The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2019 election

  • The big contest

    IT is the sixth presidential election since the restoration of civil rule in 1999. Eyes are on Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, as the people of the highly heterogeneous and consistently fragile federation go to poll. Will the election be free and fair? Will its outcome strengthen the sanctity of the ballot box? Will it meet international best practice? Will Nigeria’s electoral democracy be a model for Africa? Voters are warming up for a festival of choice and change. The international community is also beaming the searchlight on the country. After the presidential and National Assembly elections, Nigerians are expected to also troop out to elect governors and members of House of Assembly on March 2. No fewer than 91 parties are participating in the periodic general elections. But, 71 presidential candidates are on the ballot. The big two are President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his main challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The semblance of a third force is the Peoples Trust (PT), which is fielding a pro-democracy crusader, Gbenga Olawepo Hashim, as candidate. The fact that only two big parties dominate the scene historically confirms the tendency towards a two-party system. The historical backgrounds are the conflict between the Nigeria National Alliance (NNA) and the United Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the First Republic, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN)/Progressives Parties Alliance (PPA) of the Second Republic, the Social Democratic Party (SDP)/National Republic Convention (NRC) antagonism in the Third Republic, the PDP onslaught against the Alliance for Democracy (AD)/All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999 and the APC/PDP battle of 2015. This is also underscored by the fact that some mushroom parties have decided to queue behind the two major parties through their endorsement of President Buhari and Atiku.

    In the National Assembly elections, 109 seats are being contested in the Senate while 360 seats are being contested in the House of Representatives. Foreign observers and domestic monitors are warming up for the crucial electoral duty. Ahead of poll, the Police High Command has emphasised that electoral security should not be compromised. Some police commissioners have been transferred. Few ones were appointed and assigned. Also, the Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to peaceful polls. During the week, political leaders on both divides stepped up their campaigns, which were rounded up on Thursday. The message of the APC is continuity. The message of the PDP is change.

    At 76, President Buhari, who was elected four years ago, is seeking for a second term. He is a General of the Nigerian Army, who fought in the civil war. He is a former military governor of the defunct Northeast State, Federal Commissioner for Petroleum, Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Military Secretary, General Officer Commanding, Third Armoured Division, Jos, military Head of State and Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). The president entered politics in 2002 and contested for the presidency in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. He failed. In 2015, he defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. His victory terminated the 16 years of dominance by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Buhari campaigned on a four- point manifesto: security, economy, employment and anti-corruption. In private and public life, he is perceived as a man of honour and integrity. According to observers, Buhari cannot be described as a lucky statesman. Fixing a nation at a crossroads is not an easy task. Twice in national history, fate has entrusted on the Daura-born leader the unenviable duty of salvaging a nation in distress; first as a young and energetic General in 1984, and later, as a septuagenarian statesman driven by patriotic anger. Under his leadership, hope has been the elixir for Nigerians in the last three and half years. Three decades ago, he rode to power on military populism.

    The conditions that paved the way for his ascension in 1983 were similar to the prevailing circumstances of 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, which made him to throw his hat into the ring. Reminiscent of the Second Republic, Buhari had warned that the country was in the brink. He lamented that the ship of state was sinking; the economy had been mismanaged, the Nigerian currency had almost become a worthless paper, a culture of theft and graft in high places was thriving, insecurity remained insurmountable, roads were death traps, and hospitals were mere consulting clinics. The nation lay prostrate.

    On May 29, 2015, the euphoria of victory at the historic presidential election fizzled out in the face of these mounting challenges. President Buhari inherited little assets and many liabilities. The components of the national burden included a disunited polity, aptly torn apart by the battle for presidential power, an empty treasury ravaged by an avaricious leadership, a huge foreign debt capable of mortgaging the future, depleted foreign reserves, soaring corruption by greedy actors, an army of jobless youths, dilapidated infrastructure, and growing insecurity. President Buhari has managed to overcome his inevitable adjustment difficulties. The image of the new democrat in Aso Villa, Abuja, contrasts sharply with the stern-looking soldier of early 80s in Dodan Barracks, Lagos. In 1984, the military Head of State and Commander-In-Chief was like the lord of manor. There was no parliament to moderate his actions. He was both the legislature and the executive. He ruled by decrees, many of which were draconian. He brooked no opposition.

    But, the last three and half years was a different ball game. The President is being constitutionally tamed by the National Assembly and an independent judiciary. Unlike before, the media and civil society groups are active in playing the role of watchdogs in democracy without inhibition. Presidential actions may have also been moderated by the utter sensitivity to the legitimate pressures and demands from the ruling party. Unlike 30 years ago, dialogue is now the watchword. An effort at consensus building is becoming the norm. While adapting to the compelling ethos of democratic culture, dictatorship is foreclosed. No doubt, many achievements of the ‘regime of change’ may have been easily overlooked by a polity that is assailed by collective amnesia. But, the feats constitute, in part, the making of a new nation-state.

    The Buhari administration has not only maintained a clean break from the past, it has also offered a new orientation to the polity. The first task was clearing the Augean table by making corruption a risky venture. The President has demonstrated to all that, henceforth, the corridor of power should not be perceived as an avenue for private accumulation. He and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), have led by personal examples by reducing their emoluments and shunning opulence in office. It was the first preliminary step in setting the tune for reducing the cost of governance. Gone were the days of business as usual. According to observers, Buhari has campaigned during this electioneering more than he did four years ago. During the campaigns, the president promised to build on the achievements of his administration in the four aforementioned areas. The election, they said, will be a referendum on his performance in office. Atiku is a veteran presidential contender. He is a retired Customs Officer and successful businessman. He entered politics in the aborted Third Republic as a disciple of the late Major General Shehu Yar’Adua.

    He was a presidential aspirant in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He stepped down for the late Chief Moshood Abiola at the Jos Convention of the party. In 1999, he was elected governor of Adamawa State. But, the PDP presidential candidate, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, picked him as running mate. He was vice president for eight years. In 2007, 2011 and 2015, Atiku sought for the highest office, but without success. He has traversed some partiesPDP, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and APC-in a bid to realise his ambition. He is a courageous politician who is undeterred by previous disappointments. Atiku has criticised the APC government for nepotism, for the battle against insecurity that has not been totally won, and for low standard of loving. However, two promises by Atiku stand him out: the actualisation of restructuring and the sale of the refineries. They are controversial.

    Many believe that he is campaigning on the borrowed platform of restructuring. Also, many have argued that the refineries are critical c0mmonwealth that should not end up on private pocket. Apart from the president and former vice president, other contenders may not make much impact on Saturday. It is a crowded race, no doubt. But, the remaining flag bearers are largely ambitious, paper-weight politicians, whose parties are unpopular. They are not in popular reckoning. Although the candidates have made names in their various careers, the weak political structures that lack tentacles at the grassroots, may be swallowed by the bigger parties. Although the young, vibrant elements on these platforms raised fundamental issues that are germane to good governance during the campaigns, they could not pull much crowd. At best, these candidates on the fringe may become special spectators on poll day.

    The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chaired by Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, a political scientist, has assured the anxious country that the poll will be credible and transparent. The body is not leaving anything to chances. Both PDP and APC have criticised the agency for some reasons, but, generally, INEC has asserted itself as an independent institution and an unbiased umpire. According to INEC, 84,004, 084 million registered to vote. This is an improvement in the voting population because 68, 833, 476 registered to vote in 2015. The Northwest has 20, 158, 100, representing 24 percent. The Southwest has 16, 292, 212. This represents 15. 29 percent. The Northeast has 11, 289, 293, which is 13 per cent. Also, the election will hold in 119,973 polling units and results will be collated in 8, 809 wards. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will vote, Yakubu said, but the prospect of Diaspora voting is foreclosed. In th4e day of election, there will be restriction of movement between 7 am and 4pm.

    The Chief Returning Officer for the Presidential Election is the INEC Chairman. The electoral body has released seven-step voting procedure for the exercise. Step 1: Upon arrival at the polling unit, the voter joins the queue and present himself to the INEC official (APO 111) at the polling unit, who will determine whether he or she is at the correct polling unit and check if the photograph on the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) matches his or her face. If satisfied, he or she will direct the voter to the next INEC official (APO 1). Step 2: The official (APO1) will request the voter for his/her PVC to confirm that the card is genuine and the details, using the smart card reader to confirm that the PVC belongs to the person by ascertaining. The card reader will contain the name, photograph and finger prints of all those registered in their polling unit. Step 3: The voter will then meet the next official (APO 11), who will request for his PVC to confirm that his/her name and details are in the voters’ register. The name will be ticked and the PVC returned to him/her. He/she will then apply indelible link to the cuticle of the appropriate finger for that election to show that the person has been accredited to vote.

