The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Landmines in the legislative chambers

    Landmines in the legislative chambers

    As federal lawmakers resumed this week after their two months annual leave, Sam Egburonu examines the issues poised to heat up debate at the hallowed chamber and reports that they are also likely to shape the polity in the next few months

    Even before members of the National Assembly proceeded on their two months annual recess, which ended early in the week, most of the issues have generated intense debate and bad blood within and outside the hallowed chambers.

    So, as the lawmakers resumed on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, the issues have expectedly resonated across the length and breadth of Nigeria, literarily punctuating the pulse of the country’s polity. According to informed observers, most of the issues under contention are of special interest to majority of Nigerians because they are both delicately explosive and likely to determine the path of the country’s future political direction.

    Will Mr. President be impeached?

    The first of these issues is the controversy trailing alleged poor implementation of the 2012 budget, which made members of the House of Representatives to issue threats to commence impeachment moves against President Goodluck Jonathan. The angry lawmakers had in July 19, 2012, before going on recess, sworn that if by the time they resume this September, Jonathan has not ensured 100 per cent implementation of the budget, they will immediately put in motion impeachment proceedings against Mr. President. They have resumed and reports show that Jonathan-led federal government has not achieved the set target of 100 percent implementation.

    The controversy over budget implementation began after the last oversight functions of lawmakers, when most committees of the House of Representatives scored virtually all the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) very low.

    Insiders told The Nation that Presidency and leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were particularly worried when they received reports that most House members, including PDP lawmakers had passionately and openly blamed the poor performance of the federal government primarily on poor budget implementation and therefore urged the federal government to empower the MDAs for greater effectiveness before September or the House would be compelled to commence impeachment proceedings.

    Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, representing Surulere, Lagos State, gave teeth to the feelings of co-sponsors of the impeachment threat when he said: “The President had come to the floor of the House with a budget which he called transformation budget but it is a budget of abracadabra and voodoo…The president is not doing anybody any favour as constituency projects are done all over the world… so come September, if the budget is not 100 per cent implemented, we will start to throw articles of impeachment at the president.”

    The temper of lawmakers at the lower chamber peaked when, in his contribution to the debate, Hon. John Enoh (PDP, Cross River), the chairman of Appropriation Committee, revealed that the total release for capital projects of N400 billion was effected in the first quarter, admitting gravely that out of this, the cash backing was only N200 billion, which generally translates to abysmal 35 percent.

    At first, some top government officials and presidential aides dismissed it as a blank threat from empty vessels. But it did not take long before the Presidency, realising the interest of other Nigerians and likely danger, responded and began aggressive, though largely behind-the-scene mobilisation of support aimed at frustrating all impeachment plans.

    Given the current temper however, it seems clear that majority of the lawmakers are utterly dissatisfied with the level of budget implementation so far, and are therefore still bent on carrying out the threat.

    So, today, even at the senate, the term impeachment is no longer totally strange. The Nation gathered that many senators are also openly showing dissatisfaction over budget implementation and other matters. One of them is Senator Uche Chukwumerije, who, while contributing to the debate on a Bill for an Act to Amend the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act Cap (2004) sponsored by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, also threatened to move motion for impeachment.

    At the House, another major issue that will certainly generate red-hot controversy is that of committee chairmanship positions and the long awaited shake-up in the House.

    During the recess, members and top leaders in the House were involved in intense lobby over this matter, as secret meetings were held in different parts of the country, where the issue of House committees and the interest of various stakeholders were discussed. A source said in one of the meetings, held in Governor Babangida Aliyu’s domain, it was agreed that the area must not lose out in upcoming committee shake up.

    Also, a source at the National Assembly, who described this matter as “extremely sensitive,” and would therefore not want to be named, said during the week that the recently reported plot to impeach Speaker Aminu Tambuwal or to make the leadership of the House uncomfortable, is more because of this matter than any other. “The Speaker and other top leaders in the House are aware of the sentiment of members and other political interests over this matter and are therefore careful to handle it diligently. You know what happened and how some of these positions became vacant. Everybody is interested,” the source said.

    Before the resumption from the long recess, observers, noting the moves from the executive to water down the temper of lawmakers on the impeachment threat and other issues, had postulated that the threat will die a natural death. But signals that the impeachment matter is still on the top burner was confirmed when a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, declined to stop the House of Representatives from commencing impeachment proceedings against Mr. President.

    It remains to be seen how the matter would be finally treated. But even as the lobbying continues in Abuja, Nigerians are expressing diverse opinions.

    According to Dr. Godswill Ufort, “The call may be explained but I think it is not necessary at this point of our national life to distract the president with threats of impeachment. I agree that the current government will need to brace up to the challenges of our time and let Nigerians enjoy dividends of democracy. That being the case, I will prefer that Jonathan take the current outbursts as a signal that he will need to do more. Impeachment of the president at this time will however distabilise Nigeria and so I urge our lawmakers not to think in that direction.”

    But for Udochukwu Madubueze, a lawyer and public notary, “The grounds on which these threats are being made are germane, so if the current leadership of the federal government cannot do better than it is doing now, it is the responsibility of the National Assembly to consider impeachment.”

    Other issues that will expectedly heat up debate at the legislative arm of the federal government and outside, as the lawmakers resume, include: the N700 billion pension scam, the N1.7trillion oil subsidy controversy, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), and the 2013 budget.

    So, the senate also promises to be hot. In fact, when the Senate Committee on Banking first asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to put on hold, the proposed introduction of N5, 000 note and conversion of N20, N10 and N5 into coins, it became obvious, even to the Presidency that lawmakers were this time around ready to fight against the policy.

