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Tag: ACN

  • Opposition party will rebuild Nigeria, says Tinubu

    Opposition party will rebuild Nigeria, says Tinubu

    Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, declared yesterday in Kano that the opposition parties remain resolute in their desire to reconstruct Nigeria into a sturdy and bright home that will terminate the prevailing poverty rate, unemployment and insecurity.

    Asiwaju Tinubu, a key player in the promotion of the All Progressive Alliance (APC), said the country is sufficiently blessed with leaders endowed with the ability to turn the nation around by chasing away, “the demons,” whose activities have remained a source of impediment to the general growth of the Nigerian society.

    He spoke at the Third Convocation of the Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil and the conferment on him and other prominent Nigerians of honorary doctorate degrees of the institution.

    “History teaches that those who stay resolute shall win in the end; we are resolute for there is no shame in wanting democracy, no shame in wanting prosperity, fighting against poverty, ignorance and diseases, just as there is also no shame in believing in justice, striving for a better life and demanding good governance,” he said.

    The ACN leader, who was honoured with the Doctor of Science, Honaris Causa in recognition of his immense contribution to the development of academics, said “a heavy cloud hovers over-head and there seems to be no woe by which we are not besieged: poverty, unemployment, diseases, religious and ethnic divides as well as terror, sadly, our house is weak because of poor infrastructure.”

    He added: “To lift this nation from its low state, you must equip the people with the knowledge needed to face the challenges on ground. Education is a practical dynamic thing that must be adapted to our needs and reflect our circumstance; it must give us the skills needed to become architects of the destinies we seek and not idle bystanders in our lives.”

    Citing the crisis in the education sector, he said: “we should not abide by a system whereby 1.7 million candidates seek admission to universities, where only 500,000 places exist in both private and public universities.”

    He said it is dangerous for the country to ” give our people skills for jobs that do not exist, while the work at hand goes undone because of lack able labour,” and expressed the determination of the APC to “create the change that will render extinct Boko Haram and other violent movements across the land. In the face of increasing progress and prosperity, such groups shall remain where they belong; small, fringe and inconsequential. By wedding innovative technology and good governance, we guide the nation to her better future.

    “There will be no need to even contemplate a state of emergency in Nigeria, there will only be a nation and 36 states of emergence towards development, prosperity and hope.”

    Tinubu described the award as a symbol of unity and hailed the authorities of the University for considering him and others worthy of the honour.

    His words: “We are one in Nigeria regardless of cultural, religion or political differences. I am touched to the heart by this expansive gesture. In doing this, you ignored the imaginary divide between North and South because of your nationalistic courage; you recognise no such divide exists except in the minds of those who would keep us down, divided and at each other’s throats.

    “In your wisdom, you realise that we are one. Come what may, we shall remain one. I commend your courage and wisdom. You must maintain this standard because we need this type of courage and wisdom to see our nation through its current tumult. Although storms break all around us, we shall not faint. We shall not cower in fear for our purpose is right and our ways are democratic and just.”

    Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, who is the founder and visitor to the University, in his speech recalled the commencement of academics in the university in 2001 with 548 students, pointing out that today, “twelve years later, the University is graduating 696 students for the 2011/2012 session with a total enrolment of almost 10, 000 students and 23 academic programmes.”

    According to him, the university’s projection is that a decade from now, it will have a students’ population of 25, 000.

    Also honoured yesterday were Senator Hamisu Musa; the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk Umar; and the late Alhaji Mudi Spikin.

    In his brief speech, the institution’s Chancellor, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, congratulated the graduates and wished them a successful career in their future endeavours, urging them to be good ambassadors of the institution.

    At the ceremony were former military Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari, Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Abiola Aimobi (Oyo), former Ogun State Governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former EFCC Chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Malam Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

    Also there were ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Muhammed; the Emir of Dass, Alhaji Bilayaminu Usman; former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume; Bashir Adamu; Senator Kabiru Gaya, Kawu Ismaila; former Minister of Labour, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe; Deputy Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje; Chairman of Kano Elders’ Forum, Alhaji Magaji Dambatta, former Deputy Governors of Kano State, Abdullahi Gwarzo and Magaji Abdullahi .

