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Tag: APC

  • APC, stop the noise; stop Jonathan!

    SIR: The All Progressives Congress (APC) should stop the lamentation over the loss of Ekiti to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    In Nigeria, you use what you have to get what you want, on behalf of the hapless citizens. When President Goodluck Jonathan used Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu to torment Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and make the state ungovernable, the APC directed its members in the National Assembly to block all Bills, including the budget, to checkmate him.  He was humbled and stopped his unconstitutional acts in Rivers.

    President Jonathan used the armed forces and police to intimidate APC supporters in Ekiti thus securing a victory for his party by force of arms.

    While his ministers, Musiliu Obanikoro and Jelili Adesiyan are running away from Borno State because of Boko Haram, they have no shame in invading a peaceful Ekiti State with thousands of soldiers and policemen to cow the APC. They arrested APC leaders on the eve of the election in their various homes.

    President Jonathan also used the military to prevent governors, who enjoy the same immunity with him, from visiting Ekiti to support their APC brother governor, who had earlier been assaulted by the Federal Government-controlled Mobile Police (MOPOL).

    Among others, these actions constitute gross misconduct. APC should now use its number to sanction the President; otherwise, he will be emboldened by the force-induced victory of the PDP in Ekiti to enact same in Osun State and in 2015.

    The APC federal legislators should muster the will to stop President Jonathan from misuse of the military and police and other unconstitutional acts that will destroy the current democracy.

    • Patrick James, Kaduna
  • APC to challenge Ekiti election in court, says Oni

    APC to challenge Ekiti election in court, says Oni

    •Poll manipulated from source, says Fayemi’s wife

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Chairman (South), Mr Segun Oni.  Has said the party would challenge the result of the Ekiti State governorship election in court.

    Speaking with reporters at the end of a meeting of APC leaders in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Oni said the leaders agreed that what happened in Ekiti State must not be allowed in the Osun State governorship election.

    He said: “The result of the election in Ekiti State did not reflect the wish of the people of the state and we are going to court to challenge this  in due course. What happened in Ekiti State was a new dimension to election rigging in Nigeria. We are, therefore, ready to challenge the Ekiti election result in court.”

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, his Rivers and Lagos counterparts, Rotimi Amaechi and Babatunde Fashola , were at the meeting.

    Senators Chris Ngige, Femi Ojudu and the National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed also attended the meeting.

    Also yesterday, Ekiti State Governor’s wife Erelu Bisi Fayemi, criticised claims that her husband lost the June 21 governorship election because he lost touch with the masses.

    She said the full story of how the elections were allegedly manipulated  against Dr. Kayode Fayemi would be revealed.

    Mrs Fayemi spoke while delivering a keynote address at the 50th anniversary public lecture and award ceremony of the Ekiti State chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).

    The theme of her address was “Women yesterday, today and tomorrow – the Ekiti experience.”

    At the occasion, Fayemi, a lawyer, Mrs. Funmi Falana and immediate past state President of the National Council of Women’s Societies, Mrs. Nike Obatayo, were given awards for their exemplary contributions to women rights and empowerment.

    Mrs Fayemi said: “I would like to state that we have not heard the last about the election. Two weeks after the immediate confusion and hysteria of the June 21 elections, a picture has begun to emerge.

    “This will, hopefully, reframe the debates emanating from and about Ekiti and the choices they allegedly made on that day.

    “In due course, the full and real story of how the Ekiti elections of June 21 were manipulated from source will be revealed. There are many implications of Ekiti people having voted the way they supposedly did.

    “It will be very hard for any informed analyst writing about Ekiti to accuse Governor Fayemi of not working to improve the economy of Ekiti State.

    “It, of course, serves the interest of some to hastily attempt to rewrite the history of Governor Fayemi as one who was disconnected from his people.

    “The same people he built roads for, provided electricity and water for, provided healthcare for, developed education for and introduced social security payment for?

    “The same people he visited in their 132 communities every year, without fail, to listen to their priorities for the next budget? The same people whose children he employed in the thousands through the Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development, Peace Corps and other youth-focused initiatives?”

  • Osun debt profile: APC gives PDP ultimatum to apologise

    Osun debt profile: APC gives PDP ultimatum to apologise

    ALL Progressives Congress, Osun State chapter, has given the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to the citizens for “lying and misleading” many of them about the state’s debt profile.

    Its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement, said: “Only a gang of rascals and vagabonds could have set out lying through their teeth about so many things against the government and Governor Aregbesola to discredit both based on total falsehood.

    “The only path of honour left for the PDP is to apologise publicly to the people.

    “These people who lead the PDP in Osun are so accustomed to lying that they are no longer capable of understanding the difference between a lie and joke, and the consequences of either or both to their public image.”

    The party recalled that the PDP had been creating confusion and attempting to incite public anger against the APC government and its governor by spreading despicable and mischievous lies that “at every stage of this evil exercise, the leadership of the PDP looked much like a monstrous machine made to destroy, rather than to build.”