    Although President Goodluck Jonathan saw through the mood and stopped the proposed CBN policy, thereby denying the lawmakers a fertile opportunity of gaining public acclaim, the seeming decision of lawmakers to redeem their battered image before Nigerians was however demonstrated few days after resumption when they quickly launched some fresh probes at the upper chamber, like that of sales of some Navy assets.

    Also, The Nation gathered that for senators, intense lobby commenced long before resumption over the screening of new ministerial nominees for Defence and Power. These plum positions, it would be recalled, became vacant following the sack of the former Minister and past Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed and the resignation of Prof. Barth Nnaji, the former minister of power.

    Another major issue of general interest is the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution. Already, the entire polity is abuzz with sensitive issues like state creation and state police which are expected to be tackled by the lawmakers.

    Close to the contentious issue of constitutional amendment, in terms of wide interest, is the question as to what the lawmakers will do to the reports by Senators Uzodinma, Abe, Etok-led committees and others, which are supposed to be tabled before the Senators for discussions.

    Dr. Ufort summarized what he described as the expectation of Nigerians, when he said, “Nigerians are happy that the lawmakers are back to do the business of lawmaking, for which we elected them. We want results, not more scandals from them. I think what the current federal lawmakers make of all the burning issues beside them will determine our future political fate.”

  • Orji Kalu back in the news

    Almost four years after he went into a political sabbatical of sorts in the aftermath of his fallout with his erstwhile godson, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, former Abia Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, seems to have found his groove again. In the last few weeks, Kalu has been in the news granting media interviews, a development some have interpreted as Kalu’s readiness for the post-2015 political dispensation. Unconfirmed reports has it that the former governor is poised to test his political relevance once again by sponsoring a candidate for the Abia governorship seat on the platform of his political party, Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) to challenge the candidate of the ruling PDP.

  • Towards a new Nigeria

    Towards a new Nigeria

    IN the wake of the seizure of allocations due to the local government councils of Lagos State in 2003, I wrote then that something must be done about the powers attached to the President and the presidency by the 1999 Constitution. I called attention of all patriots to the need to whittle down the powers. The call went unheeded. It is interesting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has picked up the call.

    Last week, he told a distinguished audience at the Leadership lecture about the need to get the legislature to prune down the presidential powers if Nigeria is to move forward.

    One way this may be done now is to restructure along the lines suggested by Professor Pat Utomi at the forum: the states should give way to regions and the load on the exclusive legislative list drastically reduced.

    At the moment, the President could literally decide anyone’s fate in the country. He controls more than half of all the resources available and commands the armed and civil forces. He appoints the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the President, Court of Appeal and Justices of the Supreme Court. He also determines who is made the Inspector General of Police as well as heads of all security agencies. No other person or body has any say in this. He is the benefactor of whoever is handed the power to organise elections. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), other national commissioners and even the State Resident Commissioners owe their appointments and renewal of terms to him.

    Reproduced below is the article published almost a decade ago. As it was then, so it is now. This constitution review exercise is another opportunity to look beyond narrow partisan interests in deciding the way forward. Unless we take decisions that could radically alter the national equation, we would be back to this point in another 10 years.

    What manner of democracy is this?

    One question that must of necessity agitate the mind of anyone sufficiently knowledgeable about the working of democracy is whether there is a Nigerian brand of democracy. Democracy has been defined in many ways but what is important to note is that there are some universal principles that define the system. One, there are periodic elections. Two, there is a grundnorm binding on all operators within the system. Three, there is a due process (call it the Rule of Law) that must be followed to the letter. Four, and perhaps the most important of all, the will of the people must prevail at all times.

    In this country, all the rules have been breached. It has been demonstrated over and over again that the will of the people amount to nothing in the court of politicians. The most ingenious among them are busy at all times devising means of thwarting the will of the people. When elections are held, meetings are held late into the night right from the compilation of the voters register with a view to discarding with the masses’ choice.

    Just a few weeks after the hotly disputed elections held in April, the government has started unfolding its own interpretation of the mandate purportedly received at the polls. Last week, it unveiled a new regime of petroleum products prices. In a sense, it is a way of showing that the people might have endorsed the plan to hike prices of such basic commodities. No one bothered explaining how the extra money to be “saved” from the exercise would be spent.

    The 1999 Constitution makes the Nigerian President the most powerful in the world. He is really not accountable to anyone. He is, indeed, like the emperors of yore. He is the Chief Legislator, the most powerful judicial officer and, of course, the Chief Executive. Did you say how? Under the Constitution, the President proclaims, inaugurates and dissolves the National Assembly and most Bills are initiated by him. As we have seen over and over again since 1999, the President also, in unofficial capacity, appoints principal officers of the National Assembly and they enjoy office at his pleasure. With regard to the Judiciary, he appoints the Chief Justice of Nigeria. And, another appointee of his, this time, one responsible to him and him alone, the Attorney General, plays a crucial role in the National Judicial Council which administers the judiciary.

    By virtue of Section 315 of the Constitution, the President could make and unmake laws. This power was first demonstrated over the fate of the Petroleum Trust Fund inherited from the military. The President simply scrapped the body without recourse to the legislature. When the legislators asked questions about the source of his power to abolish a statutory body without a repeal of the relevant law, he brandished Section 315. Looks more like 419.

    Again, only last week, the President in what appears a flagrant disregard of the Constitution, decided to set aside the law by seeking to abrogate the Local Government Councils by fiat. To the best of this writer’s knowledge, Section 7 of the Constitution has not been abrogated. But the President has exercised his power to make and unmake. Makes him look more like the French King Louis XIV of the 17th Century.

