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  • Ekiti: APC spokesmen slam govt’s response

    Ekiti: APC spokesmen slam govt’s response

    The Conference of the All Progressives Party (APC) Publicity Secretaries has condemned Federal Government’s response to the attack on Ekiti State judiciary.

    The group’s Chairman, Joe Igbokwe, said in a statement yesterday: “The response of the Federal Government to the attack on judges and the judiciary in Ekiti State is tardy and regrettable, and in the view of the Conference of APC State Publicity Secretaries (CAPS), there cannot be any other explanation except that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled Federal Government is interested in perverting justice in the Southwest state.

    “Our position is further reinforced by the fact that the sitting governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was on September 29 at a ceremony presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan officially addressed as ‘the former governor of Ekiti State’ without the intervention of the President or any of the government functionaries at the ceremony.

    “This shows PDP’s disregard for decorum, protocol and orderly conduct in preference to its whims and caprices. It shows the PDP has no regard for law and order and is ruled by the same selfish interests that have wrecked the country in its sad 15 years in power.

    “Never before in the chequered history of this nation has a lawful judicial tribunal of three learned judges been disrupted by known persons, who have been allowed to walk the streets and celebrate their crime.

    “Never before has a high court judge, no less a chief judge of a state, been physically brutalised by persons with high-stake political

    interests linked to that of the PDP-controlled Federal Government, and the security agencies controlled by the same government feigned helplessness, while the Federal Government simply listed the chief judges of neighbouring Southwest states for ‘national honours’.

    “’The assailants attacked Justice John Adeyeye, beat him up and ripped his clothes for being allegedly rude to Mr. Ayodele Fayose’, reported Premium Times, an online newspaper. When we expected the highest level of condemnation by a Federal Government that has been astute in bending the machinery of government to serve the nihilistic interests of the PDP, what we got was the listing of chief judges of neighbouring Southwest states, with the exclusion of Ekiti, for national honours. We wonder what else can convince Nigerians that the PDP-Federal Government is complicit in the assault on the temple and officers of justice in Ekiti.

    “The big question is: Did security fail or was it allowed to fail? Were the security agencies acting on instruction or the ludicrous ‘orders from above’ in feigning inaction as the Fayose- led PDP hoodlums and ghouls trampled and desecrated the hallowed portals of justice in Ekiti? Is what happened in Ekiti a state- sponsored act of terrorism targeted at the law to bend it to the desires of the PDP? When we remember that Fayose was impeached, is still facing a murder charge as well as a corruption charge and was seen good enough to be the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti, we feel certain that what happened with the brazen attack on the judiciary was a premeditated effort to muscle justice and pocket the judiciary and we feel certain that the Jonathan government and the PDP are complicit in this heinous crime against the state.

    “We suspect high level conspiracy in this crime against the judiciary. Our position is reinforced by the suspicious reaction of the PDP-Federal Government to this crime. Its reaction and actions betray a tacit support to this heinous crime and is indicative of its tacit support to the bestial act of Fayose and his thugs.

    “While we demand immediate action to save the judiciary from the hands of commissioned hoodlums, we urge the judiciary in Ekiti and elsewhere to stand firm and resist any attempt to cow it and make it a vassal of the PDP.”

  • Pray for good governance, says APC chief

    Pray for good governance, says APC chief

    A member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Chief Sam Nkire, has urged Nigerians to use the period of the Eid-el-Kabir to pray for good governance.

    He said bad governance and nepotism had robbed the country of its potential to be great.

    In his message to Muslims, made available to The Nation in Abuja yesterday, Nkire said they should not just embark on festivities, but should use the period to pray for good and purposeful governance.

    He said governance had gone so bad that Nigerians needed to pray to make their leaders change, adding that no amount of prayer was too much.

    Nkire said non-Muslims should also pray “at this festive season to ask God for a better leadership next year.”

    He said it was obvious that many criminals went into crimes due to bad governance arising from nepotism and corruption by the leaders.

    The APC chieftain said it was necessary that Nigerians should choose good leaders in the coming elections.

    He enjoined Nigerians to pray for an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

  • ‘Adopt Buhari as APC’s consensus candidate’

    ‘Adopt Buhari as APC’s consensus candidate’

    Supporters of former Head of State and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain General Muhammadu Buhari are pushing for his adoption as the party’s consensus presidential candidate.

    They are putting pressure on the APC leadership to drop its plan of a Modified Direct primary adopted by the National Executive Council, saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would infiltrate the primary.

    One of the general’s support groups, the Buhari Vanguard, in a statement, said having a consensus candidate would save cost and prevent rancour.

    Chairman of the group Jasper Azuatalam, who signed the statement, said the group considered all relevant laws, including the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution, as they relate to the emergence of a presidential candidate and concluded that consensus was the most viable, cost-effective and unifying option for the party.

    The statement reads: “As an opposition party that has promised to reduce corruption in Nigeria, it will be in good faith to avoid an indirect primary election, which will cost so much money and lead to financial inducement by some who still believe in money politics against credibility and popularity.

    “In the same manner, an indirect primary will give the ruling party an opportunity to infiltrate the APC by influencing delegates with money and planting moles within the delegates to influence who emerges as the presidential candidate. This is because they know the candidate to beat in the APC and the PDP will do all in its power to make sure that such candidate does not emerge as the APC’s presidential standard bearer.

