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  • Princewill to run for governor in Rivers

    Princewill to run for governor in Rivers

    The former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill,  has joined the governorship race.

    The politician is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He will face the  Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, and other aspirants at the primaries.

    Already, Princewill has set up a campaign structure, the ‘Princewill Exploratory Committee’ to mobilise support for his bid among stakeholders.

    His media aide, said the outfit will also mobilise for the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He said the aspirant was advised by the committee “to use his popularity among youths, the non-political class and elders to encourage participatory funding by the generality, to prevent the system being hijacked by moneybags. The belief is that he is about the only one who could do this.

    Princewill told reporters in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, said that his ambition is not a conjecture.

    He said: “I’ve been with the grassroots many years ago, even when it was not about politics. Let others play catch-up and tell the public where they were and what they were doing for them, even without a political appointment.”

    Princewill recalled that, in 2007 when he contested for the governorship, he defeated the  governor in his ward and  Buguma Local Government.

  • Ribadu takes the plunge

    Ribadu takes the plunge

    Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The former presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is now a governorship aspirant in Adamawa State.  Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI examines his chance at the primaries. 

    After several weeks of speculations, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has finally defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ribadu, who registered for the PDP last Saturday after a meeting with the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, is not your archetypal Nigerian politician. Though the PDP had been making overtures to him, the former anti-graft czar remained consistent as a member of the opposition since he entered the murky waters of Nigerian politics in 2011. He hardly engages in political diatribe, a practice that has been severely abused in Nigerian politics. A quiet and easy-going fellow, the no-nonsense former EFCC chairman’s watchword has always been how he can utilise his talents to serve his people and his country.

    When President Goodluck Jonathan withdrew the charges against the anti-corruption crusader, which paved the way for his return from exile in 2010, expectations were that he was going to join the ruling party. But, Ribadu chose the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), one of the three major opposition parties that metamorphosed into the All Progressives Congress (APC). He eventually became the flag bearer of the party in the 2011 presidential election. Since the emergence of the APC, Ribadu has acquitted himself very well as a chieftain of the party in his native Adamawa State. Indeed, he was one of the closest allies of former Governor Murtala Nyako, who was impeached recently under questionable circumstances.

     

    Ribadu at crossroads

    Ribadu is today at a crossroads of his political career. He has not only decided to take a shot at the governorship of Adamawa State — rather than the highly exalted presidential seat – but has also dumped the APC for the ruling PDP, to pursue his latest ambition. Following the impeachment of Nyako, which necessitated conducting a by-election within three months, Ribadu has been perceived as a potential candidate by both the APC and the PDP. Consequently, the two major parties have been trying to woo him for the crucial contest, which is expected to be a stepping stone for the rival political platforms ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    The defection of Ribadu, who  picked his governorship nomination form in Yola yesterday, is no doubt a boost for the ruling party. According to our source in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, it was engineered as a strategy by the PDP to weaken the APC support base ahead of the governorship contest.  Ribadu had made up his mind to switch to the ruling party, but was only waiting for the approval of President Goodluck Jonathan.  The President conveyed his approval at two  meetings through aides delegated to herald the former presidential candidate into the fold. The meetings were reportedly held in Abuja and Kaduna, where Ribadu was assured that he would be granted waivers to  pave the way for him to run.

    Observers say there has been overwhelming pressure from some notable individuals from Adamawa and beyond, urging him to jettison his presidential ambition and vie for the Adamawa governorship instead. Such individuals, it is said, have specifically asked Ribadu to utilise the PDP platform, which they believe is more formidable, given the political equation in the state.

     

    Turning point

    However, according to a source, Ribadu had become frustrated by the top-bottom leadership approach of the APC. He added that Ribadu was unhappy with what he saw as the APC’s lack of ability to resolve conflicts within its fold. Before his decision to dump the opposition party, he was still nursing the ambition to contest the presidential election in 2015 on the APC’s platform, but, according to the  source, it was made clear to him indirectly that he does not stand any chance of securing the ticket through an open  primary.

    The turning point, the source said, was the way Nyako was abandoned by the party leadership in the height of the crisis that led to his impeachment. “Ribadu worked so hard and nearly saved the former governor because he was able to convince some members of the Assembly to withdraw their support for the impeachment,” an associate of the former EFCC chairman said.

