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Tag: Aliyu

  • APC: Aliyu leaving N56b debt in Niger

    APC: Aliyu leaving N56b debt in Niger

    THE  incoming Niger State All Progressives Congress (APC) administration will tomorrow inherit N56 billion debt from the outgoing Babangida Aliyu administration, it was learnt yesterday.

    The party’s transition committee, headed by Deputy Governor-elect Mohammed Ketso, spoke on the state’s debt profile when he presented the committee’s report at the Presidential Suite in Minna, the state capital, to Governor-elect Abubakar Sani Bello.

    Ketso said the committee reviewed the debt profile of the outgoing government and discovered from the report of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government that the state was owing N56 billion.

    Bello expressed concern at the dwindling fortune and the bad shape of the state’s economy when received the report.

    He said: “I believe each and everyone of us is concerned about the situation of Niger State as it is today. It is not about what we will get as individuals but about how we position ourselves and the state for the future.

    “From the summary of this report, there is need to establish new means of generating funds, new ways of managing resources. We do not have sufficient money to spend as we are inheriting over N56 billion already as a government.

    “Now, we have to make some sacrifices, to establish new means of generating funds, new ways of managing resources. Without funding, nothing can work. We have to be very prudent in our new ways of spending and we have to cut cost.”

    The governor-elect assured the committee of proper scrutiny of the report.

    He said his incoming administration would work on it to  have an indepth analysis of the report and come up with solutions.

  • Aliyu, Lamido: no plan by PDP governors to float new party

    Aliyu, Lamido: no plan by PDP governors to float new party

    JIGAWA State Governor Sule Lamido and his Niger State counterpart, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday debunked rumours that governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are planning to float a new political party.

    They maintained that they would never allow intruders and interlopers to take over a house they laboured to build.

    Aliyu, who spoke for the two governors at the inauguration of Shiroro Bridge built on River Kaduna, said they would not dump the party despite the crisis rattling it.

    He said they have resolved not to leave the PDP as being speculated by some people, describing the story in a section of the media as a fabrication of falsehood.

    “We are not creating a new party. We will remain in the PDP. Whoever planted the story has made a mistake.

    “We had opportunity to defect. But we did not because we believe that defection was not the best way to develop and entrench democracy. Whatever you see today is designed by God. It is not compulsory to be on the winning side always.”

    Aliyu, who is the chairman Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), said the loss of the party at the presidential and governorship elections was a lesson to everyone.

    He added: “After 16 years of being in power, we should not be annoyed. We should not show unfaithfulness.”

    He said the defeat of the PDP should not be viewed as a rejection of any individual, but a referendum on the performance of the PDP in the areas of management of economy and security.

    Aliyu said the North, which felt disenchanted by the inability of the Federal Government to find solution to the activities of Boko Haram, voted against the PDP.

    According to him, “the people felt the party has not done enough for the protection of their lives and property.”

    The governor reiterated his call for the Adamu Mu’azu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP to throw in the towel for leading the party to a “disastrous defeat” in the general elections.

    “How could you lead a party to disastrous outing in an election and you are still in place? Take the blame for the defeat by quitting and if the PDP still wants you, they will beg you to stay,” he said.

    Aliyu warned that if the party chairman and his team refused to throw in the towel now, “the actual change will come in March 2016 when we will elect new leaders at the national convention of our party”.

    Jigawa State governor, who commissioned the bridge, said: “We have both agreed not to leave the PDP.”

    He added: “We dey kanpe for PDP; we dey shelele for PDP. PDP has honoured and dignified me, and I am not leaving it for tenants. I and Aliyu are from home background while others are from mere house background. We are well-groomed right from our homes and we will not leave the party for anyone.”

    Lamido advised that “it is not time for blame game. We should all accept that we made mistake and find ways to correct it in the future”.

  • Aliyu won’t recognise Niger Assembly’s new Speaker

    The refusal of Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu to recognise the new Speaker of the House of Assembly, Isah Kawu, at a public function yesterday has heightened the fears that the Executive-Legislative crisis may not end soon.

    Kawu, who attended the first public function since he was elected, was not recognised by the governor in the order of protocol when he spoke at the inauguration of Gen. Mamman Kontagora Building Materials Market in Minna, the state capital.

    Aliyu, who arrived at the event with impeached Speaker Adamu Usman, also had the new Speaker, new Deputy Speaker Bello Ahmed, Chief Whip Sadatu Kolo and Bala Faruqu, representing Bida II, trailing him.

    Those who thought the occasion offered the feuding government functionaries the opportunity to embrace one another, were disappointed.