  • Anambra 2014: Ngige, Ezeemo battle for ACN ticket

    •I can’t be deputy, Ezeemo insists

    •I’m still in the race, says former gov

    THE race for the governorship ticket of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Anambra State thickened yesterday with the declaration of business mogul, Godwin Ezeemo, at the party secretariat.

    The declaration witnessed by several party supporters came as speculations were rife that the party executives might have adopted Ezeemo ahead of ACN’s leader in the state, Senator Chris Ngige.

    Until the declaration, Ngige, the senator representing Anambra Central, was the only candidate in the race.

    Ezeemo, publisher of Orient Daily newspaper and Orient News Magazine, reportedly rejected the offer of deputy governorship while answering questions from party officials.

    He said: “Deputy Governorship is good but from where I am coming from, I have been offered a ticket and I don’t want it.

    “This is because I will be a lone voice to some who came to make money when I will not change my views on some decisions based on pecuniary interests.

    ‘’A deputy governor is a spare tyre to be used at will when the main tyre is not functional. So, I don’t want deputy.”

    Asked if he would leave the party if he was not given the ticket, Ezeemo said: ’’This mission is not a do- or- die affair and I must not be a governor but I have volunteered to serve my people waiting for them to give me the power to serve them as the Executive Governor of Anambra State.”

    Charging the party to conduct a free and fair primary, the aspirant said: ‘’All I am asking for is for a free and fair primary that would be credible and seen to be so.

    “When candidates are handpicked for an election it is not always the best because that has been the problem of politics here.

    ‘’Primaries must be credible, free and fair. I remind you that I decided for the party long time ago to be part of it as a progressive whether I am contesting for governorship or not. But I don’t want to be deputy governor to anybody.”

    He pledged to tackle insecurity and unemployment with creation of jobs through the informal sector.

    Contacted, former Governor Ngige denied insinuations that he was no longer interested in the race.

    He said: ’’There is no truth in that rumour that I am not running for governorship election in Anambra State.

    “I am consulting but at the final stage, and from indications so far it looks very likely I will run for the gubernatorial election whenever INEC gives the go- ahead.

    ‘’I will speak to Anambra people very soon on the issue. Thanks.’’

    Anambra chairman of ACN, Chief AmechiObidike, welcomed the declaration of Ezeemo.

    He, however, denied the business mogul had been adopted, saying a candidate can only emerge after primary.

    According to him: ‘’We have not adopted any candidate for now because we need more aspirants to make the party interesting during primary. ‘’

  • Amosun won’t be distracted by idle talks, says aide

    Amosun won’t be distracted by idle talks, says aide

    Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Political Affairs Adeniji Adesanya spoke with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE on activities of the administration.

    How would you react to the claims that Governor Ibikunle Amosun cannot foster unity in the Ogun State ACN?

    First and foremost, I would not have bothered to discuss this issue because it is baseless and jaundiced. But let me say that we all know who Senator Ibikunle Amosun is. He stands for integrity, progress and welfarism. Governor Amosun has ensured that Ogun State is renewed from the old dilapidated structures to a modern state, which we have all been clamouring for. The governor is working but idle minds will not see the positive impact the government is making in the lives of the people. And he will not be distracted by idle talks by anybody. Even before becoming a senator, he was all over the place in his generosity. Governor Amosun has ensured that every citizen, irrespective of political leaning, benefits from his government.

    Kayode Soyinka also said that the governor is more of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Nigerian People Party (ANPP) than the ACN. What is your take on this claim?

    Let me tell you that winner takes it all. Politics is about the game of number. Kayode Soyinka cannot win an election in his bedroom, much more at the ward level. Governor Amosun is a grassroots man. His winning the election simply shows that he belong to the people. When you go to the market places, the artisans and other less privileged people at the grassroots, the governor is in their minds. They love him and have been praying for him because of his developmental strides. The massive infrastructural development going on across the state is done to make life meaningful for the people who voted for him. Anywhere he goes, the people troop out to welcome him. Kayode is a true son of Ogun, he should not have said all those things about the governor. So, let me pass this message across to him, that: if he is not busy, he should find something to do to keep himself busy. The people that are busy are the ones seeing the things Governor Amosun is doing. He should support what the government is doing and not to sit down somewhere and be saying what does not exist, that Amosun cannot run a united ACN because he does not belong. Who told him that the governor does not belong? Give it to him, even the likes of our very good friend, the late Dipo Dina trusted Governor Amosun and he knew that the governor could deliver. So, if he is being paid to do a dirty job, he should desist from that and find himself something better to do. If he wants to live under the disguise of preaching negative things to the society, I think that is not good enough. It shows that he is not busy and should find something to do. The last time I heard about him was long ago when he was begging to be part of ACN and he lost. He cannot be compared with Governor Amosun, who is a winner all day round.