    If the name of the person is not found on the register, he/she will not be allowed to vote. Step 4: The Presiding Officer (PO) stamps, signs and endorses the date at the back of the ballot papere. The PO will roll the ballot paper inwardly with the printed side inwards and give to the voter. He/she will then direct the voter to the voting cubicle where he will vote in secret. Step 5: The voter will stain his/her appropriate finger for the election with the ink provided. He/she will then use the stained finger to mark the space or box provided on the ballot paper for his/her preferred candidate/party. He/she will roll the marked ballot paper in the manner the PO gave to him/her. Step 6: Then, the voter will leave the voting cubicle and drop the ballot paper in the ballot box in full view of people at the polling unit. Step 7: The voter will then leave the polling unit or wait, if he/she so chooses in an orderly and peaceful manner to watch the process up to the declaration of result. Yakubu said about one million ad hoc staff have been recruited.

    “The projected increase in the number of ad hoc staff to be engaged in the elections by the commission arose from the need to make provisions for adequate manpower for the exercise on a general template and specifically, to take care of peculiarneeds for that purpose in some polling units across the federation,” he added. Oil-rich Nigeria has had an uninterrupted 20 years of political stability, a far cry from its unenviable experience of intermittent stoppage of civilian administration through coups by restless soldiers. Yet, it is still politically and religiously divided. Also, political stability has not been converted into a special advantage. The stability has not been accompanied by any significant economic success. It seems there is much commit ment to orderly transfer of power by stakeholders than the pursuit of farreaching economic reforms that can catapult the bewildered country into a huge economic miracle.

    But, religious and tribal sentiments may not have undue influence on the outcome of the presidential election. The top candidates-General Buhari and Alhaji Atiku-are both Fulani from the North. They are also Muslims. For geo-ethnic and religious balancing, they picked their running mates from the South. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) of the APC is a Christian cleric from the Southwest state of Ogun. Atiku’s running mate, Peter Obi, is a Christian and former governor of Anambra State. There have been endorsements and counter-endorsements of the two main candidates. The two flag bearers have traversed almost the 36 states for campaigns. So far, the campaigns have not been marred by violence. Interparty conflicts have also been reduced to exchange of hot words in the media. However, since the beginning of the year, elder statesmen and religious leaders have been appealing to politicians to eschew violence.

    The Primate of the Anglican Church, Dr. Nicholas Okoh said: “Violence does not drop from the sky. People arrange it. People who organise violence should be asked to bring their sons and daughters or themselves to be part of it so that they can feel the effect. They create problems, go abroad and come back to rule us.” On Wednesday, a peace accord was signed by the president and 72 other candidates. Also, in his broadcast to the nation on Thursday, President Buhari assured the country of his commitment to free and fair poll and urged the youth to shun violence. In recent elections and by-elections, allegations of vote buying were rife. There is no political party that is insulated from the electoral fraud.

    Yakubu warned against the menace, saying that perpetrators wikl be dealt with in accordance with the law. According to observers, there are some mistakes that should not be repeated, if INEC is to conduct a hitch-free exercise. In previous polls, the failure of card readers generated anxiety and tension. The INEC chairman has assured that the machines will not malefaction. Also, INEC staff are expected to be regular and punctual at the polling booths. It is expected that in the coastal states where some locations cannot be reached through vehicles, adequate arrangement should be made to ensure that electoral materials get to those remote communities under police protection. Yakubu has also urged his staff to be patriotic and shun bribery and corruption to avoid the repeat of the trial of INEC staff who committed electoral offences in the course of their duties during the last election.

  • We’re battle-ready for troublemakers – Police

    The 2019 general elections kick off today with the Presidential and National Assembly polls in all parts of the country. Expectedly, the police would be playing a critical role in engendering a peaceful conduct of the elections. In this encounter with our correspondent, FAITH YAHAYA, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), ACP Frank Mba, says arrangements have been put in place to ensure a hitch-free election, stating that officers have been admonished to be professional in the discharge of their responsibilities during and after the elections. Excerpts:

    How prepared are you for these elections? We are adequately prepared for these elections. We have done everything that we ought to do. In the run off to the elections, we conducted massive training and re-training for our personnel on the best practices for managing the security of electoral processes. We conducted trainings on human rights and every other kind of training that is relevant in the conduct of elections of this magnitude. We also carried out security threat analyses across the length and breadth of this country, and on the strength of those analyses, we were able to device and fashion out deployment strategies. Our Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) also took cognizance of the result of those analyses. We have been able to identify, isolate and neutralise, significantly, a lot of the threats that were discovered in the cause of the analyses and we have also been able to create customised deployment plans for each state of the federation.

    This tailored-to-suit deployment strategies are designed to take care of both general and specific threats that were identified in different parts of the country. I would say, in a nutshell, that we are good to go. We have also taken care of the welfare of our personnel and their allowances were adequately captured in the budgeting for the elections and what IGP Muhammed Adamu has directed, is that, the allowances of the men must be paid directly into their salary accounts to avoid issues or questions of them not getting their allowances or getting the allowances through the third party.

    On the issue of our strength, we will not have any issue covering all the polling booths, polling points, collation centres and others, primarily because we are working with our brothers and sisters from other security agencies. We will be joined by operatives from the DSS, Customs, Immigration, Civil Defence, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Prison Services. The beauty of this joint operation is that, it will deepen a sense of inter-agency friendship and inter-agency collaboration across all borders. Another advantage that comes with it is that, it will help to fill in the deficiencies that would have been recorded in terms of shortfall in the strength and number of the NPF. Thirdly, our colleagues coming from other agencies will be coming with some sense of comparative advantage in some areas. So, all of us will be coming in with different skills, competences and it is our belief that by the time we are able to merge all these skills and competencies together, we will be able to provide Nigerians a more robust security service.

    Beyond that, they will also be coming with their own logistics, which will strengthen our own logistics. So, generally, Nigerians don’t have any reason to fear as there would be enough manpower to cover the entire area. You mentioned enough manpower, how many personnel would be deployed? I have deliberately refused to give out figures because, sometimes, figures can be misleading. If I tell you for example, that, we are deploying 2,000 men in FCT, you may come around and not see 2,000 personnel because asubstantial number of those deployed will be covert deployment; and because we are deploying overtly and covertly, I will not want to give figures. But the only thing I will tell you is that, we will deploy maximally, both our human and material resources. What is your message to those who may want to foment trouble? My message to all potential troublemakers is to keep clear. The security forces are adequately prepared to deal with any person or group of persons that may try to test the collective will of Nigerians. We have had elections in this country in the past that were all successful and 2019 will not be different. We will draw on our experiences in the past elections. We will draw on our experiences in policing so many conflict and post-conflict regions of the world, where we participated in peacekeeping operations.

    Nigerians must remember that we have a lot of experience policing electoral systems in conflict and post-conflict areas. We were in Namibia, Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Darfur, Ivory Coast, Bosnia Herzegovina, and in all these countries, officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force played critical roles in engendering their democracy. We will do even better in policing our own electoral system. Despite your word of assurance, some people are scared and they are of the opinion that it is better to remain in their houses to avoid violence. What is your message to them? I want to leave them with these words: ‘election is not war.’ It is an opportunity for us as a people and citizens to exercise our civic responsibility. It is a strong tool in our hands to determine our future and we must not fail to utilise the opportunity that this cycle of general election gives us to be part of the decision making process in determining our future. I want to reassure Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force working with other security agencies are adequately prepared, adequately mobilised and adequately motivated to do the right thing. What message do you have for the policemen that would be on election duty? Go out there, be the wonderful cops that you have always been.

    Respect the rights of Nigerians. Protect the fundamental rights of Nigerians to equality, freedom and liberty. Enforce the electoral laws to the letter and refuse to compromise on your oath of office. What is your message to politicians and other stakeholders in this election? Politicians, particularly; we want to see them to be more patriotic. We want to see them change their narratives and send messages of hope to Nigerians. We want to see them desist from making hate speeches and inflammatory statements. We want to see them put the collective interest of Nigeria and Nigerians above whatever is their personal interest. We want to see them rein  their supporters to be law-abiding. We want to see them discourage all forms of electoral offences, vote buying, vote selling, thuggish behaviour, ballot box snatching and all forms of malfeasance capable of impacting on our electoral systems negatively.

