Tag: 2015 poll

President Goodluck Jonathan may not bow to the wishes of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who are trying to hijack the 2015 polls nominations, it was learnt yesterday.

Jonathan and PDP are working on alternatives which the governors might pick from to allow peace to reign in the party.

It was gathered that the Presidency and the party will checkmate the excesses of some of the governors to avoid going to the 2015 general elections with a divided house.

The President summoned PDP senators to an emergency meeting at the Presidential Villa last night.

One of the options on the table to pacify senators is a recommendation by Senate President David Mark that the party should either retain two senators per state, or at worst, one PDP senator in each state.

The President and the PDP are worried that governors have decided to nominate their successors, seek senatorial tickets, influence choice of National and State Assembly members, and determine ministerial nominees and board appointees if the President is re-elected in February.

But the President and his strategists have concluded that the governors cannot have their way because it would amount to surrendering the party’s structure to them.

A source in the Presidency said: “What the governors are saying is that they want a figure-head President and would be in control of party structure. In a democracy, it does not work out this way.

“The thinking of the Presidency is that any outgoing governor can choose between picking his successor and going to the Senate. Also, governors seeking second term will have to stay away from nomination processes for other elective and appointive offices. All other elective posts and appointments will be determined by the President after consultations with the party leadership.

“We have reached a level that we must give the governors alternatives to choose from. This is what the President and PDP will do.”

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chief John Odigie-Oyegun yesterday said the party will restore hope to traumatised Nigerians once it is elected to power next year.

He said APC believes that Nigeria can be great again if competent leadership and a determined followership work together.

He said the difference between APC and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) is good performance by APC governors and leaders at all levels  warning the PDP against using religion to divide Nigeria

Oyegun gave the ray of hope in an address at the party’s Extra-Ordinary National Convention at the Old Parade Ground in Abuja.

He said: “Now, our party, the APC, truly cares; we care about our citizens. We care about our youths. We care about our elderly. We are ready to restore hope to our traumatised people. We are programmed to return Nigeria to the path of growth and development, create jobs, modernise infrastructure and make life more abundant for our people.

“For those who say there is no difference between us and the other party, simply tell them that wherever APC is in government, services run efficiently and lives are saved.

“ Take, for instance, the success stories of the governments of Lagos and Rivers states that successfully halted the outbreak of Ebola that could have devastated the entire country.

“Through strong management and coordination of services from the tracking and quarantining of those who had come in contact with Ebola victims to the sealing of medical facilities, the Ebola epidemic was contained and the many lives that would have been lost without such firm, timely and decisive actions were saved.”

The chairman pleaded with Nigerians to give APC a chance to effect change  in 2015 to save the nation.

“Today, our people are more divided along ethnic and religious lines than at any other time in her history. Just because they want to win elections at all cost, they have pitched Christians against Muslims, Southerners against Northerners, and one ethnic group against the other.

To Odigie-Oyegun the manner in which two APC states managed the Ebola outbreak enough proof to Nigerians that APC has the antidote to the nation’s problems.

He said: “The secret of the success of the two APC states in handling of the Ebola crisis was majorly because the two governments had learnt lessons from the outbreak of the virus in other countries and had already put in place emergency planning and preventive measures to tackle the outbreak.

We must not forget that the success recorded in the two APC states was only possible because both state governments had previously in their visionary manners invested in local health infrastructure, including building networks of clinics and hospitals, recruiting and training medical personnel. Nigeria is today free of Ebola and, by God’s grace, it will be free of PDP by February 14, 2015.”

 He said the PDP has resorted to divisive politics because it has nothing to show to Nigerians to return to power in 2015.

His words: “Now, the only reason the PDP has resorted to dangerous, divisive politics is because they have nothing to showcase to Nigerians to convince them to return the PDP to power at the centre come next year.

 ”In all spheres of life, Nigeria is worse off today than it was in 1999, when the PDP first assumed office.

“In the area of security and welfare of the citizenry, the main reason for the existence of any government, the scorecard of the PDP-controlled Federal Government is zero.

“ More Nigerians have died needlessly between 1999 and now than at any other time in the country’s history, minus during the unfortunate civil war of 1967 to 1970. By President Jonathan’s own admission, over 12,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram alone! Yet the government has no clue as to how to end the killings, not minding that the sponsors of terrorists called Boko Haram are known to the President and he is known to them.

“In the area of corruption, Nigeria has never had it so bad! Organised stealing of our crude oil has become a thriving business, and corruption has never been so institutionalised. Where do we start?”

The APC cautioned the Presidency against impunity and muzzling of the Judiciary.

Odigie-Oyegun said: “There is also impunity, unprecedented impunity, which has in turn fuelled unparalleled lawlessness. Now, they simply deploy security personnel to lock up the courts just to prevent justice from being served. They organise to beat up judges just to have their way. Litigants and lawyers are fair game in their misplaced strategy to pervert the course of justice. To them, the doctrine of the separation of powers is a mere fancy. They don’t give a damn. In their perverted reasoning, might is right! Their violation of this doctrine flies in the face of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This undemocratic encroachment and erosion portend great danger for our nation and constitute a threat to our democracy. But they don’t really give a damn.”

He asked PDP to stop mouthing the creation of phantom 1.7million jobs.

Odigie-Oyegun  said: “Neither do they give a damn about the future of our youths. In December 2013, the National Bureau of Statistics said 54% of Nigerian youths were unemployed in 2012.

A former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), yesterday raised the alarm over excessive borrowing from banks by some governors to campaign for the 2015 poll.

He also accused some governors of selling off assets, including shares, belonging to their states.

Umar, who made his feelings known in a statement in Abuja, asked the anti-corruption agencies to intervene because legislatures in the affected states had been caged by these governors.

The statement said: “It has become necessary to alert the nation to a dangerous trend, indeed an explosive scheme, by which some state governors are mortgaging the future of their states through excessive borrowing from commercial banks and other financial institutions to finance projects of dubious viability.

“The motive is entirely unclear. But one suspects it is either to fraudulently acquire campaign funds as the 2015 elections approach or retirement benefits.

“Some of them are also desperately selling off state’s assets, including shares and other long term investments.”

Umar appealed to anti-graft agencies to stem the tide of unjustifiable borrowing by some governors.

He added: “In a situation where state legislatures have  reduced themselves to all, but an arm of the executive, it is unrealistic to expect them to check and stop this fraud.

“We, therefore, appeal to the anti corruption agencies to intervene.”

He advised banks to live up to the ethics of their sector by checking some of these governors.

He said: “We also warn banks to desist from connivance with those governors. They need to be reminded of their civic responsibility and banking ethics to protect helpless public.

“They must be aware that most of these states have already lost the capacity to meet their financial obligations due to huge debt burden and diminishing revenue.

“The bankers must not forget that,  in the past, collapse of oil prices in the world market has often led  to widespread collapse of Nigerian banks because they  never learned to say ‘no’  to prodigal but cash-strapped state governments in such critical periods.”