    The PDP in the state is fractured. Don’t you have the fear that the enemies of the ACN could also instigate division in the party to cause disaffection?

    If there are divisions in PDP, it has to be so because it is not a progressive party. It is not a party the people want for the state. And we have a progressive government of the ACN in place and it is doing fine. I think what the governor is doing is giving some people some concern because they have been overwhelmed by the achievements of the ACN led administration. If the PDP has any ambition, they should go and throw it into the ocean, with the massive developments going on all over the state, it would be foolhardy for them to think that they can make inroad back to relevance, when they had frittered away such opportunities in the past. The ACN is performing wonders. Just think of it, is it in the rural transformation, empowerment, health or education? They should just bury their dream. For us, we are not going to look back, the energetic governor has promised to make life better for the people and that is what the government is all out to achieve and no amount of side comments or lame talk will make government lose focus. The giant strides recorded by governor Amosun have earned him lots of commendations and awards.

    Government’s developmental plan has led to the pulling down of private structures in the state. Have those affected been compensated?

    Governor Amosun is a man of integrity. If he says something he does it. He is not somebody that promises something and later changes his mind. I want to let you know that, before he went to the streets to pull down structures that obstruct public interests, there have been alternatives for their owners. So, if he has not been doing something to address whatever deficit they suffered, I don’t think government house would have known peace. The whole place would have been jam-packed with people protesting. But let me tell you that some people are just hiding somewhere out of envy to cause disaffection by saying that the government does not really bothered how the people are affected in view of the transformation going on in the state.

     

  • ‘APC will uproot PDP in 2015’

    ‘APC will uproot PDP in 2015’

    Senator Joel Ikenya was the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Taraba State in the 2011 election. He spoke with FANEN IHYONGO on issues affecting the state and the nation.

    WHAT is your assessment of the PDP administration in Taraba State?

    We are not satisfied with it. During the campaigns, we told people that the PDP has no people-oriented programmes and cannot deliver; that it has no vision or dream for the state and it came to pass. Today, we are in the second tenure of Danbaba Suntai. So far, over N350 billion has been collected from the federation’s account with nothing to show for it.

    We told the people from the beginning, that the PDP don’t have the masses at heart. Our hospitals are worse than what, in 1983 General Mohammadu Buhari said, have been turned into mere consulting clinics. Today, they are synonymous with people hawking drugs. We are watching and taking stock of what they are doing, at the appropriate time we will respond. We said it before and I am saying it again, for posterity and our conscience.

    What is the plan of the opposition in the state?

    The opposition is working hard to ensure that the merger of the major political parties into the All Progressives Congress (APC) work effectively in the state. I am in Jalingo because of the membership card validation exercise for all the members in the 16 local government areas. I brought materials for them from Abuja. They are working on them to put our structures together. On April 27, we had convention in Lagos to endorse the merger plan. We shall have the final rally in Abuja for all the parties to submit their registration certificates, so that we shall go ahead and empower our party leaders to do the final registration of APC as a party.

    What is the prospect of the APC in 2015, if it is registered?

    Our weapon and strength are in the unity that we have. We have understood why the opposition is being defeated. We are being defeated not because we don’t have the people but because we are divided. But this time, we are putting our heads together to have a cohesive and formidable political party that will take over power from the PDP. Not just because we want to rule, but to perform better than the PDP; by developing this country in the interest of the masses. The confusion and infightings in the PDP are also to our advantage. We understand they are divided over the presidency and governorship interests in the states. Besides, there are other individual members of PDP who want their interests to override the interest of others.

