The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Scramble for grassroots power in Gombe

    Scramble for grassroots power in Gombe

    Local government elections will hold in Gombe State on Saturday. Vincent Ohonbamu examines the strengths and weaknesses of the parties.

     

    The people of Gombe State will troop out on Saturday to elect new councillors and chairmen of local governments. The preparation for the polls has been marred with controversy. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not rained an eyebrow over the arangements made by the state electoral agency. But the opposition parties have criticised the the electoral commission and headed for the court to stop the exercise.

    The chairman of the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission (GOSIEC, Mr. Caleb Maina, has assured the parties of a level playing ground. He pledged with their leaders to support the agency in the interest of democracy.

    Five years ago, the opposition parties have criticised the commission for partiality. They alleged that the agency deliberately excluded their candidates from the exercise.

    The tenure of the local government chairmen had expired two years ago. Since then, the state government has set up caretaker committees for the councils. But the opposition parties cried foul, saying that it is unconstitutional. They complained that the governor was deliberately avoiding local government elections.

    The excuse has always been the security challenges confronting the nation, especially the Northeast zone. But the opposition parties disagreed, pointing out that Gombe has been relatively peaceful.

    Following the release of the time-table, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) held primaries and submitted the lists of their candidates to the commission.

    However, the parties later met a brick wall. The commission imposed N500, 000, N250, 000 and N150, 000 on the chairmanship , deputy chairmanship and councilorship candiates as form fees.

    The chairman of the CPC, Audu Baba Kwami, said only the PDP can afford the prohibitive fees. He said the opposition parties would boycott the polls, if the commission insists on the fees.

    “We are ready and have screened our candidates and we will send the list to GOSIEC, but we will not pay that money. If, because of this, we will be disqualified from contesting, then, we will go to court. That is our stand,” he warned.

    The House of Representativea member from Kwami/Gombe/Funakaye Constituency, Mr. Khamisu Mailantarki, also criticised the electoral agency, saying that elective posiions are not for sale. He called on Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo to intervene in the situation. But the governor said that he would not dictate to the commission.

    However, GOSIEC’s spokesman, Abare Daba, said the decision to impose the fees was in order, adding that it has the blessing of the House of Assembly.

    He denied the allegation that GOSIEC is an income-generating agency, explaining that the imposition of electoral levy is not new in the country.

    But can the election still hold, in view of the litigation triggered by the preparation for the exercise?

    Baba, who is a lawyer, argued that the law passed by the House of Assembly on the nomination fee must conform with the provision the 1990 Constitution. “The law of the state must be subjected to the laws of the country”, he said.

    Baba said that, if the court declares the fees illegal, then, the entire process would be deemed to be illegal.

     

     

  • APC: Parties prepare for national conventions

    APC: Parties prepare for national conventions

    Opposition parties are preparing for their national conventions to formally approve the formation of All Progressives Congress(APC), the Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has disclosed in Lagos.

    He described the extra-ordinary conventions being planned by the political parties as a critical element of the merger process. Following the resolution of the parties at the conventions, which must be witnessed by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party chairmen will consequently notify the electoral agency that they have merged into APC, Mohammed said.

    The letters conveying the decision to merge must also be signed by the party chairmen, secretaries and treasurers. The ACN chieftain said within 30 days, INEC must respond to the collective request for merger in either a positive or negative way. If no response is forth-coming, he said the merger instantly takes effect at the expiration of the 30 days. From that time, the participating parties will cease to exist.

    The parties may share information and ideas on the modalities for conducting the conventions, but they may not hold simultaneously because INEC officials must participate. Indeed, a 21-day notice to INEC about the special convention must be fulfilled as a critical condition. Mohammed indicated that the separate conventions may hold in the spate of two months from now, but the detailed arrangements are for the parties.

    However, only three parties are making plans to hold national conventions for now. They are the ACN, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). The fourth party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is still divided on the issue. While key figures in the party, including Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Annie Okonkwo are actively involved in the merger, the party hierarchy has not given their definite backing.

    Mohammed, who spoke on a live television programme, cautioned against viewing the merger process from the participation of the parties alone. He explained that groups and individuals are also involved in the attempts to liberate the country from the jaw of the inept Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government. He said, with the birth of the new party, there will now be a balance of terror in the polity.

    The ACN chieftain said preparations for the conventions have become the next assignment, following the agreement on the logo of the APC in principle. He stressed: “We have agreed on the logo, in principle. What remains is that the merging parties will hold extra-ordinary national conventions to pass resolutions that they have merged. The conventions must be witnessed by the INEC.

    “After the conventions, the chairmen of the merging parties will write letters to inform INEC. It will be signed by the chairmen, secretaries and treasurers of the parties. The letter from a political party must be accompanied by N100,000. Within 30 days, INEC must say yes or no”.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘APC ‘ll bring succour to Nigerians’

    A federal legislator Mr. Hakeem Muniru has urged Nigerians to embrace the proposed party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), assuring that it will reposition the country for excellence.

    He told reporters in Lagos that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has outlived its usefulness. Muniru, who represents Oshodi-Isolo Constituency 11 in the House of Representatives, said, with the birth of the APC, the days of PDP are numbered in the Aso Villa.

    Also, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Wahab Alawiye-King and the chairman of Odiolowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, Mr. Adeyemi Alli, a applauded the merger of the opposition parties, describing it as a step forward in the struggle to liberate Nigerians.

    Muniru said: “This is one of the best political decisions in the history of democracy in the country”.

    The legislator said the selfless approach of the APC leaders should be applauded. He stressed: “I’m quite impressed with the selfless attitude of our leaders in forming this new party and I’m convince that the time has come for the liberation of Nigerians from the misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”.