    When he read his address, the governor refused to recognise either the new or the impeached Speaker. He simply addressed them as, “my employers, members of the Niger State House of Assembly” without acknowledging the presence of the Speaker.

    In the sitting arrangement, the new Speaker’s seat was occupied by his impeached colleague.

    The development contradicted last week’s suit filed at a Minna High Court by the governor who sued Kawu in his capacity as the Speaker of Niger State House of Assembly.

    After the inauguration, Kawu acknowledged that the omission was glaring, especially as it was done at a public function.

    But the Speaker noted that it did not change the fact that he was the Speaker of the Assembly.

    Kawu said: “I noticed the omission; it was not hidden. I am sure everyone noticed it. But one certain fact is that it does not change anything. I still remain the Speaker of the House of Assembly.”

  • Court stops Niger Assembly from impeaching Aliyu

    Court stops Niger Assembly from impeaching Aliyu

    Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, on Wednesday evening, got a Minna High Court interim injunction restraining the House of Assembly from impeaching him.

    Justice Idris Evuti granted the three prayers as deposed to in an affidavit by the Commissioner for Justice, Abdullahi Bawa Wuse.

    The suit was filed by the governor against Speaker Isah Kawu, the Clerk, the Assembly and two others.

    The Executive has thus recognised the leadership of Kawu, who was elected on Monday, following the impeachment of Adamu Usman and three other principal officers by 19 of the 25 lawmakers in the Assembly.

    The applicant, in a motion ex parte moved by his lawyer, Rotimi Ojo, prayed for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants jointly and severally from setting in motion any process of impeachment of the applicant, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

    He also prayed that the defendants be restrained from impeaching and accepting any nomination of any purported candidate for the position of Acting Governor of Niger State.

    The court has fixed May 27 for hearing of the substantive case.

    Efforts to get Kawu last night were unsuccessful.

    The Assembly was still under lock and key yesterday.

    Clerk Mohammed Kagara said he had not been served the court order.

    The governor, on Wednesday, exonerated himself from the crisis at the Assembly.

    He said the face-off “is internal”.

  • Court restrains Niger Assembly from Impeaching Aliyu

    Court restrains Niger Assembly from Impeaching Aliyu

    A Minna High Court on Wednesday evening issued an interim injunction restraining the Niger State House of Assembly from impeaching the state’s governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.

    The presiding judge, Justice Idris Evuti, granted the request as deposed in an affidavit by the state’s Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Abdullahi Bawa Wuse.

    The suit was instituted by the governor against the Speaker of the House, Isah Kawu, the Clerk, the Assembly and two others.

    The inclusion of Kawu in the suit shows that the executive arm has recognised his leadership of the House.

    The new Speaker was elected on Monday after the impeachment of Barr. Adamu Usman and three other members of the House by 19 lawmakers.

    The governor had on Wednesday exonerated himself from the crisis rocking the Assembly, claiming that the face-off “is internal.”

    Aliyu also said he was not targeted for impeachment by the lawmakers, insisting that Monday’s removal of four principal officers of the House, including Speaker Usman, has nothing to do with him.

     

  • Aliyu: I’m unconnected with Niger Assembly crisis

    Aliyu: I’m unconnected with Niger Assembly crisis

    Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu yesterday exonerated himself from the crisis in the House of Assembly.

    The governor said the face-off “is internal”.

    He also said he was not the lawmakers’ target of impeachment which caused the crisis that erupted in the Assembly on Monday.

    The crisis led to the sack of the Assembly’s principal officers, including Speaker Adamu Usman.

    In a statement yesterday in Minna, the state capital, by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Israel Ebije, the governor said the speculation of impeachment moves against him was false.

    Aliyu said he enjoyed a robust relationship with the Assembly.

    The statement noted that after alleged impeachment of the Speaker, the new leadership, led Isah Kawu, met with governor to explain their action and pledged their continuous support.

    The statement reads: “Let me debunk the speculation on the alleged impeachment threat against Governor Aliyu. The speculation is sponsored by mischief makers and should be discarded for what it is. The governor has enjoyed a robust relationship with the Assembly, and that has not changed.

    “The action of the Assembly is internal and the decision to change the leadership has no other ulterior motive than the change of leadership, which they (lawmakers) have allegedly done. Let me, therefore, call on supporters of Governor Aliyu within and outside the country to remain calm.”

    The statement urged the feuding lawmakers to resolve their differences.

    Also, the police yesterday used tear gas on new Speaker Isah Kawu, 20 other members and workers of the Assembly.