    He added: “If he had gotten the support of the national leadership of the party, all they needed was one more member and the impeachment would have collapsed.” This reminded Ribadu about the way he himself was also abandoned midway into the 2011 presidential campaign when it became clear to the ACN leadership that there was no way the former EFCC chairman could win the election.

    As a last resort to save his political career, Ribadu has now settled for the Adamawa governorship. He had chances of realising his governorship ambition under the APC, because the party’s national leadership saw him as a good candidate that could help to give the PDP a run for their money. But with his love-hate relationship with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has suddenly emerged as the leader of the party in Adamawa, the possibility is that he may not get the ticket eventually. “As you know, Ribadu once wrote a report indicting Turaki for corruption,” an official of the Adamawa State chapter of the APC was quoted as saying. He added: “Both men have yet to forget that episode and it is unlikely Ribadu will be comfortable working with the former Vice President in the same party.”

    The APC leadership had continued to dissuade the former anti-corruption chief from defecting to the PDP. But Ribadu’s attitude to the whole thing suggested that the matter had already been decided and that the APC leadership’s intervention was coming too late. In response to the speculation that he was leaving the APC for the ruling party, Ribadu said recently that he was not bothered about the pressure being mounted by his former party, the APC, to halt his planned defection to the PDP. Ribadu, who responded through his media aide, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, noted that while he appreciated the gestures, he was entitled to his decision.

    Be that as it may, securing the Adamawa PDP governorship ticket is not going to be a jolly ride for Ribadu. He might be granted waivers from the powers that be in the party, which would come in the form of overlooking certain clauses in the party’s constitution, particularly the one that stipulates that an aspirant for an elective position must have been a member of the party for a given period. But he may not be given an automatic ticket to fly the party’s flag during the election. Thus, now that he has become an aspirant under the PDP platform, he would be obliged to take his chances alongside other members who have indicated interest in the plum job.

    The Secretary, Adamawa State PDP, Mr. A. T. Shehu, acknowledged this. He said the party would appreciate a personality like Ribadu in its fold. Shehu cautions nevertheless that the PDP is a party that respects its constitution and manifesto, and that the former EFCC chairman is not likely to be given preferential treatment. “That Nuhu Ribadu has made name does not give him the automatic ticket to be the party’s flag bearer. Those of us in the party that have shown interest to vie for the governorship ticket are equally very good materials,” he noted.

     

    PDP’s long list of contenders

    Interestingly, the PDP has more than enough contenders. Some of the aspirants include Dr. Umar Ardo, an academician; Aliyu Idi Hong, a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and a protégé of Professor Jibril Aminu; Awwal Tukur, son of former national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and a former member of the House of Representatives; and General Buba Marwa, former military administrator of Lagos State.

    The list also includes Marcus Gundiri, a popular politician in the state, Senator Abubakar Gurei, and Mr. Ahmed Gulak, a former Presidential adviser on political affairs.

    A number of the aspirants have been eyeing the governorship of the state for a long time. For instance,  Girei has been in contest since 2003 when he insisted in participating in the primaries against the wish of the then Vice President, Atiku Abubakar after other aspirants stepped down for the incumbent governor, Boni Haruna. He also aspired in 2007 alongside Nyako. Similarly, Dr. Ardo contested in the last gubernatorial primaries with Nyako and challenged the result at the Supreme Court. He has been an active member of the PDP Stakeholders and Elders Forum and he was a key player in the fight to remove Nyako.

    Marwa and Gundiri are equally not new to the Adamawa governorship race, having aspired to govern the state under different political platforms. For instance, Marwa was a former member of the PDP. He had pitched tent with the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), because he was denied the governorship ticket in 2007. He contested the 2011 governorship election in the state under the CPC platform and returned to the PDP in April 2014 when he realized that he might not get a fair deal in the contest for the APC’s ticket when the leadership of the party was handed over to former Governor Nyako.

     

    No automatic ticket

    The long list of contenders vying for the PDP ticket is an indication that that the party faces a tough choice and that there would be crisis if anything goes wrong. According to our source, some political heavyweights in the party are intent on frustrating the former presidential candidate’s lobby to secure waivers to qualify to contest the governorship. The dissenting voices see Ribadu’s bid to contest the poll under the PDP platform as an imposition.

  • APC leaders pick Adefarati’s son for poll

    ONDO State All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in Akoko South West Constituency 11 have endorsed Otunba Adegboyega Adefarati, the son of former Governor Adebayo Adefarati, for the National Assembly in 2015.