    According to the APC, the question of the debt profile of Osun has now made the PDP look terribly dishonourable.

    The party said: “The PDP has for long been insisting that Aregbesola has ruined the future of the state by owing above N300 billion which is absolutely beyond Osun’s capacity to manage. According to PDP’s governorship aspirant, Iyiola Omisore, that’s a principal reason Aregbesola did not deserve a second term in office.

    “But now, the truth is not only in the public domain, the Director General of the Debt Management office (DMO), Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, has told Nigerians that ‘Osun State is one of the states in the federation with good and stable public debt management …’  and that ‘the state needed to be encouraged in terms of management of debt because it has not borrowed beyond its capacity…’ . ‘Osun state debt status is very sustainable.’

    “The PDP and all those who have been telling this dangerously damaging lie need to redeem themselves if they are not political vagabonds. And the only acceptable way to do this is through an unreserved public apology within the next seven days.”

     

  • 2015: Battle for Southwest

    2015: Battle for Southwest

    The die is cast between theAll Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest. Last month, the PDP recaptured Ekiti State at the governorship election. Next month, both parties will be competing for the Government House, Osun State. 12222Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI and Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN write on the battle for the soul of the region.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) is not leaving any stone unturned as it prepares for the next month’s governorship election in Osun State. Against the background of the loss of the  governorship election in Ekiti State, the party has every reason to believe the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is intent on replicating the strategy it employed in Ekiti State to win the August 9 election in Osun State and other sstates in the region. Though an independent survey by a coalition of civil society organisations has it predicted that Governor Rauf Aregbesola will win the poll by more than 80 per cent of the votes, the APC  has cried out over the delay in releasing permanent voters’ cards. The party believes that the Federal Government has started implementing its strategy to skew the election in Osun in favour of the PDP, as it did in Ekiti.

     

    PDP and stomach

    infrastructure

     

    Beyond Ekiti and Osun, the PDP appears bent on ensuring that states which were previously controlled by them before the APC took over in the Southwest are won back in subsequent elections. The strategy, according to reports, include the harmonizing factions in Ogun, Osun and Oyo States, which were PDP states and ensuring that only credible and accepted candidates are fielded for elections.

    “We used Ekiti to test run our new strategy. We fielded former governor Ayodele Fayose, a man loved by his people from the top to bottom and it paid off. That is the way we will henceforth go. We will capitalize on Ekiti victory and fix our party in other opposition states where we have potentials to win,” a source who would not want to be named told The Nation.

    Indeed, the party has begun moves to resolve the crisis in its Osun chapter, with a view to winning the  election in the state. As part of the strategy, President Goodluck Jonathan last week  held a closed-door meeting with the former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Although the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, it was learnt that it is part of efforts by the ruling PDP to win the election.

    The PDP’s candidate, Iyiola  Omisore, is the major challenger. The former governor, who was controversially removed as the National Secretary of the PDP,  is challenging his removal  in court. He is believed to wield a major influence in Osun.

    Oyinlola was a member of the New PDP, which was formed when some PDP governors fell out with the former party chairman, Bamanga Tukur. When the New PDP eventually merged with the APC,  Oyinlola decided to remain in the PDP. A known loyalist of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Oyinlola is being courted by Aregbesola. While addressing journalists after the meeting, the Okuku-born politician would not disclose details of his discussion with President Jonathan. He said he was determined to reclaim his position as the National Secretary of the PDP.  He said anyone occupying the office is a pretender.

    The APC believes the ruling party is already fanning ambers of disunity in Osun, by using its federal might. A source in Osogbo told The Nation in confidence that the Presidency has advanced huge money to the war chest of Iyiola Omisore Campaign Organisation to prosecute the  election. According to the source, the  ruling party has also directed 18 PDP governors to contribute money each to the war chest. The source said  the money is being used to facilitate the party’s victory.

    Indeed, the opposition party is of the view that the clampdown on the media in recent times is part of the strategy of the PDP-led Federal Government to capture Osun State. It insists that it is part of a grand strategy to silence Nigerians. According to its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the clamp-down on the media has nothing to do with the Boko Haram or any ‘intelligence’ report. His words: “That is a ruse. Journalists do not carry weapons. They only fight with words. In fact, this terror band called Boko Haram has had occasions to threaten the media with attack over their reports exposing the terrorists for what they are. Therefore, the unprecedented and utterly indefensible clampdown on the media is part of a sinister plot that is not unconnected with the elections scheduled for this and next year.

    “The PDP-led federal government’s strategy is simple: We must capture Ekiti and Osun at all cost, even when we may not have the votes to win the states. After that, we can then dare anyone who alleges rigging or election manipulation to head to court. In the meantime, we must tamper with the freedom of expression and the right to information, of which the media is at the vanguard.”