    As time rolls by, with a former military leader as president, more of such powers would be exercised to the discomfiture of the electorate. In Nigeria , the electorate is certainly not the king.

     

    This article was first published in Vanguard June 27, 2003

     

  • Ndoma -Egba plans for 4th term

    What the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, is one of the most influential lawmakers at the National Assembly is an acknowledged fact. A third term senator, representing Cross River Central and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ndoma-Egba, according to sources, will not be contesting for the governorship of his state in 2015, contrary to speculations making the rounds that he is plotting to succeed the incumbent governor, Senator Liyel Imoke . His priority, Ripples gathered, is to return to the Senate for a record fourth term, the first ever in Cross River state.

  • I ‘m not finished yet -Titi Ajanaku

    I ‘m not finished yet -Titi Ajanaku

    Chief (Mrs.) Titi Ajanaku, a nurse by training but better known as a foremost political activist, first came into national limelight when she emerged, against all odds, as chairman old Abeokuta Local Government under the zero- party arrangement and was in the vanguard of the G-34, which metamorphosed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). She has dared where some of her male counterparts dared not to thread, as her political activities had sent her to the lion’s den. The top politician, who was arrested and arraigned before the Patrick Aziza’s Tribunal for her alleged involvement in the 1995 phantom coup, spoke with Adetutu Audu, on her career, politics and national issues. Excerpts

    Why did you join party politics?

    I actually joined politics in 1977 with the aim of improving the lot of the people of my community and Nigeria at large and to also serve as a catalyst to our women who are interested in politics; who can learn from my experience and not go through what I passed through. My objective in politics is about service. I have contested some elective posts and won and others I lost but I am not deterred because I have a vision. The people of Ogun State in particular and Nigeria in general need to encourage the women who have the wherewithal and the vision to participate so that they can be mentored.

    I joined politics not because I wanted to contest election. I retired as a nurse, when I was in service; I started a mobile clinic, when I discovered the high mortality rate then in Ilesa.

    During the Obasanjo’s transition programme, after the demise of the late Murtala Mohammed, I have been hearing about the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo then, but I have never met him. So, I said if this man, who wanted to contest, has the interest of the people at heart, then let us go and see him. That was how we went to Ikenne and after appreciating our effort, he said I give you this challenge that you should come on board as we are going to include the programme in our manifesto.

    That is how I came into politics; it has not been easy though. In this game, most men are chauvinistic and if they see a woman rubbing shoulders with them, they become jittery.

    The first thing they would do, as they have done to some women, is that they want to befriend you. They will say they will settle you. I have not gone through that because most of them are afraid to look me in the face.

    It is not me, but it is God’s doing. When that one fails, then they start harassment, a lot of women have fallen by the way side through that. When that fails again, they will resort to blackmail. They will send people to your husband to blackmail you that you did all manner of things at night meetings.

    But it is not all political meetings you hold in the nights. Sometimes, you need to bring people home to sell your ideas. And once you are not intimidated, people see you as a leader they can follow.

    But I thank God that politics gave me opportunity to give my best at every opportunity. Women are the best managers of resources than men. The system is already corrupt, but before a woman could have the heart to steal like these men are doing, it will take the devil in her because I cannot do anything I cannot defend in the presence of my family.

    What is in vogue now is that when men get position, they begin to look for trouble. For instance, that is when they would realise that the woman at home is not good again. They now look at all these six-inch Stilettos ladies and spoil them with material things.

    They go as far as selling their properties because they want to contest elections. Women cannot do that.

    But I have always said that people will always get the kind of government they deserve.

    Any woman who knows her mission in politics would not fall prey to the antics of her male counterparts. Once they know that you are the frivolous type, they won’t have any iota of respect for you. Again, you can be swayed, easily. Once they have something they can always flaunt to blackmail you, you can’t stand on any principled position. Yes, on any issue you feel strongly against, you lose your voice in the crowd. Suddenly, your political career becomes a flash in the pan. You stand for nothing. In fact, I can tell you, one of the antics of our male counterpart: once they know you are the principled type, they try to lure you for sex. Once you start sleeping around, you have provided them the instrument they can use to break you on a platter of gold.

    It has been a long journey but I am not at the end of the road yet.

    Are you satisfied with the level of women participation in politics?

    Women are in large quantities in politics. But unfortunately a larger part of them are clappers and dancers. Somehow, when you talk of women, we gossip; we are jealous and envious. Always, the question is, is it only her? But what we lack is the opportunity and unfortunately there is no independent candidate in the constitution yet. When you offered yourself and the party says no, who are the party? To some of the members, it is the highest bidder. There is slight improvement in-between 2007 and 2011. Those of us, who want to stand, do not have the wherewithal like the men.

    When Dame Patience Jonathan took it upon herself to canvass for 35 percent affirmative action the President supported it. We will fare better when women are in the structure of the party because it is party hierarchy that nominates you or influences A or B.

    When you are given appointment you are at the mercy of the person who appointed you. I am an incurable optimist; I know things will get better.

    We are not saying the men are not the head. We are saying we are partners in progress. You will realise out of selfishness, men don’t support women. From 2009 when former President Obasanjo appointed six women in his administration and gave them challenging opportunites, we told ourselves, that was a window that has been opened; don’t close it by your attitude. The window opened further, that is why the President gave women opportunities too. Things are changing and will continue to change.

    You left PDP for AC and now you are back in PDP. Is that not political prostitution?

    No it’s not. I did not join AC, we formed it. It was because of the circumstances between 2005 and 2007. When I am dealing with someone, I deal wholeheartedly, just because the party was afraid of somebody they changed rule. How can a party say they should deregister someone? I left the party in protest. In fact, some people told me you formed the party together, how can you leave the house you built.