    For the ordinary people on the street, we want to reassure them that we are committed to providing them with adequate security. The good thing here is that our duties in these elections have been clearly cut out for us by law. Fundamentally, it is our responsibility to provide adequate security for INEC officials, both adhoc and their permanent staff, and in this regard, we will be paying special attention to their adhoc staff particularly the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who we consider very vulnerable. It is also our responsibility to provide adequate security for INEC materials, both sensitive and non-sensitive. It is our responsibility to provide adequate security for candidates standing in for this election irrespective of their political parties.

    It is also our responsibility to provide security for election observers, monitors, and journalists covering this election; and it is our responsibility to provide security for the electorate, so that they will be able to leave their homes, go to thepolling centres, cast their votes and return home safely, and while doing all these, it is also our responsibility to continue to protect critical national infrastructure and provide general policing services to the people. We will not leave anywhere vacant. We will continue to police Nigeria irrespective of the fact that we are giving priority to the election processes and it is on this point that we should be judged. You said you will protect candidates vying for various offices during the election, doesn’t that contradict the order from the IGP that no VIP should be escorted to the polling units? The fact that we are safeguarding the candidates does not mean that they will go around with policemen. No way! No policeman will be allowed to escort any one to the polling station, we will enforce that, and our personnel are aware of that, and I am sure they will keep to those rules and directives.

  • APC, PDP in tug of war

    As Nigerians across the country get ready to cast their ballots in today’s presidential and National Assembly elections, DARE ODUFOWOKAN, Assistant Editor, identifies nine states where the poll is expected to throw up some drama, even as pundits insist that the outcome in most of these states remain unpredictable.

    KWARA STATE

    Today’s elections in Kwara State will be headlined by the intense struggle for the political control of the north-central state between the Saraki political family led by Senate President Bukola Saraki and those opposed to his continued hold on the politics of the state, who are largely chieftains of the opposition APC, Saraki’s former party. Pundits say, for the first time in a long time, the threat to the status quo in the state, as symbolised by Saraki Dynasty is real.

    It is too dicey to say either of the two leading parties, APC and PDP, will win today, as analysts say the electoral map here is very fluid with the three senatorial districts left open to be won either by PDP or APC. Thus, the presidential election in the state can go either way at the close of political hostilities. The spate of violence in the past weeks across the state highlighted how tense the political atmosphere in the state is.

    While Saraki, aside from struggling to win his seat and return to the Senate, is also fighting to remain politically relevant by delivering the state to the PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, the opposition APC is determined to show the world that Saraki has lost hold of the state as the “O to gee” movement swept across the state following the emergence of Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman, as the APC gubernatorial candidate.

    Saraki, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District, has a date with his closest rival, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, who was a former member of the State House of Assembly.  The contest is reminiscent of the duel between David and Goliath. For Oloriegbe, who was once a product of the dynasty, his record of selfless service as a medic and as well as coming from a respected family, will make the contest tough. His greatest advantage is the mass discontent against the Sarakis.

    Despite the power of incumbency and over reliance on money politics, it won’t be an easy ride for Saraki in Kwara Central District. In the last one month, the Senate President has retreated to fault lines for political survival and to retool his campaign machinery, but the people of Ilorin Emirate, who dominate the district, are now sharply divided for and against him.

    What will count against Saraki include the collapse of governance in the state in the last four years; poor state of infrastructure; non-payment of local government workers’ salaries; the conspiracy of the elites; sheer flaunting of affluence by political leaders in the state; the exodus of his loyalists and strategists to APC; the “O To Ge” (Enough is Enough) revolution; and the imposition of PDP governorship candidate, Razak Atunwa, on the party.

    With the failure of the last minute retrieval of the senatorial ticket from Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim by Saraki, as INEC insists that

    the governor remains the senatorial candidate of Kwara South, the district may just be a walkover for APC. With Ibrahim’s supporters now aggrieved amidst suspicion that Ahmed and Saraki played a fast one on them by refusing to perfect Ibrahim’s candidature, PDP is seriously weakened in Kwara South.

    If one adds this to the seeming unpopularity of the governor in the area, the same factor that led to Saraki’s earlier decisison to substitute him with Ibrahim, and the massive followership currently being enjoyed in the area by APC and its candidates, then it may even be comfortable to predict that President Muhammadu Buhari will sweep the presidential votes across the district today. The influence of  Lola Ashiru, an architect, who is the APC senatorial candidate, is another factor helping Buhari’s chances.

    Other factors that may swing electoral behaviour this time include the looming protest votes from Offa and its environs over the recent bank robbery which claimed many lives; the spiral effect of losing Irepodun/ Ekiti/ Isin, Oke-Ero Federal Constituency to APC; and the neglect of the district in the scheme of things. The Ibolo, the Igbomina and the Ekiti in this district naturally detest the politics of the Sarakis.

    In Kwara North, it is a battle royale between the PDP candidate, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (the incumbent member of the House of Representatives for Baruten/Kaiama Constituency), and the APC candidate, a pharmacist and erstwhile expert in DFID, Sadiq Umar. The two candidates are credible and tested professionals. But what will determine the direction of the district is the politics of power shift. The people of the district are unhappy with Saraki for denying them the governorship slot in the past 20 years. The last time the district tasted gubernatorial power was between 1991 and 1993 when Senator Sha’aba Lafiagi was elected into office. Despite plans by Saraki dynasty to enter into a gentleman agreement with the district on power shift in 2023, they are unprepared to trust him.

     

    PLATEAU STATE

    Today’s presidential election on the Plateau is expected to be dramatic. It is highly unpredictable with pundits saying whoever wins will do so with a very slight margin. Yakubu Dati, the Plateau Commissioner for Information, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari will win 100 percent votes in the state. This was just as a former governor of Plateau State and Senator representing Plateau North, Jonah Jang, boasted that the state will deliver two million votes for the PDP presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, today.

    “I assure you that Plateau will vote Buhari 100 per cent this time around. President Muhammadu Buhari is going to win Plateau State this time around because of the steps he has taken to strengthen the state. As I speak with you, more than 5,000 rice farmers have been empowered with farming implements and seedlings. The school feeding programme is ongoing, safety nets programmes are also there. People are benefiting at the grassroots level. We are also benefitting directly because Mr. President, for the first time, when we had crisis, he and the vice-president came,” Dati said.

    But Jang, who is not seeking a return to the Senate, insisted that the APC in the state will lose today’s election to the opposition PDP. “Since 1999, no PDP presidential candidate had ever lost an election in Plateau State, and failure will not start in 2019. I want to urge Plateau people that during the forthcoming presidential polls, the PDP Presidential flag bearer should get two million votes in the state,” the former governor boasted..

    And ahead of today’s presidential election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Plateau had urged its members to canvas for votes for President Buhari. Dogara Abubakar, the SDP’s chairman and Alpha Kapnan, its secretary, said that the resolve to mobilise members for President Buhari came after an agreement by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

    But a coalition of political parties in the state under the auspices of the Plateau Political Parties Forum(PPPF) on Thursday endorsed Atiku of the PDP as their preferred candidate, vowing to deliver the state to the opposition party. Both the PDP and the APC can boast of presence in all the corners of the state. While the APC formed the state government, the PDP represents two of its three senatorial districts. So, the political climate in Plateau State is as uncertain as it was in 2015. To most observers, the presidential race might be neck and neck.

     

    KOGI STATE

    In 2015, Buhari surprisingly won the presidential election in Kogi State, polling 60.3 % of total votes cast. At a time when the state was in the firm control of a PDP administration, it came as a surprise. But today, the story is queerly different. While the state is now controlled by Buhari’s party, pundits say the people may not repeat the same enthusiasm that saw them voting for APC in 2015.

    Aside from the obvious fact that the PDP in Kogi State may have shaken off their slumbering and ready to do serious political battle to return to prominence, the APC will have to first wriggle out of its political quagmire for it to make any serious impact in today’s election. It is left to be seen if the party has actually done that. Kogi is a state many observers are watching keenly as PDP confronts APC today in a battle for political superiority.

    The ghost of the late Governor Abubakar Audu is still haunting APC and Governor Yahaya Bello, who has tried to re-write history after benefitting from Audu’s mandate. Out of the three senatorial districts, APC remains solid in Kogi Central, which is largely populated by the governor’s Ebira kinsmen. There had been a few protests against Bello in the Central District but the governor has engaged in arm-twisting and outright political witch-hunting to retain his grip. But the party needs extra salesmen to regain the confidence of Kogi East (Audu’s fortress) in the next strands of election. The management of the aftermath of Audu’s death – including the hounding of his son – looks set to hurt the ruling party.

