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  • Ngige, APC ask Court to disband Anambra tribunal

    Ngige, APC ask Court to disband Anambra tribunal

    The Enugu Division of the Court of Appeal yesterday reserved judgment in an appeal by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the Anambra State elections in November.

    Senator Ngige and the APC asked the appellate court to disband the State Elections Tribunal on the grounds of bias.

    They said the court should reverse the tribunal’s decision, which refused Ngige’s application to uphold Paragraph 12, sub-paragraph 5 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act and the cited cases by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

    The cited section provides that applications raised in an election petition shall be documented with the replies of opposing parties, while ruling shall be taken with the hearing at the final address.

    The tribunal, on February 19, drew a distinction between applications and objections seeking to strike out petitions for incompetence, and those seeking to strike out paragraphs of the petition.

    Paragraphs affected are those related, among others, to the alleged multiple registration by the APGA candidate, which the tribunal described as ‘vague and nebulous.’

    The appellants contended that ‘this discriminatory ruling’ had complicated the hearing, as decided cases of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal were cited at the hearing of the application.

  • Gov. Shettima reconciles with predecessor

    Gov. Shettima reconciles with predecessor

    Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno announced on Thursday that he had reconciled with his predecessor, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, in the interest of the State and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Shettima disclosed this shortly after an APC stakeholders meeting they attended in Maiduguri.

    “I want to announce that we have resolved to bury our differences as a family, the interest of our great party, the APC and the people.

    “The APC is a big family and quarrels or disagreements are inevitable in any human endeavour.

    “I want to assure you that we have decided to bury our hatchet and come together as a team from now on.

    “By the grace of God, this is the last time you will hear of any inter party squabbles among members of APC in Borno.’’

    He said all members of the party would form a common front toward winning the 2015 general polls.

    On his part, Sheriff said the problem was caused by mischief makers who spread rumours among the party members.

    “I don’t have any problem with the governor, because I have lots of respect for him.

    “I have never discussed the issue of replacing him as the APC governorship candidate for the 2015 polls as being rumoured.

    “I am a national leader of the party where as Shettima is the Borno leader of the APC.

    “I do not need to control the party at the state level because it is not my role,’’ he said.

    He said that a committee had been set up under the leadership of Shettima, to conduct APC congresses in places where the events were marred by crises.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that disagreement between the two leaders of the party had hindered the conduct of APC ward congress in many parts of the state.

  • APC and Christians without spirit of Christ

    What came to mind as I read the front page story of The Punch last Sunday about the threat of prominent Christians in the All Progressives Congress, (APC) to quit the party over an alleged plan to field a Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket was St. Paul’s admonition to the Romans “Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him, but if Christ is in you, your spirit are alive because of righteousness”. (Romans 8: 8-11)

    In the story, Femi Fani-Kayode, a former PDP stalwart and Obasanjo’s Man Friday, was quoted as saying the biggest mistake that the APC can make is to field a Muslim/Muslim ticket in the 2015 presidential election. Doing that, according to him, would lead to the loss of the election. For him, “Any party that present a Muslim/Muslim ticket ceases to be a political party and can be better described as a religious cult”.

    I am sure Fani-Kayode, if he is not speaking as a PDP mole in APC, knows most Nigerians now know there is no disagreement between Muslims and Christians in the sharing and looting of our national patrimony and the attendant creation of an army of unthinking miracle seekers. Obasanjo-Atiku Christian/Muslim ticket marked an era when politicians irrespective of their religion fought each other over who stole more from the commonwealth. Yar’Adua’s Muslim/Christian ticket witnessed an era when politicians irrespective of religion justified massive stealing claiming they sold properties to contest election. The current Jonathan Christian/Muslim administration has been described by many observers as the most corrupt in our nation’s history.

    Nigerians know it is Christian and Muslim politicians that have elevated religion to a divisive issue of Nigerian politics in the forth republic in order to exploit the vulnerable poor and ignorant among our people. I hope APC which has become a haven for all manners of disgruntled and sometimes discredited politicians will have the courage to remind Fani-Kayode that besides the indiscretion and hypocrisy of Muslim politicians in Zamfara and other parts of the north which gave rise to the current insurrection by Boko Haram, it is those Christians who are deficit in the spirit of Christ who have by their utterances, actions and misrule created an army of unthinking miracle seekers. Beyond their open demonstration of piety by legitimizing the exploitation of poor people by prosperity prophets through their regular presence in their unending crusades, they equally engage in waste of taxpayers’ money that could have gone in to other developmental purposes on pilgrimage to Mecca and Jerusalem.

    I am not sure Nigerians are in a position to make a distinction between Nigeria’s greedy Christian and Muslim politicians. What Nigerians expect as Nasir El Rufai has said are leaders “with integrity, capacity and competence to create jobs, fight corruption and rebuild our nation without discrimination” and who would choose to worship their God privately”.

