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Tag: All Progressives Congress (APC)

  • ‘Why Ogboru does not recognise zoning’

    Chief Turner Ogboru is a lawyer and younger brother of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru. In this interview with Senior Correspondent OKUNGBOWA AIEWRIE, he speaks on the controversy over zoning in the state, the chances of the APC in the March 9 election and other partisan issues.

    What is the status of the recent reconciliation brokered by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo?

    The reconciliation is ongoing substantially. In principle, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor has accepted the terms that were agreed upon. He is still working to bring some members of his faction on board. But, right now, because the elections are here, we have put the process on hold. So, that everybody can go and work first; after the elections, we can talk about matters of party exco, which is the bone of contention. For now, we have put that behind us and we are looking forward to the presidential and the National Assembly elections, which has been rescheduled to take place February 23 and the governorship and the House of Assembly elections now to hold on March 9. So, after that, we would consummate some power sharing initiative that we have already put in place in principle.

    What are your views on the argument by Delta PDP that the zoning is the panacea for peace and development?

    That whole thing is conceptually barren and morally jejune. There has never been any such arrangement in Delta State; there has never been any zoning to any particular section at any time. When James Ibori contested elections in 1999, all parts of this state contested with him. When in 2003, he re-contested, every part of the state contested with him. So, there was nothing like zoning. When Emmanuel Uduaghan contested his elections every part of the state contested with him. When he did his second tenure, also, every part of the state still contested. The second term ticket was not given to him on a platter of gold, because he is from Delta South. Nobody ever gave Uduaghan the privilege to contest. On the contrary, when he even failed even the people in Delta North and every other place were working against Great Ogboru. But, if not that Uduaghan and the PDP then had the riverine machinery that got crabs and crayfish to become voters, the resurrected ancestors of the place to rise up from the burial ground to become voters, there is no way Uduaghan would have won. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa himself narrowly missed losing the ticket in the 2015 PDP primary, as the aspirant from Delta Central, David Edevbie, would have defeated him, but for a last minute move. Nobody said that Delta Central should not contest and that it is our turn. It was never turn-by-turn; what happened is that in this election it was Okowa’s machinery that brought up this issue and they sold it to some people in the APC.

    They know that if they use Anioma agenda, then, the candidate from the APC that will be running against Okowa will have an uphill task. The election will probably be a work over, because the APC in Delta North does not have any candidate that that would be accepted state wide. Okowa is an incumbent governor. So, he has an advantage: he has appointed SSG, he has appointed commissioners, advisers all over the state. So, he will be head and shoulders above other people in the race. But, with this equation, he can’t do that, so he made sure he played it so much that they zoned other offices in the PDP. So, for the first time in the history of elections in Delta State, Okowa’s second term bid was unopposed. He is the first governorship candidate of the PDP that is returned unopposed; no single person contested. So, it is either his credentials are intimidating or his performance is overwhelming and everybody is begging him to continue. So, we have never had any conference in Delta State where we said we will be having a rotational process; it is not in the constitution of any of the parties. Besides, in the case of Great Ogboru, he is also from Delta North, because his mother is from Delta North and if any child can really say this is who I am it is through your mother, because your father may be from the wrong place your mother might just tell you that that is your father. So, the father may be somebody else, but the mother that gave birth to you and carried you that is the person you can really say is your mother. Besides, Great Ogboru contested governorship elections with Ibori in his second term, he contested again with Uduaghan three times, because he succeeded in nullifying Uduaghan’s first tenure, so there was a re-run and the second tenure he contested with Uduaghan he did not say because Ibori was from Delta Central he will not contest with him. He did not say because Uduaghan Is from Delta South, he will not contest against him. He also contested against Okowa in the election that brought him into power for the first term. He did not say because he is from Delta North he will not contest with him. So, why should he now say okay let us just pause the game? It doesn’t make any sense. The present APC governorship candidate is from Delta North and his wife is from Delta South, because she has Ijaw blood. This whole thing is just a cheap ethnic sentiment that is being pulled, because of the lack of performance of the sitting governor. He is analogue; he doesn’t even know how to make money with what he has. He tries to be prudent with the resources he has so they say there is no money that’s his new name, but this state is getting not less than N20billion every month. Where is the money? We are short-changing pensioners, students that are supposed to be doing JAMB or WAEC. This state cannot even pay for them; instead the state is adding to the burden of the parents. How do you build human capital?