    The constituency is made up of Akungba, Supare, Oba and Ikun communities.

    Its Chairman, Lawrence Rogbitan, in a statement after the meeting at Oba Akoko, praised Adefarati for his steadfastness and commitment to the cause of the party.

    The motion for the endorsement was moved by Mr. Sunday Adewunmi and seconded by Chief Seinde Mise.

    Rogbitan said APC has a good chance of winning the National Assembly elections if the party could field popular candidates, adding that Adefarati is one of the credible politicians that could win the seats next year.

    Other leaders at the meeting include Dr. Amos Aduloju(Akungba), Emmanuel Felemu (Ikun),Alhaji Abdul Olumomi, Dapo Fasesin (Oba-Akoko)) and Elder Emmanuel Bamidele (Supare).

    Adefarati, who also contested for post on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 election, praised the party’s leaders, pledging he would not disappoint them.

    He urged the members to mobilise for the party, stressing that they should come out en masse to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

    Adefarati said the PVCs are the weapons they would use to effect the change they desire in 2015.

  • ‘I want to be Kano governor’

    Kano State Deputy Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje spoke yesterday in Kano on his ambition to succeed his boss, Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

    He said: “I’m interested in the governorship, but I have not declared my intention.”

    Ganduje, during an interactive session with the Correspondent Chapel of the Kano State chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said: “If I say I am contesting, it is no news; but if I say I am not contesting, that is the news.”

    He added that he will be willing to wait until the Kwankwasiyya Political Movement of the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) meets and decides.

    The deputy governor, who noted that the caucus in the Kwankwasiyya Movement would have the final say over his ambition, said: “Ours is a party that has just been put in place—the APC—it is a merger party. So, I urge you to wait until the time when there will be news or no news. I’m interested, but I have not declared. We are still consulting.”

    Ganduje also spoke on the defection of the former presidential standard-bearer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He described it as unfortunate “for any politician to leave the fold of the progressives at this time.”

    According to him, the exit of Ribadu created no vacuum. “I am comfortable with APC. Yes, we lost Ribadu, but PDP has lost hundreds of Ribadus to us. The difference is clear.”

    Ganduje urged residents to respond to the campaign to eradicate polio, saying the government, in collaboration with the community leaders, Dangote Group and international donor agencies, has curbed the spread of the virus.

    He, however, regretted that past administrations stopped polio immunisation for sometime, which aided the spread of the disease, coupled with religious colouration. “The result is what we are battling today. People had the erroneous belief that the United States of America and Israel wanted to control birth, particularly in the North—but this is untrue.”

  • APC, PDP flex muscles in Edo

    APC, PDP flex muscles in Edo

    The recent defection of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his followers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is being celebrated with fanfare in Edo State. But, can he swing the pendulum of victory towards the opposition in future election? Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR asks.

    The emergence of Adams Oshiomhole as the governor of Edo State six years  ago under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has diminished the stature of the   Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  He also impressed the people during his first term, with the rapid transformation of the state. This earned him the mandate for a second term.

    The governor got the second term mandate, in spite of the determination of the PDP to bounce back. This feat has convinced everyone that his victory in the 2007 governorship election, which was  stolen, was not a fluke.

    But, the Edo State  PDP is celebrating the recent defections from the ruling party to its fold, saying the party is capable of displacing the APC in 2015 and 2016. The next governorship election may be two years away, but the PDP is already beating its chest. The PDP leaders believe that the party has found its feet, with the defection  from across the 18 local government areas. The former APC members are loyalists of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who had a disagreement with  Oshiomhole  over the recent party congresses.

    With this development, members of the  PDP are optimistic that the party would sing victory songs during next year’s general elections and the 2016 governorship election. The chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih had boasted  that it is a signal that the party is returning to power.

    Observers however, fault  Orbih’s optimism, saying it is too early to conclude that the coming of Pastor Ize-Iyamu will swing the pendulum of victory towards the PDP.

    Apart from the four APC lawmakers in the  House of Assembly who joined the defection train, other defectors were former members of the PDP that had left the party, ahead of the 2007 general elections. The key defectors are Evelyn Omokhodion, former Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Bright Omokhodion, Chief Amos Osunbor, Alhaji Usman Shagadi, and Abubarkar Momoh.

    The four former APC lawmakers are Abdulrasaq Momoh (Etasako West 1), Friday Ogieriakhi (Orhiomwon South) Patrick Osayimen (Oredo East) and Jude Ise-Idehen (Ikpoba-Okha).

