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  • APC: theft of $12b gas fund, subsidy debts caused fuel scarcity

    APC: theft of $12b gas fund, subsidy debts caused fuel scarcity

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has blamed the  fuel scarcity on the alleged looting of the $12 billion domestic gas fund  and President Goodluck Jonathan’s  failure to pay fuel subsidy.

    It said lack of payment of subsidy and cost of interests on bank loans has made it impossible for marketers   to import refined petroleum products.

    In a statement in Dubai yesterday, its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Jonathan administration decided to divert attention from those problems by accusing the opposition of being responsible for the scarcity.

    The party described the accusation as “a most laughable and irresponsible by a sitting government that always so eager to blame everyone, but itself for the nation’s woes”.

    It noted that the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had, in February, promised to pay the N264 billion owed to the marketers as subsidy along with the accrued interest.

    APC noted that the failure to meet this obligation has made it impossible for the oil marketers to finance another round of products importation.

    The party said: ‘’The truth is that this profligate government has run Nigeria aground, and the oil sector, whether upstream or downstream, has particularly suffered hugely. The quantity of petroleum products that was imported has almost been fully consumed, without fresh products being brought in to augment supplies that have now fallen well below re-order level

    ‘’The implication is that in addition to worsening power supply, crumbling prices of oil at the international market, weakening Naira and unprecedented corruption. Nigerians, who routinely provide their own electricity to power their homes and business, now have to face another round of government-imposed hardship with the ongoing fuel scarcity.”

    It said the fuel crisis would not have reached the stage it was had the $12 billion domestic gas project fund not been looted under President Jonathan’s watch.

    “This is because, with the project being executed, many vehicles, cooking stoves and generators would have been converted to use gas to reduce the importation of PMS, diesel and kerosene; and gas would have been available to fire the gas turbines at power stations while more power would have been delivered to the national grid,” it alleged.

    APC accused President Jonathan of sabotaging the domestic gas project started by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, with the $12 billion cash call provisions for gas development for domestic power generation, which the party alleged was looted under President Jonathan’s watch.

    “Late President Yar’Adua made the first allocation of $1.5 billion for this project in 2009. The amount was not spent at the time of his death in 2010. However, direct outlays through annual cash calls continued to be credited to the project account so much so that by December 2014, $12 billion had been accumulated in the same account.

    “Had this project been successfully implemented as envisaged, had the funds made available for the project not been looted by the cabal that is holding Nigeria by the jugular, power generation would have improved with uninterrupted gas supply to power the turbines at power station, while the domestic consumption of PMS, diesel and kerosene would have reduced, with an increasing number of vehicles, cooking stoves and power generators being converted to use gas instead of PMS, diesel or kerosene,’’ the party said:

    It also criticised the Jonathan Administration “for its inability or unwillingness or both to secure power installations from contrived sabotage”.

    “For a Federal Government that is in control of one million people under arms (military, police, civil defence corps, etc), and one that has spent in excess of N4 trillion on security, there is no justifiable reason why power installations could not be secured against sabotage,’’ APC said.

    The party said the real saboteurs and those who have pushed Nigeria to another sorry state of fuel scarcity were those who have stolen the money earmarked for gas gathering, processing and transportation for domestic power production, saying: “Nigerians know who and where those people are”.

    It said Nigerians must be wondering whether those who accused the APC of being behind the fuel shortage had their heads properly screwed to their bodies, because the accusation marked a new low in the sad saga of the Jonathan Administration.

    ‘’They (Nigerians) must be wondering when the APC took over the running of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), when the APC took charge of subsidy payment and why the opposition should become the easy scapegoat of an ineffectual, clueless, incompetent, visionless and thieving government. Absurdity has no other meaning,” APC said.

  • ‘No to further polls shift’

    ‘No to further polls shift’

    A group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) youths, ‘I am Ready’, has begun a campaign against further postponement of the general elections. It involves the creative use of a special banner that is 600 feet long, believed to be the first of its kind in Nigeria. The group is also mobilising to take their future in their hands by voting for change. JOSEPH JIBUEZE writes.