    Look at what is happening in Taraba State today. There are many camps in the PDP. We, in the opposition have learnt a lot of lessons through the democratic process. We are working hard to put in place a superior platform for people to come in, so that we can defeat the PDP in 2015 and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. We shall continue to expose the failures of the PDP. If there was any magic to perform, the PDP would have made it happen a long time ago. It is about 14 years that the PDP is ruling this country and has not done anything spectacular. I believe the APC will uproot the PDP.

    How can the opposition prevent rigging?

    We believe that in every process, there is always room for improvement. The opposition will mobilise our people. Not only to mobilize the people; we shall educate them as well. Some of the things that happened to us in the last election were as a result of ignorance. Some of us were asking for one man one vote but the PDP did not and does not believe in one man one vote. PDP believes in using the resources of the people to fight the people. In the coming election, our people are going to be fully mobilised as it is done in Lagos, Osun and Edo states. You can’t rig election in these states because the people are well mobilised and informed. Look at what happened in Edo State. Even some of the people who call themselves political god-fathers lost their polling units. I want to say our case is different here because of lack of mobilisation and voter education.

    We are working hard to educate the people and we are making it in such a way that there won’t be any form of violence.

    Do you have confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)?

    When I look at elections in Edo and other states including those in the Southwest where INEC conducted election and the Labour Party won, I believe there is improvement. The only area that bothers me is the judiciary. In 2007, when I ran for the Senate and won the PDP primary and my co-contestant overturned it, I went to court and it was quashed. I went to a High Court in Kaduna State and was given judgment despite I had never seen the judge. The man appealed, I didn’t know the judge, I didn’t talk to anybody, but I got my judgment. He went to Supreme Court, I didn’t go there, but my lawyer won the case. We returned to the tribunal sitting in Taraba, and the judge upheld my election. He appealed against me in the Court of Appeal, and again I defeated him. The judiciary then, under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, was wonderful. Unfortunately, in 2011 the judiciary changed. We have never found ourselves in this kind of situation. May be it is because of the new electoral law. On the part of INEC, I believe they have learnt their lessons.

    What are your plans for 2015? Are you going to take another shot at the governorship?

    If the parties merge, it is going to be the most popular party in the state. I will be foolish to think that I am the only one qualified to contest the number one position of the state in its platform. I will not dream that. I believe there would be many gubernatorial aspirants in the APC.

    I want to assure you that the APC is going to be very transparent, with internal democracy. And the primaries are going to be conducted by the national secretariat of the party. The party has credible people, people who are honest, people who are fair and people who believe that democracy is a government of the people for the people by the people. So, I am not going to impose myself. I am going to contest but I will accept every outcome of the election at various levels, believing God that there wouldn’t be any injustice.

    What is your reaction to the agitation for power shift in Taraba State?

    We are part of Taraba and we are also indigenes of the state. We believe it is our turn to produce the next governor of the state. In the northern part, Jolly Nyame was governor from 1992 to 1993. He bounced back in 1999 till 2007. He handed over the baton of power to the central zone, which produced the incumbent governor, Danbaba Suntai. This means by 2015, the north and central zones would have ruled for 18 years. Therefore, it will only be fair if we are given the slot. This is a very serious issue and we shall ensure that power shifts to Taraba south. Some people are calling for a Muslim governor in the state. I share their views, in the sense that we also have Muslims in southern part of the state. If the stakeholders want a Muslim governor in 2015, fine, but he should come from Taraba south. We have prominent and well educated Muslims from the southern part of the state who have all it takes to govern Taraba.

    How do you see the return of Nyame to the PDP?

    He consulted me but I refused to go back with him. I know how he fought for the survival of PDP in Taraba State. During his administration, he fought all the oppositions. He fought to see that PDP won all the elections. We are all his products. During his tenures, I was elected member of the House of Assembly, member of the House of Representatives and also as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I don’t feel betrayed by his action. For someone who served the state for 10 years, and felt that the PDP is his brain child, I see no reason why he should not be allowed to go back to the party he nurtured. Nevertheless, Rev. Nyame is still respected by the opposition. He is the father of all.

  • Stay firm, Ondo ACN members urged

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the people of Ondo State will get justice at the Appeal Court, the Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Environment and Sanitation, Mr. Bola Ilori, has said.