    Most retired civil servants/ teachers (pensioners) are from Kogi West and in the last three and a half years, they have gone through hell trying to collect their gratuities and pensions. The same Kogi West secured the deputy governorship slot but its candidate, Hon. James Faleke, was uncomfortable with the power equation. Faleke’s loyalty to Audu appeared to be a “wise” decision because he would have ended being a glorified deputy in a despotic Bello government.

    The tactical senatorial nominations of Jibrin Echocho (APC candidate for Kogi East) and Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) have, however, succeeded in bridging the gaps between the ruling party and the people of the state. Also, the travails of Senator Dino Melaye have left the Kogi West with no alternative than to shop for an amenable candidate in Adeyemi in order to get value for their votes.

     

    BENUE STATE

    Up until a few weeks ago, many had thought that the presidential race between APC and PDP in Benue State is predictable. While many had considered the security challenges faced by the state in recent times and predicted a victory for PDP, some others have examined the leanings of major political gladiators in the state and announced that APC will poll more votes than PDP in today’s election. But today, most analysts agree that the election in the state can go either way.

    Governor Samuel Ortom has capitalised on the farmers-herders crises as a weapon to secure his second term ticket. The anti-Fulani sentiments in the state have grown to the extent that President Buhari and APC are despised. Ortom went a step further to apologise to the people of the state for leading them to APC in 2015. The joining of forces by Ortom and ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam, who has an axe to grind for being put on trial for alleged corruption by the APC administration, has made the PDP more formidable.

    The scenario in the state is being monitored because the three senators from the state, who are leaders with massive support in the grassroots, are treading different political paths. They are Senator David Mark (Benue South); Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-East) and Senator George Akume (Benue North-West). While Akume is sticking to APC, Mark remains in PDP with his ally ex-Minister Abba Moro now taking his slot, and Gemade is trying his luck in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after defecting first from APC and then PDP in quick order.

    Of the three senators, only Akume has a herculean task at hand to sell APC to the people of the state who are angry over the consequences of farmers-herders crises. He needs to work harder to retain his senatorial seat for the fourth term since 2007 and to install his political associate, Emmanuel Jime, as the governor of the state. He has a tall order to assert himself as the “political godfather” of the state. As a leader with tremendous goodwill, if Akume succeeds, he will book a place in the Guinness Book of Records as a great politician. Any loss might be the beginning of his political retirement.

     

    NASARAWA STATE

    As the people of the state file out today to vote for the country’s next President, the question on the lips of analysts is whether incumbent President and APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, can break his now age-long electoral jinx in Nasarawa State. The APC flag-bearer has never won elections in Nasarawa state since he has been participating in the presidential race.

    During the 2015 presidential election, the then President Jonathan of the PDP surprisingly won the presidential election in Nasarawa State, defeating Buhari, who was widely tipped to win the state. It was a surprise because the state was seen by many as a stronghold of Buhari’s given the presence of many of his associates in the state. Not even the widespread opinion that Governor Tanko Al-Makura has done well in office helped.

    He also lost the state in 2011 when he contested on the platform of the Congress for Progressives  Change (CPC). While the CPC’s governorship candidate, Umar Tanko Al-Makura, the incumbent governor, won the gubernatorial election, Buhari could not get enough votes to defeat Jonathan in the state. Not a few analysts are saying that the APC will have to do more than enough to change the status quo today.

    Al-Makura’s decision to stamp his feet and allow power to shift from Nasarawa South District to Nasarawa North District for fairness and equity has deflated the anticipated winning formula of the opposition. This has in turn shored up the popularity of the ruling party in the north where the PDP held sway before now. This is expected to impact in favour of President Buhari in the presidential election. The harmony within the rank and file of APC in the state notwithstanding, it is still uncertain if Buhari can floor Atiku in the state.

     

    ADAMAWA STATE

    Adamawa, since 1999, remained a PDP threshold until 2015 when it voted APC. Pundits will say Buhari’s victory in the state back then was aided by the presence of Atiku in the same party with him. But with the President and Atikun today on the ballot on opposing sides, many of the factors that delivered Adamawa to APC in 2015 are no longer applicable. The people of the state are now caught between two choices of producing a home-bred president or voting for their son-in-law Buhari to remain in office.

    For Atiku and the PDP, a lot is now at stake. If he defeats Buhari in Adamawa, he would boost his political profile as primus inter pares in the state. But if Atiku suffers any setback, he would join the league of the likes of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who lost in his home state. Being an indigene of the state who once won its governorship election before being selected as Vice President by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is an added advantage for Atiku in today’s contest.

    On the other hand, the performance of Governor Jibrilla Bindow in office has added value to Buhari’s campaign. Also, the nomination of game changers like Senator Binta Mashi and Hajiya Aishatu Ahmed Binani and other mobilisers at the grassroots have made winning the state an uphill task for Atiku. But the two camps stand equal chances of carrying the day, according to pundits.

    Other prominent politicians Buhari and his party will be banking on to swing the votes their across the state today include former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu  and the President’s in-law, Dr. Halilu Modibbo, among other numerous elected and appointed political office holders across the state.

    For Atiku, he will be relying on a strong, tested and trusted political machinery with tentacles across the nooks and crannies of the state that has aided his hold on the politicos of the state for decades now. Though his recent return to PDP has seen some of his associates turn their back on him, it is still largely believed that his political structure is strong enough to deliver the votes for him.

    Our findings show that the governorship candidate of PDP, Umaru Fintiri, popularly called “The ATM” by civil servants due to the prompt payment of salaries when he was Acting Governor of the state, has made the turf tougher. Fintiri is giving Bindow an electioneering headache because of ‘the ATM perception’. The governor, for his part, has been prudent and he has performed creditably better than most of his successors.

     

    AKWA IBOM

    At no time had the PDP’s control of the politics of the state been threatened as it is today. The contest between Buahri and Atiku today will determine how the rest of the polls will go in the state,  pundits say. Since 1999, the oil-rich state has been voting for the PDP till date. Whether that will change today is left to be seen. The defection of former Governor Godswill Akpabio to the APC changed the political narratives in the state.

    As it is, both APC and PDP are laying claim to the state as a stronghold. But political signals indicate that President Buhari may carry the day. This is based largely on the political acceptance being enjoyed across the state by Akpabio. Since he left the PDP, he has resisted several attempts to undermine his popularity. Many analysts say his performance while in office as governor is still speaking for him.

    Going by recent political events in the state, it is very convenient to say both the PDP and the APC are well rooted in the nooks and crannies of the state, no thanks to the political division between Akpabio and Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. The  politics of the state is now symbolised by a sharp division of the people into PDP supporters and APC supporters.

    The competition between the two political parties is further heightened by the fact that both Akpabio and his former godson, Emmanuel, will be on the ballot paper as candidates in this year’s general elections but on the platform of different political parties. While Emmanuel is seeking to be re-elected as the governor of the state, Akpabio wants to remain in the Senate as the representative of the people of Akwa-Ibom northwest.

    In 2015, the duo worked together as PDP candidates and won in convincing manners. This time around, their camp is divided and they are at loggerheads politically. Thus, Akpabio and the APC will be relying on the former governor’s political machinery across the state, aided by the political influence of other APC chieftains like Umanah Umanah, Nsima Ekere (a former deputy governor), John Akpan Udoedehe, Don Etiebet, Ime Umana, Group Capt. Sam Ewang (Rtd), among others, to carry the day.

    For Emmanuel and the ruling PDP who will be entering the ring without the statewide support they enjoyed from Akpabio’s camp in 2015, their major strength will lie in the power of incumbency and the ability to showcase the achievements of the current administration to the people of the state.

    Across the three senatorial districts of Uyo (Akwa-Ibom northeast), Ikot Ekpene (Akwa-Ibom northwest) and Eket (Akwa-Ibom south), political analysts, candidates, party chieftains and the voters are daily coming up with permutations on how the governorship elections would be won and lost by the two leading political parties, PDP and APC, and their governorship candidates, Emmanuel and Ekere respectively.

    Akwa Ibom has 31 local government areas. While Eket, where both Emmanuel and Ekere hail from, has 12 local government areas, Akpabio’s Ikot Ekpene boasts of 10 council areas. The remaining nine are found in Uyo District where former Governor Victor Attah and Umanah hail from. At the last count, there are 1,837, 767 registered voters in the three senatorial districts of the state.

