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  • Kwara PDP, APC clash over secretariat

    Kwara PDP, APC clash over secretariat

    There was tension in Ilorin, Kwara State, yesterday, when supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in a clash.

    Members of the PDP caretaker committee planned to hold their inaugural meeting at the secretariat of the defunct nPDP, but the APC members would not allow it.

    This happened barely 24 hours after the state command banned political rallies.

    The secretariat, located on Nupe Road, has been a subject of controversy between the old PDP and ex-nPDP members shortly after the latter’s merger with the APC.

    The ownership of the secretariat complex is now a subject of litigation in the court.

    Both APC and PDP supporters converged on the Community Mess and Kingstone Hotel ends of Nupe Road at 9am. Scores of regular and riot policemen barricaded both entrances.

    It was said some members of the PDP committee got clearance to take possession of the secretariat.

    Sources said some PDP members, who claimed to be ‘stakeholders’, were secretly allowed entry by the police.

    Both supporters eventually entered the premises but were prevented from entering the complex.

    Attempts by the PDP members to hoist PDP flag were resisted by the APC supporters.

    Commissioner of Police Agboola Oshodi-Glover later arrived at the scene.

    An APC chieftain, Yemi Afolayan, said the PDP’s action was lawless and a disregard to the rule of law.

    Afolayan, a former PDP secretary, said: “Yesterday, the PDP in Kwara State made another futile attempt to take over our property at the GRA in Ilorin.

    “This should not have come as a surprise because the party has become a haven of lawlessness with flagrant disregard to the rule of law.

    “Kwara has known political peace and harmony and we appeal to our people not to allow a few disgruntled political elements take advantage of this peace.”

    A member of the PDP caretaker committee, Rex Olawoye, said: “As you have seen today we had our inaugural meeting and we decided at that meeting that we should occupy our secretariat.

    “We know that some of our members have migrated to another party but those left feel we should coordinate and see how we can put ourselves together to face any election and the first step is to have a place to interact and plan.

    “So we decided to have an inroad into our secretariat, more so we know that when you belong to a particular party and you decide to remove your membership of that party I don’t think that entitles you to holding on to the secretariat of that party.”

     

  • Senate probes Abe’s shooting

    Senate probes Abe’s shooting

    A senate panel was in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday to launch a probe into Sunday’s shooting of Senator Magnus Abe at a planned rally venue.

    Members of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, led by Senator Igwe Paulinus Wagwu, promised not to witch-hunt anybody.

    Wagwu (Ebonyi Central), with whom was Senator Hadi Sirika (Katsina North), met with Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Rivers Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu.

    Members also met with leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and leaders of the pro-Amaechi Save Rivers Movement (SRM), whose Sunday rally was disrupted by the police with teargas and gunshots.

    The panel met with Mbu at the police headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt. Amaechi received them at the Government House.

    Mbu took the committee members to the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, where Abe was shot by the police with rubber bullets.

    Mbu insisted that the policemen did not expend any ammunition at the rally, let alone shooting rubber bullets. He admitted directing his men to disperse the members of the SRM with teargas, claiming not to have given them permit for the inauguration.

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was accused by Chief of Staff Government House, Tony Okocha and many allies of the NGF chairman as being behind the police’s action. He denied it.

    The Ogoni Leaders of Thought at a news conference in Port Harcourt called for the immediate removal of Mbu – in line with the separate resolutions of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    The Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), which has Wike as the grand patron, while briefing reporters yesterday, raised the alarm over what it called a plan by Amaechi’s supporters to set ablaze the Obio/Akpor Local Government council secretariat. Okocha denied the claim as baseless.

    The Obio/Akpor Local Government chapter of the GDI, co-ordinated by Collins Onunwo, declared that members of the group would resist any attempt by enemies of President Goodluck Jonathan and Wike, an indigene of Rumueprikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government, to cause the breakdown of law and order in Rivers state.

    The committee’s chairman said his report would be presented for proper deliberation and resolution.