    Abdulrasaq Momoh said that he was not really part of the APC because he was disowned by the defunct ACN, following last year’s local government elections. Momoh was arrested during  the elections following rifle allegedly found on him. Subsequently he was remanded in prison.

    He said: “Before now, I had decided to give the party a chance, to know whether the new leadership would reconsider their action. But, recent events have convinced me that they are hypocrites. Similarly, the people of my constituency appear to have also seen through the party and its leadership, especially as it relates to the provision of basic amenities. We are from the same local government with the governor, but he has totally neglected us.

    “The governor has done creditably well in his homestead, Uzairue, but he abandoned my constituency for reasons best known to him. He also neglected Auchi, the headquarters of the local government. My people said they can no longer bear it and I have no other option, but to move with them. It was not a personal thing, but as a result of the neglect of my constituency. I expected when money was voted to contain the erosion problem in Auchi that it would be used for that purpose. But, it was diverted. If they used N30 billion for Benin City erosion, they should have spent N2 billion on the erosion problems in Auchi. What I’m saying is that Auchi has not been given the necessary attention. At the rural areas, there are no roads. The governor could not go to those areas by road during the campaign for his second term. He went there with helipcopter.

    “The PDP’s chances in the coming elections are better because the people are not satisfied with the performance of the ruling party. The women are complaining, bike riders who are now without jobs are complaining, school proprietors, saw-millers, workers, teachers are complaining of over taxation. All these are indicators of the people’s rejection of APC as a party.”

    But, others are leaving for personal reasons. Ise-Idehen, for instance, is warming up for the House of Representatives race, after his eight-years stint at the House of Assembly. His ambition is however, considered unrealistic by leaders of the APC.

    The lawmaker said he left due to lack of internal democracy in the party. He said the governor failed to take decisive actions on certain pertinent issues.

    His words: “It was difficult for me to leave the APC. It is only a mad man that continues to do the same thing and expect a different result. It was like I was hitting my head against the wall. People refused to change. They say one thing and do something different. It was a difficult situation.

    “The governor is fair and a good man, who has the interest of the people at heart, but the people around him are the problem. They are the problem we have in the APC. We are not fighting the governor; we are fighting the group surrounding him. The governor is a friend. He has not offended me in any way. I have nothing against him. What I am against is the system and the people around the governor. I have not heard of any plan to impeach the governor and I will not be involved in any plan to impeach Oshiomhole. As for the  speaker, it is an internal issue within the house. It is only the members of the house that can remove the speaker. It is not about me wanting to remove the speaker.

    “Those people saying we left because of our stomach are the ones lying to the governor. They tell the governor lies so that they can get something from him. But, the governor has not been able to see through the lies and when his attention was drawn to the issues, he did not act.

    “We are not in the system to fight anybody. I believe the PDP has improved in the last few years. Much to our surprise, the PDP has made a major turn-around. I decided to leave the house, which I helped to build because the environment was no longer conducive. What they are saying does not make sense.  It is really not about the stomach. I have never been hungry in my life and I will never in this life time be hungry again. I can walk away from politics and not be hungry.

    Osayimen, who is also eyeing the House of Representative, said his problem with the APC started 18 months ago when the House leadership started treating him like a minority member because he voiced the feelings of his people concerning the Land Use Charge.

    He said that he left to prove a point, adading that,  based on personal principle, he could not be in a party where he would not be allowed to express his opinion.

    Osayimen said: “The congress was just the last straw. My spirit left the party about 18 months ago. They crucified me because I stood to speak the voice of my people. What a Bini man hates most is to ask him who are you?  The party may be doing well, but without internal democracy, it still has a long way to go.”

    Ize-Iyamu is insisting that he would deliver the state to the PDP, by winning in all the 18 local government areas. He said no amount of money and blackmail could change the situation adding that more lawmakers would soon defect to the PDP.

    He said: “I gave my best to ensure the success of the party, but Oshiomhole tried to belittle some of us. Majority of the party members had a lot of confidence in me. Many of them accepted the last ACN executive list because of me. Some of us did certain things to support him. We were interested in him delivering the dividends of democracy. We wanted him to be more involved in governance. Issues pertaining to the party that would have distracted him, we took it off him.