    But denunciation of Christians without the spirit of Christ must not be misconstrued as an endorsement of Muhammadu Buhari, and Bola Tinubu, Muslim /Muslim ticket for the 2015 race. If you ask me, I will say both are too old to face today’s challenges. We must not forget that the average age of the major actors like Obafemi Awolowo, Bode Thomas, Anthony Enahoro, Rotimi Williams, SLA Akintola, Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa etc during Nigeria golden age 1949-1959 was about 34. But I also think both leaders are a blessing to Nigeria. Since political parties world over often need major stakeholders, they can be the pillars behind the power, delegating without abdicating.

    While APC party strategists may be right to see Buhari’s popularity in the North-west and North-east as great asset because most of his supporters are poor, underprivileged pauperized victims of the feudal system who are not democrats but miracle seekers, I think any candidate he adopts and openly campaigns for can secure for APC the benefits of his goodwill. But as for the South-west, APC does not need Tinubu on the ticket to sweep the area. Tinubu as a leader has already paid his dues. Yorubas know their true leaders. They are also discriminatory voters. Awo asserted as far back as 1952 that the Yoruba will not vote for you because you are Yoruba if you don’t have programmes that can impact positively on their lives.

    And here lies the strength of Tinubu. Even his detractors acknowledge his great achievement in retrieving the South-west from Obasanjo and those the Yoruba call ‘akotiletas’ who sold the common patrimony bequeathed onto us by Awo and his fellow South-west patriots, replacing legacies of excellence and meritocracy with mediocrity with the likes of Fayose and Akala at the helm of affairs in the region. I am sure Tinubu will see his liberation of his Yoruba people from the tyranny of Nigeria as a noble endeavour. And this has its rewards. It was as a Yoruba leader, that he single-handedly restored honour to a Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was turned an orphan by Obasanjo and PDP. The vice presidency in Nigeria cannot be a major attraction.

    In any case, he can look back with pride that at 62, he has groomed enough young Turks out of which anyone can be deployed to serve as vice president if one is needed from the zone. Otherwise, the only responsibility the Yoruba want of their leader is installing a good structure and electing credible people at the centre which would guarantee good governance as now obtains in the west. This is the only way to stop the influx of refugees from besieged North-east where PDP party chairman comes from, unskilled labour from North-central states of Benue and Plateau where the Senate President hails from and those who are trying to escape the anarchy unleashed on their land by militants and kidnappers in the South-south and South-east geo political zones where the President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation hail from. The South-west can only remain haven of peace when peace reigns in other geo-political zones.

    Price of liberty as they say is eternal vigilance. There are more reasons Tinubu is needed more in the South-west than in Abuja. It is no more news that President Jonathan has nothing but disdain for the Yoruba. During the fuel subsidy protest which later led to the discovery of the theft of about N1. 7 trillion, his aides accused Lagos and West who they claimed were the greatest beneficiaries of fuel subsidy of fuelling the crisis. It is on record the President tried to instigate the other Nigerian nationalities living in Lagos against their chief host during the 2011 elections. Obasanjo, his godfather recently accused him of sponsoring disgruntled PDP members to recruit people into the Labour Party to derail the giant strides made by governments of the South-west in the last three years.

    Analysts of the President’s politics of subterfuge have even averred that his appointment of Musiliu Obanikoro as minister of state for defence whose first official assignment was illegal drafting of soldiers to stop construction of public housing projects in Lagos based on a claim that the land belongs to Federal government, and Jelil Adesiyan who was at a time linked with the murder of Bola Ige, an unrepentant Yoruba irredentist, as new minister for police affairs, are seen as part of his silent war against the Yoruba.

    The president and his aides can play the ostrich, but the Yoruba who read meanings to mere greetings know that the imposition of Buruji Kashamu, a man described by Obasanjo as ‘drug baron’ who has cases to answer in the United States of America’ as chairman of the South West PDP Mobilisation and Organisation Committee; the manipulation of PDP primaries to guarantee the emergence Fayose as Ekiti governorship candidate in spite of his ongoing trial for murder and corruption; and Omisore as PDP candidate for Osun State in spite of his antecedents can only be evil machinations of those who hold them in contempt.

    Tinubu as de facto leader of his people must not allow himself to be distracted just as the late Bola Ige did.

  • Four arrested over killing of Ondo APC man

    Four persons suspected to be political hoodlums have been arrested for allegedly killing an All Progressives Congress (APC) member simply identified as Bosun during a ward congress at Ajipowo Isikan ward 11 in Akure South local government area of Ondo State.