    Muniru assured Nigerians that APC will set up an accountable and transparent government that will give dividends of democracy to Nigerians

    Alawiye-King urged Nigerians to support the initiative to halt the inept PDP administration.

    He added: “The APC is on a rescue mission and I want to assure Nigerians to rally round the party and support the initiative of our leaders”.

    Alli said that it was obvious that Nigerians have lost hope in the PDP government, urging them to support the agitation for power shift to the progressives.

    He added: “With the APC, we are on rescue mission and I want to assure Nigerians that this new adventure will bring positive results. But we need their cooperation and support to succeed”.

  • 2015: Can power shift to North?

    2015: Can power shift to North?

    Prominent Northern leaders are agitating for power shift to the North in 2015. But the obstacle to this aspiration is President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition. Now, the scamble for the Presidency is gradually heating up the polity. Can the North achieve power shift in the next general elections? AUGUSTINE AVWODE examines the issue.

     

    As the tempo of political activities for 2015 increases, an obvious question that looms larger than every other one is whether the Northern geo-political zone will produce the President or not. Analysts say one major obstacle standing between the region and the realisation of that dream is whether the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan, will run or not. He is yet to speak categorically on the matter.

    Last weekend, Niger State Governor Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu fueled the controversy when he claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan reached an agreement with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and governors elected on the platform of the party in 2011 to serve only a single term. He considered any talk linking the President with the 2015 presidential election as “speculative”.

    “I recall that at the time he was going to declare for the 2011 election, all the PDP governors were brought together to ensure that we were all in the same frame of mind. And I recall that some of us said that, given the circumstances of the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua and given the PDP zoning arrangement, it was expected that the North was to produce the president for a given number of years.

    “I recall that at that discussion, it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one term of four years and we all signed the agreement. Even when Jonathan went to Kampala, in Uganda, he also said he was going to serve a single term. For now, President Jonathan has not declared a second term ambition and we must not be speculating based on those who are benefiting from the campaign” he said.

    The question of President Jonathan’s eligibility to run in 2015 has been a subject of legal tussle for some time now. On Wednesday, January 23, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formally asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to join it as a party in the suit filed by a Port Harcourt-based lawyer and PDP-card carrying member, Henry Amadi, seeking to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from presenting himself as candidate for election to the office of the President in 2015.

    Amadi named President Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 1st and 2nd defendants respectively in the said suit.

    He is contending that Jonathan is no longer qualified to contest in 2015, arguing that if Jonathan does, he will be spending more than the maximum period of two terms of four years envisaged by the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    But PDP National Legal Adviser Kwon Victor contended that the PDP will be directly affected by the outcome of the suit, taking into consideration the reliefs sought by the plaintiff. In the affidavit in support of the application, Kwon argued that from the reliefs sought by the plaintiff in the suit, PDP’s right to sponsor Jonathan for the office of the President in the 2015 Presidential election is being challenged.

    He said: “This action cannot effectually and completely be determined without joining the applicant herein. By the very tenor of the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, this suit questions the right of the applicant to sponsor one of its members (Jonathan) for the 2015 Presidential election. The applicant herein seeks to protect its interest in the present action by this application.” The application is due to be heard in a week’s time by Justice Adamu Bello”.

    Interestingly, President Jonathan had responded to a similar suit equally seeking to bar him from contesting the same 2015 election on the ground of the number of oath of the same office he had taken. It was filed by another chieftain of the PDP, Mr Cyriacus Njoku, before an Abuja High Court on March 20, 2012, asking it to stop Jonathan from contesting presidential elections in 2015 on the grounds that he was already in his second term in office. Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi had earlier fixed November 13, 2012, to deliver judgment in Njoku’s suit, but subsequently adjourned it indefinitely.

    The sudden demise of President Umaru Yar’Adua is generally seen as having upset the applecart. The late President Yar’Adua, other things being equal, would have run for a second term beginning from 2011 to 2015. But his death barely three years into his first term, led to the emergence of President Jonathan. His move to vie for the position in the 2011 Presidential election led to serious division within the ruling PDP. The schism within the party pitched some of its chieftains of northern extraction, who believed in the inviolate nature of the zoning policy of the party against others who held that ‘circumstantial development’ in the polity had rendered the zoning theory void.

    In a bid to actualise its position, the region chose to go for a consensus candidate from a list of four aspirants to face President Jonathan in the December 2010 Presidential primary. A committee of 17 wise men headed by former Minister of Finance Alhaji Adamu Ciroma picked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the consensus candidate of the North after months of consultation and meetings. He was picked ahead of General Ibrahim Babangida, General Aliyu Gusau and former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki.

    A statement signed by Ciroma and Abdulkadir Sabo-Bello read in part:

    “We are glad and proud that we have finally arrived at this outcome after several weeks of hard work and wide consultations. We are proud because of the unusual honour and extraordinary privilege given us by the four gentlemen who placed their political destinies in our hands. We are humbled by the strength of their faith. We appreciate their humility and cooperation. We have been reassured by all of them that they will work together to enable Atiku Abubakar clinch their party’s ticket in the presidential primaries.

    “We thank all Nigerians, supporters and critics alike for their views over these past several weeks. While we note these views and respect each one of them, we insist that no individual, organization or society dreaming of success and greatness can achieve these dreams without respect for others and honouring agreements voluntarily entered into. This is especially so where these agreements have been transformed into a binding document, a constitution, which governs the conduct of those who subscribe to it.” President Jonathan defeated the consensus candidate and went on to win the election proper.

    Since then, many northern leaders have expressed the view that the region will without fail produce the President come 2015. But will it be possible, will it not be?

