He or she can even come from the South”.

    Currently, the state executive committee of the party is from the camp of Fayose, one of the governorship aspirants from the Central District. Recently, when the critics of the former governor raised an eyebrow over his ambition, his supporters cried foul, saying that they did not subscribe to zoning.

    If PDP adopts zoning, two aspirants, Adeyeye and Aluko, will become the beneficiaries. But can either of them defeat the governor?

  • 2015: New political calculations in Kaduna

    2015: New political calculations in Kaduna

    Kaduna State is a strategic state in the North. It is the political capital of the region. In this report, TONY AKOWE examines the actors and factors that will shape the 2015 governorship election in the state.

    Many governorship aspirants are warming up for the 2015 election in Kaduna State. But, according to observers, Governor Mukthar Yero is the candidate to beat.

    The death of his predecessor, Governor Patrick Yakowa, on December 16, last, paved the way for his ascension. The incident also changed the political equation in the Northcentral state.

    When Yero was catapulted to the front seat, the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nuhu Bajoga, became the deputy governor.

    Since last year, political actors in the state have been strategising and repositioning themselves for 2015. The state is strategic to the ruling party and its leaders cannot afford to toil with it.

    Two factors are responsible for the intense preparations for the next elections in the state. The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is waxing stronger and merger arrangement among the major opposition parties in the country is a threat to the ruling PDP.

    Observers believe that 2015 is a litmus test for the parties competing for power in Kaduna State. The PDP, under Yero’s leadership, is threatened by the antagonistic activities of camps and caucuses scrambling for political control. The onus is on the governor to offer effective leadership. It is believed that this can only be possible, if he acts like a father figure and symbol of unity. The governor’s ability to bring the various camps together will determine how far the party can go in future elections.

    These camps revolve around the Vice President, Nnamadi Sambo, the former governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and Suleiman Hukunyi, who was an associate of Makarfi.

    These camps are grassroots groups, which have a lot of influence in their areas. on what happens within their various areas.

    For Yero, the governorship primaries may not be a walk over. One of his challengers is the former Managing Director of Dangote Group, Idris Mikati, who has been nursing the governorship ambition for long.

    Mikati had contested the governorship election on two occasions. The Central Senatorial Zone, which is agitating for power shift, is banking on his candidature.

    However, in death, many believe that Yakowa is still a factor. The former governor had a formidable structure that cannot be ignored. He had rallied his supporters in 2011 to withstand the threats posed by Makarfi and Hunkuyi. However, he reserved a measure of respect for Makarfi, his former boss. His bid for the governorship did not totally cancel his avowed loyalty. It was said that that also nearly pitched him against the Vice President.

    The opposition parties in Kaduna State are now working together. According to close watchers, they may capitalise on the in-fighting in the PDP to spring a surprise.

    Yero, it is believed, belongs to the Sambo camp and owes his position today to the Vice President who brought him to political limelight by appointing him as the Commissioner for Finance when he (Sambo) was the governor.

    The Vice President is trying to fortify his home support and he relies on the governor to consolidate his base. But, according to sources, Yero is threading softly. He is aware that, for him to get the governorship ticket, he would need the backing of other groups.

    But he has the Makarfi group to contend with, considering the belief that the group has a large followership in the Southern part of the state. Southern Kaduna has always voted enmasse for the PDP since 1999, owing to Makarfi’s popularity. Makarfi, who was governor between 1999 and 2007, is one of the most popular politicians in the state with grassroots appeal. Now, Makarfi’s associates are said to be rooting for a House of Representatives member, who is planning to challenge Yero at the primaries.

    Another aspirant to watch is Suleiman Hunkuyi, former Commissioner for Finance in Makarfi Administration. He is a grassroots politician and mobilise. He has contested the governorship elections in the past, but without success.

    However, his major hurdle is that he has not been able to attract the supports of the various camps, although his zone of birth is an added advantage. Hunkuyi hails from the North Senatorial District. The mood of the key players in the state supports power shift to the zone.

    Hunkuyi has experience. He had served as the Director of Campaigns for Makarfi in 1999 before opting to contest the governorship election on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003. He was also the Director of Campaigns for Sambo in 2007. He took up the assignment after losing the ticket to Sambo.