    Bosun, who is at his early 30s, was said to have allegedly shot dead by the gunmen, who were invited to the congress by a factional group in the party led by one Alaba Ogundele

    Former State Commissioner for Information, Prince Olu Adegboro, who is a leader in the ward described the incident as sad.

    According to him, “hoodlums of one of the chairmanship aspirants invaded the ward congress venue and they started shooting sporadically into the air.

    “There was dispute between two chairmanship aspirants in the ward. Each insisting on contesting and I waded into the problem, I called the two groups and urged them to find a common ground.

    “I then asked them to go out and come back to brief me after settling their differences. I was still awaiting their response when I discovered there was pandemonium”.

    Already the remains of the late Bosun have been removed and deposited in an undisclosed mortuary.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo confirmed the arrested of the suspected hoodlum, saying security operatives were in control of the situation.

    However, at Southern senatorial district of the State which comprises of six local governments, Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo, Ilaje, Okitipupa, Irele, Ese-Odo and Odigbo, ward congresses were conducted peacefully.

    Also, in the Northern senatorial district of the State, which includes Owo, the four local government in Akokoland and Ose local government, enjoyed peaceful congresses.

    Only two wards, Oyinmo and Orun wards all in Ikare-Akoko, the headquarters of Akoko North East did not participate in the congresses.

    In Ondo central senatorial district, which include Akure Noth/South, Idanre, Ifedore and  Ondo West/East local governments, congresses were held peacefully in some parts, while others were marred with irregularities.

    For instance, in Ondo East/West, as at 3pm, voting was yet to start due to non availability of voting materials.

    In Akure North, voting started around 1pm, but was peaceful. As at 6pm, no voting had taken place in Atosin/Alade ward in Idanre local government.

    Speaking with reporters, a member of APC State Congress Committee, Sule Alao said the delegates have been in the state for one week preparing to the party congress.

    Alao said the national leaders of APC have given a directive that option “A4” should be used at ward congress level, while at the local government level they will used open secret ballot.

    Meanwhile, chieftains of the merged parties, the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) disassociated themselves from the ward congresses.

    Their decision was based on what they described as marginalization of their members, by leaders of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    In a statement signed by a member, Board of Trustees of the defunct ANPP, Capt Demola Ariyo; State Chairman of defunct ANPP, Chief Yemisi Aladesaye; State Chairman of the defunct CPC, Barr. Olalekan Obolo and Governorship candidate of defunct CPC, Prince Soji Ehinlanwo, they called for “a more credible congress which will accommodate all shades of interest in Ondo State APC”.

    They urged their members to remain calm, stressing that “APC belongs to all of us and not only to a small group of egocentric politicians”.

    The statement reads: “Having consulted widely with our members and supporters across Ondo State, we wish to disassociate ourselves from the ongoing congresses organized by a faction of the All Progressives Congress in the state.

    “We wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that this decision is predicated on the fact that our members across Ondo State have been marginalized not only during the last membership registration exercise but also in the process leading up to this sham congresses.

    “We therefore wish to assure all our members and supporters that the party APC belongs to all of us and not only to a small group of egocentric politicians.

    “As a result, we enjoin them to remain calm even in the face of the usurpation of their rights and privileges, while they are advised to await directives very soon for a more credible congress which will accommodate all shades of interests in Ondo State APC.”

    But in a swift reaction, Interim APC Secretary, Prince Olu Adegboro, described them as ‘jokers’, stressing that the congresses would go on as scheduled.

    Prince Adegboro pointed out that no attempt made at sabotaging the congresses would succeed, adding that Chairman of the Congress Committee in the state and former Lagos Deputy Governor, Mr Femi Pedro was already in town to conduct the exercises.

    Also, Alao, who was the defunct ANPP National Auditor, said he was not aware of the complaints of his members.

  • Abakaliki rice mill is unhygienic, says Elechi

    Abakaliki rice mill is unhygienic, says Elechi

    Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi yesterday said the Abakaliki Rice Mill is unhygienic for rice production.

    The governor spoke in Abakaliki at a town hall meeting at the Women Development Centre.

    The mill had been embroiled in a face-off with the government over the latter’s decision to relocate the millers to the three new rice milling machines it built in the three senatorial zones.

    The industrial court had ruled in favour of the state but the millers went to the appeal court.

    Elechi said the dirt at the Abakaliki Rice mill and the hazards associated with it could be disastrous to the people’s health.

    He said the government would relocate the rice millers to different clusters.

    According to him, the danger posed to the rice consumers prompted the government to establish the three modern rice mills.

    He said: “Anybody who sees the condition in which rice is processed will not eat that rice. On the other hand we have three modern rice mills in the three senatorial zones with sprawling grounds laid out with concrete drains to ensure that the place is hygienic.”