    The main gate to the Assembly complex was blocked by a Hilux van while armed policemen formed a human barricade round the complex fence, apparently to stop the lawmakers from proceeding with their impeachment plan against Aliyu.

    But the angry lawmakers attempted to break the padlock when the police released tear gas to disperse them.

    Pandemonium broke out afterwards.

    The lawmakers, led by Kawu, later left the scene.

    They assured reporters that they would soon address the media on the developments at the Assembly.

    It was learnt that the lawmakers relocated to the Assembly’s staff quarters where the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Idris Ndako Kpaki, and Local Government Commissioner Yusuf Tagwai invited the principal officers to a meeting with Aliyu.

    Source at the meeting said the parley hit the rocks as the governor’s assurance to attend to the demands of the legislators and a directive that they should revert to the old order fell on deaf ears.

    The lawmakers reportedly told Aliyu that he should order the security agents at the Assembly to vacate the complex, adding that they were ready to carry out their legislative duties under the tree.

    Police Commissioner Olusola Emmanuel Amore, who arrived the Assembly complex for an assessment, after the tear gas incident, refused to comment on the incident.

    Police spokesman, Ibrahim Gambari, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the police were not ordered to prevent the lawmakers and the Assembly’s workers from doping their legitimate duties.

    The spokesman said the police were ordered to stop vandals from taking over the complex.

    He said: “Those who are not members or workers of the Assembly are vandals. Our men are there to stop vandals from destroying property and causing problems…”

    The police, at the Assembly Complex on Tuesday, attacked reporters covering the Assembly’s activities.

  • ‘Jonathan failed because he didn’t keep to one-term agreement’

    ‘Jonathan failed because he didn’t keep to one-term agreement’

    The Chairman Northern States Governors’ Forum and Niger state governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu has said the defeat of the President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party at the just concluded general election was the price of the failure to honour the single term agreement entered with the north in 2011.

    Aliyu who spoke in Minna on Friday as a special guest of honour at 24th Convocation lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said that the defeat of the PDP at the national and state elections did not come to many Nigerians, especially party members as a surprise because “we saw it coming”.

    According to Aliyu “many of us saw it coming, when I reminded us that we had an agreement for one term, they nearly crucified me, and when I led the G7 Governors, they did not do what we wanted them to do until five members left, and they later did what we asked them to do.

    “I recalled also that when APC came on board, I was the first person to say I was very happy that now we have a strong party to put PDP on its toes and many people were asking me if I am really a member of PDP. Up to the last election, the accusation against me has always been that I was a supporter of APC and now you have seen the result,” Aliyu stated.

    The governor also said the people are tired of the 16 year rule of the ruling party and that the people are strongly desirous for change.

    “Nigerians wanted a change and Nigerians got the change. PDP has been around for 16 years and there is no way you will be around for 16 years and you will not make mistakes so there are many reasons that will be put together and we will be able to understand and guide people as to next time, these are some of the things you need to do.”

    Commenting on the topic of the convocation lecture, “The role of Law in the Enhancement of Socio-Economic Growth of the Nation”, Aliyu said corruption is not limited to government officials, he argued that the cancer worm had its root from the family setting.

    He said a junior civil servant with two wives and over twenty children also breeds corruption “because there is no way his salary can take care of those children.”

    In his remarks, the chairman of the Governing Council Prof. Ahmed Alkali, who is the Presidential Adviser, Political said; “Nigeria is at a crossroad in his fight against corruption because every Nigerian is corrupt in one way or the other”.

    “If Nigeria must fight corruption, we must all check ourselves to ensure that at all levels we kill corruption. Anything we do in excess is corruption.”

    Earlier in his lecture the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Legbo Kutigi said that it has been acknowledged that corruption impacts negatively on economic development and that corruption is one of the major factors militating against economic growth in many developing countries, including Nigeria.

    He expressed regret that despite the fact that there are criminal code provisions, statutory enactment and administrative institutions for combating corruption, the vice has continue to thrive in the country.

    He blamed the development on weak legal institutions and culture for dealing with corruption.

    He advised that, developing countries like Nigeria should create institutional structures and procedures that are designed to reduce the opportunities for corrupt practices and behaviour.

  • PDP is not dead, say Aliyu, Uduaghan

    PDP is not dead, say Aliyu, Uduaghan

    Niger State Governor  Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu and his Delta State counterpart, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, have declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not dead.

    They predicted separately that the party would bounce back in 2019 to take what it lost in the just concluded general elections.

    Aliyu spoke when Umar Nasko Campaign Organisation, led by Alhaji Aminu Yusuf Wushishi, visited him at the Government House, Minna, on plans by the PDP to meet at states and federal levels to correct the party’s mistakes.