    Ilori spoke with reporters yesterday in Ondo town shortly after the ACN’s State Executive Council meeting at the party’s secretariat.

    He was optimistic that the Appeal Court would reverse the judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declared Governor Olusegun Mimiko winner of last October 20’s election.

    Ilori, who hails from Ondo town, said the evidence “ignored” by the lower tribunal would be presented to the Appeal Court.

    He urged ACN members and Ondo people to remain steadfast.

    On the All Progressives Party (APC), he said a formidable party would emerge from the merger.

    He said the party would dislodge the PDP from the centre in 2015 and tackle the country’s challenges.

    Ilori thanked Ondo ACN members for their support towards the successful inauguration of the Hassan Olajoku Memorial Park at Gbongan Junction in Osun State last week.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Why Aregbesola deserves second term’

    A socio-political group within the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Osun State, the Dynamic Reformers, has explained why Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola deserves a second term in office.

    Its chairman, Dr. Yinka Afolayan, told reporters in Osogbo that since his assumption in office in November 2010, Aregbesola has revolutionised all sectors of the economy.

    Listing the administration’s achievement, Afolayan said they include establishment of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), the environmental programmes of the O’CLEAN as well as various agricultural projects under the O’REAP and many others.

    Afolayan maintained such transformations were evidently missing before.

  • ACN cautions as Senate debates state of emergency Tuesday

    ACN cautions as Senate debates state of emergency Tuesday

    The National Assembly will debate the Presidential declaration of state of emergency in three states on Tuesday.

    Senate President David Mark told senators yesterday to make attendance of plenary on Tuesday mandatory “to enable us to deliberate and discuss a sensitive matter that will be before us.”

    The House of Representatives said the President consulted the leadership of the legislature before announcing the state of emergency in the troubled states.

    But the Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) warned the lawmakers to study the proclamation carefully before endorsing it.

    “Members of the federal legislature, as the true representatives of the people, must decide – purely on the basis of facts rather than sentiments – whether or not the emergency rule is the best option to resolve the Boko Haram crisis,” the party said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    Section 305 (6) (a) and (b) of the Constitution (as amended) states that “A proclamation issued by the President under this Section shall cease to have effect (a) “If it is revoked by the President by instrument published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation.

    (b) “If it affects the federation or any part thereof and within two days when the National Assembly is in session, within ten days when the National Assembly is not in session, after its publication, there is no resolution supported by two-thirds majority of all the members of each House of the National Assembly approving the proclamation.”

    Most Nigerians who gathered in the Senate gallery with the hope that debate on the proclamation of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States would be taken were disappointed.

    Senate President David Mark did not specifically mention declaration of state of emergency in the three northeast states, many believed that approval of the presidential proclamation of state of emergency will likely be the “sensitive matter.”

    While praying Senators “those who are here and those who are not here to be in the chamber on Tuesday May 21,” Mark also referred to the need for the Senate to form a quorum “for us to deliberate on a sensitive matter.”

    Only 54 Senators were observed in the chamber yesterday.

    Senate Clerk, Benedict Efeturi, in a statement informed Senators that Senate plenary on Tuesday, May 21st ‘will consider matters of urgent national importance.

    He urged all Senators to endeavour to attend “this crucial session of the Senate.”

    Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba dismissed insinuations of constitutional crisis over the state of emergency proclamation as unfounded.

    Ndoma-Egba explained that the counting of number of days begins after the proclamation has been published and gazetted.

    He said the constitution did not specify when the President should publish and gazette the proclamation.

    He added that some Nigerians erroneously believe that state of emergency follows a broadcast.

    For the Senate Leader, the constitution does not recognise broadcast as a means of declaration of state of emergency.

    Ndoma-Egba said as far as the Senate was concerned, the President has not declared any state of emergency.

    What the President did, he said, was merely to communicate to Nigerians his intention to declare a state of emergency in some states.

    He said that the President has only conveyed to Nigerians his intention and no more.

      Ndoma-Egba said that state of emergency would be declared when the proclamation is published and gazetted in the Official Gazzete of the Government of the Federation.   He said though troops were reported to have been moved to certain areas, nobody can say exactly where the troops were been deployed.   He added that if there is threat to national security, the President is under obligation to deploy troops.