    “I want to warn the rice millers that much as we will not disobey the order of court, we have an obligation to ensure that the city is not flooded and whatever remedial measures we will do to avert a big disaster on the city and on our people, we will go ahead to do it.”

    “As things stand now the mountain of ashes behind the rice mill is frightening, with the uncertainty of weather and natural conditions, anything can happen. It will not be a surprise if the entire mountain of ashes blows into the city.”

    “It is also partially responsible for our decision to relocate the university away from there”.

    On the N15 billion bond his administration is planning, the governor said the money would be utilised for infrastructure that would attract investors to the state.

    He said ‘the major borrowing is yet to come’ as the administration intends to borrow more from the African Development Bank (ADB) to rebuild the ring road linking eight local governments.

    “The major borrowing is yet to come. We toured the ring road with a team from ADB. They toured the road and they were determined, they said they must assist us to ensure that the road is rebuilt and when that is done they will come in a bigger way to assist Ebonyi in trade and industry.”

     

    8. ABIA APC: we are READY TO TAKE OVER IN 2015

    UGOCHUKWU UGOJI-EKE, UMUAHIA

     

    The ward congress of Abia State All Progressives Congress (APC), which was scheduled to hold last Saturday, held yesterday in a peacefully at the 184 wards in the 17 local government areas.

    Speaking with The Nation in Umuahia, the state chairman of the

    congress for APC and the Commissioner for nformation and Strategy in

    Osun, Chief Sunday Akere, said they had been in the state for six days preparing for the ward congress.

    Akere said the party headquarters had told them to liaise with the state’s electoral body and security agencies.

    He said the materials for the congress had been distributed, adding that results would come in about 6 p.m. yesterday.

    He said the state APC was blessed with great men and women. “With what I am seeing today in the state and the cordial relationship that exists among party members, we are ready to take over the state in 2015.”

    Akere noted that members of the party have respect for internal democracy, “as many people have collected forms in a peaceful way, filled the forms and the congress done while we are awaiting the results.”

    He explained that the congress was for card-carrying members and that no one was exempted.

    State Interim Chairman of APC, Chief Donatus Nwankpa hailed Akere and his

    team for their handling of the ward congress, saying it was a sign of better things to come to the party.

    Nwankpa said members conducted themselves well.

    “This shows we are ready to take over governance in 2015, as the congress was conducted according to the rules of INEC and under the watch of

    security agencies.”

     

  • Battle for Southwest’s soul

    Battle for Southwest’s soul

    The stage is set for the governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states. Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and his Osun State counterpart, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, are seeking second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Their challengers are Mr Ayo Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore, who are running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI and Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examine their chances at the polls.

    EKITI and Osun states are warm-ing up for governorship elec-tions.

    On June 21, voters would troop out in Ekiti for the exercise. On August 9, the people of Osun would have another opportunity to elect a governor.

    The two elections are a prelude to the next year’s general elections.

    In the Southwest geo-political zone, three parties are on the track. They are the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).

    Going by contemporary political history of Ekiti State, Governor Kayode Fayemi faces a herculean task in the electoral contest. For one reason or the other, successive governors in the state were not able to secure a second term. So, the question on the lips of many observers is: Can Dr. Fayemi break the second term jinx?

    The PDP wants to regain control of the two states, where it was dislodged four years ago. The drafting of Mr Ayo Fayose into the race in Ekiti, eight years after he was impeached under controversial circumstances, to face Fayemi has been greeted with mixed feelings. For some observers, it suggests that the PDP is desperate to stage a comeback. This is based on Fayose’s antecedents in Ekiti politics.

    For others, it indicates that Fayose is in the race to serve as a spoiler for Fayemi by collaborating with the candidate of the Labour Party, Opeyemi Bamidele. If this happens, analysts reckone the governor must put in extra effort to retain his seat.

    Fayose’s tenure in office as governor was largely bedeviled by controversies, which ultimately culminated in his ouster through impeachment. The former governor, however, maintains that it was former President Olusegun Obasanjo who masterminded his removal. Analysts say youthful exuberance and arrogance were his greatest undoing. Fayose saw himself above others and talked down on power brokers, including the Ado-Ekiti monarch, it was said. As a result, he stepped on toes and cared less about what the victims felt about it.

    Those conversant with Ekiti politics say Fayose is a cat with nine lives. “He is a man who is used to pulling surprises; he has the ability to survive under the most severe and adverse conditions,” one of such observers noted. For instance, in 2003, when he entered the race to unseat Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), no one gave him a chance. He was widely regarded as a greenhorn, who was pitched against a party that literarily had the entire Southwest under its firm grip. But, Fayose surprised everyone, when he successfully unseated Adebayo.