    The party said anyone that believes this strategy is far-fetched only needs to look at the groundwork that has been laid for it by the President  who picked both the Minister of Police Affairs and the Minister of State for Defence from the Southwest. “This Federal Government sees the Southwest as very critical to the President’s chances of getting re-elected next year, and has thus turned it to a battleground. They are desperate to capture Ekiti and Osun, which they see as the road to the heart of the Southwest next year. That explains their desperation about the elections in the two states,” Mohammed noted.

    APC chieftains have alleged that Omisore goes about with thugs during his campaigns telling people “there is nothing you people can do because we have police and we have soldiers and we will show all of you APC supporters when we get to power. We are not begging you to vote, but we shall win.”

     

    Ogun APC crisis

     

    Observers have advised the APC to put its house in order in the Southwest, to ensure that it wards off the PDP’s ambition of staging a comeback in the region. Indications are that all is not well with the APC in Ogun and Oyo states. The leadership crises in the  chapters have polarised the party. The situation is similar to what happened to the PDP in the build up to 2011 general elections. The PDP went to the poll as a divided party and this was the factor that helped the APC to sweep the polls in the two states.

    The disagreement in Ogun State, for instance, is very critical and it may provide a leeway for the PDP to realise its ambition of regaining the control of the state. This is because the deep-seated animosity between Chief Olusegun Osoba, who is regarded as the APC leader in the state and Governor Ibikunle Amosun, has polarised the party. As such,  both camps do not see eye-to-eye. The fight is over the control of the party structure  and, unless this is addressed effectively, it has dire consequences for the ruling party in 2015. A chieftain of the APC in the state, who craved anonymity, said only a divine intervention can make the two factions  work together next year. He said the animosity started far back in 2003 when Amosun mobilised the PDP to uproot the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Osoba, who was the governor, from the State House.

    The animosity between them was rekindled when both of them found themselves in the same party, prior to the 2011 general elections. A source said that the friction was evident during the preparation for the governorship primaries before that election. According to the source, the Osoba group initially rejected the choice of Amosun for the governorship. It took the intervention of eminent personalities and traditional rulers before Osoba could agree. Though Amosun emerged as the party’s gubernatorial candidate, but loyalists of the former governor were rewarded with the three senatorial seats, nine House of Representatives tickets and 23 out of 26 House of Assembly tickets. Besides, Osoba was also given the privilege of picking the running mate to Amosun.

    Shortly after Amosun’s inauguration, there was quarrel over the choice of commissioners and other members of the state executive council. The Osoba group alleged that the governor was planning to sideline those he met in the party. Amosun tried to appease the group by offering appointments to some stakeholders. The beneficiaries include: the former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Muyiwa Oladipo, senatorial chairmen of the defunct ACN in Ogun West and Ogun East districts, Mr. Falilu Sabitu and Mr. Daniel Adejobi. Other loyalists of Osoba serving in Amosun’s government include Ayo Olubori, Olu Adeyemi, Chief Sam Aiyedogbon, Mufau Ajibola and Chief Poju Adeyemi. In addition, many were also appointed as special advisers, chairmen and members of Boards of parastatals and agencies.

    However, the governor’s move did not stop  the cry of marginalisation. The Osoba group felt short-changed during the last local government election. They alleged that they were not given enough chairmanship and councillorship slots. The sharing formula, according to them, was grossly lopsided in favour of Amosun and his supporters.

    This prompted pro-Osoba legislators to form a group known as “Mat’agba mole” (Don’t step on elder).  They claim that Osoba was not accorded his proper place in the scheme of things. On his part, the governor has always said that Osoba is his leader and that there is nothing going on in the party and government that he’s not aware of.

    Both camps have been trading blames. The Amosun group has faulted the steps taken by the aggrieved legislators. They queried their sincerity and motive towards the resolution of the crisis. The governor’s supporters have accused the Osoba group, particularly the legislators, of fanning the ember of disunity for personal gains and hiding under the name of the former governor.

    An  lawyer, Mr. Jide Ogunwale, expressed sadness over the turn of events.  He said the national leadership of the APC should handle the crisis with extra care. The leaders, he advised, should bring the warring factions to negotiation table for the peaceful resolution of the crisis, if the party wants to retain the state in 2015. Ogunwale warned against under rating the political influence of any group.

     

    Reconciliation in Oyo

     

    The problem of the APC in Oyo State is largely egocentric. Shortly after Governor Abiola Ajimobi was inaugurated in 2011, he was confronted with the problem of harmonising contending interests within the party.