    Makarfi’s last minute support for Yakowa at the PDP shadow poll, sealed Hunkuyi’s hope.

    Political insiders confided that Makarfi may back him for the next election, if Yero is unable to bring the Sambo and Makarfi camps together. If the two politicians can team up, the race will be too hot for the governor, despite the Vice President’s support.

    Another contender is the former Secretary to Government, Samaila Yakawada.He is the adopted son of the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Prof. Ango Abdullahi. Yakawada is a grassroot politician who is closely asociated with the people of Southern Kaduna.

    When Yakowa was alive, he was the defacto deputy governor. He commanded respect in the administration. There were speculations that he was oiling his political machinery to contest the 2015 governorship election, if Yakowa would not run.

    With the death of Yakowa, the coast may be clear. The onus is on him to effectively mobilise the people of Southern Kaduna for his cause.

    There are speculations that Yakawada may defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, he will have to slug it out with other aspirants, if he defects to the party. The disadvantage is that he may be branded a late comer.

    APC has a bright future in Kaduna State. The mega party is a potential threat to the PDP in the state. Currently, only the CPC has a strong presence in the state. It has produced one local government chairman and nine members of the House of Assembly, a Senator and few members of the House of Representatives. The opposition party is popular in the Northern District.

    The same cannot be said of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). But, if the three parties-ACN, CPC and ANPP- come together, they will shake the PDP.

    Observers contend that the mega party will make a headway in the state, if it can penete the southern part and capitalise on the sentiment that a politician from the zone should be elected as governor to complete Yakowa’s term.

    Kaduna is politically divided into the northern and southern zones, but constitutionally, it is made up of three senatorial zones. The South has not relented in its agitation for liberation. The politicians from the zone have always complained about marginalisation.

    The North/South dichotomy will definitely affect the politics of the state in 2015. How Yero and his party, the PDP, are able to manage the dichotomy will determine how far the ruling party can go in Kaduna State in the next elections.

  • Sharpening opposition’s arrow

    Sharpening opposition’s arrow

    Prominent politician Alhaji Lai Mohammed has released a book, ‘Witness to History: Action Congress of Nigeria and the struggle for democracy, liberty and justice’. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the publicist’s account of stewardship as the critical opposition voice and his ultimate contributions to the growth of democracy in post-military period.

     

     

    Former Premier of Western Region and First Republic opposition leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo understood the role of the opposition in democracy. Thus, he also fortified the publicity organs of the two political parties he led; the Action Group (AG) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN); by appointing competent publicists to tackle the ruling parties and canvassed the alternative routes to federal power.

    In the First Republic, AG Publicity Secretaries were the intellectuals and ideologues; the witty Ajibola Ige and Banji Akintoye, who were thorns in the flesh of Balewa and Akintola governments. In the Second Republic, UPN’s spokesman was the brilliant analyst, MCK Ajuluchukwu, the Director of Research and Publicity, whose efforts were complemented by the gifted orator, Ebenezer Babatope. In those days, the opposition was active and alive to its democratic responsibilities.

    In this dispensation, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is building on their records. The challenges are not different. Those presiding over the affairs of the country have nearly liquidated it and the opposition is positioned far from power. Like Awo, who believed in the indispensability of a critical political publicity bureaucracy, the ACN leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, has invested trust in Mohammed as a vital asset in this age of modern propaganda.

    Indisputably, the Igbaja, Kwara State-born lawyer and politician is the shadow minister of information in the country. Since 2005, circumstances have foisted the patriotic responsibility of clinically dissecting the polity ruled by those he had described as “semi-authoritarian” and “semi-oppressive” Presidents who perceived the vibrant opposition parties as adversaries, instead of critical partners in nation-building and development.

    Mohammed has combined the incisive wit and boldness of Bola Ige, the intellectual sagacity of Akintoye and ideological strength of Ajuluchukwu, in the discharge of his onerous responsibility as the opposition spokesman and image builder. The 642-page book, titled: ‘Witness to History: Action Congress of Nigeria and the struggle for democracy, liberty and justice’, which he had just released, is a collection of his media statements, interviews and commentaries on the activities of the government. It was published by a Lagos publishing firm, Maus Media. Although two activist-politicians-Opeyemi Bamidele and Dayo Adeyeye-had played similar roles in the now weakened Alliance for Democracy (AD), Mohammed’s mega publicity mandate in the ACN is a wide departure. It has brought him into collision with top government officials and security personnel.