    But, how far Fayose can go in securing another four-year mandate is another matter. He was declared winner of the primary election, amidst protests from other aspirants, who boycotted the poll, based on the allegation that the leadership of the party had skewed the process to favour Fayose. Such aggrieved PDP members have vowed to stop him.

    A member of the PDP said: “I’m a card carrying member of PDP and I can tell you with all sense of responsibility that with Fayose, we would not even come third in Ekiti election. This is a state that is well enlightened and would never tolerate a Fayose because of his antecedents during his first term.”

    He added: “All my friends working for Fayemi popped Champagne when they received the announcement of Fayose’s candidacy,” the source who pleaded for anonymity said.

    The permutation of close watchers of Southwest politics is that there may be more to the emergence of Fayose in Ekiti and Omisore in Osun than meets the eye. Against the backdrop of what played out in Ondo and Anambra states, where the PDP candidates played the spoiler roles, they say a similar game plan may be in the offing in Ekiti and Osun. During the Anambra governorship election, for instance, Tony Nwoye, who was the PDP candidate, did not get adequate support to guarantee his electoral success from his party. The same fate befell Olushola Oke in Ondo State. Funds needed to prosecute the election did not come to them on time. In the two states, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the LP won the elections with alleged tacit support from the PDP and the Federal Government.

    Ahead of 2015 general elections, indications are that the PDP is strategising to reclaim the Southwest from the APC. It was learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan had commissioned the LP to dislodge the APC in the region. LP, according to sources, is to infiltrate the APC and win some of its disenchanted members to the LP, particularly after primaries. Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the only LP governor, it was said, was to join the ruling PDP early this year, but has changed his mind. There are strong indications that under the new plan, he is to stay put in the LP and extend the party’s tentacles to other states in the Southwest.

    In Ekiti, a member of the House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele, has dumped the APC for the LP, where he has picked the governorship ticket to run against Fayemi . In Osun State, Omisore was reportedly favoured by the LP to run for the governorship on its platform. Though Omisore is running on the platform of the PDP, he was said to be in alliance Dr Olusegun Mimiko, with the Ondo State governor, who has been a long term friend of the former since their university days.

    Indeed, it is believed that what is happening in Ekiti and Osun is part of the party’s build up towards the 2015 general elections.

    In Ogun, the President has picked former governor Gbenga Daniel, who has already defected to the LP with his supporters as the arrow head to present a formidable candidate against the APC Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, in 2015 general elections. In Oyo State, the LP has been working with the opposition Accord Party (AP) led by Senator Rasheed Ladoja to stop the re-election of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in 2015.

    A source disclosed that the alternative plan put in place by the President’s strategists is that, where a consensus candidate cannot be agreed upon within the PDP, the platform of the LP would come in as a back-up. In this wise, the PDP and the LP have a working agreement for the LP to declare their support for the PDP when election comes. The source added that, in return for the working relationship, the Presidency would bank roll LP activities in the zone to ensure that the party gives the APC a run for its money.

    But, a social critic, Bernard Briggs, described the PDP’s plan to regain power in the Southwest as wishful thinking. According to him, no amount of money PDP would make the it gain power. Briggs said the PDP has never had any stronghold in the Southwest. “What happened in 2003 was that Obasanjo as President used the federal might to rig the election, so that, he, as the President, could have a political base,” he added.

    Against this background, what really is the PDP up to in the Southwest, particularly in Ekiti and Osun states? The party is believed to be facing a crisis of credibility in the Southwest for two reasons. One: its performance while it was at the helm of affairs in the region is being called to question by the ruling party in the region. Secondly, the region appears to be marginalised, in terms of the distribution of elective offices and federal appointments. Besides, former President Olusegun Obasasnjo and his followers in the region do not belong to the mainstream of the party.

    Briggs said the performance of the APC governors has made the region a no-go area for any other party. In Lagos, Ogun, Oyo to Osun and Ekiti, the governors have raised the bar of governance in this country. “You need to visit these states for you to appreciate the superlative performances of these progressive governors,” he said, adding: “What has PDP governors done in their state that would attract the Yoruba, the most enlightened set of people in the country to dump APC? What has the Jonathan administration achieved in the last six years to sell the PDP in the Southwest? He said the outcome of the 2015 general elections would be decided by the performance of the political parties and not the amount of money doled out to bribe people. “Nigerians are wiser now. If you give them money or bags of rice, they will take and vote according to their conscience,” he added.

    However, former Southwest PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman Chief Ishola Filani said the party can win elections in the zone in 2015, provided it takes advantage of the situation on ground. He said: “we are greater in population than the opposition parties put together. Our problem has been our inability to harness our strength and counter the propaganda of the opposition.” Filani said that, with the leadership restructuring, proper mobilisation and propaganda machinery that would match that of the APC, the party would capture the Southwest.