    Speaking to The Nation on Sunday, former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr Abubakar Tsav said for the North to produce the President in 2015 there must be a high level of unity among the political elite of the zone. He said a common undercurrent in the polity is how to make people or the political actors respect or implement the zoning arrangement.

    “What people are saying is that President Goodluck Jonathan is serving a second term now and that if he is allowed to run and wins in 2015, he would be taking the oath of office for the third time, which they say, is against the Constitution. Therefore, for the North to produce the President in 2015, there must be unity among them. It really depends on the level of unity that exists among the political elite of the region. And I think there will be the need for the region to come up with one candidate like a consensus arrangement that they had in December 2010. We cannot blame them for agitating to produce the president because people are trying to make sure that the zoning arrangement that was entered into by the political class is completed or respected”.

    Tsav said that the proposed new party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), will provide an ample opportunity for many political leaders in the zone to realise their dream. He said many people are so disenchanted with what is happening in the PDP that they would not blink an eye before joining it once it comes on stream.

    “The new party has come to provide an alternative platform for many PDP members who are so disenchanted with the way things are going in the party. In particular, they are disenchanted with the idea of taking undue advantage of what happened to President Umaru Yar’Adua; many people are not happy about it and that is why they are waiting on the wings”, he said.

    But a politician, Dr Junaid Mohammed, dismissed the notion of producing a political leader on the basis of the theory of zoning. He described the concept as undemocratic and went to say that those pushing for it are leading Nigeria on the path of former Yugoslavia, saying it could lead to a break up of the country.

    He argued that anyone who is interested in ruling the country should be allowed to run provided the elections would be free and fair.

    “Is zoning arrangement enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria, Why should the PDP or anybody else be bound by it? Zoning or rotation has never been part of our Constitution. It is at best an understanding within one of the 63 political parties in the country. Many people imagine that the North should be given the Presidency as a right, not on any other factor, it is a misguided conception. As far as I am concerned, I have never believed in zoning or rotation, I have never considered the concept of zoning or rotation democratic,” Junaid said.

    At a point, it was alleged that some northern leaders under the aegis of the Yar’Adua group were meeting regularly with the sole objective of how to thwart alleged President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition. But the allegation was vehemently refuted . One of the leaders of the Yar’Adua group, Senator Adamu Aliero, in a statement said: “We did not meet in Abuja , Katsina or Kaduna as insinuated in the report. We have no reason to conspire or plot against President Goodluck Jonathan who was Vice-President to the late President Yar’Adua.

    “Since Yar’Adua’s death, we have done our best to support the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which went ahead to win a re-run poll in Kebbi State.”

    Aliero, a minister of the Federal Capital Territory during Yar’Adua’s administration, stated that the reports were being sponsored by those who were bent on “whipping up sentiments and to create crisis of confidence” between members of the group and the President.

    “There was no any iota of truth in the story, it must have been a mere imagination of the reporter in question. All those mentioned in the report were shocked by the extent to which their integrity was impugned. In the last three years, those of us referred to in the story have not held any meeting over any national issue not to talk of 2015. Instead, we have been going about our activities quietly with utmost decorum”.

    A chieftain of the party from one of the north Central states who craved anonymity revealed that it is almost a foregone conclusion that the President will be seeking the ticket of the PDP in 2015. He alluded to the decision of the party to be joined in the case in court and besides, he referred to the series of inter- regional meetings held in the guise of ‘fostering political understanding’ in recent time. The source said the North will not fail this time around again and they have a big window of opportunity in the newly floated APC and that most of the governors, particularly those who are on their last tenure, will put their feet down this time around.

    “It is apparent that the President will seek the ticket of the PDP in the 2015 Presidential election. What I also know is that the political leaders from the region will not fold their arms and watch things go the way they went last time. Most of the governors are in their last term so they cannot be held to ransom the way they were treated the last time. And if the party feels strongly that the incumbent must return again, then it must be prepared for the backlash,” he said.

    However, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, has said that nobody can stop President Jonathan from contesting the 2015 election except by the president’s personal volition. He insisted that his first tenure actually started in May 2011 and not 2010 as often claimed by ignorant and mischievous politicians.

    “His tenure would have been abridged if he does not contest in 2015. Yar’Adua was incapacitated and he was naturally allowed to act. The law recognises Jonathan’s first tenure with effect from May 2011 and nothing more.

    “If anyone says Jonathan should not contest in 2015, he would have spent only five years. My position is that if Mr. President is not going to contest, let it be on his own volition but let nobody intimidate him out of office for their selfish political reasons.

    “If the President decides not run in 2015, so be it, but let no individual or group attempt to deny him his constitutional entitlement. It is not going to happen. Neither APC nor Panadol can stop him”. Can the North stop him this time around? Nigerians are waiting.

     

  • ‘Why I want to be Kano governor’

    ‘Why I want to be Kano governor’

    All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) chieftain and Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Alhaji Kawu Sumaila spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on his ambition to succeed Kano State Governor Musa Kwakwanso in 2015.

    Why are you contesting for Kano State governorship?

    By the grace of God, I have been endorsed by the leaders of the party at all levels for the governorship. They took the decision to effect changes and move the state forward. They believe I am fit for the position. I am contesting because I want Kano State to move forward.

    What are those things you will like to achieve or deliver to the people, if you are elected as governor?

    The most important thing is for us to restore trust and confidence and re-connect the people with government in Kano State. The governor of Kano State is not expected to behave as a dictator or push things down the throats of the people. Our religion has taught us the virtue of consultation. Therefore, we will adopt a new method of governance by bringing all those whom God have blessed with every kind of knowledge and wisdom closer to enable us formulate government policies and programmes on the principle of consultation and respect for one another.

    What are your manifestos?