    When they start carrying cudgels and guns, if you don’t excuse yourself, you may not be alive to tell the story.

    Initially, we wanted amalgamation with other political parties and that was what led to the change of AC to ACN. But again, there were so many intrigues. After that, reconciliation moves were made.

    Given the crisis in PDP, what would you say is the problem with your party?

    It is mainly because of lack of discipline and lack of internal democracy. Once you become the President, you automatically become the leader of the party. Then, what happens to the party structure? You are elected as the governor, maybe you just came in, after all the structures had been put in place, but because you are lucky or because you spent this and that amount of money, you become the governor of the state and then you automatically become the leader of the party in the state. So, where is the discipline? And you know power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And when you are the governor and the leader of the party, you can tell anybody to go to blazes. And that was what happened that we were unable to manage the success that we had. And God in His infinite mercies has humbled everybody. And that itself is food for thought. It is only God that is ‘I am that I am.’

    Do you think President Jonathan will deliver the change Nigerians expect?

    The President has been through a lot. From deputy governor till now and because of his humility, he has the mandate to do that which will benefit the people.

    I pray he does that. If he can wriggle himself from the hawks around him, he will deliver.

    The issue of insecurity has been a major challenge in the country. What is your view?

    Without security, there is no peace, there is no progress and there is no prosperity. When people start leaving in fear, then you know what that means. That is why I would ask everybody to keep praying for this country. Things have gone beyond human understanding. It is my belief that the government at all levels will continue to do their best and even go an extra mile to make sure that Nigeria and her people are safe. People can no longer sleep with both eyes closed. Even walking in the afternoon has become something frightening.

    The Boko Haram issue is becoming scarier. When they started, it was killing people, now they have graduated to bombing the telecomm mast and if we cannot communicate with each other, you know what that means. It should be priority of government. The populace too has a role to play.

    Some said it is fire for fire, while others are calling for dialogue. What do you think is the best approach to tackle the Boko Haram issue?

    To be quite honest, I don’t have the answer. That is because the security officers and the government see more than we see and know more than we know. And since it is their responsibility to protect us, though the only protector is the Almighty, we have to pray and work. I am not quite comfortable with dialogue, dialogue with whom? It means we know who these people are, they are not faceless. If they know who they are, they can talk with them. But innocent lives have been wasted.

    What is even more frightening is the condition they are giving the president.

    Nigeria is not an Islamic state, it is a secular state. There is no way you can enforce any religion on anybody. I am really at a loss as far as that one is concerned.

    Dame Patience Jonathan was appointed as Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State recently even as Nigerian First Lady. What is your position on this?

    How can a First Lady of Nigeria be an employee of a state? It beats my imagination; I honestly don’t understand the reason behind it. I understand what her functions as a permanent secretary is supposed to be. I don’t know whether she would be in the office, directing the affairs under the commissioner for whatever ministry she is put and still remains the Nigerian First Lady.

    Can you recount your experience in the 1995 phantom group?

    I was arrested for being part of a group, attempting to topple the regime.

    I was in my house when, armed men came around 3 am and I was taken away, to be detained. I was moved around various detention centres, later arraigned along with General Obasanjo, the late Sheu Musa Yar’ Adua, Col Bello Fadile and many others and tried before General Patrick Aziza. I was exonerated, discharged and freed of all the charges; likewise the late Chief Adisa Akinloye.

    While in detention, I became worried for several reasons. One, I tried to examine myself: Was I fraternising, innocently with people, who had sinister motives against the government? Well, my conscience was clear on this and I became less worried, because I knew nothing of such ever happened. Again, what if they found me culpable, in their own judgement and did the worse?

    You know, they said the military will give us lawyers. But for us, our lawyers were Colonels downwards and the prosecutor, Generals upward. As you know, ‘who born Colonels to start arguing with the Generals?’

    I became worried: My father who was very old was still alive then and I had promised him, prayed to God that he would smile to his grave, that I will bury him. My son was also in Hungary, studying Medicine.

    My father also prayed that I am going to bury him and that I would not be shown his grave and at that time, he was 100 years old.

    That was my most trying period. Of course, it drew me closer to God till today. You know, I had the opportunity of being a counselor to other prison inmates, especially those with children. The cell is so congested. But we thank God, where is Abacha today?

    In all these, how have you been able to manage your matrimonial home?

    I am luckier than most people. From day one, because of my upbringing and the urge to serve, I will say, if I do nothing, I will be most difficult to be with. So, everybody supported and encouraged me. Besides, I have only one son, now 44, who was brought up as if tomorrow I may not be there.

    But my advise to young women who are nursing baby and interested in politics is not to go into active partisan politics, because if your home suffers, there will be no where to run back to. There is nothing wrong in being interested but they should start from their immediate environment.

  • Lawmaker blasts Folarin on criticism of Ajimobi’s projects

    Lawmaker blasts Folarin on criticism of Ajimobi’s projects

    The Chief Whip of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adigun-Hammed Abiodun has described a statement credited to the former Senate leader, Senator Teslim Folarin accusing the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government in the state of non-performance as idle talk.

    Senator Folaring had, while featuring on a radio programme in the state, criticised the Ajimobi administration for allegedly executing poor quality projects in the state.

    But the Chief Whip, in a statement, said it was easier for people to criticise than point to what they did when they had the opportunity but failed to do anything.

    The lawmaker said the former Senate Leader could not boast of any achievement for the eight years he spent in the Senate, nor can he be credited with bringing any reasonable project to the Southwest, let alone Ibadan land.

  • ‘Abia ready to conduct council polls’

    ‘Abia ready to conduct council polls’

    THE Abia State government has assured all those ex

    pressing doubts about its determination to conduct local polls next year that nothing would hinder the plan.