    APC chieftain Chief Dan Owegie, who described the defection as a one-man movement, said the exit of Ize-Iyamu would not affect the fortune of the party. His words: “Those people, who allegedly defected with, him were hired. Only few people there were party men. The party tried its best. The governor tried his best. He called several meetings, but Ize-Iyamu was resolute on leaving the party.

    “The APC is going to score 18 over 18 in the next election. Pastor Ize-Iyamu can no longer deliver Edo for the PDP. We will win because of the APC, development strides. The governor will redouble his effort to develop the state. Our future is very bright in Edo. The trouble shooters have left. It is greed that is pushing them out of the party. It is too early for somebody to start putting structures on ground, two years before the expiration of the Comrade Governor’s tenure.”

    APC Secretary, Chief Osaro Idah expressed confidence that Pastor Ize-Iyamu would return to the party after he gets tired of the PDP.  Idah said it was laughable for Ize-Iyamu to talk of winning the state for the PDP when the people are aware of what is going on.

    Comrade Godwin Erhahon, who challenged  Ize-Iyamu to a public debate, said it was Oshiomhole’s goodwill and antecedents that gave the party victory in 2007. He said those being wooed by the PDP were “the rejected ones of APC, who have fallen out of grace.”

    He said: “I have challenged Pastor Ize-Iyamu to a public debate and he is not bold enough to accept it. One of the PDP spokesmen challenged me, asking why it is only the governor that is inspecting projects and not the commissioners. That shows they are scared of the achievements of the governor. The Benin Water Storm is an unprecedented achievement. Have they not always acclaimed the goodness of the governor? Is it now that they have lost out they are saying different things?

    “Oshiomhole has so deflated the PDP that, even if a swarm of flies that fell out of grace  join the PDP, is will celebrate them. The PDP are receiving those we rejected and the bad ones in the APC. Ize-Iyamu should have hijacked other parties, if he had the structure. But, they are going to where the food is ready.

    “It was when they saw what we put in place for Oshiomhole in 2005 that they begged Oshiomhole to join them. Oshiomhole won because of his personal appeal and not what those leprous hands did. Nobody wants to shake hands with them.”

     

  • ‘Fayemi’s promises to teachers, a deceit’

    ‘Fayemi’s promises to teachers, a deceit’

    Former Ekiti State governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ayodele Fayose, has described the promises made by Governor Kayode Fayemi to pay teachers in Ekiti State the 27 per cent as “an attempt to hoodwink them and a mere political statement”.

    Fayose, who was reacting to the promises made by Fayemi to the teachers, implored the teachers not to fall for the promise which he alleged was fake, saying that the All Progress Congress (APC), which emerged from Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), has no record and reputation of being upright or faithful to promises.

    Speaking through his spokesman, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, in a statement made available to reporters in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Fayose told the teachers and people of Ekiti State that returning “Fayemi and APC to power is another four years of hunger, deceit, retrogression and capital flight”.

    On dualisation of Ikere road, Fayose told Ikere people to ask Fayemi why he had to wait until Fayose had said that he would embark on the work.

    Fayose said: “This is a deceit of the 21st century and only a fool would believe Fayemi, but Ikere people and Ekiti in general are wiser.”

    He urged the people to reject APC totally and vote for him to bring back to the state an era of economic boom and progress.

  • Will Wada complete his tenure?

    Will Wada complete his tenure?

    Kogi State Governor Idris Wada is counting days to the end of his tenure, his chance of completing the tenure still hangs in the balance. But the judgment in a suit filed against him will be delivered on May 12.

    Alhaji Mohammed Jamiu Audu, who contested on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as the deputy governor, is asking a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the primaries that threw up Wada  as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),  candidate as illegal, null and void. Audu is claiming  that the PDP had no candidate in the election.

    Justice Abdulkadir Abdulkafarati fixed the May 12 ruling date, after listening to arguments from lawyers to parties in the suit instituted by the politician.

    Named as defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wada, Jibrin Isa Echocho, the PDP, former governor Abubakar Audu and the Attorney General of the Federation.

    It is the plaintiff’s main contention that the process leading to the conduct of the December 3, 2011 Kogi governorship election, from which Wada emerged as a major beneficiary, was allegedly manipulated by INEC in violation of the Electoral Act.

    The plaintiff, who said he participated in the ACNs primaries and emerged it’s deputy governorship candidate, Professor Yusufu Obaje,  prior to May 28, 2011, argued that he remained a legitimate candidate of the party, even when Obaje went to another party.

