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Tag: anti-Buhari

  • Ekiti workers kick against planned anti-Buhari rally

    • warn labour leaders not to drag them into politics

    Workers in Ekiti State have kicked against an alleged plan to coerce them into a public protest against President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.

    They claimed that the rally was planned to protest against the alleged stoppage of the N1.3 billion monthly Budget Support Fund (BSF) by the Federal Government with effect from December 2017.

    BSF is a fund set aside by the Federal Government to assist the 36 States of the Federation in the payment of workers’ salaries.

    A section of the state work force, the Enlightened Workers Forum (EWF) condemned alleged moves to drag civil servants into a public protest scheduled for Monday, January 29.

    EWF in a statement on Saturday by its State Coordinator, Mr. Mike Bamidele, accused the state Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman, Comrade Odunayo Adesoye, of being the arrowhead of the plot to recruit and draft workers into the rally. Bamidele said workers are apolitical and non-partisan and should not be dragged into politics under whatever guise.

    Responding, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman in Ekiti State, Comrade Odunayo Adesoye, has denied being part of the plan to stage a rally against the alleged stoppage of Budget Support Funds (BSF) to the Ayo Fayose administration.

    Adesoye who spoke in a telephone chat with The Nation, described the Enlightened Workers’ Forum (EWF) which made the allegation as a “faceless group.”

     

  • Anti-Buhari protests causing tension, says Nigerians in U.K

    A group of Nigerians living overseas under the aegis of Nigerians In Diaspora Monitoring Group (NIDMG), on Wednesday condemned the alleged invasion of  Wuse market in Abuja by persons protesting against the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari in office for over 100 days.
    They warned that the protests which were allegedly being sponsored by “vested interests”, constituted grave dangers to Nigeria’s stability more than other ongoing existential threats.
    The spokesperson of NIDMG (United Kingdom Chapter), Dr. Ibukun Ola, in an electronic statement sent to reporters in Abuja, said such protests were already stoking tension at home and disturbing the peace of those abroad for of breakdown of law and order  in Nigeria.
    He said, “We see the invasion of Wuse Market, which was ostensibly targeted at crippling economic activities there, as an attempt to replicate the economic sabotage usually deployed with the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), MASSOB and other secessionists in the South-East. It has no place in the nation’s capital and must not be encouraged in any other part of the country.
    “We are concerned at the ethnic and religious coloration of reactions trailing the Wuse Market invasion since this can only further deepen animosity over what was originally a non-issue. While urging would be protesters of any cause to keep their activities within the public space to which they are entitled, we appeal to those who feel their space has been invaded to invite the relevant law enforcement agencies to intervene and not take the law into their own hands.”
    According to him, having watched with concern developments around the “ill-conceived” protests over President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical vacation, the protests under hashtags like #OurMumuDonDo, #ResumeOrResign, #RecoverAndReform and others are stoking tension at home in Nigeria while citizens who are not sufficiently attuned to the laws in the lands of their sojourn may unwittingly fall foul of same in their effort to replicate the aberration being mislabelled as freedom of expression in Nigeria.
    The NIDMG said the warning became necessary following the ugly incident of Tuesday August 15, 2017 when one of leader of the protesters, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa aka Charlie Boy, allegedly invaded Wuse Market in Abuja and was subsequently set upon by traders into whose space he had intruded.
    Ola said, “Even in Nigeria where some people erroneously conclude there are no laws, the decision of the protesters to invade a trading space depicts a deficit of reasoning since businessmen in this facility bought and owned their stalls and would not accept allow other people deprive them of their means of livelihood without repercussions. Handymen and truck pushers who rely on smooth operations at the market would similarly not condone any activity that would deprive them of their means of sustenance.
    “It is most unfortunate that Charlie Boy and his protesters validated earlier claims by security agencies that criminals have infiltrated the ranks of protesters to cause trouble. They have equally proven that there are sinister motives to the protests that have become confrontational. More worrisome is the level of aggression reportedly displayed by Charlie Boy when he forced his way into the market.
    “As recounted by some interviewees on Oak TV, he further attempted to retrieve a firearm from his vehicle before it was destroyed by counter protesters at the market.
    The NIDMG notes that there are no “mumu” or those who live Charlie Boy’s kind of life outside Nigeria that would take to the street to harass the peace of others simply because the leader of the country is sick and is taking time to recover without breaking the law.
    “As can be seen in the Wuse Market scenario, those who resort to self help thinking they were protecting their turf would get arrested when violence breaks out. We urge the police and other security agencies not to pander to political correctness but to decisively prosecute those found to have breached the law.
    “Besides discouraging trouble makers in Nigeria, it would stop our citizens from trespassing on private and business spaces abroad since the #OurMumuDonDo protesters are implementing and contemplating similar foolhardiness here in London and other world cities.
    “To demonstrate how protests can be used to achieve positive results, the NIDMG should facilitate public marches to highlight the more pressing issues confronting Nigeria like Boko Haram’s terrorism, the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs), killings by criminal elements pursuing secession in the south-east, growing cases of ritual killing, kidnap for ransom and baby factories in some part of the country.”
  • Police attack on anti-Buhari protesters illegal, says Falana

    Police attack on anti-Buhari protesters illegal, says Falana

    Activist lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday described last week’s attack on anti-Buhari demonstrators as illegal and unconstitutional.