    Pointing out that local council elections were last held in the state in 2007, shortly after the governor assumed office for his first term, his Chief Press secretary, Mr. Ugo Emezue said the government was ready to ensure that democracy takes roots at the grassroots. Since the expiration of the tenure of the elected chairmen and councilors in 2009, local councils in the state have been run by transition committees.

    Governor Theodore Orji had promised earlier in the month that council elections would be conducted in January next year. He explained that it had been impossible for him to do just that because he was dealing with the heavy debt profile inherited from the previous chairmen of the councils in the state.

    Reaffirming the governor’s plan, Emezue said “I can tell you authoritatively that all is set for that election and as we know, the governor, Chief Theodore Orji has never made a promise without fulfilling it. I will also like to let you know here that the issue of that election is one that has gladdened everybody’s heart in the state today. The election will ensure that democracy takes firm root at the local government level.

    “Yes, some people may be asking why it has taken this long to conduct the election. The problem the governor had was that we had some elected chairmen that were in office for two years and who owed huge sums of salaries running into billions. It was a sad situation in which Abians themselves even backed the governor not to conduct the election until things were sorted out.

    He blamed the loyalty of the former chairmen to the administration which ruled the state before the coming of Governor T. A. Orji, saying their loyalty was elsewhere and so did everything to undermine the government of thwe day.

    “Of course we know what happened before the governor liberated Abians from what can be aptly described as the clutches of darkness. We know that during that sad period, we hate to recall a lot of people were not loyal to the governor, particularly the local government chairmen who felt that they had a god-father somewhere that made them to become what they were.

    “So they still paid allegiance to their so-called godfather, doing whatever they liked, while on the other hand, destabilising underground the laudable vision of the governor. To say they incurred so much for government is an under statement. So when their tenure expired, what the governor did, which was the obvious thing to do, was to appoint transitional chairmen for interim purpose. The idea was to enable the governor offset gradually the entire bill that was being owed”.

    He gave a clue about the enormity of the burden that the government had to carry in respect of offsetting the debt the erstwhile local government chairmen incurred.

    “Some local government chairmen owed more than one year salary and you could imagine the huge burden that was left for the governor to tackle. Governor Orji took time to clear all the problems and happily enough he is through with paying all that was owed and now ready for the election.

    “Today, the Abia State government can beat its chest and say that the local governments are well stabilized and the time is now appropriate to conduct election in to the council areas. It has been slated for January and as I am talking to you, those responsible for the conduct of the election are making all efforts to meet the target date and to ensure a free and fair election”

    On what to expect in terms of transparency of the election process next January, the governor’s aide said there is no cause for alarm.

    “The governor has said it that the election will be highly transparent. He is the governor of Abia State, not the governor of any party and he has given that assurance. One of the hallmarks of his leadership is that he keeps to his promise so there is no cause for alarm. He is a man that believes in fairness, equity and justice.

    “Even the opposition has come out to congratulate him for fixing the date because they know he will not renege. At the end of the day we will see that it is one of the best elections people will adjudge as free and fair. All the same, in an election, it is either you win or you lose but the most important thing is to know that the process was transparent”, he stated.

    On the planned demolition of about 1800 illegal structures in Aba, which many people have criticized as an insensitive decision, Emezue said many people committed illegality by building unauthorized places, adding that there would be no going back on that decision so as to save the future of the state’s commercial hub.

    “Aba that is the commercial nerve center of the state and if you go there you will discover so many illegalities in terms of people building on drains. What the governor has done over time is to take time to identify those places that are obstructing, not only the water flow of flood but disruption of the Aba master plan. He is not demolishing just to win applause because successive governments never had the courage to do the needful to save Aba from future disaster. Government is not witch-hunting anybody. Government has been able to drain many areas in Aba, particularly, School Road which connects the whole of Aba. There is nothing to fear in this demolition exercise as far as the building is not on drains or at illegal place. The governor is taking the bull by the horn and I do not think there is any going back. You cannot make an omelet without breaking an egg. We must do what is right”.

    Making reference to what Lagos State Governor babtunde Fashola has made out of the former Oshodi, Emezue said what the authorities in Abia want is to make Aba look the way people would want it to look.

    “At the end of the day the governor wants Aba to be what everybody is expecting it to be: a real commercial hub with the city well protected against future disaster. The truth is that change is a difficult thing for people to embrace. But as we know too, the only constant thing in life is change. I remember when Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State was demolishing Oshodi, a lot of people were criticizing his action but today they are praising him for the wonderful transformation of Oshodi. What matters is not the criticism but that the right thing was done to the joy and benefit of the majority.

    “By the time the governor finishes all he wants to do for Aba; it will become a destination point and Abia people will praise him for it. I can tell you there is no going back on that demolition. We want to give Aba a new face, it is a town that has been neglected by successive regime and we take exception to that mistake. Ask previous governments to point at what they did in Aba? There was nothing they did and this government cannot join that queue of neglecting Aba”, he declared.

  • Stakeholders worry over electoral violence in Ondo

    Stakeholders worry over electoral violence in Ondo

    Political leaders in Ondo State are worried over the spate of violence that has characterised the governorship campaigns in the state.

    They want the security agencies to rise to the occasion. Traditional rulers and community leaders have also been suing for peace, urging rival partisan politicians to desist from heating up the state ahead of the October 20 election.

    Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader in Akure, the state capital, Chief Wumi Adegbonmire, attributed the violence to the desperation of the Labour Party (LP) Governor Olusegun Mimiko to remain in office beyond this year. He complained that thugs have been invading the ACN meeting venues to instill fear into the people. The foremost politician warned that the trick would fail because people were seriously pushing for power shift.