    The people are not feeling the impact of governance in Kano State. There is gap between the government and people that should be closed. We will try to find ways of changing the thinking and perception of the people about governance. We will give more priority to this than anything else by changing the way things are done and how people see government. This is greater than providing water, electricity, roads health care and so on. How do we agree that the situation we are in must be corrected? The failure of leadership can create more problems.

    Recently, I read in the news that, in Chicago, United States, they had 49 incidences of shooting in just one month. This is a place where there are light, water, good roads, health care and all social amenities, and a social system that is working. But they lack values; good values that will teach them that taking another person’s life is bad, dangerous, inhuman and ungodly. So, if this can happen in America; a country that is always providing jobs for its people, we must be wiser here by chanhing the peoples’ thoughts, attitudes and perception.

    People are saying that you are too young to be governor. What is your reaction?

    I don’t think this is an issue at all. For example, the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi was 38 years old when he became the governor of Kano State. Now, we are in the digital age, where knowledge is at your finger tips with computers, internet and the social media. Also, Alhaji Kabiru Gaya was a governor at 38 years. In fact, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso became the governor when he was a little over 40 in 1999. Saminu Turaki was 38 and now, I am 45 and from now to the time that the elections will be held, I will be 47 years old, God willing. How old was President Barack Obama when he was first elected in 2008?

    What we are talking about now is bigger than age. The important issue is whether the person is competent to fill the vacuum bring about effective government in Kano.

    You declared under ANPP at a time the party is merging with other parties to form the APC. Is that not a contradiction?

    There is no problem at all. I am in the merger committee that is discussing the issue. By God’s grace, there won’t be any problem. We will merge, and from that time, there will be no ANPP. Now, I am still serving as an elected federal legislator on the platform of the ANPP. We don’t have internal crisis. I don’t have the right to leave the party, based on the provisions of the constitution, until such a time that the new party is registered by the INEC.

    People are saying that it is too early for you to declare interest in the race. Don’t you think they are right?

    People want change. They are in a hurry to effect that change. Do we wait until the eve of elections? No. We can’t have the change in a day or on the eve of the elections. We need to know people and people need to know us. We must be very familiar with ourselves and understand them and the kind of difficulties they are facing as a people so that we we come in, we will be fully equipped with the knowledge of what our people are facing. We will not embark on an emergency arrangement. We are already discussing with people, associations, labour unions, women groups,youths. This will afford them the opportunity to ask us questions and we will learn from them because we are students who are seeking for knowledge at all times.

    What has been the response of the people to your aspiration?

    The people want change, progress and transformation. They know that we must come out as a people to free ourselves from this bondage. Things have gone from bad to worse; our economy is in shambles, our values as a people have deteriorated. Kano is known for not just commerce, but also Islamic scholarship. From Kurmi Market, people travel to Tripoli in Libya and Gao in Mali for business and scholarship. The people of Kano are “islamically educated” for more than 700 years. We have writings of great people of Kano who wrote about their interactions with Libyans, Egyptians and so on. So, we want to bring back that lost value. We want to bring back what made people to respect us. We should reflect on our position for now. According to the UNICEF, literacy is the ability to read and write and over 700 years ago, our people knew how to read and write, using Ajami in Arabic. So, we must go back to those values and merge it with the western education. But now, we are like an upstairs; we have left that which we inherited and have gone to pick another one which we do not really know. Now it is time to make a bridge between the two so that our people will be satisfied.

     

  • Aregbesola, Opadokun call for good governance

    Aregbesola, Opadokun call for good governance

    he venue was the historic Freedom Park, Lagos. Statesmen and activists converged for a candle light procession as part of activities marking the ‘Black History Month’ celebrations. Organised by the Lagos Theatre Association, the ceremony, the first of its kind in Nigeria, reminded the people about the heroic contributions of freedom fighters in United States who paid the supreme price.

    The celebration was initiated by the American historian, Carter Woodson, in 1926.

    At the ceremony, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola revisited the United Nations Charter on the Rights of Man and Freedom. Represented by the Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism Commissioner Sikiru Adetona, the governor charged Nigerians to defend their rights at all times.

    Aregbesola also called for good governance, urging the government to provide the basic amenities for the people.

    He said: “Every man has the inalienable rights to freedom, the right to the good things of life, the right to associate, and the rights be protected”.

    A Former Lagos State Military Governor Nduibisi Kanu, who witnessed the event, lamented that the legacies of the black man are not honoured.

    He said: “We are here at the Freedom Park to celebrate because the people are still moving on in the face of the numerous challenges. It is very significant because it is taking place at the Freedom Park, the venue which had served as the detention camp for those on death rolls.But with the new name, Freedom Park, Nigeria must be free in all ramifications. “

    Former National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) National Secretary Ayo Opadokun urged the government to provide basic needs for the people. He said: “Nigeria has the capacity to become one of the world’s best, but because the laws are lopsided and are not stridently applied, funds are misappropriated. Those behind it have not been adequately sanctioned, hence, corruption is prevalent in the land”.

    Opadokun said Nigeria has not been a good example for the black man because it has not managed its affairs properly, 53 years after independence.

    He added:“This is a country that has collected over $400 billion in petroleum fund and yet its people are the most wretched in the world. This is a contradiction that cannot be explained and government needs to totally re-order its priority.

    “We must appreciate that a lot of damage had been done. When we talk about the youth that they are the leaders of tomorrow, a large portion of them had sold their birthright for anything”.

    Chiding the corrupt and inept leadership, he said: “Successive rulers of our country, particularly the military, their surrogates and their fellow confederates, have worsened the plight of the ordinary man in Nigeria.”