    Mohammed’s intervention is not devoid of logic. But he has been effectively guided by the core principles which defined his ideological viewpoint as a progressive. Being a lawyer is an added advantage, because the government’s positions and decisions, which promptly elicited his swift reactions and criticisms, often violated the rule of law, equity and justice. In the 14 chapters of the book, Mohammed had decried the inept regime, warning, as Awo did in the days of President Shehu Shagari, that the economy was nose diving and the ship of state was about to hit the rock. He has never closed his eyes to the rising political violence, the scourge of insecurity, the misuse of the federal police and lack of electoral integrity. He has objected to the soaring corruption in the high places, the breach of due process, transparency and good governance, structural defects and constitutional maladies, the dreary presidency and semi-dictatorship of Obasanjo and Yar’adua years. The Publicity Secretary is able to project the feelings and sentiments of the opposition because he is a member of its inner circle.

    Former military Head of State and leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), who wrote the foreword, hailed Mohammed’s intellect, sound judgment and loyalty to principles. “I have come to the conclusion that he is more than a spokesman for his party, more than a quiet and loyal brain box of the ACN and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, but the loudest and consistent voice in the defense of democracy, liberty and social justice under this Fourth Republic”, he said.

    But a more objective assessment of Mohammed’s lucid intervention has come from a chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been the target of the publicity secretary’s arrows, Babatope. He described the author as a lover of truth and justice. He said, although PDP and ACN are foes, he could shy away from acknowledging his competence as “one of the very best practitioners of the political party system in Nigeria today”.

    “I am a fan of Lai Mohammed. His writings, his press releases and political utterances designed to explain the positions of his political party are so brilliantly and intellectually presented that one cannot but love his person and the style of his presentations”, he said. Besides, Babatope observed that the ACN spokesman has established himself in the effective use of information, which his power. “I cannot but fall in love with anyone who knows that the political power and supremacy of any party lies in the ability of that party to give information to the electorate at all times. Despite my being politically opposed to Lai Mohammed’s party, I simply admire him as a modern day political activist whose brilliant usage of publicity has gone a long way in defining the aspirations of the supporters of his political base”, he added.

    Little did Tinubu know that Mohammed would justify the confidence reposed in him when he requested him to take up the responsibility of articulating the opposition standpoints. The former Lagos State governor had asked him to be the facilitator of a meeting of leading politicians in the AD and PDP, an effort that led to the birth of the Movement for the Renewal of Democracy (ARD), and much later to the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), which later became the AC. Mohammed was appointed as the chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee. When AC transformed into the ACN, Mohammed, who had already endowed the position with much visibility, received a vote of confidence to continue on the job.

    The assignment, in Mohammed’s view, is not a tea party. “In speaking the truth to power in Nigeria, on many occasions, we have turned non-issues, which are critical for democracy, liberty and justice, into issues”, he pointed out. Since there is the opposition perspective, therefore, it has become impossible to eclipse the autonomous opposition parties, who, through their intelligent and conscientious criticisms, have disputed the legitimacy of the ruling party and government in their violations of the pubic trust and subversion of the commonwealth. “Through our exposition and publicity of the activities and views of the opposition, we have been able to help in the creation of a credible alternative to the ruling party and regime at the centre and in most of the states”, Mohammed stressed.

    Future party publicists must realise that Mohammed had succeeded because he had the pre-requisite academic, professional and political training. After his tertiary education at the University of Ilorin, where he studied French, he had a brief teaching experience in the institution in 1978 before accepting the appointment as a Publicity Officer at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), where he rose to the position of the Chief Publicity Officer. The quest for knowledge made him to study Law at the University of Lagos.

    Two events marked him out as a man of principle and knowledgeable officer. When the FAAN Managing Director nominated the Board Chairman for a course at the Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), he objected to it as the Company Secretary, pointing out that the chairman, who was an appointee of the former Chief of Army Staff, was not qualified because he was not a core civil servant. Ironically, the same chairman had facilitated Mohammed’s appointment as the Company Secretary. The MD, who was an Air Force General, was livid. Both the chairman and MD had their way, but Mohammed had made his point.