    No longer content with sitting on the fence, youths have realised that their future is in their hands. In the All Progressives Congress (APC), they see a party that can secure their future. The party has demonstrated in some states that good governance is possible. Therefore, the youths believe in the candidature of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

    To help realise this dream, a group of APC youths under the umbrella of  ‘I Am Ready’, has kicked-off a nationwide campaigning around the country, urging Nigerians to join in actualising the change they desire. They speak against voter apathy. But most importantly, they are campaigning against a further postponement of the elections, saying that Nigerians are ready to vote.

    The group, which uses the Buhari/Osinbajo campaign office, Victoria Island, Lagos, as its operational base, is deploying a special campaign strategy to drive home its message. It uses a 50-metre (600 feet) banner, which is usually held by at least 300 people. It is unique in its design and concept. The group has taken the banner to various parts of the country, with onlookers marveling at its length.

    The National Leader, Tola Adekunle-Johnson, said the group is also driving a social media campaign to mobilise at least, one million signups to demand that elections must hold on March 28 and on April 11.

    Other leaders of the association are Head, External Relations Omowonuola Okunnu; Head of Finance Dr Wale Oyebanji; Mobilisation Coordinator Akintunde Ewasoye; Social Media Coordinator Dotun Adebayo; Administrative Manager Titilayo Fatoyinbo; Strategy and Planning Coordinator Korede Oluwole and Head of Media Relations, Kingsley Binitie, among others.

    Adekunle-Johnson said ‘I Am Ready’ is receiving a massive response. He warned that youths would resist any attempt to further shift the elections or force Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, out of office in whatever guise before his tenure ends.

    As I speak to you, the campaign has been activated in four Northern and two Southeast states, including Ogun and Lagos. Over 600,000 people have signed up to say ‘we’re ready’ for the election. We have people calling us from outside the country to join the campaign.

    “Prof. Jega should please be left alone to conduct this election. We’re sensitising the people. We’re not going to stop until elections are held. We’re not confrontational. We’re only saying don’t shift this election again since, according to the army, the security situation in the Northeast is improving. We’re confident the elections will hold, but I’m more confident that Buhari and APC would come out victorius at the centre because people are tired of bad leadership.”

    According to him, 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration has been a waste, adding that the party has realised how low its stock has fallen.

    “PDP is scared of so many things. First, they did not want the elections to hold so as to buy more time. Now, they are afraid of Jega who was once their best friend.

    “From what we hear, they want Jega to dance to their tunes, but the man is not cooperating with them, so obviously there is nothing else they can do than to instigate his removal. But Nigerians will resist it. And I want to believe the president is a gentleman and will not do that which is detrimental to Nigeria’s unity.”

    Ewesoye said the youth, cannot  fold their arms and watch from the sidelines; they must come out and vote. “We can’t fold our hands as young people. If we don’t stand for what we believe, who is going to stand for us? If we stay silent, the government may feel that we’re probably satisfied. That is why this group of young professionals came together to form the ‘I Am Ready’ movement.

    “We believe in Gen. Buhari’s cause. No matter what people say, we need change in this country. People refer to his past, but we’re in a democracy now, not military regime where one man calls the shot.”

    Adebayo, whose job is to ensure that the group’s programmes are live on the social media, said thousands have been signing up on its website, saying ‘No’ to further shift of the polls.

    “I believe in the change that Nigeria needs. If you see the APC manifesto, they are the first party to have a social welfare plan like it is abroad. That is what we need. The PDP government has not been able to implement any social welfare system through which you can not only help people who are in poverty, but create employment,” he said.

    Fatoyinbo said, Nigerians wanted an end to insurgency, corruption, unemployment, poor infrastructure and even recurring fuel scarcity.

    “We were ready for the election before it was shifted, but this time around, we will not stand for further postponement. The youth deserve better. And we know that it’s the APC government that can give make it happen through Gen. Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo. By God’s grace, we know that we have a future if they win. Every sector needs a change, and that’s why we can’t wait for March 28 to come,” she said.

    Oluwole believes it takes three major parties to hold a successful election – the electoral umpire, the government and the electorate, and one party should not be allowed to frustrate the others.