    As the governorship primaries drew nearer in 2011, the camps within the party started to manifest.  Prior to the shadow election, a deep rancour had developed among the contenders. They are Ajimobi, Senator Femi Lanlehin, Dr Ismail Adewusi, Mr Kazeem Adedeji and Chief Soji Akanbi. At the Olubadan Stadium, Ibadan, the venue of the primary election, close allies were compelled to break into camps, as many party stalwarts openly and overtly identified with the contestants of their choice. At the end, Ajimobi was affirmed as the winner. But, Lanlehin and other contestants cried foul and alleged that the process was manipulated in favour of Ajimobi. That was the beginning of the no love-lost relationship between Ajimobi and his co-contestants.

    It took concerned party stalwarts led by the late Alhaji Lam Adesina time to pacify the aggrieved aspirants. Initially, the efforts to pacify them paid off, as some of them accepted party offers and gave peace a chance. There was relative peace in the party, which contributed to its victory at the poll.

    The party defeated the PDP  in the election. While Ajimobi emerged as the governor, Lanlehin was elected a senator.

    Later, crisis erupted in the party. The party leadership said the governor did not consult them while constituting his cabinet. The governor was accused of picking most of his commissioners from outside the party. Party members who claimed to have worked for the electoral victory of the governor staged a protest.

    Rather than abating, crisis has been festering, particularly between the governor and Lanlehin. Prior to 2011 governorship primaries and general elections, the relationship between them was very cordial. They were always seen together discussing how to improve the fortunes of their party in the elections.

    Party chieftains Chief Michael Koleoso, tried to broker truce between the governor and Lanlehin. All efforts were in vain.

    Ajimobi explained that Lanlehin and others are interested in his job.

     

    Conflicts

     

    Lanlehin denied having any break in relations with Ajimobi as a person, but admitted that he has an issue with him as the governor. His words: “The problem I have with Ajimobi is that he is not carrying stakeholders along in decision-making and formulation of policies for the state, which is at variance with the manifesto of the party. He runs the state with a few cabals, thereby isolating the majority of the stakeholders, and he doesn’t listen to advice in implementing policies that has to do with the lives of the people of the state.”

    To buttress his point, Lanlehin cited the massive demolition of shops in Ibadan and environs by the governor without providing alternatives for the traders. He said although Ajimobi gave urban renewal and beautification as his reason for demolition but he should know that such anti-people policies cannot stand. “The people are central to any development, so you cannot destroy their means of livelihood in the name of development,” he added.

    Lanlehin is not alone in detesting Ajimobi’s style of governance. The senator representing Oyo Central, Senator Ayoade Adeseun, has also complained against Ajimobi’s failure to carry along other stakeholders in the running of the  state. Lanlehin and Adeseun are the two senators representing the APC in the senate. The two of them have  left the party. Lanlehin has defected to the Accord Party, while Adeseun is said to be on his way to the PDP. Besides the two senators, there are other party leaders that are not happy with the governor and they are contemplating leaving the party.

    Analysts say it would be a herculean task for the APC to retain the state in 2015. To get back to reckoning, the governor, they say, must improve his relationship with the people and work harder on the membership drive. Such analysts say the governor stands a good chance of being re-elected in 2015, because of his good programmes.

     

    Lessons from Ekiti polls

     

    Many lessons could be learned from the  Ekiti election. According to observers, Fayose won the June 21 governorship election  not because of the profile of the party, but as a result of the relationship he had cultivated with the people over the years. The party had an easy ride to victory on Fayose’s political credentials. On the other hand, some believe Fayemi failed because of the elitist’s structure of his government and his inability to relate with the common people at the grassroots. According to them, the results of the election indicated that people at the grassroots rejected his government.

    Fayemi  built roads and embarked on urban renewal. but, he was disconnected from the masses. There was a general perception that his government was elitist and he didn’t do anything to correct that impression. Fayose exploited these factors, particularly because he could connect with the people in a unique way. In the eight years he was not in office, he never left Ekiti. He did not become a Lagos or Abuja politician and the people noted it.

    The party treated dissenting voices within its fold with disdain. As a result, pundits say the APC was a house divided against itself in the build up to the election.

    A civil society activist and convener of Nigerian Voters’ Assembly, Comrade Moshood Erubami, blamed the APC for taking the electorate for granted in Ekiti, by not properly mobolising the people to ensure that they carry out their civic responsibility of voting on election day. He said that  Aregbesola should learn from what happened in Ekiti. He said a situation whereby over 300,000 voters were disenfranchised because they could not present permanent voters’ cards on the day of election was a grievous mistake. He wondered how political parties were indifferent to the voters’ apathy towards collection of voting cards. He said in election a single vote is very important in deciding a winner. “I don’t know why the political parties could ignore 300,000 votes. It is unfortunate the party leaders failed to mobilise the electorate towards collecting the cards,” he added.

    The civil society activist advised  Aregbesola to ensure that all eligible voters collect their voters’ cards before the election. Erubami said that politicians must live in the heart of the people. “There is difference between politics of principle and politics of winning votes. They should create atmosphere of accessibility. They should run participatory government; that is to say, people should be part of government,” he said.