    He said, “There is no where in the constitution where the President is given time limit to publish the gazette within a specific time.

    “The constitution did not say that the President must publish the gazette within 24 hours, 48 or 72 hours.

      “So whenever the President publishes the gazette, then the two days or ten days as applicable begins to run.

    “For the purposes of the constitution, it is not a broadcast that proclaims a state of emergency.

    “It is the instrument published in the gazette.”

    Deputy House Spokesman, Victor Ogene, said the President has not violated the Constitution on the details of the state of emergency that was yet to get to the lawmakers.

    “ Even though the communication expected from Mr President is yet to get to the House, as representatives of the people who are equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project and desirous of the peaceful coexistence of every Nigerian in any part of the federation. We are equally as concerned as any other Nigerian,” he said.

    He said: “ if you read the constitution, it says that two days upon the President’s being gazetted. So, the issue really is whether it has been gazetted, that is what the constitution says. It stipulated that two days upon the pronouncement being gazetted when the House is in session, the communication ought to get to the National Assembly.

    Besides,  the National Assembly was not unaware of the President’s action on the three states, he said, adding, “ We are aware that the President, before the declaration did interface with the leadership of the National Assembly, and I can tell you that the input of the National Assembly has led to the management of the situation such that we do not have a complete state of emergency that would have swept away democratic structures in the concerned states as we had in the past.

    “As the bastion of democracy, the National Assembly is always desirous of maintaining and sustaining all democratic ethos which was why the leadership of the National Assembly did suggest that why we would support a return to normalcy using the mechanism of the state of emergency, it will not be right and it will send wrong messages if democratic structures such as the governor and Houses of Assembly were to go.”

    The ACN said the Jonathan Administration, realising the groundswell of opposition that will be triggered if the governors and the Houses of Assembly members were sacked, decided to pull the wool over the eyes of unsuspecting Nigerians by leaving the elected officials in place even under the emergency rule.

    ‘’In practice, it was a monumental deception. First, the democratic structures left in place are of no use in a state under martial law; Secondly, the proclamation did not give a time frame, meaning that the emergency rule is open-ended and can last as long as the President wishes. After all, the emergency rule imposed on 15 local councils in four states was never lifted. Thirdly, now that the President has tested the waters and realised people could be so easily hoodwinked, what prevents him from extending the emergency rule to other states that catch his fancy?

    ‘’Truly, leaving the governors and the state legislatures in place has made it easier for Nigerians to accept the imposition.

    But the truth is that the state chief executives and the legislatures have no role to play under the new system in place in the states.

    ‘’Essentially, there are two governments in place in each of the affected states, the de facto one headed by the military commander and the de jure one headed by the elected Governor. Real power resides in the de facto government, and the de jure government is just there in name. The Governors and the members of assembly are on holiday!

    ‘’What are the powers of the Governors and the state legislature now?

    Who has the power to order a search, an arrest, confiscation of property and lock-up of premises? Can the Governors move around freely, commission or inspect a project without the tacit approval of the military commander? Which is superior: the proclamation by the military commander or the law made by the state legislature? What happens if the military commanders order that the State House of Assembly be locked up for allegedly harbouring suspected Boko Haram members? These are some of the questions that should be asked before this proclamation is allowed to stand,’’ the party said.

    The ACN said its rejection of the imposition of emergency rule was also based on the fact that it brings nothing new to the table – beyond the use of brute force and the infringement on the constitutional rights of innocent citizens – in the search for a sustainable solution to the Boko Haram crisis.

    It reiterated its earlier statement that the use of minimal force must be complemented with genuine dialogue in the short term, while in the long term good governance that delivers the dividends of democracy, including jobs for the teeming unemployed youths, will help deny Boko Haram the fertile ground for recruiting ready hands to perpetrate violence.

  • QUOTES OF THE DAY

    QUOTES OF THE DAY

    “There is nothing new in the President’s action. It is more of the same: deployment of more troops to the affected states and the use of tougher, scorched-earth tactics against the insurgents. In the first instance, this stepped-up militarization of the states amounts to an asymmetric use of force in an environment where the insurgents operate within a civilian population, hence it will ultimately be counter-productive as the death toll will continue to mount while the civilian population – who will be caught in the cross fire – will be alienated”.