    “We also believe that the bitterness, rancour and disaffection that may arise from the contest will weaken the APC and give the PDP undue advantage ahead of the 2015 presidential election. It is clear from all available statistics and parameters that the PDP has no locus standi in the 2015 presidential election, as it will lose woefully in a free and fair contest because of its abysmal performance in government, which has earned them the wrath of Nigerians.

    “A consensual arrangement, as stipulated in Article 20 of the APC’s Constitution and Section 87 (6) of the Electoral Act, is surely the best option available for the APC. This will save the APC the unnecessary litigations, rancour and strife that accompany presidential primaries. If the PDP, with all the resources available to it and the power of incumbency, is working towards a consensual arrangement by adopting Goodluck Jonathan, it will be unwise for an opposition party to want to sell the dangerous region.”

  • APC chietain joins House of Assembly race

    APC chietain joins House of Assembly race

    FormerChairman of  Ajeromi Local Government Area of Lagos State, Dr Abiola Ajijola, is eyeing the House of Assembly seat in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Constituency 1 in next year’s elections.

    The seat is currently occupied by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, who has been serving in the House since 1999.

    Ajijola said he wanted to bounce back, 17 years after leaving power. The medical practitioner said: “Although I left office in 1997 after a remarkable 16-month experience in grassroots administration before the military coup, I have always been a card-carrying member of progressive parties, including the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). In fact, I belong to the party’s apex leadership body known as G10 in my local government area.

    “I am in the race to step up my commitment to bringing the fruits of governance to the people. I firmly believe that,with patriotic representation in the House, my constituency should be better than it is today and it takes selfless representation driven by undiluted patriotism to turn things around for the people. This is my concern.”

    Ajijola said that the fifth term aganda of Hon. Taiwo would not threaten his ambition. He said: “He (Taiwo) is no threat to my ambition; in fact, most people see my coming out as his greatest challenge because of my popularity based on what I did when I was chairman and my unbroken relationship with the people. This is democracy, a system that gives room for freedom of choice by the electorate.

    “ Hon Taiwo has served for four terms in the House and people have seen what he could do. I feel it is simply fair for someone else to have a shot and bring his acumen to bear in further serving the constituency in the best interest of the people.”

    The aspirant said the exemplary services delivered by the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, when he governed the state and Governor Babatunde Fashola’s exploits are enough to convince Lagosians that the APC is better than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

  • ‘PDP can’t beat APC in Kwara’

    ‘PDP can’t beat APC in Kwara’

     Kwara South All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant Anu Ibiwoye, in this interview with ADEKUNLE JIMOH, speaks about the Ahmed Administration and why the governor deserves a second term.  

    Why are you contesting for the Senate?

    All of us are political beings and we look at what goes on in our environment. I have developed interest in politics when I was a banker and when I was Special Assistant to the Minister of Women Affairs and Youth Development. From that platform, I have become interested in what is going on in my community. I have realised that we do not have the kind of representation that we should have, particularly in the Kwara South. And when you look at the politicians on the field, I felt we needed to come out boldly to say we can improve on the quality of representation and we came into politics as a direct response to the gap that was obvious in our representation in Kwara South.

    I also believe there is the need to provide mentorship for our youths; young people that we can identify with, young people who can identify with us and who we could correct and channel their energies into constructive use. We felt that gap was there and they needed somebody who will be committed to the people in getting result.

    Do you think you have the wherewithal to delve into the murky waters of politics?

    I may not have the kind of money that people throw around in politics, but I have been able to achieve everything I needed to do. I am not playing money politics. I am not buying people. Of course, you need money to run your programmes, and projects, but I am not buying the people’s conscience.

    I am using the little that I have to project my message and appeal to the people. So far, God has been able to meet my needs. I have not borrowed or done any launching. I have not been begging. I have people who have supported me with their resources. I have people supporting me with their time and energy.

    There are different categories of people. There are people who are out to do a contract. We are going to pay them for the services they are rendering. There are other people who see themselves as partners in this project; that this thing we are doing belongs to all of us. It is not about monetary gains, but a commitment to what we want to achieve. Politics is not about money. Some people have money and they are throwing it around. But, you also find out that it is not how much you spend that determines what you get; it is about how well you are able to connect to the people.

    Politics in Nigeria has been monetised because of poverty and  deprivation. We hope we can get more people to do empowerment programmes to alleviate poverty in addition to what government is doing. So, it is something that we all must collectively to move this country forward.

    What is the assurance that you will emerge as the senatorial candidate at the primaries?

    I am happy that the party has said there is no automatic ticket for anybody. It means everybody will go to the electorate to canvass for votes. That is a right step in the right direction. At least, it is a departure from imposition. In 2011, I also had the opportunity to do what I am trying to do now and you will also see that we are course. We ran election in 2011 and even, when we did not win, we did not leave Kwara.

    We didn’t leave the people. We have continued on the course and  we have metamorphosed into the APC. We have been building the party; working with leadership and government to ensure that the dividends of democracy are delivered to the people. You find out that government is now more responsive, more proactive and it is more committed to delivering dividends of democracy to the people. So, this for me, is not only about position, but it is about getting a better society for our people through representation.

    You are from the South. What is your view on the second term ambition of Governor Ahmed?