    Human rights activist George Afolabi noted that the PDP victory in Ekiti cannot  be ascribed to the personality of Fayose or his previous performance as governor, but to the federal might behind him. He advised the APC to throw its weight behind Aregbesola to ensure  victory. “The PDP has declared Ekiti and Osun governorship elections as a war. All APC governors should rally support for Aregbesola for the party to retain Osun,” he added.

     

     

  • APC flays PDP candidate for using masked gunmen

    APC flays PDP candidate for using masked gunmen

    •’He is afraid of his shadow’ 

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, for using masked gunmen at his electioneering campaign for the August 9 election.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said the only reason Omisore could have resorted to hiring “ninjas” for protection was because he was afraid of his own shadow.

    It wondered how a man, who wants to rule a state, would be afraid to move freely among the same people whose votes he is seeking, saying the PDP candidate should “emulate Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is barely distinguishable from the Osun ordinary citizens.”

    “Every month, Governor Aregbesola leads the people in a jogging exercise on the streets, during which he mixes freely with them. Not once has a ‘ninja’ been spotted behind him in the name of security.

    “During his ongoing electioneering campaign, Governor Aregbesola has continued with his tradition of being with the people without any invasive security. Mr. Omisore has a lot to learn from Aregbesola, and should realise that being a people’s governor goes beyond a made-for-television eating of roasted corn or riding of Okada,” APC said.

    The party said if the PDP governorship candidate had known the history of masked gun men or “ninjas,” he would not have resorted to the use of masked gunmen for protection.

    “The message which the use of masked gun men sends to the populace is that of intimidation, harassment, espionage, sabotage, assassination and terrorism. No one seeking to rule a state should want to be portrayed in that light. Therefore, we call on Mr. Omisore to immediately halt the use of masked gun men unless of course it is a deliberate ploy to intimidate and terrorise the same people he wants to govern,” it said.

    APC said it was bad judgment for anyone, least of all a public official, to resort to the use of ‘ninjas’ for security at a time the country is reeling from terrorist attacks that have left thousands of people dead or injured.

    The party wondered why uniformed or plain-cloth policemen as well as State Security Service (SSS) personnel were suddenly not good enough for the PDP candidate.

    “Mr. Omisore and the PDP should please spare the peaceful people of Osun State any further harassment and intimidation. The PDP should prevail on its candidate to be civil. A man who wants to rule a state should not be afraid to mix freely with the same people. Osun people say no to ‘ninjas’.

    “If Mr. Omisore and the PDP think we are crying wolf, they should monitor the comments being made on the picture that has been posted in the social media showing a ‘ninja’ standing behind the PDP governorship candidate. Perhaps then they will realise how much they have goofed,” it said.

     

  • Nyako… APC, PDP battle for Adamawa’s soul

    Nyako… APC, PDP battle for Adamawa’s soul

    Since Adamawa State Governor Muritala Nyako defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), he has been marked  for political liquidation. Will he survive the plot? asks EMMANUEL OLADESU.

    For Muritala Nyako, retired Chief of Naval Staff and governor of Adamawa State, this is a trying moment. In the last one year, he has been downcast. His major worry has been the Boko Haram insurgency for which a partial state of emergency was declared in the Northeast state. Twice, he escaped being killed by the sect members. In frustration, he cried foul, saying that military was incompetent to handle the grave crisis, owing to its obsolete and inadequate weaponry.

    But, today, what bothers Nyako is not the insecurity in the multi-ethnic state. It is his personal survival in the prestigious office. The chief executive faces a perilous time. His administration is full of tension. Gone were the days of bravado typical of a brave soldier. Now, the impeachment axe is dangling on him. If the hammer falls on Nyako, his political future and that of his party may be in jeopardy. In the Northeast state, there is anxiety. It may not fizzle out, until the impeachment process is over.

    Little did the soldier-turned politician contemplate the turn of events. Admiral Nyako, the former military governor of Niger State, whose tribe of soldiers would brook no opposition, is now battling for survival as the civilian governor more than three decades after his first stint in the State House.

    There were dramas on both sides. When the Clerk of Assembly showed up at the Government House to deliver the impeachment notice to the governor, he was evasive. For two days, efforts to serve the letter on Nyako was abortive. The governor’s visit to Abuja to whiter the hand of the House was not successful. Series of meetings held by Adamawa leaders and other people sympathetic to the governor were also without success.

    To save his career, Nyako ran to the temple of justice last week. He prayed the High Court to restrain the Speaker, his deputy, other lawmakers, and the PDP from removing him from office. After that, there was a temporary relief. But, it only lasted for two days. The Acting Chief Judge, Justice A.D. Mammadi, granted the request for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from taking any further action on the impeachment process.

    The Acting Chief Judge, whose tenure of office was about to expire in six hours, retraced his steps yesterday. He sworn in the members of the impeachment panel, following the directive by the Speaker, Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri. The Speaker disclosed that  20 of 25 members of the House had signed the impeachment notice, based on their allegation of misconduct against the governor.