    Audu, who queried the legitimacy of the INEC’s decision to substitute him and Obaje with Abubakar Audu in the December 3, 2011 election, argued that the process that produced Wada as the PDP candidate  violated the Electoral Act.

    The plaintiff, who raised five questions for the court’s determination, wants the court to, among others, declare that he is the valid and legitimate winner of the election, and therefore, entitled to be sworn in as the governor.

    He also wants the court to order Wada to vacate office, and for the state’s Chief Judge to swear him into office immediately.

    He equally prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Wada from further parading himself as governor.

    The plaintiff’s lawyer, Mackings Nezianya, after adopting his final written address  argued his counter affidavit to the separate objections filed by INEC, Wada and PDP.

    In relation to the substantive suit, Nezianya urged the court to grant his client’s prayer and discountenance the counter – arguments by the defendants.

    He argued that  his client has the locus standi to institute the suit, adding that the court has the jurisdiction to hear the case, in view of the provision of Section 87(9) of the Electoral Act.

    Nezianya urged the court to engage in a community reading of Sections 31, 33 and 87(9) of the Electoral Act before deciding the case.

    The plaintiff’s lawyer had, while responding to the defendants’ preliminary objections, argued that the case cited by Wada’s lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), were misconceived. He said they do not support the issue at stake in his suit.

    Relying on Order 26 Rule 3 of the Federal High Court’s Civil Procedure Rules, he urged the court to disregard the objections by the INEC and the PDP on the ground that they were incompetent, the defendants having failed to indicate any ground supporting their objection.

    Uche argued that the plaintiff lacked the  locus standi to institute the case on the ground that the plaintiff, not being a member of the PDP, cannot contest the process adopted by the PDP in choosing it’s candidate.

    He observed that Audu failed to sue his party, which allegedly substituted him with another candidate and under whose banner he contested the election.

    Wada’ lawyer also challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the suit. He argued that the suit related to post-election issues that could only be taken before the election tribunal.

    Consel  to INEC and PDP equally argued in similar manner and urged the court to dismiss the suit. Whichever way the pendulum will swing will be finally decided on May 12.

     

     

  • 2015: Can Kwara PDP spring surprise?

    2015: Can Kwara PDP spring surprise?

    President Goodluck Jonathan has visited Kwara State to boost the morale of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, wo have lost many of their leaders to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Correspondent ADEKUNLE JIMOH examines the challenges confronting the troubled chapter, ahead of the 2015 elections.

    The defection of the Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members led by Senator Bukola Saraki, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is taking its toll on the party. For 11 years, the PDP was the ruling party. But, now, it is in the opposition, struggling for relevance in the Northcentral state.

    The defection has changed the political landscape in Kwara. Following Saraki’s defection to the APC, the 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct ACN, Dele Belgore (SAN) and his supporters left the APC for the PDP. Also, the son of the late Governor Mohammed Lawal, Hakeem, his supporters, and the former Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) governorship candidate, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, who is Senator Saraki’s sibling, also defected to the PDP.

    When Gbemisola returned to the fold, PDP stakeholders were happy. They said that the defection of his brother, will not diminish the popularity of the party. Saraki’s men who have not defected include Senator Simeon Ajibola, from Kwara South, his predecessor, Senator Sulaiman Ajadi, who has been appointed the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, and former Transport and Sports Minister Alhaji Bio Ibrahim.

    President Jonathan, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, and other party leaders also believe that the PDP still has a future because these chieftains have not left the chapter. At the recent PDP rally in Ilorin, the state capital, the national leaders basked in the euphoria of hope.

    Speakers at the event said that the huge crowd at the Metropolitan Square was encouraging.

    Dr Jonathan said: “Today is a great day because, as all the speakers that spoke first have spoken, Kwara is a PDP state. Kwara truly believes in the PDP because, for now, it is only the PDP that can bring liberation.

    “We ask ourselves: why do you get yourself into politics? It is your people that matter in politics and not yourself. If you get involved in politics, you have to think about your people, not yourself. People who think about the people follow the people’s party and the PDP is the only people’s party.

    “PDP is the party that, even if you go outside Nigeria and you ask people from all over the world which are the political parties we have in Nigeria? They will say, ‘PDP and others.’ Because you know it is only in the PDP that everybody voting has in this country. It is only the PDP people that can take this country to where we want it to be. I say it without any contradiction. Because only in the PDP that people like me can come from the low level and stand here as the President of this country because the PDP is not owned by any individuals.