    According to very reliable political permutations, the PDP and APC will keenly contest for the votes of the people of Akwa-Ibom South Senatorial District. It is unclear who is likely to win the zone between the two leading parties given the parity in popularity of both in the area. The APC is most likely to sweep the votes in Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District where Senator Akpabio is the undisputed leader.

    The Northeastern Senatorial District is another battleground where both APC and PDP will slug it out evenly. However, pundits say with Umanah supporting Ekere, the APC may slightly outperform PDP in the zone, slightly because Uyo is also the seat of government and Emmanuel has many of his people resident there. While Umanah’s popularity in Uyo will aid APC, PDP should benefit from the votes of government functionaries and their people.

     

    OGUN STATE

    In Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s state, the presidential contest will surely be unusually interesting.  This is just as pundits say for the APC, the result will be better than it was in 2015 when the APC defeated PDP by a hundred thousand votes. Buhari polled 308, 290 votes, while former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP took 207, 950 out of 559, 613 total votes cast. According to formal results announced, Buhari won in 13 local governments, while PDP won in 7 local government areas.

    In spite of the support currently being enjoyed by Atiku and the PDP from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Buhari will still win the presidential election in the state convincingly. Given the fact that Buhari’s candidature has been adopted by about four other political parties aside his APC in the state, the President looks set to confirm his acceptance in the state.

    With the APC and APM in the state working towards the victory of President Buhari, and the two factions of the PDP unable to come together and galvanise their members towards the presidential election, the APC is looking good to win the presidential election in the state even with a wider margin than it posted in 2015.

    Notwithstanding the support of former President Obasanjo for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, investigations show that the APC candidate, President Buhari, stands the chance of winning the presidential election in the state with convincing margin. This is because in spite of the unusual political ripples, APC’s candidate evidently enjoys massive support from the state.

    The Federal Government’s attention to major roads in the state, including the Sagamu-Ikorodu road and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is also swaying support for APC across the state. Also, Buhari’s decision to immortalise the late Chief MKO Abiola, an indigene of Ogun, by declaring June 12 as the nation’s Democracy Day, remains a political move well aimed. It has endeared him to the elites in the state and it is expected to help him garner some votes across the state.

    Similarly, numerous artisans and traders across the state who benefitted from the Tradermoni scheme are helping Osinbajo to propagate the candidates of the ruling party just as many youths now enjoying under the N-Power employment scheme in the state, are poised to reward the APC by voting for Buhair today. It is for these reasons that analysts concluded that though the election will be dramatic, the APC looks good to win.

     

    EDO STATE

    President Buhari of the APC will win the presidential election today in Edo State convincingly. His victory, of course, will surprise many observers. This is because he will garner good votes in areas he hitherto would have done badly ordinarily. The change in his political fortune in places like Edo Central is as a result of certain factors that were not available before now.

    One, President Muhammadu Buhari will easily garner the majority of votes in Edo State given the popularity of his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress, across the state. The APC’s political hold on the state, from the days of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is now its National Chairman, supported by the rave reviews currently being enjoyed by Governor Godwin Obaseki, should work in the party’s favour.

    Before the 2015 general elections, the PDP could boast of pockets of strongholds in the Southern Senatorial District of the state, but all that faded with the defeat of the party by APC that year. However, some observers say a pocket of opposition may arise today, largely from revenue touts and their godfathers who have been having a running battle with Governor Obaseki over revenue collection across the district, especially in Oredo council.

    The death of PDP strongman and former political leader of the state, Chief Tony Anenih, late last year, may have completed the demystification of PDP in a state it controlled for nearly 12 years before Oshiomhole took over.

    Also, the decision of Governor Obaseki to hearken to the clarion call on him by the people of Edo Central, to extend developmental projects their way will be rewarded by the people of the area today as they change their age-long voting pattern and embrace the APC. It is a widespread belief in the area that unlike Oshiomhole who abandoned the area while in office, Obaseki has carried out numerous developmental projects in Edo Central.

    To also shore up the chances of the APC in Edo Central, many supporters of the late Anenih have joined the APC and are now working hard for the victory of President Buhari in the area today.

  • Election: FRSC sets up Situation Room

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has set up a Situation Room for Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Public Education Officer of the corps, Mr Bisi Kazeem, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

    “In lieu of the need to ensure a smooth and safe motoring environment, during the 2019 general elections, the Federal Road Safety Corps will be operating a 24-hour daily situation room.

    “This is for updates and information from the public on safety and traffic-related issues including clearing of obstructions, recovery and prompt rescue services and enforcing traffic restrictions.

    Read also: Update: Presidential polls materials arrive Oyo state

    “The public is by this medium, admonished not to hesitate from forwarding any such information on safety, obstructions and rescue related matters noticeable during the pre-election, election and post-election period to the following emergency numbers for swift response.

    “The emergency numbers are FRSC Toll-Free number 122, 09055792372 and 09055792374,” the statement read in part. (NAN)

  • Nobody will unseat me – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said that nobody will unseat him.

    He made the remark in a short interview published by CNN Africa on Friday.

    The President also dismissed suggestions that he has no stamina to run the country for another four years.

    He said he would do his best to curtail the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast while thanking Western countries for their support for the nation’s military.

    The short interview went thus:

    They say you don’t have the stamina for another term. What’s your response?

    “Well, I have done it. So, they can give you another answer.”

    You are ready to take this country forward for another four years?

    “Yes. I’m ready for it”.

    Boko Haram, terror groups are still wracking parts of this country, killing Nigerians. What is your plan to stop that?

    “Well, my plans is that, as I mentioned to the general public now, they used to hold 17 local governments. We have in this country constitutionally, 774 local governments.

    “They used to hold 17. They are not technically holding any local government now but they are indoctrinating young men and women, especially girls, wrap them up with explosives and let them explode it on soft targets, churches, mosques, market places, motor parks and other places.”

    Will military be able to stop this terror?

    “Of course, we are doing our best. And we thank the foreign countries, Europe and United States for training our armed forces and going to the front to see how they are performing after their training.”

    One final question. This is a vibrant democracy, you came in, unseating the incumbent. Are you worried the same could happen to you?

    “No. Nobody will unseat me.“

  • 2019 Election and national values (2)

    I received several private communications since the publication of the first part of this piece last week. It is not unexpected because of the passion that this election has generated for politically conscious citizens. Today, I will address a couple of the most fervent reactions.

    A respected elder asked whether we have any national values and, if not, what leg does my position have to stand on? And a professional colleague of many years challenged my claim that political preferences are reflections of moral values. For him, preferences are merely likings. Just as my preference for vanilla cake does not reflect any deep-seated moral value, so my preference for Buhari or Atiku carries no moral connotation.

    My response to the first reaction is that a nation without core national values cannot expect to survive, talk less prosper. Core values cement the various building blocks of the nation, preventing them from collapse.

    Fortunately, our national values are succinctly articulated in the holy book of the republic. Chapter 2 of the 1999 constitution declares: ”The motto of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress (15 (1)). “The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power (15 (5)). And more clearly, Article 23 states that “The national ethics shall be Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-reliance and Patriotism.”

    A lot is packed into the quoted statements of our national values. But if we truly see ourselves as a nation, what these statements require of us can be attained. And part of what it requires of us is to choose leaders who embody the national ethics as our constitution stipulates, or who, at least, aspire to attain its requirements. An undisciplined person or one who lacks integrity, doesn’t appreciate the dignity inherent in labour, is intolerant, corrupt, and therefore, unpatriotic, is a clear opposite of what our national values prescribe. To that extent, he or she cannot be trusted to lead.

    To suggest that our preferences in national election for the choice of national leaders is a simple expression of taste is to trivialize the significance of this vital aspect of democracy. Therefore, I stand by my position that this election and its outcome, would be an expression of our national values.

    Now, what I just stated in the last sentence is deliberately ambiguous. The first arm of the ambiguity is that national values could mean those expressed in the constitution as our national ethics. Certainly, there could be a coincidence of the outcome of our preferences and our stated national values. If we choose candidates who have integrity, are incorruptible, appreciate the dignity of labour, and are champions of social justice, then, our preferences and our national values are in sync. And the election would be regarded as an expression of our constitutionally mandated national values.

    Second, however, we could make our preferred choices based on individual value systems without respecting our constitutionally mandated national values. If I prefer a kidnapper as president, it means that kidnapping is not in conflict with my values. If majority of my fellow citizens also prefer a kidnapper as their president, then we would elect a kidnapper as president. And while our constitutionally mandated national values would be diametrically opposed to this outcome, there is a sense in which we could still say that our choice reflects our national values, where national values here simply mean a summation of our individual values.