    “The President’s performance is a plus for us in the Southwest. He is doing well. He is a humble and determined person, who does not believe in flamboyance. That is why some people are under assessing him. But, when you look at what he has been able to achieve and his developmental programmes in education, agriculture, aviation and creation of job opportunities, you would realise that President Jonathan is a very good leader.

    A student activist, Mr. Lanre Adisa, disagreed with Filani’s postulation. He said:” PDP’s plan to reclaim the Southwest in 2015 is a mirage. What did the party achieve in the zone when it was in power for eight years? It was an era of retrogression. No sensible person in the Southwest would pray for a return of the dark era.

    “PDP never had a foothold in the Southwest. The elections it claimed to have won in 2003 and 2007 were shamelessly rigged in connivance with the electoral commission under the supervision of Professor Maurice Iwu. That was why the PDP’s victory didn’t last. The party stole the peoples mandate, which it relinquished when it’s time was up.

    Fayemi kicked-off his re-election campaign before a mammoth crowd in Ado Ekiti two weeks ago. At the rally, he canvassed for the support of the people based on his achievements in the infrastructural development, education, healthcare and youth empowerment. In terms of performance, the governor said he towers above his rivals in other parties. Alluding to the antecedents of his major opponent, Fayemi noted that he has brought transparency and accountability to governance adding, that no official of his administration has been summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

    He said: “The advantage I am having is that I am running on record and there are people who will promise heaven and earth but I can tell you what I have done in education and how I have banished poverty among our elderly people.” The governor added: “I can tell you what I have done in infrastructure, how we have transformed Ikogosi Warm Spring to an international tourist centre, how we have empowered our women, how we have revived our industries.” Fayemi called on the people of Ekiti to be mindful of where they were coming from, adding: “We don’t want to return to the dark days of one week, one trouble.”

    But, the PDP is not impressed by Fayemi’s track record. The party insists that, contrary to the impression being created in the media, the administration has not really impacted positively on the lives of Ekiti people. “The government of Kayode Fayemi has incurred a huge debt that the state may not be able to repay in the nearest future because the funds were used for very wasteful and unnecessary projects like building a new Government House. They are not revenue-yielding projects that would help to repay the debts and ultimately impact on the lives of the people,” said PDP supporter.

    However, the PDP is in crisis in Ekiti and Osun. Their governorship primaries were rancorous.

    The internal wrangling in the party may mar its chances at the polls. The 13 aggrieved governorship aspirants in Ekiti, have told the party’s national leadership to forget about reclaiming the state, since it has decided to ratify the election of Fayose as its candidate. Tunji Olatunde, the campaign manager of one of the aspirants, Senator Gbenga Aluko, said categorically that “the PDP cannot win Ekiti State with Fayose and I am sure they know it”.

    Many believe that the LP candidate and member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele, is also a factor.

    But one thing that will work in Fayemi’s favour is the incumbency factor. A stakeholder, Jegede Akano, said: “The devil you know is better than the angel you do not know. The governor has the opportunity to say this is what I have done in the state, which others do not have. This goes to say that Fayemi has better chances.” At the last APC membership registration in Ekiti State, over 200,000 members were said to have been registered. Meanwhile, the total number of registered voters in Ekiti is 649,000. The result of the last election in the state put the total numbers of votes polled by the two leading candidates in excess of 200,000. If the APC membership registration figure is anything to go by, it would not be arithmetically wrong, to place the chances of the governor high.

    Traditionally, the Southwest is the base of the progressives. Right from the First Republic the politics of the region was dominated by the Action Group (AG) founded by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a party that prided itself of good welfare pro-grammes, including free education and free medical service. Analysts contend that it was the welfare programme of the AG, which transformed the region. It also made the people of the Southwest to embrace the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) led by Chief Awolowo in the Second Republic. UPN won election in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo and even Bendel states. The four cardinal programmes of UPN – free education at all levels, free medical service, gainful employment and rural integration development – became household words in the region while its implementation endeared the people to the part leadership.

    In the aborted Third Republic, the Yoruba pitched their tent with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), whose manifesto was identical with Awolowo’s philosophy. It was not surprising therefore, that, in 1999, when the military lifted ban on politics, the Yoruba embraced the Alliance for Democracy (AD) because its ideology was similar to ideology of the AG, the UPN and the SDP. Thus, in 1999, the AD swept the polls in the Southwest.

    But, in 2003, the PDP hijacked power in the zone, using the federal might. Only Lagos State survived the onlaught. The AD chieftains claimed that the polls were rigged in Ogun, Oyo. Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states.

