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  • Council chief relives ordeal with police

    •’I was rortured and detained’
    •‘I didn’t tear Jonathan’s poster’

    The Caretaker Chairman of Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State, Emeka Wogu, has recounted how he was detained and tortured by policemen for allegedly tearing a campaign billboard of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Wogu, a staunch supporter of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, said he had no hands in the alleged act.

    The council chief, in company of Special Duties Commissioner Dickson Umunakwe and the Publicity Secretary of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chris Finebone, addressed reporters on Sunday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    Wogu said the police threw him into a cell with over 150 armed robbers.

    The police command, under Tunde Ogunsakin, alleged that Wogu destroyed the President’s billboard but the council chairman denied the allegation.

    Wogu said: “On August 25, my wife organised a prayer meeting with some Omuma women at the local government secretariat. Two policemen, attached to the council by the Eberi Omuma Police Division, escorted them to Omuma for the prayer. As the local government chairman, I had a Joint Account Committee (JAC) meeting same day in Port Harcourt at the Ministry of Local Government Affairs. I was nowhere close to Omuma Local Government Area that day. It was after the JAC meeting that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) called me in the evening that a few Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ‘boys’ had an instruction to damage the All Progressives Congress (APC) billboards in retaliation for a gun shot by one of the policemen from Eberi Omuma, who escorted the women to the prayer section. He said the bullet hit the billboard of Mr. President, erected by the PDP in Omuma.

    “So, my reply to the DPO was: ‘Maintain the peace; calm them down. Tell them that it was not APC, it was shot by a Nigerian police officer and the officer is not an APC member. I said the next day, I will come home to see if the damage was much since they were accompanying my wife and some women. I promised, in the interest of peace, to repair or replace the billboard for them.

    “But the next morning, my local government party chairman, Charles Amaefule, called Kelechi Nwogu, a member representing Omuma Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly (and the PDP leader in the local government), to know why some PDP supporters destroyed APC billboards. That same night, we got a report that PDP members engaged about six armed men, around 2am. Between 1am and 2am, they went round Wards 1 and 2 and pulled down over seven APC billboards and set them on fire. When my party chairman called Nwogu to find out why he sent PDP thugs to destroy APC billboards, I overheard him on phone asking why the council chairman called to beg him.

    “After the call, I rushed down to my place at Omuma because of the tension the PDP thugs were mounting on my council. I got home and addressed the APC youth, who wanted to retaliate the damage of seven APC billboards and flags, the Nigerian flag.”

    The chairman said he asked Kingsley Nwawu why his party was destroying APC property. He (Nwawu) said there was a plan to ensure that the policeman who allegedly shot at the President’s billboard was dismissed and my wife arrested and taken to Abuja for questioning.

    Wogu added: “He said if I wanted that to stop, he would speak to Nwogu, who claimed to have a link with the Presidency, that Nwogu had spent money contacting Abuja. He said I should look for big money before they could stop the action.”

    The council chairman added: “The billboard of Mr President, which was said to have been destroyed by the police is still standing and not destroyed, as they claim. It was only a tiny bullet hole that touched the billboard below the picture of Mr. President. For us as a party, we respect the President of our country, irrespective of his party affiliation. The billboard is still there.

    “After meeting with some chiefs in the area on how to address the issue, I got back to Port Harcourt at 10pm the same day, only to realise that my area’s DPO, accompanied by some heavily-armed policemen, numbering over 50, dressed in war gear, came to arrest me.

    “…They handcuffed me, tortured me and dragged me into their vehicle. They moved me to the old Government Reservation Area (GRA) Police Station and bundled me into the cell with common criminals and was later transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) around 2am and locked me up in the midst of over 150 armed robbers.

    “The cell was so full that the inmates could not even find a place to lie down. The heat and the smell from the cell were horrible.”

    The council chairman said he was not told what his offence was.

    He added: “All the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State (Ogunsakin) told me was that he got a report that I ordered that the President’s banner be shot at (verbally). In the case file, I saw treasonable felony.