    What I am suggesting here is that our individual values may be opposed to the national values articulated in our constitution. When this is the case, and the majority have values that diverge from constitutionally articulated values, the outcome of elections reflects that divergence.

    Let me put the foregoing in context. Four days ago, a Twitter subscriber posted a thread which describes the findings of a US Senate Committee on the investigation of former Vice President Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate. The findings include an allegation of money laundering and deposits of various dollar amounts in US banks. They are enough to raise eyebrows.

    However, what caught my attention was the reaction from other Twitter users. I quote here one which speaks to my point: “Yes, we know that Atiku is a thief. But we still prefer him to a 100 times Buhari’s Integrity.” Another challenged the writer to set up her shop with EFCC and it won’t deter them from their choice of Atiku. Of course, there are also others who insist that Atiku cannot be trusted with the presidency because of this question of integrity. When minds are made up this way, and question of ethics plays a back role in the choice of leaders, then, a nation gets the leader it deserves on account of the diverse values of her citizens.

    There is another level to this issue. Where there is an assortment of national values, citizens may decide to emphasize one or the other based on what they think are national priorities at any point in time.  For example, an individual may believe that social justice is the most important national value and then choose a candidate or vote against another because they are judged to be right or wrong on issues of social justice. Thus, those who accuse President Buhari of favoring the North in his appointments may close their eyes against the national value of a corruption-free society, which he has championed with fervor.

    We should note, however, that voters have other considerations that may not be as expressly specific to national values but are still tangentially related. Since 1999, the development and maintenance of national infrastructure has suffered gravely in the hands of successive PDP governments. There were abandoned road construction contracts from Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Shagamu-Benin roadway. Railroads were neglected. Airways was scrapped. The power sector was ignored despite a purported investment of sixteen billion dollars. PDP was voted out in 2015 based on citizens’ disenchantment with its record in the destruction of the economy and national infrastructure.

    Buhari administration apparently came in with a strong determination to impress the citizenry with its investment on infrastructure as well as the diversification of the economy in favor of mining and agriculture. In these areas, it has a record of achievements that it has been highlighting in its campaign for reelection. I just saw an impassioned commercial by an APC lady supporter on road construction across the country. For comical effect, she referred to Buhari’s magnanimity in rehabilitating even the road at the backyard of a former president who didn’t care for it when he was in power. Could that be Baba Obj? Ouch!

    The questions, then, are these: value voters have a choice to make in this election. If not all, which of our core national values do you prioritize? Discipline or something integrity? Dignity of labour or a society without the burden of corruption? Religious tolerance or social justice? Do you place value on using the resources of the country for the betterment of the lives of her people or for benefitting a few special interests? Do you prefer to reward failure and impunity or selfless efforts that yield abundant success for all? Then, just go ahead and vote your value and your conscience.

    Remember, however, the words of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, which I have paraphrased here: “Elections belong to (you), the people. It is (your) decision. If (you) decide to turn (your) back on the fire and burn (your) behind, then, (you) will just have to sit on (your) blisters.”  There are good reasons to choose wisely. It is unwise to get fooled twice.

    As I was finishing this piece, Opalaba, my friend, called. He had also read the last piece and was concerned about my “philosophical twist and turn” as he put it. Call a spade a spade, he shouted. “In any case, as for me and my household, for what PDP did to this country for 16 years, I will never vote for any of its candidates. Never. Do you hear me?” And he hung up.

    Happy voting.

     

     

     

  • ‘A choice between progress and retreat’

    The presidential election takes place tomorrow. In this piece, All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu urges Nigerians to vote wisely by endorsing the continuity agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The future is uncertain until we enter it. February 16 is Election Day and on that day Nigeria shall step into its future. How you vote on that day will determine whether we walk into the future in a manner that guides our subsequent steps toward the national greatness that calls to us or will we walk into it backwards as if feebly trying to reinvent the past.

    One road leads to a certain replay of the economic injustices of the past. It is a road well-worn with familiar pitfalls and setbacks built into the very nature of it. The other road provides the truest, brightest chance for us to enter into our hopeful future but only if we are brave enough to believe in our capacity to improve our nation.

    This election is more than a contest between two men, President Muhammadu Buhari and former VP Atiku Abubakar, for that one exalted chair. The election is nothing less than a historic encounter pitting one vision and version of our future against another.

    Since walking backwards has never appeared to me as an efficient or responsible way for a person to proceed, let alone for a nation to surmount the difficult obstacles that nations must overcome, I cannot find much good in the policies and programs announced by the PDP.

    Former VP Atiku misappropriated his eight previous years in high office. His occupancy of high office was best characterized by low deeds. Self-enrichment occurred at lightning speed but social welfare moves slower than a dousing snail.  Just a few weeks ago, Atiku offered his vision of the economy when he said that enriching his friends would be an appropriate objective of any government he led. At best, patronage is a regrettable and necessary reality of politics that should be severely curtailed. But Atiku goes in the opposite direction. He bypasses patronage to brazenly elevate the much greater evil of cronyism from the shadows to make it the central plank of his national economic policy.

    Look, I have made no attempts to hide my friendship with Atiku. We were friends before this election and hopefully we will be friends after February 16 when he goes into retirement. Despite our friendship, I must say the type of enrichment of friends he envisions does not recommend itself to me. It is unjust and impoverishes all but a handful of Nigerians. I want no part of such enrichment for my love of Nigeria and its people is far greater and deeper than my friendship with Atiku. For the good of Nigeria and even the good of Atiku himself, we do well to send him into retirement on Saturday.

    Here I must relate a comment a friend recently made that shows the wide difference between the two parties and their presidential candidates. My friend observed that if you make a deal with President Buhari, you can always be sure of his intention to follow through. Do the same with Atiku, he said, and prepare yourself for disappointment.

    Atiku is not alone in his disregard for the common man. Such disregard is the true brand name of the PDP and its powerful, rich allies. Several weeks ago during a television interview, Atiku’s Chief Economic Advisor Chike Obi intimated a strong preference to discontinue the social welfare payments the Buhari government established for the poorest of the nation’s poor. Obi’s rationale was that the nation could not afford to offer even this modest safety net. While in Obi’s eyes a nation possessed of the abundant material wealth of Nigeria could ill afford to give its poorest citizens enough naira merely to survive, Obi’s boss was reveling that he would further enrich already wealthy cronies. Obi was completely wrong that the nation does not have sufficient resources while his boss was utterly wrong in how he would use that abundance to fatten the wallets of his friends while leaving the pockets of the masses lean and empty.

    Perhaps, we should also send Obi into retirement along with his boss come February 16. Perhaps together they might manage to discover the place where they might learn compassion for the common man.

    Just this week, Atedo Peterside, a banker prominent in PDP circles, published a bewildering lament professing he could not understand why, even in his latest polls, President Buhari maintained a marked lead over Atiku. In essence, Peterside was griping that the people are not wise enough to make up their own economic minds. They would be better off if they allowed him to substitute his judgment for theirs. Peterside’s article was written with the desperate yet arrogant frenzy of those who fear their unjust economic privilege is swiftly unraveling. They fiercely clutch to their position yet the castle they have built in the clouds is crumbling into dust then to vanish into vapor. The clock now tolls midnight on their system economic elitism.

    His answer to our economic challenges was to shrink and restrain government from being the active catalyst toward a diversified economy that assured broadly-shared prosperity through the just allocation of wealth and reward according to sweat and toil put forth by the Nigerian people. He proposed an economy that essentially was a free-for-all. If the past has taught anything, is that such an economic free-for-all is never free for most.

    It is merely a license for the powerful and wealthy to do as they might while the poor and modest endure what they must.

    Like Atiku, this PDP banker advocates an economy that gives free vent to the wealthy. The freedom enjoyed by the wealthy is paid for by a heavy tax on the wages and work of the average person. Essentially, the PDP seeks an economy that provides the welfare of riches to the powerful while telling the average man that there is not enough money to go around to build an economy that will ensure he can take care of his basic needs.

    They seek an unfair, unjust and unequal Nigeria. Their definition of Nigeria is a nation run by the greedy, for the profit of the rich, at the command of the mighty.

    In this, the PDP is involved neck-deep in the greatest political swindle of this generation. Their real slogan should be “more for the rich, nothing for the rest!”

    Only then will they be telling the plain truth about themselves.

    Our objective must be no less than to remake Nigeria into a great nation. This is a lofty goal but we should not be afraid of lofty aspirations. Only by reaching upward can we pull ourselves from where we are that we grow closer to what we should become.

    The world economy is in rapid flux. To progress we need to establish a new economic model suitable to this dynamic future.