    The second event was his reaction to the threat by the MD to suspend him for not turning up for a company function in Lagos. Mohammed had made his car available to another board member, who would have missed the event. For not attending the ceremony, the MD decided to punish him. But Mohammed opposed the two-week suspension. He said: “Sir, you don’t have the power to suspend me. I am a level 15 officer. Only the board can discipline me”. Consequently, he made up his mind to leave the company for legal practice.

    In legal practice and politics, his path crossed with Yomi Edu’s. In fact, as a chieftain of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), he was Edu’s Chief of Staff and Governorship Campaign Coordinator. When Tinubu signified his intention to contest for the governorship, he played the same role to the best of his ability. He later served as Governor Tinubu’s Chief of Staff at the Round House, Alausa, Ikeja. In 2003, Mohammed returned to his native Kwara State to contest for the governorship under the AD, but he was defeated by the PDP candidate, former Governor Bukola Saraki.

    Mohammed admitted that he had achieved success as the ACN Publicity Secretary because he cultivated the media. “The kind of publicity machine that we have built for the opposition party has been so strong that, even at the time that we controlled only Lagos State between 2003 and 2007, we loomed larger and were stronger in the public discourse that the all-powerful federal government and the ruling party. This was partly because, though we were a minority party, we paraded the best in terms of experience, intellect and skill”.

    Journalists have enjoyed professional relationship with him because he has respect for the profession and the practitioners. He has always treated them as equal stakeholders. Paying tribute to the media, he said that journalists are not “cash and carry” practitioners, but men and women worthy of respect and recognition for their contributions to the society.

    However, observers contend that the days ahead will tax Mohammed to the brim, if the merger of like-minded political party succeeds and he is mandated to continue his service to the opposition as the Publicity Secretary.

     

  • We need national dialogue, says Obi

    We need national dialogue, says Obi

    Senator Ben Obi is the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs. In this interview with AUGUSTINE AVWODE, he stresses the imperative of a national dialogue for the country to move forward.

     

     

    As a member of the Patriot canvassing a national dialogue before the 2015 general election, why do you think we so badly need it?

    Yes, I am a member of the Patriots and we are committed and determined to pursue the national dialogue or national conference for obvious reasons. Things have been going back and forth with the Nigerian nation and it is important that we have this dialogue now to move Nigeria forward. And if you tie this to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Patriot, which is a body of elder statesmen, viewed part of the ‘transformation’ as a situation where we can sit down at a round table and discuss the future of the country.

    The body has been making consultations with other groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). I am also aware that our chairman, Professor Ben Nwabueze, has also written to some eminent Nigerians, former Heads of State and others who enjoy international audience to join hands with the Patriots to really sit down and discuss how we can make this country a great nation. To that extent, I don’t see why anybody will have any inhibitions as to the need for a dialogue. I am certain that the President is not against the holding of such a dialogue.

    But like I have also said to my elder colleagues in the Patriots, there is the need to also approach, not only the President, but the leadership of the National Assembly. It is good to make them understand what the dialogue is all about so that they can be partners in progress.

    If it is held today, what would be the kernel of the dialogue?

    It is simple. How do we run this country? We talk of ethnic nationalities, we talk of zones, we talk about rotation. People want to know how we want the country to be governed, instead of beating about the bush. Now, we are practising the presidential system of government, but is it the best for the country? The constitution we are operating today, is it a people’s constitution. How did we come about it? The issue of indigeneship, for instance, how do we deal with it? How do you deal with the issue of somebody who has been staying in a place for 20 years and paying his taxes, what is he going to benefit from it. These are the main issues we want put to rest and there is no better time for this than now.

    You said you are optimistic that the Presidency is not averse…

    No, no, no. Even the President when he was the special guest of honour at the launch of Dr Tunji Braithwaite’s ‘The Jurisprudence of the Living Oracles’, said that much. He said that he is not against the national dialogue. But then, the procedure has to be clear. And that is where we have a President that is different. He likes to consult widely and think things through. So, if we can consult with both the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly and secure their understanding and support, then, it is as good as done.