    In a statement titled: “On duty of police to provide security for all protesters”, issued in Lagos, Falana noted that “by providing adequate security” for the pro-Buhari demonstrators while harassing the anti-Buhari protesters”, the police violated section 42 of the constitution, which prohibited discrimination on grounds of political opinion.

    “Since the role of the Nigeria Police Force has been limited to the provision of ‘adequate security’ for demonstrators, the violent attack on the peaceful rally of the “our mumu don do” group by the police in Abuja last week is completely illegal and unconstitutional,” he contended.

    He asked the police to apologise to the members of “Our mumu don do” group, stressing that “the violent disruption of the anti-Buhari rally ought to have embarrassed President Muhammadu Buhari, who, he said, had advised President Shehu Yar’Adua, in a similar situation, to step aside as he could no longer discharge the duties and functions of his office”.

    Falana listed other protests in which Buhari participated before becoming President as including that of November 23, 2014, in which he led All Progressive Congress (APC) leaders, including APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi, thousands of party supporters on Boko Haram insurgence and another protest he led alongside the late Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu allegedly against the inefficiency of the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    The statement said: “On the 22nd day of September 2003, the police disrupted the rally convened by the defunct All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP) to protest the rigging of the 2003 general election. The police authorities justified the disruption by claiming that the organisers of the rally did not obtain a police permit. Completely aggrieved by the action of the police, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the ANPP instructed our law firm to sue the Inspector-General of Police to justify the legal validity of asking for police permit before protesting against the government.

    “In a suit filed at the Federal High Court against the Inspector-General of Police, the plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the provisions of the Public Order Act relating to police permit.

    “In a well-considered judgment the learned trial judge, Chinyere J. held that police permit was inconsistent with sections 39 and 40 of the Constitution and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The appeal filed against the judgment at the Court of Appeal by the Police was dismissed. In affirming the decision of the lower court, Olufunmilayo Adekeye J.C.A (as she then was) observed said that ‘A rally or placard-carrying demonstration has become a form of expression of views on current issues affecting government and the governed in a sovereign state. It is a trend recognised and deeply entrenched in the system of governance in civilised countries – it will not only be primitive but also retrogressive if Nigeria continues to require a pass to hold a rally.”

    The lawyer, therefore, urged the police authorities to apologise to Mr. Charlie Oputa and other members of the “Our mumu don do.”

  • Police avert clash between pro, anti-Buhari groups

    The police yesterday prevented what could have resulted in a bloody fight between the #OurMumuDonDo# and pro-government protesters at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.

    The Charlie Boy-led protesters were observing the fifth day of their sit-out at the venue when members of the pro-government group, Centre for Fairness and Justice, stormed the garden and attempted to attack them.

    But the police quickly formed a cordon around the #resume or resign protesters and shielded them from the attack of the government supporters.

    The hostile protesters accused the coalition members of clamouring for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation because their support for corruption.

    The coalition members rounded off their sit-out shortly afterwards and left the garden for the pro-government supporters who danced for almost an hour singing, “Buhari kills corruption.”

    The leader of the group, Goodluck Obi, said Buhari had not done anything wrong to warrant the demand for his resignation by the #resume or resign group.

    He said the President had done well in the fight against corruption and should be supported by every Nigerian.

    According to him, those calling for Buhari’s resignation were simply against the government’s pro-people programmes.

    “Buhari has done well and he should be allowed to rest well before returning to the country, “ he said.

  • Fed Govt attacks U.S. Congressman for anti-Buhari letter

    The Federal Government has described as sadly out of tune with reality a letter from United States Congressman Tom Marino to Secretary of State John Kerry, asking the U.S. to withhold security assistance to Nigeria due to some perceived infractions by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    In a statement in Abuja yesterday, Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said Marino was poorly informed about the issues he commented on, wondering why he failed to get first-hand information from the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, or other credible source before engaging in what is a ‘propaganda of his imagination’.

    The minister said by asking the U.S. to refrain from selling war planes and military equipment to Nigeria based on a faulty premise, the Congressman has demonstrated a poor understanding of global security issues.