    Our vision is the opposite of theirs.

    Unlike the PDP, we, the APC, are anchored to the proposition that every Nigerian is entitled to equal access and sufficient economic opportunity so that he may use his talents, skills and committed exertion to carve for himself and his loved ones the decent and good life every human being seeks.

    Yes, the rich and wealthy are entitled to the full enjoyment of the fruits of their exertions and enterprise. But so is the common man. The ordinary person is not to be shortchanged of the fair dividends of his honest sweat and diligent labor simply because he may be poor or because the powerful wealthy want more.

    We believe government can spur the economy toward full employment of labour and our national resources during those times the private sector is not strong enough to shoulder this responsibility alone. Government is the agent of the people to further reform our political economy such that the light of shared prosperity, social tolerance and collective purpose shall forever shine across our national landscape and never be extinguished.

    Because of the APC’s concerns for the struggles of the average person, we launched beneficial social welfare programs such as the school feeding program, Trader-Moni and N-Power.

    As such, we have made progress caring for our most needy and vulnerable through these and other innovative and unprecedented policies. These programs are of the type all great nations do for their citizens.

    However, the APC is not satisfied by what has been accomplished. What has been done is but the opening phase of a more ambitious undertaking. We have just begun to fight poverty and reform this economy on the scale required.

    Though we have helped millions, several million more need to end poverty’s stranglehold on their lives. We must expand the scope and reach of our social welfare programs to encompass those other people who have been denied access to the productive economy through no fault of their own.

    Additionally, we must put idle hands to work to build a modern infrastructure that will energize agricultural output in rural areas and foster labour-intensive industrialization in our growing cities.

    Our objective shall be more and decent jobs on the farms and in the factories. Like no Nigerian government before, I believe the second administration of President Buhari shall dedicate itself to changing the very structure of our economy for the better.

    We must amend our national economic architecture to unlock the full potential of our people and our land. To me, this is the core mandate of government for and of the people.

    Throughout the campaign, we have talked about taking Nigeria to the Next Level. To me, this Next Level is informed by forging a New Partnership between government and the governed in order to create a more just, more prosperous economy for all.

    The essence of this partnership is that government will provide each and every Nigerian either the modern public infrastructure or the targeted public assistance needed to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones.

    The beginning of this New Partnership are already taking shape. As stated before, we have initiated a first phase of social welfare programs.

    Additionally, the availability of fuel last December shows President Buhari has solved the perennial problem of year-end fuel crises that plagued all governments before his.

    The Southwest has always been at the vanguard of progressive governance in Nigeria. Today should be no exception to this historic role we have played. I ask the people of the Southwest to join the APC so that we attain the Next Level by implementing this bold and good NEW PARTNERSHIP built on the following pillars:

     

    POWER:

    We have made more progress in this area in 4 years than the PDP did in 16. Still, our work remains unfulfilled until we can bring light to all Nigerians when they need it, at costs they can well afford.

    I believe the second Buhari administration will work to increase electricity generation, transmission and distribution by 5000 MW within the next 4 years.

    Under the spirit of true federalism, greater latitude will be provided states in their efforts to build and attract investment for their own power generation initiatives.

    We shall push to end the practice of billing people for electricity they never received. This practice is a vestige of the past that should not accompany us into the future.   A person should only be charged for the power used.

     

    INFRASTRUCTURE:

    Government should put a national infrastructural plan into action. First, we must commit ourselves to a national highway system linking our major cities and towns, our centres of commerce, with each other.

    Travel times and costs will dramatically reduce. Farmers will bring more food to market quicker and more cheaply, reducing food costs. Traffic safety will be enhanced. The private sector will save millions of dollars which can be redirected to investment and job creation. More importantly, thousands of lives will be saved.

    And hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians will find jobs on these projects.

    Water catchment and retention systems in strategic locations should also be built to end the destructive cycles of flood and drought affecting many areas.

     

    INDUSTRIALISATION:

    A national industrial plan aimed at bringing labour-intensive light industries to our cities to provide meaningful employment for our growing urban population should be implemented. To increase our GDP and wisely position the economy for the future, we must increase the percentage that manufacturing contributes to that GDP.

    We should focus on strategic industries such as textiles, food processing, automobiles, consumer appliance and machine assembly, communications and manufacture of goods important to the bulk of domestic consumers.

    This will require bold and comprehensive tax reform to encourage business investment.  We shall help strategic businesses by ensuring inexpensive access to the infrastructure required for their profitability.

    We must work with the Central Bank to bring lower interest rates to this sector.

     

    AGRICULTURE:

    I believe the government will work with the states and private sector to develop low-tech but efficient irrigation systems to reclaim more land for cultivation.

    Commodity boards should be established to provide minimum prices for strategic crops so that farmers will be assured a decent income for their hard labour.

    We need a national strategic food reserve. This will enable government to moderate food prices to aid the average person when harvests are lean and to prevent wastage when harvests are plentiful.

     

    HOUSING:

    To provide adequate housing for more people, government should integrate under one roof the numerous residential housing and mortgage programs now existing.

    This integrated recapitalized home mortgage institution will deepen the mortgage market by provide direct loans to homeowners and by guaranteeing qualified loans made by private banks.

     

    SOCIAL SECURITY:

    In the spirit of the social programs inaugurated during the president’s first term, I fully support efforts during his second term toward establishing a government-run social security system for the elderly. Such programs are central and humane aspects of the governments of all great nations. We shall be no exception to this good rule.

    This system shall not be intended to abolish the private pension system. The two systems will complement each other so that no elderly person is left unattended during his or her waning years.

    The plan I just outlined is a brave step into our proper future. I ask that you have the courage not to be tempted to return to the past as the PDP wishes.

    I believe Nigeria is better than this.

    If we act wisely yet boldly, no Nigerian should fear what tomorrow will bring.

    Election Day comes near. Let it be that dramatic moment where we showed the courage to vote for our larger, more excellent future instead of voting to recede into the shadows of the past as Atiku desires.

    Let us continue to fashion a Nigeria that serves all its people, not just Atiku and his band of revellers. In this, we must face the future not turn our back to it. Great possibilities await but we must grab them.

    Through this new partnership, let the Southwest once again rally around the banner of progressive governance for the benefit of all people, young and old, educated and not, the wealthy and the modest. This is the future we must enter. This is the future the APC champions. This is future you must choose on Election Day. Vote for yourselves by voting for President Buhari.

  • Buhari shuts down Katsina for APC rally

    Activities in Katsina state were completely brought to a halt Thursday, thanks to the Grand Finale of the APC Presidential Campaign Rally, as traders and several other activities voluntarily closed shops in other to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and his entourage at the Muhammad Dikko Stadium

    The attendance in Thursday’s Rally at the 30,000 Seater capacity Stadium perhaps surpassed most rallies held in other parts of the Country, including the PDP Presidential campaign Rally held at the same Stadium last week.

    Both inside and outside the stadium, including the lawns and the Car parks were filled to the brim with supporters of the All Progressives Congress

    The National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole described the massive turn out as clear manifestation of the strong confidence Nigerians reposed on Buhari’s Administration.

    He said‘’ Mr. President I am sure and I have every reason to believe that you will feel proud of your people, as this will dismiss the old notion that a Prophet is not honored in his hometown

    ‘’This is indeed the grand finale of the APC Nationwide campaign rallies when PDP started their campaign in Sokoto they thought they had the monopoly of attendance but this have disproved them’’

    Read Also: Thousands troop out in Katsina for Buhari’s campaign

    ‘’Both the Bible and the Quran are unanimous in affirming that by next tomorrow you will be re-elected, Nigerians who have come to appreciate your integrity will troop out in their numbers to re-elect you by Saturday. By Fighting Corruption you are making more friends while the opposition is getting lesser people on their side’’

    Oshiomhole further criticized the PDP for Promising to re-introduced the discredited Structural Adjustment Program SAP, devalue the Naira and other Policies that will draw the Country backwards saying Nigerians will reject them at the Polls

    Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State in his address at the occasion described President Buhari as a man of impeccable Character, who meant well for the common man, he urged the People to vote for the President and candidates for the National Assembly

    In a brief message at the occasion President Buhari said he was overwhelmed by the turnout of supporters and promised to do more to promote the welfare of the common man, improve infrastructural development and Agriculture.

    He said ’’we will not betray your trust and neither shall we let those who betray your trust to go scot-free’’

  • You’ll go to jail if you break electoral laws – DG warns Corps members

    The Director General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Maj. Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, has warned corps members participating as INEC ad-hoc staff in the general election that they would be jailed if they break any electoral law in the course of their assignment.