    The PDP has alleged that your party plans to use ‘federal might’ to win the elections. Is there any justification in this statement?

    The Bible says as a man is, so he thinks everybody is; as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Who brought rigging into Nigerian politics? It is the PDP that brought writing of results; it is the PDP that brought in all the election vices. The party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, openly confessed recently in Lagos and apologised to the people that it was because of his friendship with Bola Tinubu that he did not take Lagos. How was he taking it? The way he took Ondo, the way he took Ekiti, the way he took Osun, which we got back through the courts. He did all this through rigging; they were just writing results. Obasanjo will sit in Aso Rock and be calling Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to go and announce results. So, they think the APC will do the same thing. But, unfortunately, Buhari is not in that cast that will be calling INEC boss to go and do contingency result; APC is not planning anything like that.

    Great Ogboru has lost several governorship elections in the past. Will this election be different?

    Great Ogboru has contested this election five times and this is the sixth time. This time around, he has the blessing of God to rule this state. It will not be like previous elections. Ask any person who knows anything about the PDP, they will tell you that they have been the ones who have been using toxic votes to top into the boat. Then, the PDP was at the helm of affairs at the centre. So, they had the ‘federal might’ and they had the security, but for the first time in this state, the PDP is not having that advantage.

    Do you have faith in INEC to deliver a free, fair and credible election?

    I have absolute faith in the current INEC to deliver free, fair and credible elections. INEC has been having incremental gains in this current election. The Card Readers that they are using have been enhanced such that you cannot tamper with it like before. Hitherto, INEC Card Readers were subject to manipulation. But now INEC, with its in-house soul-searching, saw all this defects and so it has upgraded the Card Readers. The thing is just that PDP is the one dividing the country with false propaganda.

    The party just cries wolf where there is none; it is not politicking, it is criminal of them. Nigeria is divided today because of fake news; everybody is so angry with Buhari, because they accused him of aiding herdsmen. Where were the herdsmen when the police and army will come yet they will not see any goat or ram. How is that the activities of herdsmen? People who are moving with fast motor vehicles that can go through three villages and burn them in one day and then disappear; nobody will see anyone by day break and you are calling them herdsmen. Where do herdsmen operate like that? Herdsmen don’t operate like that. If herdsmen operate, you will see them fighting the people; you will see the farm where they entered. If they kill people there, you will see them before you can apprehend them. Even if they run away, you can see their cattle, but since Atiku too as a herdsman has come into the race they have gone back to Boko Haram attacks and communal clashes, because now we have two herdsmen that are Fulanis and Muslims they are the only two choices we are choosing from in the pack.

    Deltans are apprehensive of violence during the election, judging by recent killings in the state. What is your message to Deltans?

    The whole country is apprehensive. People like Prophet T.B Joshua have been crying to Nigerians to pray to avert the things that they are seeing, so as not to truncate the democracy. Joshua has been speaking in parables, but he has been pleading with us very extensively, because what he is seeing is not pleasant. That means there is so much violence, there is even possibility of coups and counter coups. That is what the man is seeing in the spirit, but the man doesn’t want to say such thing in public, because he doesn’t want to cause panic. So, he just tells us to pray. People like Papa Adeboye coming up today that this year he is going to speak in parables. He just says it is of the Lord’s mercy that we aren’t consumed in Nigeria and for Redeemed people he gives them Psalm 91 that they dwell in the secret place of the Most High. When you look at these things then you will know that there is potential crisis, if God does not intervene. There is potential crisis that people can just stand on the line and they will just come and stab them and shooting into the air to carry ballot boxes, because I am trying to make it look like I am calling for international sympathy and support for a particular candidate. Those kind of things on the ground you can’t rule them out; that’s why we need to pray for the aversion of this thing and telling everybody please don’t destroy Nigeria because of herdsmen, because the two major candidates are Fulanis and herdsmen too.