    Moving the motion for the impeachment, the Deputy Speaker, Kwamoti Laori, said that the House relied on Section 188, Sub-section 3 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulate that the process can proceed after a 14 day-notice. It was seconded by Hon. Umar Abdulkareem, who concurred that the process was in order.  Laori said: “By virtue of Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, we have satisfied the two-thirds majority, with 20 out of 25 members, which empowers the House of Assembly to call on the Chief Judge to constitute an investigative panel.  The Speaker explained the investigative process.” Fintiri added: “The panel shall in the course of its proceedings adopt the ordinary rules of fair hearing. The panel may, however, in its discretion, be guided by the High Court Civil Rules of Adamawa State and the provisions of the Evidence Act, 2009.”

    With the panel, which has commenced sitting in a hotel at Karewa GRA, Yola, the state capital, the days of the governor in office may be numbered. The allegations are weighty. But, the onus of proof is on Nyako.

    To forestall the inauguration of the committee, the governor had declared yesterday and today as a public holiday in Adamawa. The Acting Chief Judge is expected to retire today. Some people have argued that, without the panel’s inauguration by him, the legality of its sitting may be questioned. But, other stakeholders have also argued that the constitution is silent on the requirement of inauguration, merely limiting its provisions to the necessary legal act of setting up the panel.

    The curious twist to the impeachment saga is that Nyako’s deputy, Bala Ngilari is not insulated from the plot. Although the deputy governor had opted to stay on in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when his boss defected to the All Progressives Party (PDP), powerful forces in the state bent on maintaining a clean break from the past are also gunning for his head.

    Ngilari, a lawyer, said that he was scandalised by the impeachment notice. He was outside the country when efforts were being made by the Clerk to serve the notice on his boss. He accused some powerful Abuja politicians of Adamawa origin for his ordeal.

    A source said the impeachment is also targeted at the deputy governor for obvious reasons. If Ngilari is not removed, he will become the major beneficiary of the impeachment as he will be immediately sworn in as the substantive governor. The move may frustrate the ambition of other gladiators itching to succeed Nyako at the next election. Now, three scenarios are possible. “This trial will proceed for the purpose of politically eliminating Nyako for Ngilari to take over. But, this has implications. If Ngilari assumes the reins, he may assert himself. The deputy governor who is not the hero of the struggle to displace Nyako may become the ultimate beneficiary. This is injurious to the ambition of the PDP aspirants. The second thing is that both may be asked to go to pave the way for the Speaker of the House. The third is to foist a complete crisis on Adamawa so that a full state of emergency can be declared. This may be a prelude to the appointment of an administrator by the President. These options are to the advantage of the PDP,” said the source.

    The handwriting was bold on the wall. Perhaps, it was ignored by the governor. When Nyako defected from the PDP to the APC, his defection polarised the PDP. But, the polarisation did not result into an ultimate decimation capable of putting the PDP in a position of disadvantage, ahead of the next polls. Apart from Ngilari, who refused to defect, many members of the House of Assembly refused to play ball. The PDP leader, Elder Joel Madaki, who had supported Nyako when the heat was turned on him by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Gen. Buba Marwa, Makus Gundiri,  and to some extent, his predecessor, Boni Haruna, started to fire salvos at the governor. Also, the former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, still has an axe to grind with Nyako, whose criticism of his leadership contributed to his predicament at the rancorous party convention held in Abuja last year.

    It would appear that Nyako and Atiku had closed ranks, following their defection to the PDP. But, while in the PDP, they did not enjoy an enduring cordial relations. Had Atiku’s loyalists at the grassroots made it to the House in 2011, they would have reduced the number of bitter anti-Nyako forces in the legislature. But, a source said that the pact between the governor and the former Vice President on the sharing of elective and appointive positions broke down. Thus, when tribulation arose, it was too late to retrieve the agreement from the dustbin.

    Sings that Nyako’s tenure will be turbulent emerged when the House, which sources said was instigated by the national leadership of the PDP, in collaboration with aggrieved local leaders, raised an inexplicable allegation of abuse of office against the governor. Nyako was accused of personalisation of power. Some legislators said that he promoted his wives to the front burner, contrary to the constitution. Others alleged that the governor has misused public funds. Some officials of his administration were also accused of looting. The legislators complained that some of the impeachable offences allegedly committed by the governor dated 2011.

    According to the eight-page impeachment notice, Nyako is expected to defend 20 charges of gross misconduct. They include the allegations of squandering N1 billion Adamawa State Scholarship Trust Fund and the abuse of law by appointing his wife, Dr. Halima Nyako, as the Chairman of Adamawa State Action Committee on AIDS , contrary to the law. Asked why it has taken the House three years to investigate them, a legislator, Adamu Kamale, said there is time factor is a non-issue. He emphasised that there is no provision in the constitution that,  if a governor committed an offence three years ago, he should not be brought to book.