    In 2007, the Action Congress (AC), which later became the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), won elections in Lagos, Osun and Ekiti states. But, victory was alloted to the PDP. In 2010, the stolen mandates were retrieved from the interlopers.

    Also, in 2011, the ACN, which has now transformed into the APC, won the governorship pols in Oyo and Ogun states.

     

  • Tension mounts as police gun down two robbery suspects in Anambra

    •No police officer injured says PPRO

    Tension has continued to mount at Nkpor near the commercial city of Onitsha following the attempted Bank Robbery by two suspects yesterday that claimed their lives.

    The incident happened around 9.am yesterday at Nkpor as the All Progressives Congress (APC) was holding its ward congresses in the state.

    Eye witness told the Nation that the two suspects were heading to one of the old generation Banks along the Nkpor old road after harassing a woman.

    The Nation gathered that the two suspects were gunned down by the police who was raid alert on getting the information.

    While contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer Emeka Chukwuemeka confirmed the incident, but denied any police officer being injured.

    He said that the incident happened at Nkpor near Awada in the commercial city when two motor cycle operators wanted to rob a woman in near by bank and the police responded by taking them down immediately.

    Chukwuemeka said that their arms and ammunition were also recovered.

    Furthermore, he said that the police were battle ready in making sure that criminals were flushed out in Anambra state and in making sure that the state was safe.

    “We want to work in accordance with the principles of Governor Willie Obiano in making sure that the state is free of criminals” he said

     

     

     

  • Southwest as progressives’ stronghold

    Southwest as progressives’ stronghold

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are locked in a battle of supremacy in the Southwest. The proposed governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states, which is the first plase of the battle, will reveal their strengths and weaknesses, ahead of the 2015 general elections Group Political Editor  EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are warming up for battle in the Southwest geo-political zone. On June 21, eyes will be on Ekiti State, where voters will troop out from 130 towns and villages to make a choice. The candidates are Governor Kayode Fayemi (APC), Mr. Ayodele Fayose (PDP) and Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele (Labour Party). Also, on August 9, voters from 30 local governments will make a choice between Governor Rauf Aregbesola (APC) and Senator Iyiola Omisore (PDP). In the two states, gladiators are on the field canvassing for votes.

    Fayemi is seeking re-election on merit. Even, key opposition figures have attested to his performance in the last three and half years. Apart from restoring peace and fostering development, he has presided over a transparent government. But, in Nigeria, performance is not the only criterion for winning an election. The war scholar and pro-democracy activist is seeking the renewal of his mandate at a time the PDP is scheming to bounce back in the Fountain of Knowledge. While Fayemi is campaigning based on his achievements, the opposition, which is pushing for power shift, is relying on the federal arsenal, police control, financial muscle and capacity for manipulation.

    Fayemi’s challenges are former Governor Ayo Fayose, who was removed from office in 2006, and Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, a member of the House of Representatives, who defected to the Labour Party (LP) last year. His running mate is Deputy Governor Modupe Adelabu, a Professor of Education and princess of Ado-Ekiti. Fayose and Bamidele are yet to name their running mates.

    In 2011, Fayose contested for the Senate as the LP candidate. He lost to Senator Babafemi Ojudu. Bamidele became a member of the House of Representatives that year on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Aregbesola has the people behind him. Since his stolen mandate was restored, the governor has not relented in the work of development. Like Fayemi, Aregbesola has fought the infrastructure battle, restored the dignity of the state and given hope to the indigenes. His challenger is Omisore, who was impeached as the deputy governor in 2002. The Ife-born politician is a veteran governorship contender, having tried his luck thrice, but without success.

    Traditionally, the Southwest is the stronghold of the progressive bloc. When power shifted to the conservatives in the past, it was not without controversy and dire consequences. It was due to the fact that only progressive governments have tried to satisfy the peoples’ yearning for ‘life more abundant’. From the days of the Action Group (AG) led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Southwest had placed its hand on the welfarist plough without an intention to look back. In the Second Republic, the zone built on its First Republic’s antecedents by embracing the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), also led by Awo. Even, in the post-Awolowo era, Southwest could only embrace the leftist platforms, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and now, the APC.

    When the reactionary elements made the first attempt to capture the zone in the First Republic, it was disastrous. Although the leader, Awo, was caged, his followers did not disperse. The conservative leaders succeeded in installing the late Chief Ladoke Akintola, the leader of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), as the Premier. But, for four years, his administration was full of tension. In 1965, the traitor’s time was up. Up to now, the memory of the wild wild West lingers. It symbolised the rejection of interlopers. The event drew the curtains on the First Republic.