    There is no point for everybody to be apprehensive; all we need to do like, I told the Commissioner of Police, we have identified a lot of young men who are potential trouble makers. Call them and advise them; let them know that if they cause mayhem they will be in trouble and will be made to pay the full penalty of the law. Voting is a competition like Chelsea playing Man City. Man City beating them 6-0 nobody died, even though they are supposed to be equal. So, when we beat them mercilessly they should have left and just go home and wait for another day, when there is a return match. When they defeated us in all the previous matches, whether by referee support or hook or crook, we accepted go to court. Don’t resort to self-help, don’t go and announce yourself president and start a Venezuela-type situation in Nigeria. If you lose its of God; if you are a Muslim or Christian, you should know that power belongs to God and that he gives it to who he wills. Whether you get it by hook or crook it’s either God looks away for you to steal it or God personally wants you to stay there, but nobody gets into the throne, because you are God’s minister not by accident. You may look funny or credible, but the man that is still there God knows something about why he is still there. So, Deltans should not be apprehensive; Deltans should go about their work, especially our youths they should shun the violence and go about their duties, by voting for the person of their choice, stay and wait for the result in your polling units to be counted. After they have sorted and counted and announced the result, get a copy of the result; text it to your party, but just watch and see how it is collated and don’t resort to violence. It’s only in the peace that all of us will fulfill whatever we want to do with our daily bread. None of this people are feeding you right; they are not paying your school fees right now, so why do you want to kill yourself for them?

     

  • ‘Akeredolu didn’t share money to vote against President’

    Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akoko Northwest of Ondo State yesterday refuted a report by some party elders that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu financed the activities of the Action Alliance (AA) in the area.

    A statement by a former Assistant Secretary of the party in the local government, Thalis Apalowo, also accused the governor of disbursing money for the prosecution of AA candidates on the eve of the postponed elections.

    It also alleged that Akeredolu was a major threat to the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC candidates in Ondo State.

    But addressing reporters yesterday in Akure, the state capital, Akoko Northwest APC Chairman Tajudeen Kareem described the allegations as blatant lies concocted to seek attention.

    He said: “We need to keep the records straight and let the larger number of loyal members of APC know the truth.

    “It is not only ridiculous that Thalis could sign such a statement but also sad that he signed the statement on behalf of a group of leaders and elders of the party in our local government area.

    “By any standard, Thalis is neither a leader nor an elder of our great party in Akoko Northwest Local Government Area. He failed woefully in his effort to smear the governor when he refused to name members of the so-called group.

    “It is an insult on the collective honour of our leaders and elders in Akoko Northwest that a man in his ’30s would ascribe to himself the title of a leader and elder and claim to be representing a faceless group.”

    The chairman noted that Akeredolu, as APC leader in Ondo State, had always supported President Buhari and other candidates of the party at all levels by organising one of the most successful political rallies in the three senatorial districts.

    Kareem said on the eve of the postponed elections, the governor met with other APC chieftains from the 18 local government areas of the state to discuss the success of the party at the polls.

    He said all party stakeholders attended the meeting.

    According to him, funds for APC agents and other logistics were disbursed for the purpose of the elections, but were retrieved shortly when information was received on the suspension of the elections.

    Kareem said the local government party chairmen received the funds on behalf of each local government area, while the caretaker chairmen, who were all APC supporters, witnessed the fund collection.

    The APC stalwart refuted the allegation that funds were shared to AA candidates, saying the funds were for the payment of stipends to party agents.

    Kareem said Akeredolu, as the party’s state leader, inaugurated the state’s presidential campaign council, which comprised of eminent leaders and members of the APC, and organised three mega rallies in support of President Buhari’s victory in the three senatorial districts.

    He said the APC leadership in Akoko Northwest Local Government was working assiduously for the re-election of the President, adding: “No form of blackmail can deter us from carrying on with the support.”

    Also, the Commissioner for Natural Resources, who is a former APC chairman in the local government, Rasheed Badmus, said Akeredolu and Ondo State APC were committed to the landslide victory of President Buhari and other APC candidates in the area.

     

  • Ndoma-Egba urges supporters to remain calm

    The senatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for Cross River Central, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has urged his supporters to remain calm and patient for Saturday’s election.

    Ndoma-Egba, who addressed reporters in Ikom Local Government Area over the postponed election, called on the public to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the benefit of the doubt.

    According to him, the postponement was not a setback to the development of the democratic process, but rather a part of the country’s learning curve.