    Naturally, the South should be allowed to have a second shot at the governorship. I think more importantly, I would support the governor for a second term. This is necessary to ensure stability and enable him complete his programmes. The governor has done well and he has good intention for the people, particularly people of the South. I have interacted with him personally and I was with him while on tour of project sites in Kwara South. We saw rural electrification and roads under construction and more importantly, he had an opportunity to get a feedback from the people.

    I am a committed supporter of his second term because I believe that that will afford him the opportunity to complete those projects he has started.

     Is Kwara better under the APC administration?

    Certainly, Kwara will fare better under the APC. One of the problems we are facing is that the Federal Government has not been accountable to the people. They have always relied on the federal might. Now, you have a government that is in the opposition at the national and state levels. We have seen in Nigeria today that it is possible for an incumbent to lose an election. We saw that in Ekiti. We have also seen in Osun that it is possible for an incumbent to retain power, if he is in touch with the people at the grassroots and delivering dividends of democracy.  There is no federal might that can displace you. Now, more than ever before, the people have become the centre of the activities of government. So, there is change and it is clear.

    PDP is banking on the federal might to wrest power from the APC in Kwara. What is your view?

    They should go and learn from Osun. The federal might will not deliver anything to the PDP. It is a misplaced priority and I think they should go and work to get popular votes from the electorate. The federal might will not deliver anything to anybody in Kwara. This government is with the people. The people have decided to stay with the APC and there is no federal might that canh change anything in Kwara. We have made our choice and the APC is our choice.

    What is your reaction to Saraki’s defection to the APC

    My interpretation of what had happened is that it has become very clear that Nigeria needs a rescue mission and Saraki is a very influential politician. He has been a major supporter of government; a major stabiliser. He was the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum for almost four years and that forum brought stability to governance. And, at a critical point, when late President Yar’Adua died, the forum brought stability in a transition.

    Some governors insisted that the Federal Government should do the right thing and when they refused to do that, a few of them took a decision to join the progressives to salvage the country. His defection to the APC was a bold step at rescuing Nigeria from the crutches of people who currently run the country; who have no will to rescue Nigeria from the myriad of problems confronting the country. These problems include insecurity, corruption, unemployment and power outage. This is the time when like-minded people should come together to rescue the country so that we can move forward. And I believe that Senator Bukola Saraki is leading that group of people to chart a new political course for this country.

    What is your advice to Kwara youths?

    The future belongs to the young people and, as long as they do not brace up for the challenge, things that are important will continue to elude them. There are opportunities for many young people in Nigeria. Dr Bukola Saraki was a governor as a youth and it is very clear that he has laid the foundation for greatness in Kwara. A generation of young people is running this country. We must get our young people prepared to take responsibilities because, if theydo not focus and channel their energies to constructive use, these opportunities will continue to elude them. I am a young man and I have come this far by dint of hard work and commitment and I believe we should harness the potentials of our youths and channel their energies to constructive use so that they can truly be the leaders of tomorrow.

  • 2015: Delta APC to give women, physically challenged free nomination forms

    2015: Delta APC to give women, physically challenged free nomination forms

    •Warns party leaders against imposition of candidates

    THE Delta State Executive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has promised to give women and physically challenged members of the party aspiring for elective positions, free nomination forms.

    The party leadership has also warned party leaders to avoid plans to impose candidates on the aspirants in the 2015 general election, urging party leaders to go on consensus but that where it fails, the party should conduct free and fair primaries for all aspirants.

    The state chairman, Prophet Jones Ode Erue made this statement in Ozoro, Isoko North local government area of the state while addressing members of the party at a stakeholders’ meeting drawn from the 25 councils of the state.

    Erue said the stakeholders’ meeting of the party was conveyed to discuss the forthcoming local government election coming up on October 25th, 2014, and ensure that the APC is not rigged out by the ruling party.

    Some of the party leaders, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori and former Senator Spanner Okpozo in their separate statements at the party’s stakeholders’ meeting advised the party members and leaders to shun all forms of imposition and anointing of aspirants, adding that all aspirants be allowed for a level play ground and where the leaders could not agree on consensus candidate.

  • Chief Deji Fasuan at 83: Scaling accidents of life!

    Chief Deji Fasuan at 83: Scaling accidents of life!

    In Scaling Accidents of Life, the author is seen copiously quoting, with an amazing power of recall, events of the past 70-75 years both here in Nigeria and elsewhere

    Sincere apologies  to  the wonderful readers of this column as it momentarily diverts from  our ongoing periscoping the ideal  APC candidate  for the 2015  presidential election to give due honour to one so thoroughly deserving(of it). Had the young Deji Fasuan been only half as rascally as he was in elementary school, he most probably would never have attended Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, and his entire life trajectory would certainly have been different.  Writes  the author in his  soon to be presented, 415-page autobiography: SCALING ACCIDENTS OF LIFE: ‘It was at a class in Are-Ekiti in 1945. I sat on the last row and, as usual, was certainly not listening to my class teacher when I impulsively answered ‘I WILL SIR’. Asked what I was affirming, I looked clueless whereupon he told me:  ‘Like it or not, I will send your name to Dallimore for the entrance examination to Christ’s School, next month’. I would not only  subsequently write the exam but  pass and got  admitted. His life ambition before attending Christ’s School was as uncomplicated as just wanting to pass Standard Six, become a pupil teacher and, if  lucky, attend  St Andrew’s College, Oyo,  but God purposed by far differently for this octogenarian from  Okedoba Quarters, Afao-Ekiti.