    “We the electorate are ready. Two weeks ago, INEC said it had achieved 75.9 per cent PVC distribution. By now the figure would have increased. It is in the news that soldiers are recapturing towns previously occupied by insurgents. So there should be no more excuse.

    “Our campaign is also to help prevent voter apathy. Some may have lost interest due to the postponement. So we’re urging those who don’t care any longer to come on board. So our activities are motivational,” he added.

    Dr Oyabanji said even previously undecided voters have decided to vote for Gen. Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo. “They’ve seen what has happened in the last six years and there is no point deceiving ourselves. If we want to tell ourselves the gospel truth, what we need now in Nigeria is change, not continuity. We don’t want a government that is corrupt and has a high level of impunity. We don’t want a government that is clueless, that cannot secure its citizens or provide employment.

    “We know what Gen. Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo stand for. During the Buhari regime, he refused to take the IMF loan, and banned importation of unnecessary goods. That alone helped us not to devalue our currency. This is someone who was head-of-state and chairman of PTF but does not own a filling station today. From his antecedents, you can tell that this is the man we need at this point in time. Prof Osinbajo as well is a man of integrity and brilliance.”

    Binitie said, people were ready to vote APC. He added: “From the reactions we have received, PDP’s days in government are numbered. There is high level of excitement everywhere we have been to. People can’t wait to be liberated from 16 years of misgovernance and maladministration at the centre. People will not stand another postponement.

    “People know change is imminent despite the delays. APC has proven that it can deliver. Everyone can see Lagos and other states controlled by the party. Its leaders walk their talk, and the flag-bearers are men of proven integrity and experience, who live by example. That is why I am part of this change movement. We are ready.”

     

  • Stop victimising teachers, says APC

    Stop victimising teachers, says APC

    All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of victimising teachers, who are perceived enemies of his administration.

    The party said victimising a section of the populace on the basis of partisan sentiment is not a mark of dispassionate leadership.

    Reacting to reports of selective transfers of some teachers to remote communities, APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun said such action by the governor was an abuse of power.

    “We are worried that shortly after he was sworn in, Fayose started marking down all the ‘enemy-teachers’ he perceived as not supporting him, for punishment. What we have now is taking authority to transfer teachers from the Teaching Service Commission and placing it in the hands of his Special Assistant on Internal Security, who goes around schools pointing those to be transferred and telling them the reasons for that punishment,” Olatubosun said.

    APC spokesman also accused the governor of alleged plans to downsize the state work force after election promises to enhance workers’ welfare and provide jobs for the youth. He said it was callous to plan retrenchment of workers after refusing to pay their two months salary.

    His words: “We now know the reason why the governor called workers to a meeting at Ekitiparapo Square where he told them that it would be difficult to pay their salaries starting from March.

    “The question is, what is the governor doing with the allocations and savings made through cuts in running grants, sacking of permanent secretaries and abolition of social security scheme for the elderly, traffic management agency and Peace Corps running into millions of naira, particularly as he runs a lean government of a four-member cabinet

    “Ekiti workers have now seen through the tricks of the man who calls himself the friend of workers. We warned the workers against supporting a man who would take them to the black market.

    “As seen in the Ekiti election rigging tape, the world now knows how the governor got his purported victory after which he rallied workers to defend a fraudulent and illegitimate victory. He is now punishing the same workers with unpaid salaries, punitive transfers and plans to retrench.”

  • Why Yoruba will reject Jonathan, by Southwest APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), Southwest Zone, yesterday described last week’s summit by some Yoruba elders and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders as “the gathering of strange bedfellows”.

    It said it was a futile effort to promote a bad product.

    The party, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Ayo Afolabi, said those championing President Goodluck Jonathan’s cause in the Southwest are aware that they are in the minority.

    The party listed reasons why Yoruba would not vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the March 28 election, saying he has squandered the confidence the Yoruba reposed in him since 2010.

    The statement reads: “Those championing Jonathan’s cause in the Southwest know they are in the minority and that is why, despite purporting to be acting in Yoruba’s interest, they held a conference that was not open to the public.

    “It is insulting and delusional for them to think they can decide for Yoruba people .