    The governor said: “Our party is not dead. When all these cool down, we will properly re-organise to bring PDP back to its formidable political strength. Many things have happened and this is not the time for us to cast blames.

    “I, therefore, hope that by the time we will re-organise our party, we would add more ideology to what we have. Let me urge you to stop thinking you have failed. In terms of elections, particularly the time we found ourselves, it went beyond the limits of individual effort.”

    Aliyu praised the state’s voters for conducting themselves in the most peaceful manner. He noted that the elections were free, fair and devoid of violence.

    Wushishi hailed Aliyu over the way and manner he took the elections despite results were not in favour of the PDP.

    He said the governor exhibited the character of a good leader.

    He urged Aliyu not to be dismayed by the result, adding that he has done well in tproviding dividends of democracy to the people.

    He said the challenge was the fact that the voters were conclusive in  voting for a particular political party regardless of its candidates.

    Uduaghan, who spoke with reporters in Warri yesterday, also challenged the President-elect,  Muhammadu Buhari, to give due attention to the interests of the people of the Niger Delta, their political party leaning notwithstanding.

    He reminded him of the critical role the region plays in Nigeria’s economic sustenance.

    Uduaghan had earlier paid condolence visits to families of two departed Delta State and Itsekiri elder statesmen – Chief Oritsegbiten Edodo and Justice Silvanus Ajuyah – before hosting reporters in his house.

    The governor said the PDP was already working on rebuilding its structures so it could give the All Progressives Congress (APC) a good fight for the Federal level.

    On the APC’s reaction to the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state, the governor said there was no basis for the party to either reject the process or call for the cancellation of the results.

    He said: “It is not about falling. It is really about being able to get up on your feet and bouncing back. The PDP remains strong enough to stand up where it has slipped. We have 11 states so far and we possibly could get the two remaining to be decided under the current dispensation.

    “In the Southsouth, we are strongly in control.”

    He blamed the party’s defeat on management challenges, saying: “People feel things should be done differently.”

  • Forces behind Aliyu’s election defeat

    Forces behind Aliyu’s election defeat

    The defeat of Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, in the National Assembly election may have changed the political equation in the North Central state, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    One week after he failed to win election to occupy the Niger East Senatorial seat, Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, is still quietly licking his wounds.

    In the National Assembly election results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor was literally taken to the cleaners by Barrister David Umaru, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the contest for the Niger East Senatorial District’s seat.

    Announcing the results, the Returning Officer for the district, Professor Ali Audu Jiigam, said Aliyu got 46,459, while Umaru polled 149,443 votes.

    Not only was Aliyu roundly trounced in all the wards of the five local government areas of the zone, he was also defeated right in his local government area, Chanchagi, where he got 17, 209 votes as against 46, 459 for Umaru.

    The governor’s shocking defeat, The Nation learnt, is the climax of his frosty relationship with some powerful figures in the state, particularly two former military Heads of State, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

    While the three men managed to give the impression that all was well with them at least in public, sources say a deep seated resentment had brewed between the governor on one hand and the two retired generals in the last six years.

    There are conflicting reports to why the governor got into the bad books of the former military rulers. On one hand, the governor’s uncompromising stance and refusal to consult the two influential leaders on important state matters have been cited as the cause of their fall-out. Other sources said the cold relationship may not be unconnected to the battle for power succession in the state.

    The governor, it was gathered, had from the day he was inaugurated as governor in 2007, resolved to be his own man on account of the circumstances surrounding his election in 2007.

    The governor, many recalled, was drafted into the race at the eleventh hour, allegedly by the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to spite the then governor, Abdulkadir Kure, who was then backed by Babangida and Abdulsalami.

    Aliyu, sources alleged, was persuaded by Obasanjo to retire from the Federal Civil Service as a Permanent Secretary to contest as governor. In his almost 35 year career, Aliyu had stints in strategic ministries, including the Federal Capital Territory, National Planning and Aviation.

    Despite opposition from Kure’s camp, Obasanjo succeeded in ‘foisting’ Aliyu as governor in 2007. Kure was left in the cold. But he was appeased with the Niger South Senatorial District’s seat, which he ceded to his wife, Zainab.

    Battle for succession

    The race on who succeeds Aliyu this year started about two years ago, with many prominent names coming up for mention.

    Babangida’s eldest son, Mohammed, was allegedly one of those interested in the race following alleged assurances by the governor that he had no anointed candidate to succeed him.

    There was also the governor’s former Chief of Staff, Prof. Musa Yahaya, whom many thought, was Aliyu’s preferred choice.