    “I want to say that this plan was orchestrated to remove me or to intimidate the party (APC), to harass me or cow me or to remove me from the scene for some time. I want to say that is totally unacceptable. I am consulting my lawyers to seek redress for unlawful detention, harassment and the humiliation…”

    Amaechi’s Chief Press Secretary David Iyofor urged the police to desist from harassing the governor’s supporters.

    Iyofor wondered why the police were unjustly harassing and torturing Amaechi’s supporters.

    He said the intimidation should stop.

     

  • Ahmed: Thorny path to second term

    Ahmed: Thorny path to second term

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has been endorsed by some groups and associations for a second term. Although the endorsment is a boost to his ambition, he must still overcome some hurdles to get the ticket. EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.  

    Foralmost three and half years, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has ruled without stirring any controversy. Also, no politician has come between him and his political leader, Senator Bukola Saraki. Unlike other states, where crises  between predecessors and their successors have reached the peack, there is amity between the former governor and Ahmed. However, as the succession battle gathers momentum, there are insinuations that it may be difficult for the governor to secure a second term ticket.

    In Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC), there is no consensus yet on succession. While a section believes that Ahmed’s political future hangs in the balance, stakeholders who support his push for second term point out that he has performed. However, those against his ambition allude to political expediency, claiming that, since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to pick its flag bearer from Kwara Central Senatorial District, the ruling party should not be indifferent to its implications for next year’s elections. This latter group are rooting for another aspirant, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, former Sports Minister.

    Kwara Central has the highest number of voters. Therefore, it is the target of the PDP. But, the zone cannot solely instal the governor. Therefore, the opposition party is also mobilising support in the  South, where the governor comes from, and the North, to pull the rug of the feet of the APC.

    However, the APC has an edge over the PDP. The ruling party is popular across the three districts. Thus, it is able to overcome the regression to ethnic division by the PDP. Unlike the PDP, which lacks an arrowhead, the APC is forging ahead under the leadership of Saraki, ably supported by his lieutenanat, Ahmed.

    Besides, recent develoments in the state have altered the odds against the governor’s second term aspiration. Many stakeholders are endorsing his bid. Last week, Ahmed was endorsed by the Emir of Lafiagi, Alhaji Kawu Haliru. , who lent his voice to the barrage of endorsements coming for the governor from the district.

    The crowd of supporters at Lafiagi was huge. They were led by political office holders from Moro, Edu, Patigi, Kaiama and Baruten councils, which constitute the North District.  Also present were community leaders, representatives of professional groups, youths, women, artisans and peasants. Speakers showered encomiums on the governor for his developmental strides. They said that Ahmed has empowered  the people through his numerous projects and programmes.    Urging the APC to field him in next year’s poll, they maintained that the governor has lived up to expectation.

    There has been a gale of endorsements for Ahmed. But, his  endorsement by Emir Haliru seems to have become the game changer, if the monarch had actually spoken the minds of his people. The royal father is highly respected. Since he has endorsed the governor, there has not been any contrary view in the North. Also,  the North, like the Central, has the advantage of a bloc vote. Although there are some aspirants from the zone in the opposition vying for the governorship, they are papper weight actors.

    The South is solidly behind the governor. In fact, his kinsmen have embarked on an aggressive mobilisation for his ambition. During the voter’s registration, they trooped out for the exercise. Now, the calculation is that the combined forces of Saraki in the Central and Ahmed’s foot soldiers in the South should be able to forge a working alliance with compatriots in the North to ensure the push for continuity next year.

    But, according to the PDP, this agenda may not work.  The party believes that the endorsement does not translate into electoral victory, adding that the royal father who has endorsed Ahmed lacked the mandate of the voting public.

    Kwara PDP Deputy Publicity Secretary Mr. Femi Yusuf doubted the validity of the endorsement, saying that it is unrelieable.  He said the next election will be a battle of supremacy between the APC and the PDP. Faulting the endorsements, he said that it was instigated by the government.