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, Olusola Oke, a lawyer, has also complained that suspected LP thugs have been disrupting campaigns. But he urged calm, saying that the will of the people will prevail.

    The Director of Mimiko Campaign Organisation, Mr. Kola Olabisi, denied the allegations. He said PDP and ACN were giving the dog a bad name to hang it. “LP is a peaceful party. Ondo State was peaceful before some people invaded the state to disturb its peace. Our campaign in the Labour Party is peaceful”, he said.

    ACN spokesman Gboyega Adedipe said Olabisi was pretending. He alleged that Governor Mimiko, who is seeking re-election, has been waging war against the opposition. He recalled that violence started on April 20, 2012, when the ACN organized a memorial lecture for former Governor Adebayo Adefarati at Oyemeku Road, Akure. Adedipe said LP members stormed the venue, singing and dancing provocatively to abusive songs against the opposition party.

    “As the guests, mostly ACN members, began to arrive, the situation became rowdy as their supporters also stationed themselves outside the hall singing and dancing. The situation, however, turned violent when some invitees to the lecture, including former commissioners and special advisers who served under the late governor were prevented from entering the lecture hall by Labour Party members”, he lamented.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and police took the pre-emptive action by banning political gatherings. But it is always difficult to enforce ban on political activities in a volatile state.

    On Saturday, July 28, the convoy of the ACN candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, was attacked in Akure by thugs. The party blamed LP for the attack, which was denied by its Publicity Secretary, Kole Odogiyan. The media aide to Akeredolu, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, alleged that hoodlums hauled stones and pebbles at the convoy.

    A day before this attack, there was a clash between PDP and LP members at Ode-Irele. According to the PDP Director of Publicity, Mr. Ayodele Fadake, the clash was sparked off by government’s decision to inaugurate a community-based project on the same day that the PDP had obtained a Police permit to hold a rally in the town. “Some LP members planned to defect to the PDP and this sent the ruling party leaders jittery”, he said.

    Ajanaku said Mimiko resorted to violence because he has no concrete achievement. “This is a governor who has sought to convince the world that he has performed in all spheres, but the evidence cannot be found”, he said. Olabisi rejected this claim, saying that the governor has done much for the state, adding that people would reward him with votes next month.

    Ajanaku said gone were the days when non-performers would continue to be in public office in the Southwest. “Can we perform Mimiko to Fashola in lagos, Adams Oshiohmole in Edo? The handwriting is bold on the wall”, he added.

    Election observers warn that violence may discredit the poll in Ondo, if stakeholders fail to avert the scenario. “Politicians should engage the people with their manifesto and plans, instead of resorting to violence during electioneering,” said Tunde Imolehin, an activist, who added: ”Violence is an ill-wind that blows nobody no good.”

    Adegbonmire said an atmosphere of peace is critical to peaceful elections. “ACN is ready and we will not be intimidated. we want security agents and INEC to do a thorough job without fear or favour”, he added.

    Last month, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, warned thugs to leave the state. He warned the members of the road transport unions, who are always tools in the hands of politicians, to shun violence. “I am coming to supervise the election in Ondo myself. So, the unions should stay away from trouble”, he said.

    Resident Electoral Officer Akin Orebiyi, who spoke on phone, also assured the partied of a level playing field. “We will work with security agents to ensure an atmosphere of peace and transquility during the election”, he assured.

  • ‘Ondo people want change’

    ‘Ondo people want change’

    What has been the response of the people to your aspiration since you started your campaigns?

    The response, by my own assessment, has been wonderful; it is very encouraging. With the massive reception, I am convinced that the people of Ondo State are truly yearning for a change.

    You said the people want a change. But many people have continued to endorse the incumbent.

    When you talk about endorsement by individuals, this does not in any way translate to votes. When you talk about what you read in newspapers, these are bought articles. These are articles that are skewed towards a particular candidate. This does not bother me; my concern is about what happens in the field. I talked to the people and I got their feelings.

    Two deputy governorship candidates are coming from the Akoko, which is part of your senatorial district, does this not suggest that you have no hope there?

    Let’s wait and see what will happen, but I can assure you that ACN will sweep the votes in Akoko, notwithstanding that two deputy governorship candidates are from the area. By the way, who are these deputies, is it the one picked by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a weightless candidate; or is it Ali Olanusi, the old and tired horse that would be changed before the election? I can assure that the people of Akoko are not looking for deputy, what they are looking for is governor. The people are happy that ACN zoned the governor to the North. So I am very sure that my people in Akoko would naturally prefer having a governor from their senatorial district to having a deputy that carries no authority to do anything for them.

    Your manner of emergence has created acrimony. How is your party containing this?

    It is a well-known fact that all primaries throw up what could be called opposition. Every political party has devised what they consider the best option to pick their candidate; ACN is no exception. So, I don’t see what ACN has done that is not right or that is not democratic. Having submitted yourself to a process, you cannot approbate and reprobate. Everybody was part of the process. But because of the number (of aspirants), we are bound to have people who would probably not agree with the decision and who were never party men, who were only in the party to pursue their personal ambition, and would want to pull back when this personal ambition is not realisable. All we can do is to wish them well. Ambition can make people do many reprehensible things. It can make you lose your party, it can make you lose your ideology, and it can make you lose everything. The party has been reaching out to many of them and a good number of them are now with us, they have reconciled with the party and are working hard on the field to ensure our victory. Those that are yet to return, we wish them good luck wherever they go, but we are sure that, sooner than later, they will return to us.

    What is the nature of the reconciliation?