    Thirteen years after the first military interregnum, the progressives bounced back. The five states of Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Bendel and Lagos were administered by the ideologically inclined Awo’s lieutenants. who implemented the four cardinal programmes of free education, free health services, full employment and rural development. Reminiscent of the First Republic, the enemies of the zone hijacked power in Oyo and Ondo states. The reaction of voters was spontaneous. The two states were in flames, once again. Electoral terrorism led to killings and destruction of property. Peace and tranquility took flight. Instructively, certain events heralded the trouble in the dominant group in the zone in the two dispensations. Desperate conservative politicians capitalised on the cracks on the wall to rig the polls.

    In 1999, the Southwest was about putting its house in order. AD was a promising party. It was growing in leaps and bounds. But, the political lessons of the past were lost on the leaders. As the AG crisis led to a bitter rift, the Afenifere crisis led to a split in the AD. Also, in 2003, AD governors, backed by Afenifere leaders, had a pact with PDP National Leader, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. It paled into a wrong calculation. The election of 2003 was a festival of rigging in the Southwest. The resultant earthquake shook the zone to its foundation. The former President, it was said, tricked the governors. After mobilising for his second term ambition, they met their waterloo. Only former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu survived the onslaught. Between 2003 and 2007, Ondo, Oyo. Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states groaned under the PDP.

    From Lagos State, the progressives picked up the gauntlet. Leading the soldiers of democracy on the battle front was Tinubu. After three years of struggle, the coast for clear. Not only were the mandates restored in Ekiti and Osun states, the PDP also suffered defeat during the 2011 governorship polls in Oyo and Ogun states.

    Since 2011, the opposition has been on the prowl in the zone. Will the PDP dislodge the APC on June 21 in Ekiti and August 9 in Osun? Time will tell.

     

  • Fayemi: expect more gains

    Fayemi: expect more gains

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has pledged to execute people-oriented programmes, if elected for a second term on June 21.

    Fayemi made the pledge yesterday while campaigning in Ekiti East Local Government Area.

    He said projects executed by his administration were having desirable impacts on the people’s lives, adding: “We urge you to vote for our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to enable us add to our list of achievements in the last three-and-a-half years.”

    The governor, who visited Omuo, Eda-Ile and Isinbode, among other towns, was received by traditional rulers, community leaders and other interest groups.

    Fayemi urged the people to be vigilant as the election approaches to prevent anti-democratic elements from stealing their votes.

    Expressing confidence that beneficiaries of the Social Security Scheme for the Elderly; the Volunteer Corps scheme and free health programmes in government hospitals would vote for him, he said this was necessary to enable his administration continue “the good work”.

    At Omuo, Fayemi said his administration renovated and equipped the Omuo General Hospital, as well bought a new ambulance and drugs for it.

    He said his administration bought and installed a new transformer, which happens to be the sixth in the community, to boost power supply.

    Fayemi said the community benefited from the five-kilometer road projects carried out by the local council, adding that work had commenced on the Omuo-Isinbode-Agbado Road and an ultramodern market.

    Explaining that more dividends of democracy are still in the offing, Fayemi said: “Keep your voter cards. Do not forget it at home on the Election Day. We are ready to work harder. Please remain resolute. I know you will not let us down. You have enjoyed the dividends of democracy from a progressive government and I know you want this to continue. We are ready to work harder to improve the standard of living.”

    At Eda-Ile, the governor pledged to link the only major road in the community to neighbouring communities.

    He listed the Town Hall, construction of the medical workers’ residential quarters, renovation of the Community High School and the school hall as legacies of his administration in the town.

  • Abia APC: we are ready to take over in 2015

    Abia APC: we are ready to take over in 2015

    The ward congress of Abia State All Progressives Congress (APC), which was scheduled to hold last Saturday, held yesterday in a peacefully at the 184 wards in the 17 local government areas.

    Speaking with The Nation in Umuahia, the state chairman of the

    congress for APC and the Commissioner for nformation and Strategy in

    Osun, Chief Sunday Akere, said they had been in the state for six days preparing for the ward congress.

    Akere said the party headquarters had told them to liaise with the state’s electoral body and security agencies.

    He said the materials for the congress had been distributed, adding that results would come in about 6 p.m. yesterday.

    He said the state APC was blessed with great men and women. “With what I am seeing today in the state and the cordial relationship that exists among party members, we are ready to take over the state in 2015.”

    Akere noted that members of the party have respect for internal democracy, “as many people have collected forms in a peaceful way, filled the forms and the congress done while we are awaiting the results.”

    He explained that the congress was for card-carrying members and that no one was exempted.

    State Interim Chairman of APC, Chief Donatus Nwankpa hailed Akere and his

    team for their handling of the ward congress, saying it was a sign of better things to come to the party.

    Nwankpa said members conducted themselves well.

    “This shows we are ready to take over governance in 2015, as the congress was conducted according to the rules of INEC and under the watch of security agencies.”