    “Let me tell you the candid view of our party on the endorsement. We see it as a mere figment of the imagination of the APC. It does not provide the party with any leverage when the election comes.

    “That aside, the traditional ruler is a civil servant, who collects salary from the state government monthly. So, what do you expect? When they are endorsing him for a second term, what would warrant the endorsement? What have they done for the area  for them to say he should continue in office?

    “You can only deserve endorsement, if you have surpassed the previous administrations. But, the past 12 years have shown that the people of the North District have been neglected. Go to Baruten or Kayama, Lafiagi and Patigi to see for yourself.”

    However, the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed on Communication Strategy, Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, disagreed with the PDP spokesman. He said: “The governor, through his ‘Shared Prosperity Agenda’, has sustained the impactful developmental momentum of his predecessor and he actually deserves the support of well-meaning people to continue his people-oriented projects.

    “He has successfully consolidated on the projects of the former governor and opened up new ones, which have direct bearing on the people and that simply explains why the people are clamouring for continuity.”

    The former Commissioner for Information listed some of the projects. They include the Independent Power Project (IPP) to drive industrialisation, the rehabilitation of schools, and the construction and rehabilitation of 800 kilometers of roads. The administration also set up the Harmony Holdings and the Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES). It has completed the construction of the Aviation College, which was established by the Saraki Administration, and the Vocational Centre, Ajase-Ipo.

    Adedoyin said the governor has reduced fees paid by students in the state-owned institutions and provided N100 million micro-credit facility to empower the people. He said five General Hospitals have been rehabilitated and 13 ambulances and drugs provided to hospitals.

    But, can the governor overome the hurdles? Can he suppress the agitations for power shift to the Central District? If he gets the APC ticket, can he defeat the PDP challenger from the Central? Time will tell.

  • ‘Engage youths positively’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Zonal Vice Chairman, Gombe South, Julius Ishaya has urged youths to shun violence.

    Ishaya was reacting to the incessant clashes among youths, especially the Gombe State Corps Marshals.

    He said: “It is bad for people to be clashing and killing themselves in the name of politics. The APC is against it and will never encourage restiveness or thuggery. We do not want anyone to die or get injured because of politics, because the people are at the centre of our activities.”

    Ishaya said although youth restiveness was not peculiar to the state, the government was not taking measures to reduce it.

    He said the solution to restiveness was to create jobs and positively engage young minds.”

    Ishaya assured residents that the APC would bring out the best in youths, if voted into power.

  • Tambuwal: we’ll do justice to conference report

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has said the National Assembly is waiting to receive the report of the National Conference.

    He spoke at Agba in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State at the funeral late Pa Moses Edeh Akuru, the father of Enugu Methodist Archbishop, Rev. Christopher Nweke Edeh, who died at 84.

    Tambuwal said the House would do justice to the report whenever it was presented to it by the executive.

    His words: “We are waiting for the National Conference report. When we get it, we will do justice to it.”

    The Speaker eulogised Pa Edeh, who was also the father of the lawmaker representing Ishielu/ Ezza North Federal Constituency, Mr. Peter Edeh, for his selfless services to his people.

    He said: “I hail the people of this community for coming out en masse to appreciate the life of our leader and father. He lived well as a community leader and served the people well. There is no better way of appreciating him than to thank God for his life.

    “We console the family and urge them to know that it is only God that can give and take life. Our happiness is that he left behind worthy children, who can do better.”

    The Prelate of Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Samuel Kanu Uche, hoped that God would settle the crises rocking the nation before the next general elections.

    He said: “My message to Nigerians is that we should go on with the 2015 elections.”

    Edeh thanked the Speaker, Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi, the Prelate of Methodist Church, members of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other guests for attending the funeral.

  • Bauchi APC demands information on govt loans

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State and Mallam Musa Idris Hardawa have sued the Bauchi State government for failing to give them information on its debt profile.

    The case is before the State High Court presided over by Justice Abdulkadir Hussaini Suleiman.