    Kazaure gave the warning Thursday in Yola while addressing corps members trained to participate in the exercise.

    Represented by Mr Sadiq Ipaku, Chief Inspector of NYSC, Abuja, Kazaure said it was mandatory for corps members to know the Electoral Act and discharge their assignment in line with the law, and the training provided to avoid falling into trouble.

    Kazaure said over the years, corps members have distinguished themselves during elections and should continue to do so.

    “Your predecessors, right from year 2008 when the collaboration started, have proven their mettle and made each succeeding election more credible and acceptable than the proceeding one.

    “It is against this background that the nation is once again calling on you for this very important assignment,” Kazaure said.

    In his remarks, the Adamawa Coordinator of NYSC, Mallam Abubakar Mohammed tasked the corps members to be confident and take full responsibility during the assignment so as not to be messed up by any politician.

    Mohammed tasked also tasked them to be security conscious, adding that there was an agreement with INEC not to post corps member to crisis areas.

    He also said that special numbers would be provided them to make quick contact in the case of any difficulty or emergency.

    In his speech, the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Kassim Gaidam, who described corps members as “the core of INEC ad-hoc staff”, said the commission has confidence full confidence in their ability to deliver.

    Gaidam assured them of adequate security and welfare, adding that their training allowances would be paid on Friday, while other allowances would be paid as at when due.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlights of the interactive session was the distribution of relevant pamphlets on election guidelines, and lecture on security tips by officials from Department of State Security.

  • Fears over Obasanjo’s link with foreign poll observers

    There is anxiety in political circles over the composition of some of the international observer missions deployed in the country for the general elections. The presidential election is slated for Saturday.

    The popular thinking is that former President Olusegun Obasanjo may have been influential to the composition and emergence of some of the chairmen of some of the observer groups.

    The ex-President, who is backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is suspected to have sold an agenda to these observers, based on a  perception of what a source described as a “willy-nilly” regime change.

    Some of the groups are suspected to be in the country to “work to the answer” by prejudging the election as “not free, fair and credible” — a perception that has been debunked.

    But it was gathered that the Federal Government is “paying keen interest” to their activities.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accredited 144 observer groups, including 116 domestic and 28 international teams.

    The foreign groups are:  African Bar Association;  African Parliament of The Civil Society; African Union; British High Commission; Democrat Union of Africa; ECOWAS; Elections Cameroon, Republic of Cameroon; and the  Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.

    Theere are also Embassy of France; Embassy of Japan; Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Embassy of The Republic of Korea; European Centre for Electoral Support; European Union; German International Agency;  High Commission of Canada;  and the International Foundation For Electoral System.

    The International Human Rights Commission; International Peace Commission; International Republican Institute; the National Democratic Institute; the Network for Solidarity; and the Empowerment and Transformation for All were also accredited to cover the elections.

    Other international observers are Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation; Pan African Women Projects;  Pan African Youth Training and Enlightenment Centre;  Queen Zara Foundation for Human Resources Development; The Commonwealth; and the United States Embassy.

    Some of the observer groups are being led by some ex-leaders, including  ex-Tanzanian President Dr. Jakaya Kikwete (Commonwealth Observer Group); former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (African Union);  ex-Liberian President Ellen  Johnson-Sirleaf (ECOWAS); and Maria Arena (the Chief Observer, European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Nigeria).

    Ms Arena is a member of the European Parliament from Belgium. Kikwete is “a well known friend of Obasanjo” a source said, adding: “He was regular at the Ota Farm House Dialogue in the eighties. They even worked together at the African Union on the NEPAD programme.

    Obasanjo is also believed to be close to Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf. “We all know Nigeria’s role in Liberia during the Obasanjo Presidency,” the source said, pleading not to be named because he is not permitted to talk to the media.

    Another source spoke of an intelligence report that some of the observer groups are in Nigeria to work in line with “pre-determined agenda” of their countries. Besides, the source noted that it was wrong for some ambassador to be moving round the country on “election tourism” without the foreign minister’s permission.

    The Federal Government had last week raised the alarm that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) was planning to send a delegation to some western capitals.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The security report available to the government indicated that some foreign observer groups are already biased and they are in the country to act out a script already written for them.

    “Some countries already accused of interfering in the internal affairs of Nigeria have exerted much influence on the observer missions to discredit the poll.

    “These groups have prejudged the election as not free, fair and credible. This is going to be their ultimate verdict, irrespective of what the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) does.

    “The most disturbing in the security report is the fact that some chairmen and members of these observer groups have links with a former President who is suspected to have influenced their choices for a purpose.

    “A few of them had been visiting the ex-President in the past and some were even helped to power through the international goodwill of the ex-leader.”

    The intelligence source added that some of the observers may have been playing into the hands of those plotting “an electoral stalemate and drag Nigeria into a political crisis to put an interim government in place”.

    “They are ready to do whatever they can to get President Muhammadu Buhari out of power.”

    Responding to a question, the source said the surveillance on some observer groups showed that they were violating the code of conduct put in place by INEC.

    On its website, INEC says: “All accredited observers shall abide by the code of conduct for election observers, which is available for download on the INEC website (www.inecnigeria.org).

    “INEC reserves the right to cancel and withdraw the accreditation of any organisation if its members or agents breach the code of conduct.’’

    But some missions have already assured Nigerians that they will be impartial.

    The  Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, Dr. Jakaya Kiwete, on Monday said the mission will be impartial in its assessment of the elections.

    He said the group will  issue an interim statement on its preliminary findings on the first set of elections on February 18.

    He said the18-man team of observers was  drawn from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

    They were deployed to observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and the results management processes.

    This is the sixth time a Commonwealth Observer Group will be observing elections in Nigeria since 1999.

    Kikwete, a former President of Tanzania,  made the clarifications  in a statement in Abuja against the backdrop of anxiety over the roles of the group and others.

    He  said: “Our Group was constituted following an invitation from the Independent National Election Commission, drawing together 18 eminent persons from across the different regions of the Commonwealth, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

    “We come in our own individual capacities, bringing a wide range of expertise in the areas of election administration, political development, law, human rights, civil society, gender, youth, as well as media.

    “As a group, we are here to observe the organisation and conduct of the election process as a whole, and will form an impartial and independent assessment of its credibility.

    “The Commonwealth Observer Group will consider the pre-election period, polling day itself, as well as the post-election period. Our main task is to assess whether the elections have been conducted according to the national, regional and international standards to which Nigeria has committed itself, including its own laws.

    “On election day, we will observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and the results management processes.”

    The group will submit a final report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General and, thereafter, share with the Government of Nigeria, INEC, political parties, Commonwealth governments, then make it public.

    The group expressed hope that its presence will confirm the unwavering solidarity of the Commonwealth with Nigeria as the country conducts the elections.

    The group however encouraged all citizens to “play their part in ensuring peaceful and credible elections this weekend.”

    The Head of EU EOM, Maria Arena, said: “It is a great honour for me to lead this important EU Election Observation Mission to Nigeria. I am hopeful that our observation will provide a meaningful contribution to the electoral and democratic process in Nigeria.”

    In a statement, the EU EOM said: “The EU only deploys an election observation mission when it is invited to do so by the authorities of a country.  The EU has been invited to observe all of the general elections in Nigeria since 1999. Thus, this is the sixth time the EU is observing elections in Nigeria.

    “The Independent National Electoral Commission invited the EU to deploy an observation mission for the 2019 general elections.

    “EU election observation missions give commentary and analysis, and make recommendations about the electoral process. EU election observation missions are impartial, do not interfere in the electoral process, and operate according to a strict code of conduct.”

    But the Buhari Media Organisation( BMO) has cautioned Kikwete against being used by Obasanjo former President.

    Rea also: EU adds Nigeria, Saudi to dirty-money blacklist

    A statement  by the Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary of BMO,  Cassidy Madueke, the group said: “Many Nigerians are worried that the head of the Commonwealth observer group may be swayed by Obasanjo’s skewed pre-election position that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not have the integrity to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

    “This concern, we know, is as a result of the long-standing friendship between the two former Presidents which began long before Kikwete became the head of the Tanzania government in 2005. But we are encouraged by the values that the Commonwealth holds sacrosanct, and the fact that the head of the election observer team has a track record as a peacemaker, especially in the Great Lakes region of East Africa.

    “So we hope that Kikwete would resist the pressure that will surely come from former President Obasanjo who believes that he has a divine role to determine the winner of the Presidential election.”