    Other governorship aspirants included a former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Senator Nuhu Aliyu, who lost his fourth term bid to return to the Senate in 2011 to the candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Musa Abdullahi; the Deputy Governor, Hon. Ahmed Musa Ibeto; former Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Ibrahim Matane.

    Also interested in the governorship seat included the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructural Development, Muázu Mohammed Bawa, whose father, Alhaji Bawa Rijau, was one of the power brokers that held sway during the immediate past administration of Engineer Abdulkadir Kure and the Chief of Staff to the incumbent Governor Aliyu, Umar Nasko, the youngest of all the contenders and son of one-time former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Gen. Mohammed Gado Nasko (rtd).

    There were also Alhaji Sheidu Abubakar, the Chairman of Wushishi Local Government, Alhaji Mohammed Dukku and a former Military Administrator of Benue State, Col. Aminu Kontagora; former Minister of Commerce and Investment and former Executive Secretary, Nigerian Export Promotions Commission (NEPC), Engineer Mustapha Bello and another former commissioner under Aliyu, Abubakar Sani Bello, son of wealthy boardroom guru, Col. Sani Bello.

    Bello had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sometime last year having realised that the governor had endorsed another aspirant, Umar Nasko.

    To avoid any confrontation with Nasko at the PDP governorship primary, Mohammed Babangida quietly withdrew from the race citing his close friendship as his reason.

    The primary finally came and true to earlier permutations, the youthful Nasko defeated all comers for the PDP governorship ticket.

    Predictably, his victory created bad blood within the Niger PDP, with many chieftains of the party, led by the deputy governor, Ahmed Ibeto, defecting to the APC few weeks before the presidential election.

    The defection of these party bigwigs dealt a devastating blow to the unity and cohesion in the party, with reports claiming that the defectors allegedly received the support of the elder Babangida and Abdulsalami before making their move public.

    Early signs of defeat

    First signs that the governor may have lost his grip on the politics of the state came early September last year during the bye election into the Niger East Senatorial District seat, which became vacant after the death of Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta.

    Dr. Shem Zagbai was declared the winner of the hotly disputed election, but his victory was upturned by the Election Tribunal in favour of David Umaru of the APC.

    Curiously, Umaru was not allowed to occupy the seat until he contested again on March 28, this time against the state governor, whom he defeated with a wide margin.

    The governor’s scandalous loss, sources argued, could be attributed to two major factors. First, was his below performance in the last eight years and the determination of his powerful critics to silence him politically.

    Aliyu, who is the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, seems to be taking his setback in his strides. 24 hours after his defeat at the polls, he congratulated Umaru and extended his hands of friendship to him.

    What to expect on April 11

    With the clean sweep of the March 28 elections by the APC, panic has gripped the governor’s camp over the likely fate that awaits the PDP in the April 11 governorship election in the state.

    All over the state, the momentum that trailed the APC victory is increasing every passing day making many political pundits to conclude that the party’s governorship candidate, Abubakar Sani Bello, is headed for a resounding victory against his PDP counterpart.

    “Powerful forces in the state have vowed to teach Governor Aliyu a lesson and the result of the April 11 governorship election would finally nail his political coffin,” said an APC chieftain in the state.

    But in spite of the powerful gang-up against him, The Nation gathered that the governor’s camp is battle-ready to prove that the APC’s victory on March 28 was just a fluke and not the true reflection of the party’s strength in the state.

    Who wins the governorship election between Nasko and Sani-Bello? The answer would be provided in the next six days

  • I didn’t ignore Aliyu’s calls, says senator-elect

    The senator-elect for Niger East, Mr. David Umaru, yesterday denied ignoring the calls and short message service (sms) of Niger State Governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who lost to him in last weekend’s election.

    He reacted to media reports credited to Aliyu claiming that he (Umaru) refused to pick his telephone calls and failed to reply text messages sent to him.

    Umaru, a lawyer, in a statement he signed, said he would not have responded to the false claims, knowing the pedigree of the person, but he needed to let the public know that the governor was economical with the truth.

    Said he: “I would want the public to note that Dr. Aliyu’s claims are false and a mischief. I must clarify that I do not have his phone numbers and as such I could not have shunned his calls. I have also not received any text message from him.”

    The senator-elect said he has since the announcement of the result extended a hand of fellowship to stakeholders in the zone (including Dr. Babangida Aliyu), to work together for the development of Niger East and the state.

    He said: “If his intention is to convey a congratulatory message to me, I hereby accept same and thank him for his magnanimity.”