    Counsel to the plaintiffs, Kassim Abdul Hamid, said his clients wrote the government, demanding details of over N8 billion loan taken by it, but their request was declined.

    Hamid said: “Online reports indicate that the state government allegedly took a N15 billion loan to build houses for former Governor Adamu Mu’azu; his deputy, AbdulMalik Mahmoud; Governor Isa Yuguda; and his deputy, Sagir Aminu Saleh, without reference to any statutory authority.”

    The plaintiffs alleged that the government had no means of repaying the loan, adding that this was responsible for the reduction of the salaries of civil servants and over N10 billion pension arrears.

    They urged the court to compel the House of Assembly and the auditor-general to probe the government’s accounts and provide information to the public on its debts.

    The prayed the court to also compel the government to explain how it allegedly acquired N25 billion debt.

    Justice Suleiman adjourned hearing to an unfixed date.

  • Kwara APC stakeholders urge Saraki to join presidential race

    Kwara APC stakeholders urge Saraki to join presidential race

    Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders have urged former Governor Bukola Saraki to join the presidential race. They also assured the party’s national leadership of victory in the state in the next year’s governorship election.

    The stakeholders, who converged on Laduba, Asa Local Government Area, for a special prayer session for Senator Saraki and Governor Abdufatah Ahmed, urged the two leaders to foster unity in the fold.. The programme was organised by elders from seven wards constituting the local government.

    Kwara Central APC Chairman Alhaji Jimoh Adeshina said the APC is the party to beat in next year’s poll.

    He said: “The difference is clear because the state is the home of peace and hospitality. We are not perturbed at all because we have the backing of the people. In Kwara State, over 90 percent of the electorate are behind the APC.

    “As part of preparations for the elections, we have sensitised our people to come out enmasse to collect their permanent voter’s cards. Those are our weapons of elections and on the days of election, they should come out to cast their votes for candidates of their choice. And our choice will be our leader’s choice. “

    Adeshina added: “We are gathered here to offer special prayers for our leader, Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for God to meet their hearts’ desires. Specifically, we want to pray for Senator Saraki to achieve his ambition of becoming the next President of Nigeria  in 2015. The three senatorial districts have endorsed his presidential ambition.  Before one embarks on any adventure, it is wise to put it into the hands of God to take absolute control.

    “We are also praying for our governor for his loyalty to Senator Bukola Saraki; his achievements in office and successful completion of his tenure in office. We are praying that God should catapult him to him levels. I urge all Kwarans to eschew violence and thuggery before, during and after the elections as Kwara State is known for peace. That is the major reason why this administration is aggressively tackling youth unemployment. Recently the administration gave jobs to no less than 5,00 youths in the state.”

    The chieftain also endorsed the governor for a second term. He said: “The clamour for another term for the governor is not misplaced at all. If people root for somebody that performs excellently in office and he is very loyal to the leader to be given another chance, I think that is in order.

    “However, we have not met to deliberate on that issue and that is part of the reason we have converged here to offer special prayers for him for soft-landing in office and for him to get to the next level. At the appropriate time, party chieftains will put heads together with our leader on the next line of action. Our leader is a listening one. He does not take unilateral decisions. When we get to bridge, we shall cross it.”

  • APC to Nigerians: hold Jonathan responsible if Ebola spreads

    APC to Nigerians: hold Jonathan responsible if Ebola spreads

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Nigerians to hold President Goodluck Jonathan responsible, if the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) spreads further.

    The party noted that the President failed to stop on Saturday a rally in his support in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, despite the warnings from individuals and groups.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said never before had a President sabotaged his administration’s policy and endangered the lives of his compatriots as Dr Jonathan had done over the EVD.

    It said the President, who declared a national emergency on Ebola and advised against large gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus, was the first to flout the advice by failing to stop the rally organised by the so-called Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) in Port Harcourt, a few days after the virus was detected in the city.

    This, APC said, happened when contact-tracing was going on to find those who might have had contact with the doctor, who had the disease.