    “It is not owned by any group of people. We do not have dictators in PDP. We have leaders who believe in people; that s why in PDP we talk about one man, one vote, one woman, one vote and one youth, one vote.

    “PDP is the only party that can liberate everybody and also liberate Kwara State; it is only the PDP that can give you what you want.”

    Senate President David Mark boasted that, “those who are pretending to leave the party would soon come back”. He urged the people to have the large heart to accept them when they come back.

    He added: “The only party that promotes democracy and good governance is the PDP. This is the reason why we have this large turn out of people to welcome Mr. President. The turn out was so impressive that I almost shed tears.”

    Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who thanked President Jonathan for what he had done for Kwara State in education and agriculture, said that¸ “the PDP train is moving and anybody that does not join it now is late”.

    To Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, Kwara belongs to the PDP. He said: “PDP shall reclaim its mandate in Kwara. We worked for it and we shall not allow it to be snatched away by anybody.”

    Adducing reasons for his defection, Belgore said: “We are joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which has shed the very core of the liabilities that made our people run away from it.

    “We are joining hands with other like minds in the PDP, who were unjustly shut out because of their progressive bent to endear the party to the people of Kwara State.

    “Together we will work to advocate and bring about economic liberation, equal opportunity for all and positive development to our dear state and its people.

    “We join forces to break the shackles of oppression and restore our state back to its former glory. It is never easy to leave a party that one has nurtured to such an enviable position.

    “My supporters and I call on all those who wish Kwara State well, both within and beyond Kwara, indigenes and non-indigenes, to support us in the PDP to fight this just and noble cause so as to bring a brighter day to the lives of our people and to renew their positive aspirations.”

    Belgore added: “Today is very symbolic. It is symbolic because people have waited for us to make a pronouncement on our political future”

    Senator Gbemisola Saraki said her return would boost the fortune of the chapter. She said: “Three years may not be so much a long time, but it has been long enough for me to learn very important lessons. During this period, I have interacted more and intimately with thousands of Kwarans from different towns and villages. I have closely related with people of varied status. I have related with the very poor, the common people, the educated and the uneducated, the workers, the unemployed, the old and the young people.

    “I have interacted with the traditional rulers, the community and religious leaders. I have lived every day of my life as an Ilorin woman and as a Kwaran. I have had my happy moments. I derive my utmost joy when I have you, especially the common people, around me. You have had my low moments. Unfortunately, this has been more pronounced because each day, I see despair and helplessness from people who are ordinarily hardworking, honest, and courageous. I hear tales that are heart rendering”

    Gbemi, as she is fondly called, said that the defection of her brother to the APC notwithstanding, the PDP remains the party of majority of Kwarans. She stressed: “The majority of the people of Kwara State remains in PDP. We must therefore, show our strength.

    “We must begin to pull together and give our support to President Goodluck Jonathan. It is clear that the reason for the defection by a loud few is because of their personal and selfish reasons. It is not about Kwarans, majority of whom remain solidly committed to our party and the national leadership.”

    The Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Solomon Edoga, said that the party would wrest power from the APC in 2015 elections.

    He added: “We have seen that the PDP is Kwara and Kwara is the PDP. The ground that President Goodluck Jonathan is coming to cultivate is a politically very fertile and the harvest is going to be jumbo. The shackles of bondage will finally be broken on that day and the President is coming here to cut the freedom cake. Kwara is now free. Every voice will now be heard. Decisions will become bottom-top approach.

    “As from 2015 elections, votes will count and will be counted. The one man one vote mantra will be in place in the state. Elections will now be based on the voice of the people and that is why we are putting in place an elders’ committee. The committee will midwife all the processes that will lead to the elections of our ward, local government and state executives.”

    Gbemisola said that the PDP is on course because of its commitment to internal democracy. She added: “Internal democracy is now liberally practised in the PDP. The PDP is trying to make itself the biggest party in Africa. That shows how universal we are. The PDP we are building is one where godfatherism will not count, where one man show is an aberration.”

    However, keen observers of Kwara politics contend that the PDP faces a difficult future. “Its leadership is now weak,” said an observer. Other analysts are of the opinion that Kwara PDP has become an amalgam of ambitious and power crazy politicians who will not kowtow to any consensus arrangement.

    They argue that the choice of party leaders at the next congress and selection of ther governorship candidate next year will tear the party into shreds.