    The chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Comrade Ayodele Adewale, led the people in the solidarity songs at the ceremony. He spoke on the imperative of the Sovereign National Conference (SNC) where the problems facing the country would be discussed.

    He said the 199 Constitution was put in place to serve the narrow interest of the few, adding it cannot adequately guarantee the freedom and rights of the people. He said: “The constitution has never been that of the people; therefore, it will not do what we want; it is meant to serve some peoples’ interest”.

    Adewale explained that the Pro-National Conference Organisation ( PRONACO)’s position on the national conference has been justified by the development in the country.

    He stressed: “I must say that slavery will never leave us alone, until we decide to break the chain of slavery. We would soon be going into another political voyage, which will start with the voter’s register. Many of you will sell your birthright very soon, either for N1000 or a box of matches, rice or salt, as the case may be. To break the chain, you must be determined to follow your conscience and, of course, do what is right”.

    A leader of the Ohaneze Cultural Group, Mrs. Kate Onyechere,` expressed sadness that those who were part of the plot to sell their fellow human beings for economic reasons have retarded the growth of the black continent. But she said that no force can stop the black race from emerging in the modern world.

    Onyechere added: “We are not happy that we sold our brothers to slavery. That is why we are here today to join in this commemorative celebration of Black History Month in Nigeria. I pray that those who passed on during the slave trade will find a place with God because the white people were harsh in the manner they transported them across the seas”.

    Former PRONACO Director of Strategy Comrade Linus Okoroji said this is the time government should come up with plans for the people and purge itself of corrupt tendencies.

    He doubted, if the country can make progress, unless leaders do away with corruption.

    Okoroji said: “A situation where government officials pocket money meant for the development of the country cannot help the country and if corruption persists, it is not in the interest of the country.”

     

     

     

     

  • Taraba: Who wears the crown in 2015?

    Taraba: Who wears the crown in 2015?

    Governorship aspirants on the platform of the major political parties have begun mobilisation in Taraba State, ahead of the 2015 polls. Who are these contenders? What are their chances? Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO provides answers in this report.

    ill power shift from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to another party in 2015 in Taraba State when the tenure of Governor Dambaba Suntai expires? The ruling party has declared that it will still maintain its hold on the Northeast state. But oppostion parties are scheming to pull the rug off its feet. Will they succeed?

    Despite the governor’s absence, PDP is leaving nothing to chances. But it is not clear whether Suntai will be able to dictate the tune during the electioneering, unless he fully recovers from the injuries injuries he sustained when his plane crashed in October last year. He is still recuperating in a German hospital.

    For now, those itching to profit from the incumbency factor seem to be in the wilderness. But PDP is definitely facing a stiff opposition from those plotting its downfall in Taraba State. There are other calculations too. If the acting governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, becomes the substantive governor, he will be the leading PDP governorship aspirant.

    PDP’s setback

    In Taraba State, PDP lacks an active party leader. There has been lull in party activites, since the governor was hospitalised. Party members are worried that the state of his health is being concealed from the public. The political atmosphere is gloomy. Although the acting governor visited his boss in the hospital, he returned without good tidings. Alhaji Umar returned from Hannover, Germany, without a word from the ailing helmsman for the people of Taraba. When anxious reporters asked him about Suntai’s health, he merely said: “I met him in the hospital”. Nothing more.

    Zoning

    Unlike other states, there is no rotational principle or zoning system in Taraba. A governor can come from any of the three senatorial zones, even if he is the kinsman of the incumbent governor. For example, former Governor Jolly Nyame, who hails from Taraba North, wanted Mr. Danladi Tijos, who is from the same district, to succeed him. In fact, he won the PDP primaries, but was denied the ticket at the party’s zonal convention in Bauchi. The former governor later threw his backing behind Suntai, who is from the South.

    In 2011, politicians from the Central District backed Suitai, with the hope that power would shift to the South. But politicians from the North and Central zones are now in the ring. They have described the ‘gentleman agreement’ as “laughable”. They said, even if it is a legitimate agreement, a politician from the zone, Senator Joel Ikenya, had reneged on the agreement by contesting against Suntai in 2011. A lawyer, Baba Adi, who is also from Taraba South, had declared that he supported Suntai’s re-election, based on natural justice, stressing that he deserved to spend eight years in office because Nyame spent 10 years.

    “We don’t have any zoning policy in Taraba. The fact that some people are saying power is supposed to shift to Taraba South is a matter of opinion. I am supporting Suntai’s re-election because Jolly Nyame did 10 years from the North Zone. So, it would only be fair if Suntai from Central zone, is allowed to serve for eight years”.

    Ethnicity

    Taraba is made up of many heterogeneous ethnic groups. The governor could come from any of the tribes, irrespective of its numerical strength or weakness. For example, Jukun which is one of the most populous ethnic groups in the state, has not produced any governor, since Taraba State was created from the defunct Gongola State in 1991. Also, Mambilla, Fulani, Kona, Kuteb, Tiv, Jenjo and Wurukun have not produced any governor, despite their numerical strength. But, Mumuye and Chamba, with lesser population, produced Nyame and Suntai as governors.

    Religion

    Although, it is largely a secular state, religion affects the governorship polls in Taraba. Christians and Muslims fight for the soul of the state, with Christians always carrying the day and Muslims playing the second fiddle. The emergence of Alhaji Umar as the acting governor is by sheer providence.

    The contenders

    Many politicians are oiling their political machineries, ahead of the contest. They include David Kente, Emmanuel Bwacha, Garba Umar, Aisha Alhassan, Istifanus Haruna Gbana, Adamu Ibrahim, Ikenya and Ahmed Yusuf.