    As he turns 83 this week, I bring to the public space, glimpses of his life of ‘divine’ ACCIDENTS, the seventh and last of which, would see him catapulted to the position of a Chief Executive Officer of a huge Western Regional corporation. A proper review of Scaling Accidents of Life should, God willing, come shortly after the book’s official launch already tentatively slated for Thursday, 27 November, 2014.

    After a short stint in the civil service, Chief Fasuan in 1955, again miraculously, since he did not apply for admission by himself, gained admission to Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, where he graduated in Economics in 1959. A rash of jobs  later, he soon  got  employed at the Western Nigeria Development Corporation (WNDC), where, as Liaison Officer,  he represented the government of the  region  on  many companies in the emerging Ikeja, Ilupeju and Apapa Industrial Estates. Among these were the Nigerian Textile mills, Wrought Iron Nigeria, Pepsi Cola, Ikeja Airport Hotels, WAPCO, Guinness, Nigerite, and Dunlop. He would later serve on the board of most of the companies.

    In Scaling Accidents of Life, the author  is seen copiously quoting, with  an amazing power of recall, events of the past 70-75 years both here in Nigeria and elsewhere. In his Foreword to the book, Aare Afe Babalola, Owner/Founder of the incomparable Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti,(ABUAD), wrote: This book  is a rare and robust compendium featuring a combination of the author’s humble beginning, his rich experience as an investment banker and public servant of note and one  guaranteed to be a useful and helpful companion for those who desire to learn a lesson in contentment and honesty.

    Divided into 36 chapters, seven of which are devoted to the seven ‘accidents, the book could justifiably have been titled: GOD IN MY LIFE. This piece opened with the very first. The second teaches a lesson in openness and the essence of  not being unnecessarily secretive with friends.  The author’s friend, Mr Joseph Adeniyi, leveraged on his knowing the details of his friend’s school certificate result to respond on his behalf to an advert for admission into Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone. That was an advert he stood no chance of seeing as he was visiting home. As it turned out, his letter of admission arrived several weeks ahead of his friend’s who had even thought he probably wasn’t admitted. The third accident was much more fortuitous. Cash strapped, most of the time at the university, how he was going to spend his December holidays  in 1955 was clearly beyond him as he could neither pay his passage to Nigeria nor afford to pay  the university for  his feeding and accommodation during the 4-week vacation. He was still ruminating over this when on the Saturday preceding the commencement, mother luck took him to the CMS Bookshop in town. While glued to the section on biographies, he got a gentle tap on the back. Turning, he was face to face with the Archbishop of West Africa, Anglican Communion, who was based in Lagos but made a brief stopover in Freetown on his way to England. On enquiries, His Lordship not only got to know that he is a Nigerian, but that he was from Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti. ‘Ooh, you must be a good boy’, said the Archbishop, who promptly introduced him to the local priest. The literally stranded young man would be the priest’s guest, not only on that occasion but on many more – the hand of God, indeed.

    The fourth  also revolved around money -this time, his fees , failure to pay  which would  see him ‘sent down the hill’, that is, drop out. His fees, to date, had been paid from personal savings and all  manner of  hardly sufficient fund raisers  by relations but the  sheer inadequacy had led him to  the Teachers Training College, Ikere Ekiti  with which he signed an accord to teach for  two years for every year of sponsorship after  graduation. By the time the second tranche was due, the school headship had changed and the new principal, if he would continue at all, had  added some disagreeable conditions  which he , in turn, promptly rejected though he knew not how he was going to pay. This was when the miracle happened again, as the College Bursar, totally out of the blues, inadvertently sent the money to the university and thus saved his brushes.

    The fifth would happen far away in the United States of America. On his way to attend  a World Bank Project Analysis course in the spring of ’72,  he  had a brief stopover in London where, at the African Continental Bank branch, he  changed  his pound sterling traveller’s cheques to dollars but  inexplainably forgot to collect them from the Manager, Mr C.B Akintola.  He did not discover this until his plane landed at the Foster Dulles Airport in Washington. Naturally, he looked completely lost as  he went through airport formalities. This was the point at which a total stranger forcibly tucked a five dollar bill in his pocket and advised he took a train to his hotel rather than a cab. Entering his hotel room, he met an envelope, addressed to him,  containing 25 dollars and  intended to cover his preliminary expenses. The ACB Manager later forwarded his traveller’s cheque to him. The sixth accident had to do with a plot in his  office  but which collapsed completely and redounded to his advantage. He was unjustly transferred to the industrial department which they considered a ‘Siberia’  with the intention of  hampering his progress only for him to have much faster rise than the plotters. As it would happen, the  incumbent acting Head of Department had to be transferred because he did not possess adequate qualifications and chief was  promptly made to head the department.

    The seventh, and final accident, has to do with his name being put as number one on the list of those to be compulsorily retired shortly after he had just been promoted Director of Investment Supervision. This was during the general civil service  purge  but upon further enquiries by the governor, Gen  David Jemibewon, the Secretary to the State  Government wrote an opinion, describing him in superlative terms. The situation drew the ire of the governor who promptly ordered the immediate removal of his boss and appointed him in his place.