    He said: “Let me not call it a setback, but a part of the learning curve. This is not the first time elections are being postponed. If you recall in 2015, elections were postponed. My concern is that we ought to have learnt from the 2015 experience to avoid a recurrence.

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    “Well for any postponement, you repeat whatever expenditure you incurred. It is like spending twice. I mean when you mobilise people, there are issues of logistics and you have to go back to the campaign field, because by law the elections stop 24 hours to the election, which means that the field is open again for us to go back, which means new expenditure.”

  • APC supporters protest Akeredolu’s alleged alliance with opposition

    Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akoko Northeast local government area of Ondo state on Tuesday marched on the streets of Ikare-Akoko to protest alleged anti-party activities of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu ahead of Saturday’s rescheduled polls.

    The protesters include party leaders and youth from all the 13 wards of the local government.

    They urged the leadership of the party at the national level to sanction Akeredolu for his alleged disloyalty to APC, the party he rode to power.

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    Speaking to reporters, the duo of Chief Elemeje Idris,the APC Senatorial leader and Apostle Oloruntoba Johnson of Akoko East Elders Assembly condemned in strong term ,the visible support given to Action Alliance candidates for the next Saturday’s election at the expense of APC candidate, Prof. Ajayi Borrofice and Bunmi Ojo who are bonafide candidates of the ruling party.

    They said: “Governor Akeredolu and the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the local government, Rafiu Eniayewu with other political appointees are now agents of AA as they distanced themselves from APC and its candidates for the Saturday’s election”.

    The APC stalwarts urged the national leadership of the party not to put logistics of the party through the governor, stressing such would be used to work against President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC candidates in the area.

    However, Akeredolu had repeatedly denied the claims that he was working for AA candidates instead of APC flag bearers.

  • Resumption of campaigns: Edo voters restate support for APC candidates

    Voters in Edo State have restated their support for candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the extension of political campaigns in the country, noting that the window will allow them the opportunity to canvass for more votes for development-focused candidates of the ruling party.

    A cross-section of the voters described resumption of campaigns as an opportunity for candidates to continue far-reaching interaction with the electorate ahead of the elections on February 23.

    Charles Asemota, a resident of Oredo Local Government Area of the state, said he will leverage the opportunity of the extension of campaigns to mobilise other voters in his area to vote for candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the party has shown to be people-oriented.

    Asemota, who operates a taxi service in Benin City, said since the APC-led administration took over governance in the state, “Edo State has continued to record tremendous development in the areas of infrastructure, socio-economic reforms, social investment for youths and women. With all these happening in the state, I don’t see any reason why voters in the state would not support APC candidates.”

    A retail store operator in Ekpoma, Mrs. Monica Idemudia, said that it is only logical that INEC allows political parties and their candidates continue with the campaigns since the elections were postponed, adding, “this will give the candidates a window to convince the people on what they stand to benefit by voting for them.”

    Mrs. Idemudia expressed support for APC candidates in the February 23 elections, noting that she would use the window to canvass support for APC candidates.

    “Governor Godwin Obaseki has convinced me beyond reasonable doubts why I should support candidates of his party with his good works such as the prompt payment of teachers’ salary, and arrears owed pensioners. We are seeing improvement in the reconstruction of roads and other impactful projects,” she added.

     

  • PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday alleged plots by President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to trigger widespread political crises, aimed at derailing the democratic process and plunging the nation into anarchy.

    It faulted the President’s directive to the security agencies to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers and others that may act in ways that could threaten the electoral process.

    In a statement yesterday by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP viewed the President’s directive as “threat to the lives of Nigerians”.

    The President had, during the APC caucus meeting held in Abuja yesterday, said anyone caught snatching ballot boxes should consider the offence the very last they would ever commit.

    But the PDP said President Buhari was calling for jungle justice and attempting to divert public attention from details of APC’s caucus meeting where the President issued the warning.

    The PDP statement reads: “We do hope that this call by President Buhari is not a camouflage for the fake soldiers mobilised by the APC to shoot at innocent Nigerians, snatch ballot boxes and execute their rigging plans on the Election Day. It is indeed a licence to kill, which should not come from any leader of any civilised nation.

    “The underlining fact to the above is that President Buhari and APC leaders, upon getting to their voting constituencies last Saturday, realised that there was a nationwide rejection of Buhari’s re-election bid, and this has thrown them into a panic mode.