    ‘’Insecurity anywhere is insecurity everywhere. Had Congressman Marino understood this, he would not have made the kind of call concerning the U.S. security assistance to Nigeria. The Boko Haram insurgency that Nigeria decisively dealt with under President Muhammadu Buhari is not just a Nigerian problem but a regional and international crisis,’’ he said.

    Alhaji Mohammed said Marino definitely did not have Nigeria in mind when he wrote that the U.S. withholds security assistance until President Buhari ‘demonstrates a commitment to inclusive government and the most basic tenets of democracy: freedom to assemble and freedom of speech’.

    ‘’An administration that operates purely on the basis of respect for the rule of law and a strict adherence to constitutional order is not one to deny the citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights. This administration, therefore, does not need the goading of Congressman Marino or anyone for that matter to do what is right.

    ‘’Concerning running an inclusive government, had Congressman Marino done his home work before despatching his letter, he would have realised that no part of the country is left out in the distribution of political appointments, for example, or in the appointment of ministers, which was done in accordance with the Constitution that mandates that the President appoints at least one minister from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

    ‘’Had the Congressman sought information from credible sources before engaging in a flight of fancy, he would have been presented with a comprehensive information on the appointment of CEOs for Federal Government’s parastatals, agencies and commissions that shows that the appointments were almost evenly matched along the line of the six geo-political zones in the country: With the North west having 51, Northcentral 46, Northeast 45, Southeast 41, Southwest 45 and Southsouth 45,’’ he said.

    ‘’The Congressman may wish to note that each geo-political zone comprises six states, with the exception of Northwest (seven) and Southeast (five).’’

    The minister described Marino’s observation that the Buhari’s administration’s anti-corruption effort is ‘selective’ as a tired argument that clearly shows that the U.S . lawmaker must have appended his signature to someone’s concocted line.

    ‘’That line was invented by those seeking to cause an unnecessary distraction from the administration’s anti-corruption effort, and it has been roundly rejected. Congressman Marino’s decision to exhume the dead postulation without an iota of proof is a reflection of whose side he has taken in the effort to rid Nigeria of corrupt elements. Needless to say that the anti-corruption battle will continue unhindered, irrespective of whose ox is gored. And in this fight, only the guilty needs be afraid,’’ he said.

  • Students berate Mimiko over planned anti-Buhari protest

    Students berate Mimiko over planned anti-Buhari protest

    The Ondo State chapter of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC), an arm of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has condemned the planned protest against the anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    JCC urged students to resist being coopted into the protest, which is said to be at the instance of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    Anthony Atolusi, JCC chairman, described the governor’s action as a plot to embarrass President Buhari and paint the Federal Government in bad light. He said Mimiko’s move would not boost the chances of the governor’s candidate in the coming governorship election in the state.

    Atolusi said: “The action of the governor to be planning a protest against the anti-corruption is only a plot to paint the Federal Government as incompetent, it is also a gimmick to boost the electoral chances of Governor Mimiko’s candidate in the governorship election in November.

    “Students, being leaders of tomorrow, have the responsibility of bringing sanity back to our society. We want to tell Mimiko and his party that Ondo JCC and youths believe in Buhari’s anti-corruption war. At the end, we believe money recovered will be used to create good jobs for all.”

    Anthony said the students’ body had started a sensitisation of students within the state not to be political tools for any politicians. He said JCC would not fold its hands and allow a few individuals to use the machinery of government to enrich themselves and their families at the expense of all citizens.

    He added: “Our commonwealth was plundered and shared in the bedroom of these people. They used funds meant for security and development of our country to purchase choice properties. Now they are asking some youths and students to come and carry placards in protest against anti-corruption war. We will not support such demonstration.

    “We are urging all students in Ondo State to resist any attempt to lure them to convene, mobilise and protest against the anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari. We will not be part of illegality.”

  • APC condemns anti-Buhari news on Progress FM

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has condemned the alleged use of Radio Nigeria Progress 100.5 FM, Ado-Ekiti to run down President Muhammadu Buhari and portray his administration in bad light.

    The party urged the Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ladan Salihu, to call the General Manager of Progress 100.5 FM,  Kayode Akinsola, to order.

    In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC said its latest position was hinged on a programme aired on the station on Wednesday between 1.30 pm and 2pm where Governor Ayo Fayose was quoted to have called Buhari and the Federal Government unprintable names.

    Olatunbosun explained that Akinsola was fond of not giving the APC opportunity to be heard on the station.

    The party spokesman said Akinsola’s alleged partisanship has become worrisome.

    He said: “We are sick and tired of Akinsola’s antics. We have complained and appealed to him but he has always rebuffed our appeals.

    “The general manager will never use any press release by APC, yet he allows Fayose a free rein to abuse President Buhari regularly.

    ”Since he took over as the GM, he has not hidden his preference for the promotion of Fayose’s propaganda and overt support for PDP leaders and their activities.