    Many more instances will qualify as  divine accidents in the life of a straight talking Chief Oladeji Fasuan; a man in whom there is no guile and who has, with enormous justification, earned the reputation of one who says it as it is. Scaling Accidents of Life will be a worthy addition to any library.

  • When APC leaders stormed Kogi

    Tony Akowe captures the rhythm of the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) political rally in Kogi where many chieftains of Peoples Democratic Party defected to APC

    As early as 10.00 am, they began to arrive at the Lokoja Township Stadium bearing different banners and campaign posters of party chieftains and chanting the praises of the party while denigrating the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. It was a rally organised by the party to receive members of the PDP who were dumping the party for the APC. All roads leading to the stadium were practically taken over by the supporters, while the police had a hectic time controlling the crowd.

    Campaign posters of former military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President,  Atiku Abubakar, and Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso were everywhere in the stadium and so were those of the aspirants to the various political offices in Kogi State, from the State House of Assembly to the Senate. Surprisingly, there were no campaign posters for the position of the governor at the stadium.

    While the people waited for the dignitaries to arrive for the rally scheduled to begin at 12.00 noon, they sang, danced and made caricature of the PDP.

    The arrival of Governor Kwankwaso threw the stadium into excitement which grew stronger as other personalities arrived the stadium. Atiku Abubakar, General Muhammadu Buhari and the leader of the party in the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, all arrived at the stadium almost at the same time to the admiration of the people.

    But with the event ready for a smooth take off at about 1.35, The Master of Ceremony and former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, announced that the plane carrying one of the national leaders of the party and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was on his way to the event with two unnamed governors from the South-West were prevented from landing at the Obajana Airstrip. He announced later that former Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, was also prevented from landing in the state to attend the event.

    The Nation gathered that the present PDP government in the state has practically frustrated some of the party leaders in the state, including a former party chairman of the PDP for eight years, relegating them to the background in the administration of the state and failing to heed advice to develop the state.

    Speaking at the event, the APC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, said the day marked the end of the PDP in Kogi State and Nigeria. Ametuo expressed the belief that with some of the top leaders of the ruling party joining the main opposition party in the state, the state was set to witness a tremendous transformation. He said that under the PDP government, Kogo has suffered from what he called leadership kwashiorkor. According to him, the APC was the best party for Nigeria and Kogi State, saying “we have to vote the PDP out in the forthcoming election”. He told the decampees that “as you join the APC, you have become equal partners with the founders of the party. We must join hands to push out the party that has saddled us with insecurity and lack of development for a long time”.

    National Chairman of the Party and former Edo State governor, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who arrived the stadium alongside some national officers of the party just as the Deputy National Chairman was receiving the decampees, told the gathering that they had remained out of power and allowed Idris Wada to mismanage the state because they failed to protect their votes. He said “As I drive to this stadium, I saw serious mismanagement of resources as the road was virtually impassable. Look at the roof of this stadium, it is an eyesore. We must not allow what happened during the election into the Niger East Senatorial  election to happen again. I will tell you a story. I was at an event during the election and the chairman of the occasion was a PDP member. When the results were coming in, he left his seat and came to show me the results he had received. From that result, it was clear that where we were winning because there was nowhere they got up to 25 percent of the votes. But we started celebrating and went to sleep; but they did not go to sleep and that was how we lost that election.”

    Oyegun said further that “the APC is growing so fast. Many of you know I have been here three times in the past and I tell you this is the greatest number of crowd I have seen. The PDP is finished anyway. Have we forgotten the N20 billion? Have we forgotten the N225 million armored tank? Can we forget the $9.6 million? Can we forget Boko Haram? And, look at it here in Kogi State, look at the very stadium we are standing, where the government cannot fix its roofs. But, I want to tell you that as soon as APC comes into power, we will change all these for the better. Teachers are not paid, workers are not paid and it is a challenge for you to ensure that they do not rise again. It is not an easy job, but we shall not make the mistake we made in the past. I want to assure you that APC is the only party with vision, dependable and willing to do the needful.”

    The Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawal Shuibu, who received the decampees which include two former Speakers of the Kogi State House of Assembly and a two time PDP chairman in the state, said the event marked the end of the PDP in the state with the exit of some of the former leaders of the party since 1999. He explained that the APC believes in good governance which has been lacking in the state, pointing out that since the inception of PDP government, the state has witnessed total lack of development and insecurity.

    Other speakers emphasised the need to vote out the PDP in the next election, especially in the state which has suffered from lack of development since the inception of the present administration. Buhari told the gathering that the only way they can vote out the PDP was by ensuring that they collect their voters cards, while those who have lost theirs, or destroyed them should take advantage of the update of the voters register to go and register. He assured them of the determination of the APC to secure and effectively manage Nigeria, promising that the party, if elected, will provide good healthcare, security and qualitative education which had eluded Nigerians since 1999. He said “the APC will stop the stealing of the money that belongs to all. This is the only opportunity we have to get the only country we have back into good reckoning. Let those who cannot perform give way to those who can do the job”. He reminded them of the task ahead saying “in the next five months, there will be no sleep, there will be no rest until we take over Aso Rock”.

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who stole the heart of the audience with his Change Wada and Change Jonathan slogan told them that they lost the government house to the PDP because they failed to defend their votes in the last elections and enjoined them not to allow the same thing to happen in the next elections. In the next election, he said the people must be prepared to defend their votes if they hope to have a quality government in place in the state, pointing out that both Governor Idris Wada and President Goodluck Jonathan have failed Nigerians.