    A lot of reconciliation has been done. That is why I said that what we have done really is that immediately after the exercise, a lot of meetings were held where aggrieved aspirants were reconciled with the party and a lot of them now are in support of my candidacy. Yes, one or two decided to opt out. That is not something that is strange; it happens everywhere, it happens every time. When I say everywhere, I am not saying all over the world, what I am saying is that it happens everywhere in Nigeria. If out of about 27 aspirants, about two or three decided to go, I don’t think we have done badly. So, reconciliation has been done, we have gone round, if one or two people are still sitting on the fence, we will continue to talk to them.

    Are you saying for instance, that Dr. Tunji Abayomi, who was very bitter, is now supportive of your candidacy?

    I don’t know of Dr. Tunji Abayomi being bitter. He is my respected egbon (senior), a highly principled man, who is never out for personal ambition, but the collective good of our people all the time; he is a chronic party loyalist. What he did was to express his feelings; he didn’t do this to bring down the roof of the house. He made it known clearly that he was opposed to a few things the party did, but at the end of the day, he is with us, a true democrat and a strong party man. It was right of him to say he felt hurt by the decision of the party. I concede that to him. He is a true progressive, of course, he cannot be in any other place except among the progressives and we are matching on together.

    How true is the report that you did not register in Ondo State?

    Anybody can say whatever he or she likes. I don’t have to be registered in Ondo State. It is not a legal requirement for me to contest election. They can say whatever they like. It is part of Labour Party propaganda. All I can say is that I am a registered voter at Ijebu II Ward 5 in Owo.

    Violence has suddenly crept into the election process with reported clashes involving the three main political parties. Is this not of concern to you?

    I am concerned about violence, but I’m not surprised. Even before now, I had raised the alarm that Governor Olusegun Mimiko is keeping a ‘thugdom.’ His own idea is that he would get this thing (election) by force. But I make bold to tell the governor himself and his party that they are fooling themselves. We would win this election fair and squarely, in spite of the thugs he is breeding. His thugs are all over the state. What is however of greater concern to me is that we have never had a fair deal from the Police. Not until when the DIG (Deputy Inspector-General of Police) came and held a stakeholders meeting, my belief was that that meeting would have put things in its proper stead, but after he left, the incidents that happened thereafter have continued to show us that the Police Command here is biased and is willing to do the bidding of Governor Mimiko and his party. The Police Command here is under the influence of Labour, whether it is monetary influence or whatever it is, but it can be otherwise anyway. The Police have been bought; it has demonstrated a total bias. We urge the Inspector-General of Police to look at the case of the Ondo State Command and do a surgical operation. The command that is parading the likes of Tunji Fadairo who has been in and out over five times, cannot be trusted. The police have showed tremendous bias that, if care and urgent steps are not taken, might increase violence in the state. Because when people cannot find protection in the police, they might protect themselves and the leaders would not be in control of such situations. I have been preaching to our supporters to remain calm, not to be violent but if they are faced with a police that is now an arm of Labour Party, then they may have no choice than to protect themselves. One day, they may react and they may not be under my control.

    But the police have openly indicted your party as the aggressor?

    You don’t expect anything different from people who have shown bias. What do you expect the police that is under heavy monetary influence to say? They are writing a script for Labour; the (Police) Commissioner is a Labour (Party), his deputy, Tunji Fadairo is a Labour (Party) person, everybody knows, so they are writing a script for Labour. On the day of the incident, all of us were in joyous mood, having elected our candidate, so you don’t expect us to be unruly. If Labour Party men had not driven into our convoy, nothing would have happened.

    The important message to the police is that it would do well to remain unbiased. They should know that we are not people that are afraid, we leave our fate in their hands, we leave our protection for them, but if they fail to do so, we will protect ourselves.

    Would a resort to self-help not lead us to the type of crisis we witnessed in 1983?

    I don’t know where it would lead us to. We are in 2012, we cannot go back to 1983, but all I know is that if the Police refuse to protect us, we will protect ourselves. When the DIG came, he appealed to all the political parties to conduct their affairs in a peaceful manner, he appealed to the police not to be biased, but, unfortunately, all his appeal fell on deaf ears as unfolding violent events have now shown.

    How far has the incumbent administration provided a level playing ground for all?

    We are not expecting the incumbent governor to provide a level playing ground because he is not interested in it; what we expect is a police that is unbiased, a police that should and must not take side. It is the police that should give a level playing ground to everybody, if there is any attack, the police should do its lawful duty by arresting whoever is involved. So, I never expect this government to give a level playing ground; that is a suicidal expectation.

    But people say the previous administration of Dr. Olusegun Agagu gave a level playing field; they wonder why the same cannot be expected from Dr. Mimiko.

    You can’t talk about Dr. Agagu and compare him with Dr. Mimiko. Agagu is an urbane gentleman. Agagu is not someone you can compare to Mimiko. Mimiko believes in thuggery, he lives on it, his life depends on it, and his electoral aspiration depends on it. Agagu is a disciplined democrat, he allowed campaigns, he allowed billboards to be erected, he allowed posters to be pasted, and he allowed a level playing ground for all the parties. It is not the same thing with Mimiko, who is the exact opposite of Agagu when it comes to democratic tolerance. But he has to be very careful because these thugs he is rearing would sooner than later turn on him, so he has to be very careful.

    But it sounds incredible that you are saying all that about Mimiko, the same man you defended four years ago at the election tribunal?

    When you talked about defending him, remember that I am a lawyer. If I were convinced that there were election malpractices and they bring the matter to me, I would prosecute the case. But I will not support thuggery. The matter that went to court was not for me to defend his thuggery. All I was there to do was to plead his case that his votes were manipulated, that votes were not cast and there were multiple thumb printing. All these we successfully proved. But if the case was pleaded that he used thugs, I won’t go there to defend him. I guessed he probably did not use thugs because Agagu gave him a level playing ground to operate.