    It is believed that Abdul-raheem, Ibrahim, Belgore and Gbemi Saraki are interested in the governorship race. Thus, observers contend that, when the party is seized by post-primary crises, there will be no strong leadership to broker peace and reconciliation.

    The determination of the APC family to retain the state is also a setback to the PDP. The APC now has the majority in the House of Assembly. As the ruling party, it also leans on the power of incumbency, which the PDP lacks.

    An observer put this into perspective: “Saraki has never lost any election in Kwara. They made a mistake of allowing him to leave the party. With the large number of supporters behind him, the APC, under his leadership, will retain the state.”

  • ‘Omisore can’t win ward election’

    ‘Omisore can’t win ward election’

    Osun State Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration Ajibola Bashir has described Senator Iyiola Omisore’s statement that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will win the governorship election as “an empty boast.”

    Bashir said Omisore cannot win election in his ward and local government, adding: “It amazes me when someone like Omisore, who lost in his ward and local government in 2007 and 2011, boasts that the PDP would capture Osun State.”

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed August 9 for Osun State governorship election. Omisore assured his supporters while submitting his nomination paper for the PDP governorship ticket that if he was picked as the party’s flag bearer, he would dislodge All Progressives Congress (APC) from power.

    Bashir, who spoke to our correspondent, wondered why a person like Omisore who can’t win ward election now want to rule the state. “Someone who was rejected by his people at the ward and local government hoping to rule the state is a comedian”, he said.

    According to him, Omisore‘s first election as a senator in 2007 was declared null and void by the Appeal Court. In 2011, he was defeated by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate Senator Babajide Omoworare. Rather than challenge his victory at the tribunal, he said Omisore keep saying the election was rigged.

    “The one that went to the tribunal, I mean Wole Oke lost at election petition tribunal level and the Court of Appeal.” PDP can’t win any election in Osun State.

    “As a party, we are the party in control. We know they would engage in thuggery, unleash security operatives to harass and intimidate and to steal peoples mandate, our people are prepared to thwart their evil machinations. We don’t have any doubt that the government of Aregbe sola will continue beyond 2014.

    “We are prepared for the August 9 governorship election. We have delivered on our promises. In 2011, our people in Osun voted for APC. It is only in Osun that PDP lost presidential election in the Southwest”, he said.

    Reflecting on the success of APC membership registration exercise, Bashir said within 24 hours, 100 forms sent to each unit were exhausted. We have 3,010 registration units in the state. That is to say over 300,000 people were registered on the first day of the exercise.

    He said: “From the registration exercise, Osun State is a pace setter. The State of Osun has decided to go the way of APC.”

    According to him Governor Aregbesola has made the people to be the centre of development and stressed that in a democracy when people is the source of your strength, you don’t need any other strength again.

    “Human being is the focus of our development programme. The gamut of our development programme is about elevating the people. All our programmes are about the people”, he added.

     

  • Ogun: Much ado about another term

    Ogun: Much ado about another term

    SIR: Anyone who resides outside Ogun State is likely to get worried about the media coverage of the political activities in the state in recent times.

    Political watchers and those that are familiar with the issues involved are however better informed. The truth is that the so-called political misunderstanding among members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state is overblown for obvious reasons.

    It is very clear that politicking is here with us and every minor issue is blown out of proportion. Furthermore, there is the issue of elected officials wishing to secure another term. These people, who were simply anointed to contest the 2011 general election on the platform of the defunct ACN,  seemingly want a repeat of the 2011 selection procedure.

    Having had an easy entry the other time, they obviously will not want to go through the democratic selection process but will rather prefer that they are handed the tickets to contest the 2015 election as it was in 2011.

    The realities of today however would not support a blanket directive allowing those already serving not to test their popularity among the party members. It is only fair that they and others that are so interested be given the opportunity to come forward and showcase what they have to offer to the party members, who will ultimately determine who contests for which position.

    Governor Amosun has said many times that whoever is interested in any elective position should come forward and  be part of the transparent democratic processes that will produce credible candidates as the party’s  flag bearers. This is a path of honour every aspirant should take instead of crying wolf in order to have the sympathy of traditional rulers, elders and leaders across the society, who may call for “an amicable solution in the spirit of peace”.

    Those who were voted for in 2011 general election now have the opportunity to return to the people and give an account of their stewardship.

    In democracy, power resides with the people. A true democrat should not be afraid of  elections.

     

    • Bola Adeyemi Oyero,

    Ifo local government.