    Atiku, who had his supporters in good numbers displaying his campaign posters, expressed confidence that APC will emerge victorious at the next presidential election in 2015.

    Kwankwasiyan exponent, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, expressed worry about the rising rate of corruption, insecurity and total lack of development in the country. He assured that the APC was prepared to give the country a new type of leadership and free it from bad leadership. The Kano state governor said: “There is corruption in the land, in the air and water, crude oil theft, Boko Haram in the north, kidnapping in the south, no electricity and no jobs. This is why we need change in the country. APC is prepared to make the country a better place”.

    While welcoming the defectors to the party, he urged all those who may have left the APC to make a detour in order to join hands with the progressives to salvage the country.

    Other dignitaries at the rally included, APC Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, National Deputy Chairman, South West, Engr. Segun Oni, former governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, former

    Minister of State for Petroleum, Shuaib Abdullahi, APC National Treasurer, Bala Muhammed and National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, among.

    Those who joined the party with their supporters are two former speakers who at one time or the other acted as governor, Clarence Olafemi, Abdulahi Bello, Alhajj Ibrahim Aliko, Chief John Odanwu, Amb.  Isaac Onu, former members of the state House of Assembly, including,  a member representing Kogi Constituency, Salihu Akawu, and  10 former chairmen of local government councils.

  • Ambode and the politics of BRF’s successor

    The release of the time-table for party primaries by the All Progressives Congress (APC) has increased the tempo of political activities in most of the states. Returning lawmakers, particularly those who never frequented their constituencies while in Abuja, were shocked at the number of people already jostling and lobbying for their positions. These days, you see some of these Abuja returnees being nice guys, giving out money and buying Keke Marwa, grinding machines, sewing machines, transformers for the constituencies that they abandoned while in Abuja. The flowing robes and sprawling gowns, the trademark of Abuja opulence and flamboyance, can no longer cover their ineffectiveness, failings and frailties. Now, it is pay-back time. The billboards, the posters, the stickers, the banners, the flyers which are the media of reaching out to the people, are back again.

    But beyond the glitz and glamour of the campaign are intrigues and the artifice of the game. Of particular interest to this writer, is what is going on in Lagos State where the most visible governorship aspirant, Akinwunmi Ambode competes with other aspirants on his trail. Ambode, a complete gentleman of consummate humility and a meticulous technocrat, was the Accountant-General of Lagos State before he resigned in 2012, and before his foray into politics. While he was in the service, he worked with Bola Tinubu in different capacities but all within the Ministry of Finance. It was in the course of these interactions that Tinubu, himself an accountant, got to know him as a very transparent, disciplined, hardworking and pertinacious professional. Ambode’s expertise in financial engineering and economic management endeared him to Tinubu who never hesitated to advise him to join politics immediately he resigned as the state Accountant-General under Fashola’s administration. Ambode’s closeness to Tinubu paid off when it was time to begin the search for BRF’s successor. It was not an easy selection. Ambode’s eventual choice was, however, made easy when it was agreed at a caucus meeting that the financial situation of Lagos State demanded for a forthright and perspicacious professional who can manage the debt profile of the state in a way that will justify the reasons for obtaining the loans.

    According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Lagos State owes 33.8% of the country’s total sub-national external debts. The state reportedly owes $1.01 billion of the total states’ external debt of $3.01 billion. Components of this debt include $837.91 million from multilateral bodies and $82.5 million from bilateral sources. Displaying his understanding of the debt issue, Ambode at a political forum defended the state by enlightening the people that debt should not be analysed in isolation but considered in relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He added that most of Lagos debt went into financing projects to increase its revenue-generating capability and ensure it remains credit worthy. His position was reinforced and supported by the DMO which stated that the debt was sustainable and within healthy limits within the context of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    But if Ambode thought that his robust analysis of the state’s debt scenario would impress them at Alausa in a way that would make BRF to support his aspiration, he was wrong. BRF, the incumbent, has obviously committed himself to some other aspirant and it is evident from his body language that he is not ready to retreat.

    With this declarative stance, BRF seems to have drawn the battle line. Speculation in political circles is that his preferred candidate for the governor’s seat is Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, (KOH) the son of Olu of Afowowa Sogaade in Ewekoro Local Governement, Ogun State. Though Hamzat’s scribbling supporters have laboured strenuously to exploit the fluidity and fragility of the Yoruba settlements to justify their principal’s genealogical claim to Lagos, what they fail to understand is that despite the migratory nature of Yoruba settlers, every Yoruba family can still trace their genealogy to a particular Yoruba town or village. If Hamzat’s father therefore was able to trace his roots to Ewekoro and consequently became the Oba of Afowowa, it simply illustrates the fact that the genealogy of the family is rooted in Ewekoro, not Lagos. The dynamics of Yoruba migratory settlements is not a historical justification for automatic conferment of indigeneship status. Instead, it only attests to the concept of Omoluabi which makes the Yoruba to see themselves as one. It is, therefore, unfair that the accomodationist spirit of the Lagos people is now being used to deprive them of a strategic position that is rightfully theirs going by historical antecedents.