    “President Buhari must, however, bear in mind that his resort to threats and scaremongering will not deter Nigerians from coming out en masse to vote him out of office on February 23.

    “We are aware that President Buhari, who had earlier boasted that nobody can ‘unseat’ him, is bent on using every dictatorial act to truncate the process of a free, fair and credible election.”

    The party also claimed that intelligence available to it showed that the Buhari Presidency had directed the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reshuffle the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

    According to the PDP, the alleged deployment was for INEC to deploy “compromised” officials to manipulate the electoral process in the President’s favour “as they did with the police shortly before February 16”.

    The PDP said “It’s also aware of the pressure allegedly being mounted by the Buhari Presidency on INEC to cancel elections in some states and make others inconclusive so as to achieve the President’s objectives of a staggered election not minding the crisis such will trigger across the federation”.

    “We want Nigerians and the international community to hold President Buhari personally responsible for any electoral crisis, otherwise he will as usual, claim that he was not aware of the plots and transfer the blame to Adams Oshiomhole and Rotimi Amaechi.

    “It is already known that President Buhari has been unrelenting in his attempts to subdue our democracy by trying to subjugate the legislature, emasculate the judiciary and seize control of the electoral umpire.

    “Nevertheless, the PDP wants to assure President Buhari that our nation is bigger than him and that Nigerians will never allow him and the APC to rig this election.

    “Nigerians have reached an irreversible democratic consensus to vote Buhari out and elect the people’s candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is ready to rescue our nation from the hardship, anguish, agony and bloodletting which the Buhari administration has plunged us,” the statement added.

  • Reactions trail Buhari’s comment on ballot box snatchers

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s recommendation of maximum punishment for ballot box snatchers drew reactions from various quarters yesterday.

    The President’s comment triggered arguments among senior lawyers with some pitching tent with the President.

    They said that only those with the intent to snatch ballot boxes will be afraid of such remarks. Others felt that such directive, if carried out, would amount to extra-judicial killing.

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara faulted the directive.

    Dogara told reporters yesterday in Abuja that the President’s directive amounted to a call for extrajudicial killings of would be electoral offenders.

    He said: “These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has become the victim of a full-blown dictatorship, when one considers that a democratically elected President would give a directive that is in clear violation of the laws of the land, which by his oath of office, he is to defend and protect.

    “In view of this statement by the President, it is obvious that the military has been given a central role and coopted into the conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in our electoral process”.

    Lagos lawyer Femi Falana said Buhari must have made the statement to scare riggers.

    He said: “I want to believe that the President made the statement with a view to instil fear in the polluted minds of intended ballot snatchers. Without any attempt to support electoral offenders the act of snatching ballot boxes does not attract the death penalty. In fact it is a misdemeanor whose penalty is 24 months imprisonment by virtue of section 129(4) of the Electoral Act. “I plead with security officers not to risk their own lives by engaging in extrajudicial killing of ballot snatchers and other electoral offenders. It may interest President Buhari to know that due to the culture of impunity in the land the hundreds of electoral offenders including sponsors and perpetrators of politically motivated killings arrested by the police in the last six months have been let off the hook due to pressure from highly connected criminally minded members of the political class. I am tempted to call on the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) to advise the President to withdraw the illegal directive as soon as possible because similar illegal orders of two former Presidents of had led to the brutal massacre of unarmed people in Odi, Bayelsa State (1999), Zaki Biam, Benue State (2001) and Gbaramotu, Delta State (2009),” he said.

    Lawyer and human rights activist Monday Ubani hailed the Buhari’s directives.

    He said the only way to ensure that the election would be free and fair is to have the ballot boxes and voters protected by security agents at the polling units.

    Ubani cited the case of Abia State where he alleged that election results had been prepared for election that was postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  “I travelled to my village in Abia last Saturday for the election. The party that wrote the election results has been threatening people not to come out this Saturday for voting if they love themselves. They have hired thugs from neighbouring states to disrupt the rescheduled election on Saturday. This is why I’m supporting the President’s directives that those involved in rigging should be severely dealt with. The Federal Government should massively deplored military and police to polling units”.

    The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, said the directive was timely.