    “Also, that Tony Uranta and Peter Obi attended a ‘Yoruba summit’ in supervisory role from the Presidency is another addition to the list of insults to the Yoruba nation from the Jonathan administration.

    “Jonathan candidacy is unsellable. Southwest people will speak with their votes on March 28.

    “As it was in 2010, when Nigerians were united across ethnic and religious divides against bad governance; so will it be on March 28 when they will choose Muhammadu Buhari.”

  • FG paid Chattam House for poll shift – APC

    FG paid Chattam House for poll shift – APC

    The All Progress Congress Presidential Campaign Organization  has challenged the Peoples Democratic Party and the Federal Government to disclose how much was paid to Chattam House to give the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, the platform to call for the postponement of the general election earlier fixed for February 14 and 28.

    Reacting to allegations by the PDP that the party spent N5 billion to enable its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari speak at Chattam House, the APCPCO said the government should tell the whole world how much it paid to Chattam House before it granted Dasuki audience.

    While speaking at the Chattam House, the NSA had said the elections were not feasible due to security concerns and the Service Chiefs later informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that they cannot guarantee security during the elections, leading to a six- week postponement of the exercise.

    However, after Buhari’s address at the Chattam House, the PDP said the opposition party spent N5billion to enable the former head of state deliver his address at the prestigious British institute.

    In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the organization lamented that Jonathan’s administration has taken propaganda to a ridiculous level of childishness, triviality and banality.

    Shehu said any suggestion by the PDP that the APC bribed Chattham House to get its presidential candidate speak at the institute was a reflection of the general opinion that the ruling party has not only run out of ideas and popular goodwill.

     

  • APC, PDP row over fuel scarcity

    APC, PDP row over fuel scarcity

    Fuel scarcity persisted yesterday across the major cities as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) battled to stem the worrisome tide.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) blamed it all on the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which described the call as “totally unconscionable and, indeed, an admission of failure”.

    Most of the petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were shut.

    The queue at the NNPC mega station on Olusegun Obasanjo Way  stretched over two kilometres.

    The Oando Petrol Station on the same way was shut. The Total Petrol Station near the Customs Headquarters was besieged. The row of vehicles blocked half of the road from Customs to Wuse market.

    The Total Petrol Station opposite the NNPC was closed. The Conoil station beside it had a queue from  Bolingo Hotel Road and Wuse Market Road. Black marketers sold 10 litres for N3,000.

    Fuel queues became more pronounced yesterday within the Lagos metropolis.

    There were queues everywhere in the commercial capital where petrol sold for between N97 and N110. In some places, a litre was sold for between N140 and N150.

    At the MRS filling station in Lambe, Akute on the outskirt of the city, a litre of  petrol was sold for N147. An official of an Oando retail outlet in Mushin, Olorunsogo, on Lagos Mainland, said most marketers were selling from their old stock as they had not been loading.

    Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) spokesman Babatunde Oke said the body had advocated for improvement in operations to prevent scarcity. He said petroleum scarcity would continue until Nigeria grows the downstream sector.

    The NNPC has given two ships laden with 40 million petrol (premium motor spirit) to Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) members and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) 18 million litres for distribution as short term measure to tackle the scarcity.

    The Nation learnt that the 18 million litres for the IPMAN were supplied to the Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company (NIPCo Plc) and Aiteo Marketing, members of MOMAN, after a meeting yesterday agreed to tackle the supply challenge and make petrol available before weekend.

    MOMAN Executive Secretary Mr. Obafemi Olawore told The Nation that they (marketers) took delivery of the supplies from the NNPC yesterday and promised that from today the queues would ease in Lagos.

    He said the Abuja situation would start to improve from Thursday because of bridging time. The product is being supplied from Lagos and will be trucked to Abuja, Olawore said.

    Olawore said the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, reassured members of MOMAN that subsidy payment for outstanding imports, which is N264 billion, will start this week.

    IPMAN President Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo said the government promised to pay its members, adding that depots owned by IPMAN members were selling fuel.

    Okoronkwo said: “There is fuel now, but as usual the ripple of one day scarcity can last for many days. The current upset in distribution will take some days to normalise. The current economic recession is a global thing and the continued drop of the naira to the dollar is a factor to the supply problem but all these have been discussed and taken care of. Everything will normalise very soon.”