    Besides, for Hamzat’s father to be crowned an Oba in a village in Ogun State and the son to become governor of Lagos State is nothing but an act of ingratitude to those who provided shelter for the family in the course of their migration to Lagos. The fluidity of the Yoruba settlements should not be an avenue for political opportunism but rather, it should be seen as a symbol of cultural accommodation. This is just a relevant digression.

    The common excuse from the opposition is that Ambode was a bad choice, but the same Tinubu said to be sympathetic towards his bid also made the BRF choice and put his political credibility and integrity on the line by sticking to that choice in the heat of stiff opposition from aggrieved aspirants back then.

    Has BRF not proven to be a very good choice? In a very rare sequence of succession arrangement, the exit of Tinubu heralded the exposure of BRF. Today, BRF’s legacy located in massive construction of new roads, light rail, expansion and rehabilitation of existing ones, extensive landscaping and environmental beautification, agricultural and industrial revolution, radical health services, provision of security, expansive infrastructure development and aggressive service delivery have endeared him to both civil society groups and the political class.

    In appreciation of this revolutionary impact, the society had unconsciously formulated a new socio-political construct to acknowledge the BRF ideology as an ideal conceptual national platform for good governance. In a piece I did on BRF sometime, I wrote inter alia: “…. It is nonplus that a very apolitical BRF is now being celebrated as one of the governors whose performance has attracted both local and international plaudit. The standard he has set in governance despite operating at the state level, is as salient as what some country leaders would hawk as epoch-making accomplishments”

    So, what could have gone wrong that BRF, a product of Tinubu’s discovery, would not back the supposed choice of his mentor? Agreed that both of them (BRF and Hamzat) are free to exercise their right to democratic participation in order to realize their political aspiration, I am only concerned about the fact that collision between “father” and “son” could have been avoided.

    In trying to repudiate a statement credited to him in his interview with a national newspaper, Hamzat wrote: “I, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat owe Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a lot of gratitude because GOD has been using him for me….. specifically, apart from GOD Almighty, Asiwaju has been contributing to my successes in government and outside. He was the one that brought me back into Nigeria from USA and all that I have achieved politically must be attributed to his support.”

    For a man who claimed that Tinubu did all that for him, would it not have been more dignifying, decorous, courteous and gratifying to respect and support Ambode, who’s said to be Tinubu’s candidate, rather than confronting his choice? By implication, Hamzat is not competing with Ambode but Tinubu. Assuming, but not conceding, that Tinubu’s candidate loses to Hamzat, will Hamzat and his sponsor take delight in celebrating their victory and leaving Tinubu to mourn his defeat? They cannot deny that they will not celebrate if they win because there is no sobriety in victory. But what will be the gain if the man who brought them to fame ends his political career in shame? A case of one biting the fingers that fed him!

    The story of Gbenga Ashafa will help in elucidating this point. Senator Gbenga Ashafa was employed into the Lagos State Civil Service as a director by Tinubu in 1999. From his position as a director in the Governor’s office, Tinubu moved Ashafa to the Ministry of Lands as the Executive Secretary and later he was made the Permanent Secretary of the same ministry. It was from there he forayed into politics and through Tinubu’s intervention became a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Like Hamzat, Ashafa was also interested in the governorship. He consulted Tinubu on his ambition and the latter told him to keep working until the caucus decides who to adopt out of an army of aspirants that were lobbying him. Ashafa promised to collapse his group and support whoever was eventually favoured. As soon as signals pointed to Ambode, in deference to Tinubu, Ashafa collapsed his group and started working on his re-election as a senator representing Lagos East. Though some mischievous elements placed Ashafa’s billboards at strategic points in the state, those who are close to him knew it was all politics.

    Kowtowing and showing reverence to one’s benefactor is not stupidity but a sign of strong moral character and maturity. Why must a man be desperate to fulfill his ambition by betraying the one that gave him the inspiration for the ambition? Whatever resources and network those in power have today were made possible by the fact that Tinubu brought them into his administration without them being able to boast of any political structure. The world is full of people with ambitions and if we are all desperate to achieve our ambitions by throwing loyalty to the winds, the ethereal space will become a narrow-gate chaos. Over to you, pool scribblers!

  • When APC leaders stormed Kogi

    When APC leaders stormed Kogi

    Tony Akowe captures the rhythm of the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) political rally in Kogi where many chieftains of Peoples Democratic Party defected to APC

    As early as 10.00 am, they began to arrive at the Lokoja Township Stadium bearing different banners and campaign posters of party chieftains and chanting the praises of the party while denigrating the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. It was a rally organised by the party to receive members of the PDP who were dumping the party for the APC. All roads leading to the stadium were practically taken over by the supporters, while the police had a hectic time controlling the crowd.

    Campaign posters of former military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President,  Atiku Abubakar, and Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso were everywhere in the stadium and so were those of the aspirants to the various political offices in Kogi State, from the State House of Assembly to the Senate. Surprisingly, there were no campaign posters for the position of the governor at the stadium.

    While the people waited for the dignitaries to arrive for the rally scheduled to begin at 12.00 noon, they sang, danced and made caricature of the PDP.

    The arrival of Governor Kwankwaso threw the stadium into excitement which grew stronger as other personalities arrived the stadium. Atiku Abubakar, General Muhammadu Buhari and the leader of the party in the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, all arrived at the stadium almost at the same time to the admiration of the people.