    The party urged Salihu to investigate Akinsola.

  • Report on anti-Buhari posture unsettles Senate

    Report on anti-Buhari posture unsettles Senate

    Some senators were yesterday troubled by the report that 22 All Progressives Congress (APC) senators have teamed up with the opposition to work against President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party.

    The Nation published the report, which was brought to the attention of the upper chamber by Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume as a matter of privilege.

    Ndume, who tendered a copy of the publication on the floor of the Senate claimed that it breached his privilege as an APC Senator from the north.

    He claimed that the report was meant to “distort and take us away from the legislative functions and duties we were all elected to do”.

    He added: “Everyone and each of us elected Senator is entitled and qualified to be Senate President. It is just that all of us cannot be Senate President. It happened that Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki emerged Senate President on June 9th.

    “For me, I still want to be Senate President. I have to say it. I still want to be Senate President.

    “I contested for the position of Deputy Senate President. I did not contest to lose the election. I contested to win the election. Senator Ike Ekweremadu was elected.

    “I was the only person that collected signatures to impeach him (Ekweremadu) in the 7th Senate. I wanted him impeached for reasons we discussed.

    “This drama cannot continue. This drama cannot go on. It has gone beyond persons. It has gone beyond what we can continue to tolerate. Only one person can be Senate President.

    “If Senators say that I will not be Senate Leader, I will not be.”

    Before he tendered the publication as evidence of his claims, Ndume prayed the Senate to investigate the circumstances of the report.

    Senator Dino Melaye, who was inaugurated Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity yesterday, held a briefing where he condemned the report.

    Melaye described the report as “most wicked, ungodly and unacceptable”.

    He noted that it was unfair to single out some senators to accuse and label them enemies of President Buhari.

    He added that it was “satanic for anybody to claim that those who appended their signatures in the confidence vote in the leadership of the Senate are enemies of President Buhari”.

    He said that the Senate had not received any communication from President Buhari that was not accorded expeditious consideration.

    Melaye claimed that the report was to pitch President Buhari against the Senate, saying that “this evil plot will fail.”

    Some other members of the committee, including Senators Binta Masi Garba, who said that her father used to be Buhari’s driver, David Umaru and Ali Wakil also condemned the report.

    Senator Shittu Muhammad Ubali, who represents Jigawa Northeast, went spiritual, raining Quranic curses on the reporter of the report and asked God to punish the “those behind this report”.

    The resort to curses raised eyebrow, in the Senate Room 1 venue of the briefing.

    Saraki said he was relying on Senate Order 15, which deals on privileges, to refer the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges for investigation.

    He gave the committee one week to submit its findings.

  • Drama as pro, anti-Buhari forces clash

    Drama as pro, anti-Buhari forces clash

    Despite a sunny spell in the morning, the British weather turned on its head at about 10.am in a strange sign that the biggest event of any Nigerian political talk in recent times in the United Kingdom was about to begin.

    Gen. Muhammadu Buhari took notice of this sudden drizzle outside, cleared his throat calmly and looked straight into the select audience at the Chatham House, made up of civil rights activists, political activists, academics, journalists and observers, from all across the world waiting eagerly for him to speak.

    His charisma was perplexing and his gait, soldierly. It was not lost on the audience too that the sudden showers outside was too much of a coincidence.

    Many murmured quietly that maybe the rain had come to wash Nigeria’s past. It was the same for the colourful Nigerian groups outside of the Chatham House who got into a frenzy with their singing and dancing. Passersby stopped to savour the show. It had then become a rally by the groups that came to show support for the General.

    A motley crowd arrived shortly after at about 11am in vans, holding up President Goodluck Jonathan’s banner. The pro-Jonathan group then engaged in a banter with the Buhari group.

     It was real fun for the British public who watched from nearby offices how the Nigerians conducted their rallies until about 12.30 pmwhen  the Jonathan supporters started to leave.

    One of them said in broken English to the group leader: “I don finish the half day job now… So I wan dey go my place o”.

    The Nation reported exclusively yesterday that some presidential aides and a governor were planning a “cash for protest” show to embarrass Gen. Buhari.

    Gen Buhari and some members of his entourage, including Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, with police protection, left the building through the front door. A side door was used by other APC leaders and former British Prime Minister Mr. Gordon Brown, who was briefly with the Buhari group in the morning till about 9.15am.

    At a stage, the motley crowd became agitated that Gen. Buhari was staying too long inside the building instead of coming to address them on sundry national issues. Unknown to them, an open address was unlikely to be acceptable to the British security.

    By 1.00 pm all the leading APC members including National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governors Adams Oshiomohle, Rochas Okorocha, ex-Governors Niyi Adebayo, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,and Mallam Garba Shehu, left.