    It said: “On the altar of political desperation, President Jonathan put the lives of Nigerians in danger. To realise his ambition for re-election, President Jonathan has shown he is ready to sacrifice as many lives of Nigerians as possible. There goes the President’s statement that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. This President simply says what he does not mean.

    “As we said in our statement on August 28, calling on President Jonathan to halt the TAN rallies, especially the one in Port Harcourt, could anyone guarantee that none of those who have had contact with the doctor who died of the disease would attend the rally? That is why we are calling on Nigerians to hold the President responsible, if Ebola spreads more than it has in the country.”

    The party noted that after it called for a halt to the TAN rallies, others, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and frontline lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, in a clearly patriotic duty, issued similar calls.

    The party said: “In fact, the APC in Rivers described such a rally, most appropriately, as a ‘firing squad against the people’. But because he will rather be re-elected than give a damn over the safety of the same people who voted him into office; because he will rather transmogrify than transform, President Jonathan ignored all the calls and allowed the rally to hold. This is an unprecedented act of political

    desperation.”

    APC stressed that for those who might try to spin the issue by saying the President had no control over the organisers of the rally, they should be asked who the rallies will benefit, whose top officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, have been attending the rallies and what is the source of the funding of the gatherings.

    It said: “The TAN rallies are government-sanctioned. The TAN rallies are the Jonathan administration’s cunning way of beating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ban on campaigns for next year’s general elections. The TAN rallies highlight the impunity of the Jonathan administration. President Jonathan is the sole beneficiary. He can stop the rallies today, if only he wants to put the nation’s interest above his personal interest.”

  • APC, PDP, Accord flex muscle in Oyo over 2015 poll

    APC, PDP, Accord flex muscle in Oyo over 2015 poll

    The three major political parties in Oyo State have started flexing muscles over 2015 general elections, with each vowing that it would emerge victorious.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord yesterday told The Nation in separate interviews that nothing would stop each of them from taking over control of Agodi Government House in the February the election.

    Speaking for the Accord, its Publicity Secretary, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, said the fact that the PDP and APC won in Ekiti and Osun states showed that voters in Southwest place more premium on candidates rather than parties.

    Adeniran, who faulted suggestions that only the PDP and the APC were the main parties and that the battle looks squarely positioned between them, said:  “PDP won in Ekiti and APC won in Osun. Accord is going to win in Oyo State. Those thinking that the battle is squarely between APC and PDP should know that Southwest is not homogeneous as they are thinking because it is not the same set of voters that  will vote and it is not the same thing that is happening in all the states. “Most of them in Ekiti knew from the onset that Fayose was going to win in Ekiti and I can tell you that we knew that Aregebesola was going to win in Osun State. So, we can say that Accord will win in Oyo State.”

    Adeniran said those who think that Accord would be pushed to the background were living in illusion, pointing out that Oyo State voters are asking its governorship hopeful, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to come back as governor.

    Also, a chieftain of the PDP and the senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Hosea Agbooola, said the voters were tired of the APC government.

    He assured that the PDP would replace the former after the next year election.

    His words: “You are a living witness to what happened in Osun State. But Oyo State politics is different from that of Osun State. I am assuring you that the people of Oyo State are tired of APC government. They are tired of taking directives from Lagos State. So, I am assuring you that come 2015, PDP will emerge as the governor.”

    But the state Chairman of the APC, Chief Akin Oke, rubbished their claims.

    He wondered the basis on which either the PDP or Accord would return to power, having squandered the state’s resources and inflicted violence and brigandage on residents during their eight-year reign between 2003 and 2011.

    Oke said: “PDP or Senator Ladoja winning election in Oyo State again? On what basis? Our government outperformed both of them within our three years in office when compared with their eight years in office combined. Is it in the area of security, infrastructural development, urban renewal or what? As far as we are concerned, based on Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s performance, Senator Ladoja’s performance in four years was nil. So was Otunba Alao-Akala, who inflicted violence and gangsterism on the state, among others, in his four-year reign.