  • APC, PDP and LP battle for Kwara

    APC, PDP and LP battle for Kwara

    All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are warming up for the governorship election in Kwara State. It is the first exercise in the post-Olusola Saraki era. How will Kwarans vote? Correspondent Adekunle Jimoh beams a searchlight on the parties, the candidates and the issues that will shape the contest.

    The image of the Kwara political kingpin, the late Dr Olusola Saraki, still looms large as the general elections draw near. The Saraki dynasty, as it is fondly called, is now being led by the late politician’s son,  Senator Bukola Saraki.

    The late Saraki was political colossus and godfather to many in Kwara. He was initially touted to be a multi-billionaire until after his demise, when it became apparent that the man  left behind only two houses: one in Lagos and the other one at Ilorin, the state capital.

    This post-humus revelation, further endeared the man to his numerous followers and, perhaps, it could be the most striking factor in the choice of his biological son, Bukola, by his admirers as the new political leader. Many believe that all is well with the dynasty. In addition, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has lived up to expectation. Therefore, he will win a second term.

    However, there are two political blocs in the state: those who believe in the retention of the status quo and those are radically opposed to it.

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Saraki are on one side, while the two major opposition parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) are the other side.

    Another factor affecting Kwara politics at the moment is the presidential candidate of the two major parties. There are those backing the APC because of its presidential flag bearer, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.  There are also those rooting for the PDP because of President Goodluck Jonathan. The governorship candidates of the PDP and the LP, Senator Simeon Ajibola and Dr Mike Omotosho respectively, are campaigning for the President’s re-election.

    At the governorship level, the pertinent question is, what is the chances of the opposition in the  election?

    Ajibola, a senator for three consecutive terms, emerged as the PDP candidate against all odds. He  defeated other aspirants, including former presidential aide Senator Makanjuola Ajadi; former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN); ex-sports minister Alhaji Bio Ibrahim; former Federal Character Commission chair Prof. Shauib AbdulRaheem; Senator Gbemisola Saraki and Deacon John Dara, a crony of former Defence Minister Theophilus Danjuma.

    Ajibola’s emergence initially generated bad blood among co-aspirants. But, a reconciliatory meeting convened by the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party Chief Tony Anenih in Ilorin,  made the aggrieved contestants into burying the hatchet.

    The Chairman of the PDP Chief Iyiola Oyedepo said: “We are one big family and we are happy going into election with this oneness of spirit.” In the same vein, during the inauguration of the Campaign Team, the Minister of National Planning, Olanrewaju Suleiman said that “the PDP is one in Kwara and that we must vote for President Jonathan and our governorship candidate, Senator Ajibola.”

    Despite these assurances, many PDP supporters believe till date that the campaign style of Ajibola does not portray him as “a serious governorship candidate.”

    A source, who pleaded anonymity said: “When you offer him advice, he will not listen. Even when you call him on phone, he doesn’t pick calls. I am sure he has not committed his resources into this project apart from the money allegedly released to him by the Presidency. So, is that person a serious candidate?”

    Another source said that Ajibola could just be an agent “serving as a mole to a political power broker in the state.”

    He added: “From his behaviour, he may just be pretending to be a candidate of the opposition party. But, only time will reveal how he would fare.”

    Dispelling these insinuations, Oyedepo said the PDP poses a serious challenge to the APC, adding that the campaign strategies could never have been the same. “We are serious with our campaigns, which is led by no other person other than Dara. We are working very hard on daily basis and we do these based on the available funds at our disposal.

    The spokesman for the Simeon Ajibola Campaign Organisation (SSACO), Tajudeen Kareem, said its state-wide campaign tour would resume this week, after a brief break necessary to perfect its strategies and tidy up security arrangements.

    Besides, Dara said local government and ward campaign coordinators have been engaged in house-to-house consultation in the last two weeks, taking the PDP message of freedom and prosperity to the grassroots.”

    Dara also said there is no iota of truth in the insinuation that some PDP members are aggrieved because, in line with the PDP flag bearer’s policy, the organisation is running an all-inclusive campaign.