    “The issue is whether they are genuine. I want us to redirect our energies for the benefit of Nigeria as a whole and Adamawa State in particular. There is no part of our law that says if a person commits a particular offence at a particular time and after some time, he will be forgiven or it will just be swept under the carpet,”added Kamale, who refuted the allegation that the House was induced to commence impeachment proceedings.

    Last week, the activities of the administration were grounded to a halt, following the freezing of the Adamawa State bank accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Instantly, the state was broke. Nyako’s media aide, Ahmad Sajoh, criticised the punitive measure, saying that it was a ploy to pitch the people against the state government. “They know that by freezing our accounts, we cannot pay June salaries”, he complained. To run skeletal services, the government had to source for emergency funds from other sources.

    Also, government officials who may be invited by the panel as witnesses are fretting. A government source hinted that, following the impeachment, Nyako may be probed by the next governor or acting governor.

    To observers, the impeachment is a weapon by the PDP to get at the defected members. If Nyako’s government is consumed by the impeachment, it has implications for his political career. Although he had no serious political ambition in 2007 when he was drafted into the governorship race by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nyako, a PDP elder and  trustee,  took deeper interest in politics beyond the responsibility of reconciling aggrieved Southwest party members, an assignment given to him by the former National Chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali. In 2011, he secured a second term, to the consternation of some chieftains, including Madaki and Marwa. In annoyance, Madaki defected to the Labour Party (LP) and Marwa joined the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

    The plot, so far, implies that the power of incumbency wielded by Nyako has waned. Also, if it succeeds, the governor’s camp will be in disarray and the fortune of the APC may deplete at the next general elections. Power shift is imminent. The next governor will move swiftly to consolidate his hold and fortify the PDP, ahead of the poll. In addition, the APC Governor’s Forum led by Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha will suffer another depletion. The decimation of the forum has started with the party’s electoral defeat in Ekiti governorship election. Having re-captured the two states, Ekiti and Adamawa,  the desperate PDP leaders seeking the APC’s pound of flesh, will set their arsenal against another vulnerable state.

    But, is hope lost for Nyako? Observers contend that he has a narrow chance of survival. But, what if he successfully prove the allegations wrong? Then, the panel will have no option than to let him go. If after proving the allegations wrong and the panel fails to give him a clean bill of health, then, its members will carry a moral burden. However, crises and tension mayss not fizzle out during and after the impeachment saga.

  • Saraki donates materials to Kwarans

    Saraki donates materials to Kwarans

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bukola Saraki has doled out materials including food for distribution in over 800 places in Kwara State.

    A statement by his media aide, Bamikole Omisore, the senator representing Kwara Central District at the National Assembl,y said the food items and other materials can easily be accessed by those in the grassroots without having to go through stress.

    Emphasising the  importance of alms giving, especially during the month of Ramadan, he urged privileged Nigerians to emulate the lifestyle of the Prophet Muhammad by assisting the needy with food items and other materials that could make the observant of Ramadan fasting easy for them.

    Quoting the holy Prophet, Saraki said:  “This is the month of charity in which believer’s sustenance is increased. Whosoever feeds a fasting person or gives a fasting person a single date or a sip of water, to break the fast, for him there shall be forgiven of his sins and he will be saved from the fire of hell, and for him shall be the same reward as for him (whom he fed).”

    The former governor of the state enjoined Kwarans and indeed Nigerians to consider the numerous blessings in this holy month by praying for peace and restoration of the country.

    He hailed the chieftains of the party in the state for assisting the less privileged through the distribution of Ramadan gifts.

    He urged those charged with the responsibility of distributing the food items to ensure that the items get to the targeted beneficiaries.

     

     

  • Sack redundant advisers, APC tells Aliyu

    Sack redundant advisers, APC tells Aliyu

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has called for the sack of all redundant special advisers in the Babangida Aliyu-led administration.

    The call followed the governor’s recent outcry that some of his special advisers have not offered him any advice in seven years.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Jonathan Vatsa said the governor’s outburst confirmed the APC’s stand that the government has been squandering state resources for political patronage.

    The statement reads: “The revelation came to us as a big shame; it is more absurd that he knows that there are special advisers who were not working for seven years and yet he still appointed new ones. The PDP-led government should sack the advisers who are not performing.”

     

  • APC: we’ll mobilise people against any fraud in Osun poll

    APC: we’ll mobilise people against any fraud in Osun poll

    Southwest Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pledged to mobilise voters to reject the August 9 governorship poll in Osun State if anomalies observed in Ekiti poll are repeated.

    The caucus, in a communiqué released after a meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, alleged that the Ekiti election witnessed “hi-tech rigging by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

    But the party warned that it would mobilise the people to reject such alleged irregularities if introduced in the August election.