    Action Congress of Nigeria  on President Jonathan declaration of Emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state.

  • ACN: leave Osun out of terror states

    ACN: leave Osun out of terror states

    The Osun State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned a report published yesterday in a national newspaper, which urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Osun and other states “considered by faceless and patently irresponsible online commentators to be violence-ridden”.

    In a statement by its Publicity Director, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, ACN said: “The story was against the expectation of those who hold the newspaper in high esteem. We expected the newspaper to be knowledgeable enough not to include Osun on the list of states that qualify for a state of emergency, even if it was unanimously written by any online hack-writer.

    “Osun State is one of the most peaceful places in Nigeria today. This is a fact that the newspaper’s reporter in Osogbo can attest to, so it is strange that the newspaper allowed such sinister inference to be made on its pages.

    “The only rational interpretation to that publication is that some mischievous people are plotting to get the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to declare an emergency where it is not justified.

    “The ACN will like to draw public and media attention to the fact that Osun was considered peaceful enough for more than 50,000 people to attend, without incident, the Nigeria Baptist Centenary Convention in Osogbo, as well as the Lions’ Club International’s convention, which was attended by Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko and Senator Iyiola Omisore, a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “If this state was in a crisis warranting a state of emergency, these two events would never have been held in Osogbo by these reputable organisations less than a fortnight ago.

    “If the story was a clandestine plot against the peaceful people of Osun, the criminally-minded people behind it should think again, because the plot will not only fail, it will severely burn the fingers of its originators.”

  • ACN rejects emergency rule

    ACN rejects emergency rule

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has faulted the declaration of a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the declaration lacked original thinking, and therefore asked the National Assembly to reject it.

    ACN said if the use of force was capable of ending the Boko Haram crisis, it would have ended a long time ago.

    While the President was right in expressing outrage over the mindless killings and wanton destruction by the insurgents, the ACN was wrong in proposing more of the same measures that have failed to yield results.

    ”If the medicine given to a patient has not cured his or her illness, is it not futile to prescribe more of the same medicine for the patient? If the declaration of a state of emergency in 15 local government areas in four states in 2011 has not curbed the activities of the insurgents, why extend such measure to other areas? If the use of force in the affected states have failed to curtail the activities of the insurgents, why send in more troops?

    ”There is nothing new in the President’s action. It is more of the same: deployment of more troops to the affected states and the use of tougher, scorched-earth tactics against the insurgents. In the first instance, this stepped-up militarization of the states amounts to an asymmetric use of force in an environment where the insurgents operate within a civilian population, hence it will ultimately be counterproductive as the death toll will continue to mount while the civilian population – who will be caught in the cross fire – will be alienated.

    ”Secondly, the President should go ahead and disband the committee he recently inaugurated and saddled with reaching out to the insurgents, because by opting to flood the states with more troops under an ill-advised emergency rule, he has succeeded in pulling the carpet from under the Committee’s feet. Who negotiates genuinely with a gun to his head? The committee’s job is over, the members can as well pack up and go home.

    ”Thirdly, one hopes the President’s action is not linked to the politics of 2015. With the three states militarized, there can neither be electioneering campaign nor voting there. We had warned earlier that as 2015 approaches, the Jonathan Administration will increasingly take measures that will make it impossible to hold election in many states The over militarization of some states in the north, the plan to destabilise the South-west using slush funds from the so-called oil pipeline protection contract and the infantile threats from some Niger Delta militants seem to be part of this plan

    ”Fourthly, what happens if and when the declaration of emergency rule fails to stem the violence, now that the President has gone for broke and played his last card?

    ”In view of the reasons stated above, we hereby reject the declaration of emergency rule in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, and we call on the National Assembly to also reject it and not allow itself to be used to rubber stamp a declaration that is largely cosmetic.

    ”We reiterate our earlier statements that the Boko Haram crisis has its roots in years of bad governance that have produced an army of unemployed, unemployable, disenchanted and demoralized youths who are now ready hands and willing tools for those seeking to perpetrate violence. The unprecedented corruption across the land, as well as injustice and extra-judicial killings are also fuelling this crisis,” ACN said.