    But with the event ready for a smooth take off at about 1.35, The Master of Ceremony and former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, announced that the plane carrying one of the national leaders of the party and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was on his way to the event with two unnamed governors from the South-West were prevented from landing at the Obajana Airstrip. He announced later that former Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, was also prevented from landing in the state to attend the event.

    The Nation gathered that the present PDP government in the state has practically frustrated some of the party leaders in the state, including a former party chairman of the PDP for eight years, relegating them to the background in the administration of the state and failing to heed advice to develop the state.

    Speaking at the event, the APC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, said the day marked the end of the PDP in Kogi State and Nigeria. Ametuo expressed the belief that with some of the top leaders of the ruling party joining the main opposition party in the state, the state was set to witness a tremendous transformation. He said that under the PDP government, Kogo has suffered from what he called leadership kwashiorkor. According to him, the APC was the best party for Nigeria and Kogi State, saying “we have to vote the PDP out in the forthcoming election”. He told the decampees that “as you join the APC, you have become equal partners with the founders of the party. We must join hands to push out the party that has saddled us with insecurity and lack of development for a long time”.

    National Chairman of the Party and former Edo State governor, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who arrived the stadium alongside some national officers of the party just as the Deputy National Chairman was receiving the decampees, told the gathering that they had remained out of power and allowed Idris Wada to mismanage the state because they failed to protect their votes. He said “As I drive to this stadium, I saw serious mismanagement of resources as the road was virtually impassable. Look at the roof of this stadium, it is an eyesore. We must not allow what happened during the election into the Niger East Senatorial  election to happen again. I will tell you a story. I was at an event during the election and the chairman of the occasion was a PDP member. When the results were coming in, he left his seat and came to show me the results he had received. From that result, it was clear that where we were winning because there was nowhere they got up to 25 percent of the votes. But we started celebrating and went to sleep; but they did not go to sleep and that was how we lost that election.”

    Oyegun said further that “the APC is growing so fast. Many of you know I have been here three times in the past and I tell you this is the greatest number of crowd I have seen. The PDP is finished anyway. Have we forgotten the N20 billion? Have we forgotten the N225 million armored tank? Can we forget the $9.6 million? Can we forget Boko Haram? And, look at it here in Kogi State, look at the very stadium we are standing, where the government cannot fix its roofs. But, I want to tell you that as soon as APC comes into power, we will change all these for the better. Teachers are not paid, workers are not paid and it is a challenge for you to ensure that they do not rise again. It is not an easy job, but we shall not make the mistake we made in the past. I want to assure you that APC is the only party with vision, dependable and willing to do the needful.”

    The Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawal Shuibu, who received the decampees which include two former Speakers of the Kogi State House of Assembly and a two time PDP chairman in the state, said the event marked the end of the PDP in the state with the exit of some of the former leaders of the party since 1999. He explained that the APC believes in good governance which has been lacking in the state, pointing out that since the inception of PDP government, the state has witnessed total lack of development and insecurity.

    Other speakers emphasised the need to vote out the PDP in the next election, especially in the state which has suffered from lack of development since the inception of the present administration. Buhari told the gathering that the only way they can vote out the PDP was by ensuring that they collect their voters cards, while those who have lost theirs, or destroyed them should take advantage of the update of the voters register to go and register. He assured them of the determination of the APC to secure and effectively manage Nigeria, promising that the party, if elected, will provide good healthcare, security and qualitative education which had eluded Nigerians since 1999. He said “the APC will stop the stealing of the money that belongs to all. This is the only opportunity we have to get the only country we have back into good reckoning. Let those who cannot perform give way to those who can do the job”. He reminded them of the task ahead saying “in the next five months, there will be no sleep, there will be no rest until we take over Aso Rock”.

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who stole the heart of the audience with his Change Wada and Change Jonathan slogan told them that they lost the government house to the PDP because they failed to defend their votes in the last elections and enjoined them not to allow the same thing to happen in the next elections. In the next election, he said the people must be prepared to defend their votes if they hope to have a quality government in place in the state, pointing out that both Governor Idris Wada and President Goodluck Jonathan have failed Nigerians.

    Atiku, who had his supporters in good numbers displaying his campaign posters, expressed confidence that APC will emerge victorious at the next presidential election in 2015.

    Kwankwasiyan exponent, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, expressed worry about the rising rate of corruption, insecurity and total lack of development in the country. He assured that the APC was prepared to give the country a new type of leadership and free it from bad leadership. The Kano state governor said: “There is corruption in the land, in the air and water, crude oil theft, Boko Haram in the north, kidnapping in the south, no electricity and no jobs. This is why we need change in the country. APC is prepared to make the country a better place”.

    While welcoming the defectors to the party, he urged all those who may have left the APC to make a detour in order to join hands with the progressives to salvage the country.

    Other dignitaries at the rally included, APC Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, National Deputy Chairman, South West, Engr. Segun Oni, former governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, former

    Minister of State for Petroleum, Shuaib Abdullahi, APC National Treasurer, Bala Muhammed and National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, among.

    Those who joined the party with their supporters are two former speakers who at one time or the other acted as governor, Clarence Olafemi, Abdulahi Bello, Alhajj Ibrahim Aliko, Chief John Odanwu, Amb.  Isaac Onu, former members of the state House of Assembly, including,  a member representing Kogi Constituency, Salihu Akawu, and  10 former chairmen of local government councils.