    He said: “Election rigging is worse than robbery; it has become a way of life because since 1999 no one has been brought to book”.

    Igbokwe said with this directive President Buhari would restore sanity to our electoral process. This is the kind of change I voted for.

    But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman in Lagos State, Taofik Gani, described the president’s directive as a panicky measure. He said the directive is capable of sending wrong signal to innocent voters who may decide not to come out to exercise their civic duties out of fear.

    To him, armed security men should keep away from the polling units. Anyone found rigging should be arrested and prosecuted.

    Southwest APC chieftain Ayo Afolabi said snatching the ballot is like snatching peoples’ hope and aspiration.

    “For someone to go out of his way, to start snatching ballot boxes, amount to snatching the future of Nigerians. So, if the man snatching ballot boxes loses his life in the process, to hell with him,” he said.

    Lagos State APC chieftain Lanre Razak said whoever “tries to disturb the process of election is trying to plunge the country into chaos and probably war”.

    He said: “The President is not saying they should shoot them, but the punishment for people who are trying to plunge the only country we have into anarchy is severe punishment. The President is saying that the existing laws provide for punishment.”

    Seyi Sowemimo SAN, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and lawyer-activist Jiti Ogunye said it was wrong to see the president’s comments as a call to security forces to kill or harm innocent people.

    But Sebastine Hon (SAN), Sylva Ogwemoh (SAN) and Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) said the statement could be interpreted as a call to jungle justice and murder.

    Sowemimo reasoned that the President was merely sending a strong message that electoral offences would no more be tolerated.

    He said: “We should be charitable enough not to ascribe to the President that he wants to encourage security agents to kill people. I think with the postponement and the reasons given for the postponement, you can tell that it’s been a disappointment for everybody, including the president himself and maybe more so for him, because it may have appeared as if it is a failure on his administration.

    “So, I think the man was trying to send a very strong message out there, that all these things that have militated against elections going on, like buildings being burnt down and all that.

    “I think it’s just right that he should let people know that we really can’t afford to have any disruption in our plans anymore. So, I don’t think he’s asking them to murder people.”

    He added: “The duty of the president is to enforce all laws in our country. That’s why they are the executive arm of the government. They are to enforce laws and to stop criminality in the land. So, he’s merely saying the obvious, that ‘I will enforce the law, I will punish the offender according to law’. So, what is unconstitutional about that?

    “There are laws that prohibit crime, electoral offences and so on. So, if you contravene them, he is saying he will enforce the law. He is merely saying the obvious. What is his duty if he cannot say that? Then who else will do it? That’s executive function.”

    Ogunye said there is a constitutional basis for killing an armed ballot box snatcher.

    He said: “When a ballot box snatcher, armed with offensive weapons, including a gun, is shot dead by security agents, he has been brought to justice in accordance with the law.”

    He referred to Section 33(2)(a-c) of the 1999 Constitution.

    It says: “A person shall not be regarded as having been deprived of his life in contravention of this section, if he dies as a result of the use, to such extent and in such circumstances as are permitted by law, of such force as is reasonably necessary –

    “(a) for the defence of any person from unlawful violence or for the defence of property;

    “(b) in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained; or

    “(c) for the purpose of suppressing a riot, insurrection or mutiny.”

    But Hon disagreed. He said the president’s order was “ultra vires his powers and is clearly unconstitutional.

    “Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution has guaranteed right to life as a fundamental right, to be infringed upon only in execution a death sentence imposed by a court of law; or in suppression of a riot/insurrection; or when one is exercising his right of self defence. Snatching of ballot boxes or commission of electoral offences is not one of the exceptions or limitations of right to life.

    “Mr. President’s order is, without any shred of doubt, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void. Nobody should obey such an order. The international community, perhaps in hindsight, preempted the President, when it issued stern warnings against instigating, ordering or participating in violence during the election period.

    “Let me quickly add that pronouncements like this further alienate Nigeria from the enlightened global community and regress us to the backward abyss of time. I advise the President to withdraw that directive without delay.”

    For Ogwemoh, the comment was “sad”, coming from “the respected office of a President in a democracy.

    “The President cannot be heard to be calling for violence or recourse to self-help in a country regulated by laws. Perhaps if the President had signed the new Electoral Act into law it would have taken care of the seeming frustration inherent in the statement. The point again must be made that no political office, no matter how high it may be, is worth the blood of any Nigerian.”