    David Sabo Kente

    Kente became a household name in Taraba politics, since he indicated his interest in running for the coveted office. He is the Deputy Director of Finance in the National Assembly. He has a big financial chest to oil his campaign machinery. He established the ‘DSK Foundation’ to assist the needy in the state, but the foundation also serves as his campaign organisation. Kente, who hails from Wukari local government area, is described by many as a simple, affable and benevolent young man. Recently, his relationship with Suntai has not been rosy. Some people perceive him a neophyte in politics because he is more of a civil servant than a politician.

    Emmanuel Bwacha

    Senator Bwacha is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. He is representing Taraba South District in the National Assembly. A lawyer, he was once a member of the House of Representatives. He was also a Commissioner and Majority Leader of the House of Assembly. He hails from Donga local government area. As a homeboy who grew up with grassroots politics in his blood, Bwacha is conversant with the state’s political terrain. In the words of one analyst, “Bwacha knows the good, the bad and the ugly in Taraba politics; he knows how to woo party stalwarts and how to neutralise opponents”. He is a cheerful giver with many high-profile politicians in his camp. Bwacha has not declared his ambition public, but he is being touted as Suntai’s successor because of his close relationship with the governor. But the lawmaker has often said his relationship with Suntai is not because he has any ambition to succeed him and is courting him for favour. His chances of clinching the PDP ticket would be negatively affected, if Suntai does not return to office. Suntai’s opponents also see Bwacha as their antagonist.

    Garba Umar

    Umar is the acting governor of the state. He looks every inch a complete gentleman with good leadership qualities. But he is a reclusive, having lived most of his life as a business entrepreneur trading outside the shores of the state for years. He is not cunning. Last year, Umar who hails from Karim-Lamido local government area, was picked as deputy by the ailing governor to replace the impeached deputy governor, Alhaji Sani Danladi. Barely 20 days after, he was empowered by the House of Assembly to act, following the involvement of his boss in the air crash. Umar’s political associates have started campaigning vigorously for him to run, even if his boss returns to office. As a member of the PDP, Umar’s chances of clinching the ruling party’s ticket depends significantly on Suntai’s absence. If he continues to act, in the absence of Suntai, the likelihood exists that he would alter the calculation to his own advantage. He will likely get the ticket as the controller of state resources and government apparatuses. On the other hand, if Suntai returns hale and hearty, the religious factor would come to play, with Suntai preferring a transition to another Christian governor.

    Aisha Alhassan

    Mrs. Alhassan was the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Taraba. She also served as the registrar of the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary. She is now the senator representing Taraba North in the National Assembly. She contested the senate on the PDP platform, beating a former senator, Dr. Anthony Manzo, at the primaries. In the general elections, she crushed former Governor Jolly Nyame, who was fielded by the ACN, to become the first woman senator from the state. Her supporters have nick-named her “Mama Taraba”, for her philanthropy and for securing donations from donors for the under-privileged. She is a major critic of Suntai and has formed a strong opposition camp against his administration. Alhassan has the finances and ‘connection’ to bankroll her campaigns, but her major setback is that she is a woman. She is also not in the good book of the state PDP leadership.

    Adamu Ibrahim

    Ibrahim retired as a Major-General in the Nigeria Army. He was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division, Enugu state. Following his retirement, he joined politics. He also established the ‘A-Dinota Ventures Limited (AVL)’, which, when completed, would be a multi-billion naira ethanol fuel-producing plant, using cassava and sugar cane. The 56-year-old politician hails from Wukari. His political potency,is not based on his financial muscles, but his vision and passion to develop Taraba. Ibrahim has the qualities to be a leader and is quietly being supported by some heavy-weight politicians within and outside the state. His military approach to politics may be a disadvantage to his chances.

     Joel Ikenya

    Ikenya, 50, is one of the movers and shakers of politics in Taraba. A sociable personality, Ikenya has been nicknamed the “The Bulldozer”, for his radical style of politicking. He hails from Wukari local government area of Southern Taraba. He was a member of the PDP and won a senatorial seat on its platform. He had served as a member of the State House of Assembly and House of Representatives. In 2011, he contested the governorship in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but lost, in spite of the formidable opposition. The Bulldozer will still contest the poll in the opposition. He has been in obscurity in recent time.

    Ahmed Yusuf

    A former Commissioner of Finance in Nyame Administration, Yusuf was the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 polls. In 2007, he lost his deposit when he contested in the Action Congress (AC). Yusuf, an engineer who hails from Jalingo, Taraba North, was a strong stalwart of the PDP, earning the sobriquet ‘Gamaliya’. He knows Taraba’s voting strength and all the polling units by name. He was expelled from the ruling party seven years ago when he fell apart with former Governor Nyame. In June last year, he returned to the PDP. He was warmly embraced by Governor Suntai and other PDP leaders. He is a likable politician, pulling crowds during his rallies. The stumbling block however, is the fact that the stakeholders have tagged him as a politician who knows too much. They believe that “if you give him power he will not mull over anybody’s advice”.

    Istifanus Gbana

    He is the Speaker of Taraba State House of Assembly. Born on January 2, 1964, Gbana has been the Speaker since 2004, after serving as House committees chairman. He was also the chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria in the last dispensation. He is a lawyer from Donga, Taraba south. Gbana is a complete gentleman and has all it takes to govern the state. He has not made his ambition public, but his political allies are doing the ‘homework’ to ensure the lawmaker succeeds Suntai in 2015. The Speaker also has a good relationship with Governor Suntai. The obstacle however, is that he belongs to the Bwacha Camp, where his interest is said to be clashing with Bwacha’s. Recently, his colleagues in the Assembly plotted to remove him from the throne.