    Who sets the ball rolling?

    Those who are championing the call for the dialogue should just get the consent of the Presidency and the National Assembly by meeting them and providing answers to all their questions and we can start from there.

    It is just about two years to May 29, 2015

    I agree with you. But don’t forget that the journey of forty years starts with a step.

    What is your position on the clamour for the zoning of the governorship to Anambra North in the next election in your state?

    I have said it again and again that I feel for the people of Anambra North. Ordinarily one can say that, yes, it is their turn. But these things are not given on a platter of gold. It is not a piece of cake. I would like to see them lead and champion the call for such a proposition. There is a saying in my place that the man who wants to go to the loo is always the one at the front. We must also remember thatb the issue of zoning is not cast in iron; or that there is a law somewhere that can be enforced. So, for them to have it, they must be able to make a very strong case coupled with intensive consultation and appeal to the other stakeholders in other zones; meet them and make them see reason why they should back down. Importantly, it is not a thing you try to force down the throat of anybody, you cannot bulldoze your way through, you can only make appeals and whatever comes out of your appeal you take it.

    What kind of Anambra do you expect in the post-Peter Obi era?

    Governor Peter Obi has set some standards that are pretty attractive and I don’t see how anybody who will emerge in 2014 can afford to go down below such a standard. I don’t see the people of Anambra condoning or accommodating anybody who will not exceed the performance of Governor Peter Obi. I can tell you that the good people of Anambra State will be looking forward to the type of person who will double the performance of the present governor. That is what we need so that soon, the state will be in the league of the most developed state in the country. And all I can do is to pray that God in His infinite mercy will help us to get the right candidate to emerge as the next governor of Anambra State in the post Obi era?

    Your office was able to bring to the round table all the contending parties in the two governorship elections such that at the end of the day, the much hyped possibility of large scale violence became a non-issue. What is on ground for Anambra State?

    We would be doing the same thing in Anambra State, no doubt. The issue is whether you have the tacit support of your principal, in this case the President. Of course, yes. It is not Rocket Science; these things are pretty open to all. All you need to do is go to him and tell him you need his permission to do this and that, and that this is why it is necessary, you state the when and how. But, I must say that the President is even the one who reminded me, in this previous outing that we have to do in Ondo State what we did in Edo State. He said, Senator, this thing you did in Edo State, go and do it in Ondo because I want the issue of free, fair and credible election, void of violence to be part of our culture. So, the President is committed to that. For me, it is a thing of joy because over the years, what we have been screaming at is the issue of lack of transparent election. But that is gradually becoming a thing of the past. We all know that he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But for him, that does not impose any obligation on him to support anything that undermines free and fair election. And because he is for it, he is often the first to congratulate the winner. Whoever it is, from whichever party, his concern is let the process be free, fair and devoid of violence and bloodshed and you get your congratulatory message right away. So, we would be doing the same thing in Anambra, in Ekiti and Osun states.

    Many people are of the opinion that one more state should be created for the Southeast region for the sake of equity. But from the look of things, the issue of state creation seems not to enjoy much enthusiasm in public discourse…

    I have been pursuing this issue in the last 15 years and I will not give up, until it is given to the zone. I have no apology to make for this clamour. We will not stop talking about this injustice being meted out to the zone. It is unfair, it is unjust and it a classic case of inequity. The implication of the injustice that the Nigerian nation is inflicting on the Southeast zone is to turn a majority into a minority. When you do this type of thing, you can hardly get far. I mean when you inflict this type of injustice on a people whose capacity and entrepreneurial skill are almost infinite, then, you should be to also contend with the aversion that comes with it. Take a look at any community in this country. There is no zone or region where you don’t find the Ndigbo. And, everywhere they are found, in any locality at all, if the economy of the place is not managed by the people of the place, it is being managed by the Ndigbo. So, what it means is that they go every where and help to develop that environment and society. Look, it is when this kind of injustice is perpetrated that peace becomes a scarce thing. When you deny people their rights, what comes to the fore is complete chaos and anarchy. So, for me, until that injustice is corrected, we cannot say we have gotten it right in this country.

    Given the insecurity in the country, do you support the call for state police ?