    Some observers have adjudged Mimiko as doing well; why change a winning horse?

    I don’t know if that is your own judgment. Anybody who says Mimiko has performed well must be seeing governance through a jaundiced eye. Mimiko has done nothing. What you see are cosmetic projects. If you want to say he has performed well, go to our local areas, go into the interior, not a single life-supporting or promoting project is there. When you travel round the state and you go to the interior, you will weep for the people of this state. No light in the whole of the Southern Senatorial District, most communities in the state are not accessible, most of our farmers are living in abject poverty. The fact that he is asphalting and building fountains in Akure is not a measure of good performance. Here is a man who in his four years has not commissioned any tangible project except markets, which are supposed to be local government affairs, here is a man who, four years down the lane, has not employed one teacher, yet we have schools where you have over 100 pupils in a class, we have schools of about 2000 students with only two English teachers. Here is a man who, in his four years, no industry built by him or by private investors has been commissioned.

    But the same man has been endorsed by prominent Yoruba leaders?

    Chief Ayo Adebayo and co. were park-lane politicians, they never knew how the works were being done on the field. What Chief Adebanjo and co. are doing is that they are still fighting a war that has ended. Their support for Mimiko has no scientific base. It is simply, ‘yes this is ACN being led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, so we oppose him, no more no less. A party being led by Tinubu and headed by Baba Bisi Akande is an offshoot of Bola Ige, our enemy, therefore we must oppose it, and we must never allow any good thing to be seen in Yoruba land that has to do with Bola Ige.’

    What they are saying is that in life and death, we are against Bola Ige. My appeal is that that battle should have ended with the death of Chief Bola Ige, let all of us match together for the greater interest and development of Yoruba-land. The Yoruba will forge ahead with or without them, it is in their own interest to return to the fold, they cannot be against Yoruba interest.

    Are you saying they are misleading the people?

    With due respect to them, they are generals without troops, so they have no one to mislead.

  • Amosun’s unusual passion, by aide

    Amosun’s unusual passion, by aide

    What has come to stay as a sickening feature of politicking and indeed, governance in Nigeria, especially in recent times, is the pull-it-down stance of opposition to a sitting government. Usually, it crops up seconds after the conclusion of an electoral process.

    Just a few days back, Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun got his own bite of the insipid political carrot which, of course, was dangled by members of the opposition to his administration in the state.: That he used state fund to co-sponsor the recent foreign trip of the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    Swiftly, the state Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Yusuf Olaniyonu did his job. He rose to the occasion and told whoever cared to listen that the rumour remained unfoundedly so.

    Naturally, one would expect such an awkward development to unsettle any administration and its leadership. Hence, The Nation was at the Oke-Mosan office of the state governor last Friday.

    It was herculean getting the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Amosun on Political Affairs, Hon. Adeniyi Adesanya, to speak on the politics of mudslinging that had been going on in the state.

    “There is nothing you must have heard from our detractors that had not been effectively addressed by our Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Yusuf Olaniyonu. But I must say that we ought to have outgrown this kind of retrogressive politics that has never helped our system,” he cut in at last.

    On how the governor had been able to cope with the rumours that his administration had been enmeshed in recently, Adesanya opened up: “The governor has a mandate to satisfy the yearnings of the people of the state on all fronts through his administration’s five cardinal programmes; so, he is too busy to get distracted by such baseless rumours that hold no water.

    “We know those behind the whole thing. It is a pity that they are not busy; that is why they have the whole time on earth to peddle unintelligible rumours which even an infant would consider stupid. No genuinely focused administration will allow itself to be distracted by such rumours by those who seem to have just woken up to the reality that Governor Amosun is now in charge of affairs in the state where people had wallowed helplessly in utter hopelessness.”

    He continued: “Move around in the state today, you will marvel at the rate at which people-oriented projects are being executed, even to the dismays of our detractors who did not do anything when they were there. Interestingly, our people know who Amosun is as a transparent governor that believes in their welfare. And they know his detractors and their place in history. So, the governor does not feel bothered at all. He is concerned with how to have his footprint on the sand of time in the state.”

    He spoke further: “Do these detractors have the sense of honesty to ponder within them how the governor has been doing wonders with the state’s lean purse? Do they care how he has been paying staff salaries when due? The governor is not bothered. He is forward-looking and will never be distracted.”

    When reminded that the role of the governor in the recent local government poll in the state had reportedly caused bad blood in the state chapter of ACN, Adesanya replied: “The governor is too hard-working to install riff-raffs who would not key into his dream of a better system, especially at the grassroots. He was concerned with having chairmen who share in his ambition for genuine development in the state.

    “Importantly, it was the people who said these are the people we want in the saddle at the local governments and the governor could not move against their wish. So, he imposed no one; he only allowed people’s wish to prevail.”

    For his obvious familiarity with the governor, The Nation asked to find out from Adesanya, more about Amosun’s passion for the state. “Do you believe that even at informal forums out of office, the governor would always remind us all about what we could do to improve the lot of the people of the state. He would always charge us to remember that one day we would not be there in the saddle, and that we must sacrifice anything to contribute our quota to making our marks,” he hinted, adding: “As a governor, he does not believe in ‘African time.’ Even most times, he is at his desks attending to state duties and many a time, he would be the last to leave office.”

    He enjoined the people of Ogun State to keep up their confidence in the governor and indeed, “the ideals of our party, the ACN,” adding: “They cannot afford to dance to the destructive tunes of our hopeless detractors.”