  • ‘Orji is not intimidating opposition’

    ‘Orji is not intimidating opposition’

    Ugochukwu Emezue is Abia State Governor Theodore Orji’s media aide. He spoke with Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke on the achievements of the administration and priorities for this year.

    How did Orji Administration fare in 2012 ?

    2012 was a good year for us. The governor recorded many achievements. The governor has undertaken many projects in Abia State, starting from the secretariat project to the diagnostic centre, the ophthalmology and dialysis centre, court complexes in Aba and Umuahia, the Amachara General Hospital, the International conference centre. The governor constructed the roads in Aba. The work on these roads have gotten to an appreciable level. Other sectors were not neglected.

    Abia is an agrarian state. What achievements were recorded in agriculture.

    One of the major achievements of the governor was the disbursement of N1b loan to the farmers. The loan got to the real farmers. The liberation farms, which the governor initiated in the three senatorial zones, would soon commence agricultural activities. The Songhai farms at Okwoyi-Ibeku in Umuahia North council, is making progress.

    What is the governor doing to ensure security in the state?

    The Abia State Vigilante Service is a creation of the law of the state. The purpose is to complement the work of the state security agencies. When you call them vigilante services, you should know that they are operating at the community level and they do this in collaboration with the SSS, the police and Army. The governor gave patrol vans to all of them, even the NDLEA, because they are also doing their own job, the Nigerian custom services, Immigration and the Civil Defense.

    The opposition in the state has alleged that Governor Orji is emasculating the opposition parties. How would you react to this allegation?

    l don’t think it is true. As soon as the election ended, politics went to the back seat and what we are now seeing is governance. He is the governor of Abia State and not the governor of PDP. After his victory at the electoral tribunal, High Court and Appeal Court, he appealed to everybody, including his opponents, to be part of his government, make contributions, and offer suggestions. of cause you and If you go to the Mission Hill in Umuahia, you will see the secretariats of the two parties there. If you go to Aba Road, you will see other party offices. The truth is that when you have a party tahat is performing, it diminishes the stature and influence of other parties. The governor has rebranded the state. He is accommodating. He is tolerant of the opposition.

    What is the plan of the administration for Aba, the commercial nerve centre?

    Let me start from electricity. God willing, in the first quarter of this year, Aba is going to witness uninterrupted power supply. The governor is tackling the infrastructural The companies at Aba are not operating at full capacity because of lack of electricity. Electricity is the exclusive reserve of the federal government. Now that the power sector has been decentralized and private people are coming into the sector, we are supporting the Geometrics Services to light up Aba. The federal government has its own at Alaoji. When it is fully realized, it will really boost electricity in Aba and its environs.

    What plans of the government are underway for poverty reduction through the MDG?

    As far as the governor is concerned, he is very much interested in MDG projects and that is why he is very eager to pay the state’s counterpart funds. When the Senior Special Assistant to the President visited the state, she singled the governor out for commendation. The MDG fund is being used to empower our youths to make sure that unemployment and poverty are reduced. nor on his monumental projects.

  • PDP, ACN trade blames over Offa/Erin-Ile crises

    PDP, ACN trade blames over Offa/Erin-Ile crises

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are trading blames over the communal clashes between Offa and Erin-Ile communities in Kwara State.

    The ACN and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) alleged that the dissolution of the Offa and Oyun council executives was an orchestrated plot by the state government to get rid of Prince Saheed Popoola, the only ACN local government chairman in the state.

    ACN National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had criticised the dissolution, saying that it was in bad faith. But the government said the move was to ensure peace in the troubled communities.

    Mohammed said: “Government’s action risks aggravating the crisis, especially as the people of Offa local government, the only council controlled by the ACN in the state, are bound to interpret the government’s action as being aimed at depriving them of the leadership they have willingly voted into office.”

    But the PDP fired back, saying that ACN and CPC’s unholy alliance fueled the crisis in the two communities.

    The communal clashes were triggered by the protracted land dispute, which pitched the two communities against each other.

    Justifying its action, government said the land dispute was not enough justification for the destruction of lives and property.

    The ACN’s spokesperson disagreed. He said: “The Kwara State government either acted in indecent haste in dissolving the councils or decided to cash in on the crisis to neutralize the awesome popularity and acceptability of the ACN, considering that judgment is still being awaited on the ACN’s appeal against the election tribunal’s award of the council to the PDP, and being acutely aware that any fresh election ordered in the local government will be swept by the ACN.

    ‘’We at the ACN will like to say unequivocally that the Kwara State government was wrong in dissolving the councils because it has not been found that the crisis erupted due to any act of omission or commission by the council chairmen or officials.

  • 2014: Ekiti PDP leaders in supremacy battle

    2014: Ekiti PDP leaders in supremacy battle

    Ahead 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that the fortune of opposition People’s Democratic Party is being threatened by factional interests and endless supremacy battle.

     

    The race for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2014 governorship election is fast gathering momentum.  A growing number of gubernatorial aspirants have stepped up very intense political activities aimed at being positioned as frontline contenders for the party’s ticket.

    In fact, so intense are the political activities daily being organised by aspirants on the platform of the PDP that the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, recently described them as unnecessary distraction to governance in the state.

    Aside Fayemi, the PDP itself is feeling the heat emanating from what has become a supremacy battle among chieftains of the party. The current factionalisation of the party with aspirants and their godfathers alike controlling splinter groups within the party, is a fallout of the ongoing struggle.

    The return of former governor Ayo Fayose to the party, last September, has contributed to the frenzied political activities in the state. Shortly after being granted a waiver by the national leadership of the PDP last year, the former governor declared his intention to vie for governorship position in 2014.

    His supporters have been painting the streets with his posters and organising rallies. His group, which has a firm control of the party leadership in the state, has also been very outspoken in criticising the Fayemi-led Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) administration in the state.