    Owonikoko viewed the president’s language as being “not too suited for the occasion and time.”

    He said: “As a charge for a battle ready fully mobilized army to be unleashed on an enemy of the state , the President would have scored a (five)-star.  To threaten voters who prove unruly or fall foul of electoral laws with ruthless treatment; or to be prepared to pay with their lives is a cynical euphemism for saying that they will be risking state sanctioned-extra-judicial death.”

     

  • Buhari didn’t order Nigerians to be shot summarily, says Tinubu

    All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday cautioned against misinterpreting President Muhammadu Buhari’s remarks on ballot box snatchers.

    Asiwaju Tinubu said the President never ordered security agencies to shoot Nigerians summarily.

    The President was quoted as saying that ballot box snatchers would not live to tell their stories once caught in the act.

    Buhari spoke at the APC’s emergency National Caucus meeting in Abuja yesterday.

    Tinubu told reporters after the meeting that the President was misinterpreted.

    He said Buhari only reinforced his stand that ballot box snatcher will be doing so at the risk of their lives.

    Tinubu said: “I was in that meeting; the President was just reinforcing the fact that if you are out there snatching ballot boxes and causing destruction, you are at risk of your own life.

    “Whatever happens to you; no president will give an order that his own citizens should be shot summarily. No! No! It’s okay; emotions are running high these days. Any individual, including myself, can be misinterpreted.

    “These are not his words; he is a law-abiding person and he understands categorically and clearly what the rule of law is and the lives of individual citizens that he is in that office to protect.

    “Now, let me run this… he has been fighting Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers and all these before this election. Did you ever hear him asking them to be shot and executed summarily?

    Read also: Oshiomhole accuses INEC of colluding with anti-democratic forces

    “If he has gone through that in the last five years, please give the benefit of the doubt. By law, we should continue to energise our people; it depends on our resources. Because the Electoral Act allows us to continue to campaign and asks us to stop campaigning only 24 hours before the actual election; and once INEC changed the election date to February 23, it has given us the opening to campaign and energise our people. If you have a garden and you don’t nourish it with water, the grass will remain dormant. We don’t want our party to remain dormant.

    “This is ability of leadership to convert adversity to opportunity and prosperity and that’s it; that’s what we must do.”

    On whether the shift of the poll will affect INEC’s credibility, Tinubu said: “It depends on how it is handled and the new process; how the process is managed. You can convert what appears a crisis, a situation of adversity, to an opportunity and progress.

    “The INEC, under the law, is empowered to postpone, cancel and do whatever is necessary to ensure free and fair election. No party other INEC has this power. We can express our anger and disappointment, but no party can reverse what has been done. So, we are ready for February 23.”

  • Buhari warns ballot box snatchers

    •Tinubu: President didn’t order Nigerians to be shot summarily •Comment to scare riggers, says Falana

    •When it’s legal, by Ogunye

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday warned would-be-ballot box snatchers —it may be your last unlawful action.

    He spoke in Abuja at the opening of an emergency National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the party’s secretariat.

    The President also warned politicians, who may be angling to sponsor thugs to disrupt the rescheduled elections. He said that such sponsors would be doing so at a great risk.

    Besides, the last may not have been heard of the 11th hour postponement last Saturday of the Presidential and National Assembly polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Buhari hinted yesterday that the electoral umpire will have to explain what went wrong – after the elections.

    The President, who got the news of the shift at 4.30am on Saturday described the action as “most unfortunate” because INEC had all the time and the resources to deliver on its mandate.

    “After the elections, we have to know exactly what happened; we cannot accept incompetence,” Buhari said.

    The APC Caucus is a statutory organ of the party chaired by the President.

    Its members include the vice president and all the party’s former and serving governors and members of its National Working Committee (NWC), among others.

    At yesterday’s meeting were: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; National Chairman Adams Oshimhole; governors and senators.

    The President, who had ordered security agencies to ensure free and fair elections, said that such act would be the last unlawful act the ballot snatcher will engage in.

    According to him, he had garnered adequate support of the electorate to guarantee his electoral victory.

    He, however, stressed the need for APC members to reassure their constituents to come out and vote on the rescheduled dates.