    “We have deliberately taken care of all interests in our party and that is why all our former governorship aspirants are fully involved in the campaign. If you notice, we have an unusually large campaign organisation. This is to ensure that all major stakeholders and all interest groups are carried along,” he explained.

    Many observers even see Omotosho as a more viable alternative. According to Abdulmumeen Onagun, former Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the LP candidate represents “an ideal choice for the type of governor that Kwara needs.”

    Onagun added: “Here is Omotosho, a trained pharmacist, an industrialist per excellence, one who has no godfather, but has the true God as his father. He is young, vibrant and widely travelled. If you look at his manifesto, you will see that he is the right man for the job.”

    Omotosho has touched the lives of many Kwarans with his scholarship schemes. Besides, he has taken his free medical missions to over 50 communities across the state, just as he remains the only governorship candidate in the state with supports for youth development and supports for the aged and people with special needs. He has equally procured over one million cooking stoves for the needs of women across the three Senatorial districts of the state.

    Omotoso said: “I pledge to submit my monthly salary to this noble scheme that shall be implemented with the true sense of service to God and humanity. Our social security scheme will directly affect three categories of people namely: the aged, the pensioners and the handicapped.

    “The government shall be committed to a monthly allowance to elderly ones beyond the age of 70. Kwara shall be the first state in Nigeria in the area of ensuring that those who served the people with the strength of their youth are not subjected to ridicule at old age.

    However, many perceive the governor to the strongest candidate. The impregnability of the Saraki dynasty, which is solidly behind Ahmed, coupled with his numerous achievements in the last four years in office, have put him in a better position to beat his rivals. Analysts say the governor would win on April 11 convincingly.

    Again, people’s desire for a change from the President Jonathan’s years of impunity, insecurity, corruption and misrule and the Buhari bug that has caught the electorate in Kwara is the icing on the cake for Ahmed.

     

  • APC faults Ribadu on change of C-in-C

    APC faults Ribadu on change of C-in-C

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has faulted statements credited to the Adamawa State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (APC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, that countries don’t change commander-in-chief during war.

    The party’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mr. Dele Alake, said yesterday in Lagos that Ribadu’s statement flies in the face of history and concrete reality.

    He said: “Contrary to Ribadu’s proposition, history and the concrete reality of the Nigerian situation have proved that the way out of the endemic insecurity in the country, especially the Northeast, is the change of the Commander-in-Chief. This is the change that the APC’s presidential flag bearer, General Muhammadu, eminently offers with his superior security strategy for Nigeria.  Indeed, the March 28 election is primarily about electing a competent commander-in-chief who is prepared to take ultimate responsibility for the war.”

    The APC said the constitution says the welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, but the tragic reality of Nigeria today is that the nation lacks a competent commander-in-chief to perform this constitutional duty.

    “What we have on display is an astonishing abandonment of responsibility in which President Goodluck Jonathan literally cedes his powers to service chiefs. President Jonathan has demonstrated his unmitigated inadequacy to secure Nigeria.”

    Noting the implication of Ribadu’s alibi for not changing the commander- in-chief, APC said many mature democracies would not have changed the party and persons running their administration, if this was true.

    “If Ribadu’s alibi for not changing Jonathan as commander-in-chief is extrapolated, there should be no need for elections when a nation is at war. Yet, the fact of election assumes the possibility of changing the incumbent commander-in-chief.

    “Former American President, George W. Bush, launched the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. If we go by Ribadu’s curious logic, Americans should have extended his tenure for a third term in 2008 when his time was up. Americans did not do such a thing. They rather elected another commander-in-chief on the platform of another party, President Barack Obama, to consummate the war. So, the war continued after Bush had ceased being commander-in-chief.”

    The APC reminded Ribadu that even leaders who led their countries to victory in war have also been changed.

    Citing the examples of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Britain after World War II and President H. W. Bush in the United States after the Gulf War, the APC said the issues of  insecurity, corruption and the worsening state of the economy with the free fall of the Naira were germane to the outcome of the election.

    It urged Ribadu and the leadership of the PDP to prepare for a free and fair election and abide by the verdict of the people.