    Fayose is not alone in the race for Fayemi’s job. About a dozen of other PDP chieftains are currently oiling their political machineries to give the sitting governor a run for his money in 2014. But first, they will have to slug it out among themselves to determine who flies the party’s flag.

    Others who have already thrown their hats into the ring for the contest include Bisi Omoyeni, former deputy governor and a former Managing Director of Wema Bank Plc. His entrant into the race is still seen by many as a surprise given the manner he left his job as Fayose’s deputy some years back.

    Another former deputy governor of the state, Chief Abiodun Aluko, is also keen on getting the PDP ticket to confront Fayemi in 2014. He made his intention to contest the forthcoming governorship election in the state known at a rally in Ikere Ekiti.

    While many see Aluko’s ambition as a continuation of the frosty political relationship between him and Fayose, his former boss, the Ikere-born politician is quick to say that he is not at loggerheads with the ex-governor.

    “Fayose and I have no quarrel at all because we have been able to put the past behind us. He was personally present during my official declaration in Ikere Ekiti and he promised to work with me if I end up clinching the ticket to run as the candidate of our great party,” he said.

    But the constant clash between the supporters of these two politicians and the fact that they belong to different factions of the party puncture their claim of friendship and expose the battle for supremacy currently raging between them.

    The immediate past senator representing Ekiti North, Mr. Ayo Arise, former member of the House of Representatives, who represented Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1, Mr. Wale Aribisala, and a former senator from Ekiti South district, Mr Gbenga Aluko, are some other chieftains of the party currently jostling for the gubernatorial ticket ahead of the 2014 election.

    The race to dislodge Fayemi also has another estranged ally of Fayose’s, Yinka Akerele, Ropo Ogunbolude, who was a Special adviser to former governor, Chief Olusegun Oni, a former chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in the administration of Oni, Chief Dayo Adeyeye, and Second Republic Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Bode Olowoporoku in contention on the platform of the PDP.

    There are also very strong indications that the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), may also be interested in the party’s governorship ticket.

    Although Olubolade has not signified intention to contest, sources said interest groups are daily springing up within and outside his political party across the 16 local government areas of the state to push for his emergence as the party’s candidate in the 2014 governorship race.

    Following the rumour of the minister’s ambition, the Fayose camp has been viewing Olubolade with suspicion. It would be recalled that the minister and the former governor joined forces to snatch the control of the party in the state from former governor Segun Oni’s faction.

    At PDP congress, held on March 18, 2012, the group loyal to Olubolade and Fayose polled 318 votes to produce Makanjuola Ogundipe as the chairman, defeating Akin Omole who polled 310 votes. Omole is loyal to the Oni-led faction of the party.

    The Fayose group also produced all other party executive members. Prompted by Oni and other party chieftains opposed to Fayose’s rising profile in the party, Omole declared himself as a factional chairman.

    The national leadership of the party recently recognised the Ogundipe-led executive and mandated the party in Ekiti to spare no effort in bringing the Omole group back into the recognised PDP.

    But the ongoing struggle for the gubernatorial ticket of the party may have further divided the party into splinter groups as all the aspirants and their godfathers are daily scheming on how to grab control of the party machinery in the state ahead of the 2014 election.

    Recently, the Omole group said there can be no reconciliation except the state executive is harminised. Former governor Oni, who is believed to be the pillar behind the group, made the statement.

    “There can’t be serious reconciliation without harmonisation. If they said they are reconciling, the question is, did they fight each other? What brought the disagreement was that some people felt left out from the running of the party. That is why we have to seek accommodation everywhere for those that are left out. We must accommodate everybody so we can all work together to achieve our objective of taking this party to the promised-land as quickly as possible,” Oni said

    The fear of the Oni-led faction, according to sources within the party, is that with the control of the party firmly in the hands of Fayose’s associates, it will be difficult for them to stop the imminent emergence of the former governor as the candidate of the PDP in 2014.

    But Fayose and his allies are not ready for any reconciliation that will tamper with the current leadership of the party in the state. They argue that the proposal is a calculated attempt by some people to weaken the party ahead of the governorship election.

    The former governor, while calling for caution on the part of some notable chieftains of the party,  said the Ogundipe-led state executive is open to reconciliation and ready to readmit disgruntled members back to the fold. But he was quick to add that whoever is still thinking of harmonisation should stop dreaming.

    Determined to find a way out of the current gridlock within the party, some party chieftains are now clamouring for the expansion of the State Working Committee to a 40 –member executive to accommodate the aggrieved members.

    The proponents of this new peace initiative, led by former deputy governor, Abiodun Aluko, said it will allow all factions and groups within the party to have a sense of belonging in the affairs of the party while also not tampering with the place of the current executive members.

    “In the election, someone polled 318 to defeat the main challenger who polled 310. So it will be difficult for those victorious in the congress to sideline those who lost out because the election was too close. But I want to emphasise that the present executive should be allowed to stay, but new offices can be created because the 14 –member executive is not sacrosanct, so that peace can reign,” Aluko said.

    But the state executive members would want Aluko ignored. According to them, the initiative is just another ploy to throw spanner into the wheels of the party’s determination to win the 2014 governorship election.

    “We know these people very well. They are our people and we can read them well. What they want is for us to succumb to their evil plots of either harmonisation or expansion so that latter on, they can go to court and say the composition of the state executive is not known to law. That way, they will drag the party into litigation and stall our match to victory,” a leading member of the executive said.

    With the governorship election in Ekiti fast approaching, analyst are saying unless the ongoing supremacy tussle within the PDP in the state is put to rest as quickly as possible, it may be very difficult for the party to make good its promise of returning to the government house in 2014.