    The President said: “I do not expect anybody to cause any disturbance. The security agencies have identified hot spots and flash points and should be prepared to move. We have made as much arrangement as possible for them as much as the country can afford.

    “Anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or lead thugs to disturb the process, may be that will be the last unlawful action you will take.

    “We have directed the military and other security agents to be ruthless. We are not going to be blamed that we want to rig elections.

    “I want Nigerians to be respected and let them vote whoever they want across the parties. I am not afraid of that. I went round the 36 states and the FCT (Federal Capital City) and I think I have enough support across the country.

    “So, I want to warn anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs to snatch ballot boxes or disturb the voting system, he will do it at the expense of his own life.”

    The President also explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had all the time and resources and didn’t have to wait for only six hours to cancel the elections and tell the public it was impossible.

    He said: “Definitely, the reason such incompetence manifested has to be explained to the nation. After the elections, we have to know exactly what happened and who is responsible.

    “Otherwise, our efforts to make sure that this system is acceptable would have been eroded. The constitution and the law protected INEC. But they must not take us for granted.

    “If, for example, the National Assembly refused to approve what they wanted, INEC would have had moral reasons why they couldn’t perform. If the time of four years of election was not constitutionally obeyed by the government, INEC would have a case.

    “But we don’t understand the reason for this inefficiency and we have to go into details after the election to find out who is responsible.”

    Lauding the party leadership for its commitment, the President said: “That was why we sat and said we must have committed leaders in all constituencies to be our agents. We also sat down and worked out the least the party should do for our agents so that they will not depend on anybody or say I am going to drink water or I am going to toilet.

    “We made all those arrangements and put it before the governors and chairmen of the parties. Where the APC has no governors, the governorship candidate and state chairmen were given that assignment.

    “I am satisfied that this instruction has been passed down. Right now, we have so much to do and so, we should now go back to our loyal members in all constituencies so that if anything happens, we will know who to blame.

    “We have told our constituents to be patient and react in very mature way by going peacefully and vote and depend on party representatives in the polling units.”

  • Buhari’s directive could lead to extra-judicial killings – Dogara

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara has faulted the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with anyone who may attempt to snatch ballot boxes during the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, Buhari had said, “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take.

    “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    But addressing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, Dogara said the President’s directive to the military and the police amounted to a call for extra judicial killings of would- be electoral offenders.

    The Speaker reminded the President there were adequate provisions in the nation’s laws to address electoral offences.

    Dogara said: “These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, when one considers that a democratically elected President would give a directive that is in clear violation of the laws of the land, which by his oath of office, he is to defend and protect.

    “In view of this statement by the President, it is obvious that the military has been given a central role and coopted into the conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in our electoral process”.

    Speaker Dogara described as false claims and unnecessary blackmail, a statement by the national chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, to the effect that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave the PDP prior notice of the postponement of the February 16 elections.

    He recalled that the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus was the first to call for an inquiry into why INEC postponed the elections.

    The Speaker added the PDP will support a genuine and transparent probe into why the presidential and National Assembly elections could not hold.

    Read Also: Why I left APC – Dogara

    He expressed the hope that the President’s inflammatory statement was not a direct threat aimed at intimidating the electoral commission.

    “We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous and inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded with PDP to abort last week’s elections.

    “This is a very surprising statement considering the fact that the Federal Government controls every institution and agency involved in the electoral process, including the CBN, Nigerian Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.

    “From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centres, cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics arrangement of INEC, were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate the process.

    “We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections despite not being adequately prepared for the election.

    “We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have staggered elections.

    “It should also be noted that the areas that would have been affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP strongholds.”

    He added: “Obviously, we know they are doing everything humanly possible to discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of the fact that they cannot win this election.

    “Embarrassingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they have lost the plot.

    “Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the people have rejected them.

    “Also, opinion polls conducted by the APC, and other international agencies clearly indicate that the APC will lose this election, anytime it is conducted; we believe that is why they are resorting to desperate measures of arm-twisting the electoral commission, undermining the entire process and planning to unleash terror on the country.

    “Finally, let it be known that the PDP, with the support of every well- meaning Nigerian, will employ every legitimate means to resist attempts by the APC and the Federal Government to undermine and compromise the electoral process and truncate our democracy.”