    “I base my own position on valid yardsticks. PDP is even worse at federal level now so much that they cannot go out and ask for people’s votes based on the performance of the party. What they are now doing is to hide under the name of President Goodluck Jonathan, believing that they can get some sympathy.

    “Surely by 2015, we are not just going to contest, but we are going to win the election.”

  • APC candidate set for supplementary poll

    APC candidate set for supplementary poll

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the inconclusive Niger East by-election held on Saturday, David Umaru, said yesterday that he was set for the supplementary election.

    He spoke at a post-election news conference at the party secretariat in Minna.

    Umaru, a lawyer, said he was shocked by the alleged malpractices, which characterised the election.

    The APC candidate appealed to his supporters and members to remain calm.

    He said the outcome of the poll would not deter his conviction and faith in democracy.

    Said he: “We are committed to the journey in search of the truth. The unfortunate incident cannot make us to relent. We and the party are committed to putting up a good fight. We will take part in the supplementary election on Saturday and victory shall be ours at the end of the day.”

    Umaru decried the electoral malpractices during the by-election, which he said took the state back to the dark days.

    “I was hopeful of a flawless exercise at the beginning, but as the day went on, events turned sour as we began to witness the ugly incidents of the past.”

    He urged his supporters not to be disappointed, as he was sure of victory in the supplementary election.

  • 2015: 4m in S/South endorse Jonathan

    2015: 4m in S/South endorse Jonathan

    •Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta lead, says Anyim

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),Chief Pius Anyim said yesterday that four million people in the six Southsouth states have endorsed  President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election next year.

    According to Anyim, the people want the President to formally declare his retention to return for a second term, immediately.

    The SGF  who stood in for the President at the third edition of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria’s (TAN’s) rally in Port Harcourt  to drum up  support for Jonathan ahead of his declaration, said the Southsouth endorsement is the  strongest so far .

    He gave the breakdown as follows: Rivers state – 1, 000,100; Akwa Ibom – 800, 000; Delta-750,000;Cross River-520,000; Bayelsa -516,000; and Edo-490,000.

    He said: “It (number of persons who endorsed Jonathan) is a great record that has been broken. Something significant has happened. You have proven that President Jonathan has a base. His zone is solidly behind him.

    “In my zone (South-East), we have been beaten by the people of the South-South zone. The registration is ongoing. If I return to my zone, the figure will double. South-South people have spoken. Other Nigerians will follow. I will take the message to Mr. President. At the appropriate time, Nigerians will hear from him.”

    At the rally were Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili; Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike; Culture and Tourism Minister Edem Duke; Works Minister Mike Onolememen and Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo as well as Federal and State legislators from the zone.

    Odili  said  that Rivers state remains solidly behind  Jonathan and asked the people to ensure “their son and great in-law” returns to office next year.

    The ex-Rivers governor (Odili) also lauded President Jonathan for the convocation of Uduaghan declared that the President “must” contest in 2015, having achieved much for the country.

    Danagogo described President Jonathan as “Original Port Harcourt Boy,” saying: “For us in Rivers State, we will be thanking you for what you are doing. The President is one of us. Rivers people are so happy. We have never had it so good.

    “Mr. President should declare for second term. We will vote massively for him. Not just because Mr. President is our own. He is an excellent product. Let us continue to support him. You are witnesses to his transformation agenda. Nigeria still needs President Jonathan’s brilliant performance to solve our national challenges.”

    Wike, in his remarks, thanked TAN for bringing the South-South rally to Port Harcourt, stressing that if the non-governmental organisation had done otherwise, many people would have concluded that Rivers state was not for President Jonathan, especially with the defection of Governor Rotimi Amaechi to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The minister of state for education said: “Rivers State is totally for President Jonathan. Everybody from the South-South is supporting President Jonathan. He is the first Nigerian President in 30 years to tackle the Almajiri menace, by giving the children basic education. The Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas in Bonny, Rivers State was also established by President Jonathan.”