    First, I was born in a barracks and I love all the things I saw my father did as a policeman, until he became a Commissioner of Police. I went everywhere with him. Besides, I have also had the opportunity of working with a former National Security Adviser (NSA) of this country. So, from my knowledge and experience of what I know about security, I will not support State Police for now. When we have attained a particular height of development in the future, then it can be considered. But for now, not yet.

    What do you think should be done to deepen democracy in Nigeria?

    I would say provision should be made for independent candidates to contest in our elections. Over my 35 years of politicking, I have been lucky to have joined and founded three political parties. And I have been national secretary of the three of them. The way political parties are managed today is not what we used to know. Political parties no longer enjoy internal democracy. When that is absent, it leads to the imposition of unpopular candidates. And where an unpopular candidate is imposed and you have free and fair election, he would lose. If a popular candidate is dropped because the party leader does not want to see his face, then there should be a platform for him to go before the people as an independent candidate to realise his political ambition. I think this is one thing we should do as a matter of urgency to promote and deepen our democratic parcatice.

     

     

  • On internal democracy I stand, says aspirant

    Anambra State politician Chief Udo Udeogaranya has urged political parties to embrace internal democracy.

    The former chairman of the Coalition of the Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) said that any party that refuses to hold primaries will fail in the next general election.

    He warned the governors against manipulating the primaries to their advange, adding that the voters are now wiser.

    Udeogaranya, who is eyeing the governorship, said that the culture of imposition is old-fashioned, urging the party leaders to embrace the tenents of democracy.

    He explained that imposition would deny the people of their freedom of choice, especially when certain aspirants have been edged out of the contest.

    Udeogaranya maintained that the election is violated at the shadow poll because there is no transparency and justice.

    He said: “History will adjudge me in bad faith, if I do not make my positive contribution to the ongoing debate on the ‘solecandidature/no primaries’ for the incumbent President and governors seeking the mandate to represent their various parties in the general elections.

    “The essence of party primary is to determine the popularity of candidates seeking nomination to represent the party in a general election among the card-carrying members of a political party”

    The politician chided the governors for using tactics to edge other aspirants out of the race.

    He added: “ To ask other aspirants to go into the primary election or the popularity contest with their party leaders, President or governos, is a sheer hypocrisy and , wastage of funds”

     

     

  • APC best for the country, says APGA chieftain

    APC best for the country, says APGA chieftain

    Former Kwara State All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate Alhaji Bala Lade has said that the birth of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in the national interest.

    He said the ambition of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rule the country for the next 60 years has hit the rock.

    Lade told The Nation that the merger of the major opposition parties will changed the political calculation as the country prepares for 2015 polls. into APC as welcome development for the state.

    He said: “The coming on board of the APC is a welcome development. It is a welcome development in the sense that, where there is no strong opposition, the people take governance for granted. They take people for granted. I consider the merger as a blessing for the state and the nation in general. For those that are not performing now, they have to wake up to do more and for those that have been performing, they have to do more so that people will not change to other parties. As an individual, I consider it as a very good development for the country.

    “This government is about two years. People are watching. If they are not satisfied, we will not be too surprised, if people change to the new party. Change is the only constant thing in life. No party can hold on the reins of power for life. It is not acceptable anywhere. The only way that can happen is when people are enjoying the dividends of democracy.

    “Nigerian democracy is 13 years old now; people are beginning to understand what politics is all about. They are beginning to know what good governance is all about. A lot of serious people are beginning to join politics to offer their services. The time of ‘we can have it our way’ is gradually fading away. We thank God for that.”

    On the ideological differences among the politicians that formed the APC, the politician said: “We have every reason to give meaning to issues when they arise. For any serious person that desires a change, or progress for the country and for the state or the local area, we forget about our personal aspirations. Before they decided to form a merger, the people who are political juggernauts in their own right, would have put their personal aspirations behind them.

    “It is being said that General Buhari may drop his ambition. If the major people are dropping their ambition for the success of the party, then, others will borrow a leaf from them.

    “It is in this part of the world that you get elected or appointed into office and people jubilate. It should be a kind of sober reflection period for the elected or appointed because it is a big challenge on his shoulders. Here, we celebrate it because corruption is all pervasive.”