     

  • 200 PDP members defect to APC at Yero’s ward

    200 PDP members defect to APC at Yero’s ward

    Kaduna State Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Abubakar Rilwan, has said over 200  members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the APC at Kaura Ward in Zaria Local Government.

    He spoke with reporters after APC members swept major streets in Zaria.

    Rilwan said the defectors, from Kaura Ward, joined APC last Friday ahead of PDP’s governorship campaign in Zaria Local Government on Saturday.

    According to him, about 6,000 defectors have concluded arrangements to register as APC members in local governments in zone one ahead of the elections.

    Rilwan, who is also the zonal chairman (North) in Kaduna State, enjoined traditional institutions to shun partisan politics, adding that they should  encourage political leaders to liberate Kaduna.

    He said: “Traditional institutions should remain as an authority that should always encourage  members of the community towards achieving goals devoid of sentiments or political affliation.”

    Rilwan said APC cherished positive change and was determined to liberate Kaduna  from poverty, non functional education and  corruption.

    He said their candidates would win all positions in the elections, and promised to prioritise security, education, farming, health, youth and women empowerment

    The APC vice chairman enjoined eligible voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which would enable them to vote.

  • 2015 elections: Jonathan covering his tracks, says APC

    2015 elections: Jonathan covering his tracks, says APC

    THE All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation has alleged that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was beginning to cover its tracks for fear of losing the rescheduled presidential elections.

    The campaign organisation said some of the Federal Government’s programmes being implemented by ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) ahead of the presidential election were aimed at protecting the Jonathan administration from the inevitability of General Muhammadu Buhari winning the presidential election and because of his zero-tolerance for corruption.

    Director of Media and Publicity of the Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that one of such policies was the independent revenue e-collection scheme under the Treasury Single Account initiative.

    Shehu described the Federal Government’s beginning of the initiative as “too little, too late” and only predicated on the anticipation of an inevitable win by Gen. Buhari in the March 28 presidential elections.

    He said: “These are obviously last-minute attempts by the President Goodluck Jonathan government to plug loopholes in federal revenue collection by centralising the process, a clear reaction to their expectation of Gen. Buhari’s coming to power.”

    He said the directive that all revenue collections of MDAs, which used to be deposited in banks, should now be sent directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund at the Central Bank of Nigeria through electronic payment channels was suspicious.

    His words: “They didn’t do this all these years, and now with barely four weeks to go, they suddenly think this is essential. It is even more suspicious when viewed along with the report of the inauguration of the Automated Aviation Revenue Project by the Ministry of Aviation. These people are clearly plugging the loopholes, obviously having stolen enough.

    “The idea to plug loopholes is on its own desirable, but it should worry any well-meaning Nigerian that it has taken this administration the better part of nearly six years for it to realise that the bane of this government is outright stealing, waste and mismanagement of resources.”

    Shehu recalled Gen. Buhari’s declaration at a Lagos town hall meeting last month that corruption would drop a significant percentage immediately he was announced winner of the elections, even before he began to take formal measures to stem official graft.

    “This is a clear manifestation of what the General said. They know they have only four weeks left in government and they have started covering their tracks.”

    The APC campaign organisation, however, said the president should blame himself for the poor quality of aides and advise that he has benefited from since his days as deputy governor of Bayelsa State.

    According to Shehu, the recent statement credited to the president on the quality of advice he has been receiving from his aides amounts to self-indictment and a revelation of the quality of person of the president.

    He added that the revelation by the president was an indication that since he had been in leadership positions, the people have had to cope with mediocre, insincere and poorly thought-out and un-coordinated leadership, adding that it was no wonder that leadership by Jonathan at the national level has been in “fits and starts, lacking coordination, depth and vision and unable in the past six years to lift the country from where he (Jonathan) met it”.

    Shehu noted: “We in the APC consider it an act of God, especially a few weeks to the March 28, 2015 presidential polls that President Jonathan who insists on his re-election should make this revelation which to a large extent gives a deep insight into his person and character.

    “The president or the leader of the country selects his aides and the reason behind the selection is to enable him understand the country and govern effectively. In the case where aides or advisers fail in their duty, the president or leader ought to accept responsibility as the buck stops on his table.”