    It mentioned the folding of ballot papers, arrest of APC leaders at the local government levels on the night preceding the Ekiti election, prevention of national leaders and governors of the APC from entering for the final campaign of Governor Kayode Fayemi as some of the ways the PDP rigged the election.

    Its Director of Publicity, Mr. Ayo Afolabi, in the statement, also urged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity instead of militarising states during elections.

    It noted that the number of security agencies mobilised into Ekiti State during the last election should be able to confront and defeat Boko Haram insurgents, if mobilised against them.

    The communique reads in part: “The meeting reviewed the events preceding, during and after the Ekiti State gubernatorial election and noted that the election was far from being free and fair due to the following:

    “Militarisation of the electoral process: Ekiti State was in a state of military siege in the last one week to and during the election. These were aptly demonstrated by the restriction of movements of people and the baring of APC governors from entering for the final rally of the party on Thursday June 19, 2014.

    “As a matter of fact, the military, police, civil defence personnel and armaments that were deployed to Ekiti State at these period, if deployed to the Northeast, Nigeria would have reduced the violence of the Boko Haram insurgents and assist in the return of the Chibok girls.

    “Ekiti State was factually sealed up to all non-PDP personnel while the PDP chieftains had free days going in and out of Ekiti unmolested and ferrying goods suspected to be ballot papers, cash, arms and ammunitions from Akure Airport into Ekiti.

    “Many APC leaders from different local governments and communities were arrested in the dead of the night before the election and were released without any charges brought against them.

    “A lot of people who had earlier been accredited by the polling clerks were disfranchised for no justifiable reason.

    “Also, the ink pad used neither stick on the thumbs nor did it print on the ballot papers. The findings were that the thumb-prints ink fades within minutes of its impressions both on the ballot papers and the thumbs.

    “The meeting resolved to bring all the above noted discrepancies to the notice of Mr. President and INEC through official letters.”

    At the meeting were the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni, the National Vice Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and chairmen in the Southwest.

    Also at the meeting were National Financial Secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello and Rev. Tunji Adebiyi.

     

     

  • 2015: Friends urge APC to adopt Buhari

    2015: Friends urge APC to adopt Buhari

    Friends of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, under the aegis of Buhari Friends Organisation Network, at the weekend urged the party to adopt the former Head of State as its presidential candidate for the 2015 election.

    They spoke in Abuja at the inaugural general meeting of the group.

    The group’s National Coordinator, Saint Athanasius Okon, noted that like Buhari, his friends also hate corruption, lawlessness, impunity and other vices.

    Okon said: “We have to take it upon ourselves as his good friends who hate corruption, indiscipline, lawlessness, impunity in government and insecurity, to first call on the APC leadership and other members of the party to adopt General Buhari as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 general election.”

    Explaining how Buhari’s candidature would help the party and Nigeria, the spokesman said the Head of State embodies peace, good governance and the rule of law.

    Okon noted that because of the high level of corruption, unemployment, poor economy, indiscipline, insecurity and sundry vices forced on the nation by incompetent leadership, Nigerians should ask for Buhari’s return to power through a democratic process.

    According to him, history is replete with the ex-Head of State’s record of zero tolerance for corruption and advocacy of a  debt-free economy with priority for employment generation when he was in power.

    Okon recalled that industries were functioning at full capacities and electricity supply was adequate under Gen. Buhari’s leadership.

    The spokesman said during Gen. Buhari’s short administration, Nigeria was united and peaceful, adding that the nation was better off than the 15 years of the present civil rule.

    He noted that although Gen. Buhari’s friends would not advocate for a military rule, “history shall continue to have a place for him as an exemplary leader”.

    “As far as we are concerned, it is either those in government, whose responsibilities are to ensure that the above-mentioned problems and lots others are addressed, are incompetent or not sincere enough. That short-lived administration of General Muhammadu Buhari, which was in place for just one year plus, was better than 15 years of the so-called civil rule.

    “Considering the situation we have found ourselves now, with high level of insecurity occasioned by incompetent leadership with no will power to enforce our laws, you will agree with me that there is no better time than now for the man who matters most to come out and salvage the ugly situation for this country to become good again to live in.

    “He (Buhari) did it before; he can do it again, even better. My brothers and sisters, comrades and associates of General Buhari, let us rise and ask for Buhari’s return to power through a democratic process.

    “In view of the significance of this objective, we have to take it upon ourselves – as his good friends, who hate corruption, indiscipline, lawlessness, impunity in government as well as insecurity – to first call on the leadership of the APC and all the members of the party to please adopt General Buhari as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 election.

    “For those who accused Gen. Buhari ignorantly of sponsoring insurgency or supporting same, there are questions for them too: Are these people aware that Gen. Buhari’s convoy was attacked …by the Boko Haram insurgents? His cars and other valuables were destroyed. And it took God’s intervention to save his life.“