    Wagwu said: “We are here in Rivers State to carry out fact-finding on the incident that happened last Sunday, where it was alleged that the police shot teargas and rubber bullets, which, incidentally, also affected Senator Magnus Abe.

    “We have not concluded our investigation; when we finish, we will submit our report to the National Assembly for deliberation and resolution on the matter.”

    Asked why the delay in the redeployment of Mbu, Wagwu said that the National Assembly had stated its position on the immediate deployment of the police commissioner, but expressed regrets that the matter involving Mbu was still in court and prayed that justice be done.

    The Chief of Staff in the Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, told the Senate panel that the SRM, while on a sensitisation and mobilisation mission, wrote the police on its intention to organise a rally in support of the APC for the Obio-Akpor Local Government chapter.

    He said: “On Saturday evening, being 11th January, 2014, I was at the premises of Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, where the stage for the rally was set up and we expected that the following morning, being Sunday, the rally would hold, as planned by the SRM.

    “On Sunday morning, as early as 6 am, my phone rang and the call said, the police, about five troopers, had besieged the premises and dismantled the canopies, chairs and tables arranged for the event while teargas was shot to disperse the crowd that morning.

    “When I got to the venue, I saw a crowd of policemen, including three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), and also saw how the venue was upturned by the police. It was not too long I met Senator Magnus Abe and the police continued the shooting of teargas and rubber bullets.

    “One of the rubber bullets hit me on the left side of my leg and also touched Senator Abe. Right now, I cannot walk properly. Despite the police invasion, we were armless. When we saw that Senator Magnus Abe had been injured, we managed to put him into a vehicle that took him to the hospital for medical treatment before he was flown abroad.”

    The Ogoni leaders condemned “in very strong terms” the assassination attempt on the life of one of their sons (Abe), which they said provoked a bitter reminder of the events of the recent past that led to the killing of their first generation leaders by the Nigerian state.

    Ogoni leaders, from the four Ogoni local governments of the state, represented by Justice Peter Akere (rtd., Gokana Local Government), Dr. Eddie Wikina (Khana), Dr. Peter Medee (Tai) and Marcus Nle Eji (Eleme), said: “Ogoni people will not stand by and watch a repeat of such dastardly actions that threaten the life of an Ogoni person.

    “We remind the Nigerian nation and indeed the wider world that the occupation of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by a Niger Deltan is the product of the Ogoni struggle and blood for which we have no benefit, not even the implementation of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) report on Ogoniland.

    “In the event of continued acts of impunity, the Ogoni people will not hesitate to demand the vacation of the Nigeria Police from its territory. We demand an immediate investigation into the events leading to the near assassination of Distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe.”

  • APC and challenge of reconciliation in Kano

    APC and challenge of reconciliation in Kano

    Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the rivalry between Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and his predecessor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, and how the All Progressives Congress (APC) Reconciliation Committee led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is brokering truce between the two gladiators.

    The defection of Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to generate ripples in the PDP. Many observers agree that his exit is a loss to the party in its quest to retain power in the state in 2015.

    But, his defection to the APC has also imposed on the party leadership the challenge of reconciliation between him and his predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. Both of them have been locked in a supremacy battle in the Northwest state for over 10 years.

    Before Kwankwaso’s defection, Shekarau had emerged as the leader of the APC in Kano, following the consumation of the merger of the progressive parties. He was the undisputed leader of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), which merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) to form the APC. However, with Kwankwaso’s defection, the power equation changed. The governor instantly displaced his predecessor as the leader of the mega party.

    Shekarau’s supporters are irked by the turn of events. They complained that their leader was not consulted during the negotiation with the governor. They also pointed out that Shekarau may now play a second fiddle under Kwankwaso’s leadership. Since the defection, the two camps have been exchanging tirades in the media.

    It was the carry-over of the 2011 battle. Shekarau had defeated Kwankwanso in the 2003 governorship poll. The election was bitterly contested. He ruled for eight years. However, Kwankwaso bounced back in 2011 as Shekarau’s successor. Thus, the two players perceive themselves as political foes.

    A major event that aggravated the rivalry was the visit to Kwankwaso at the Government House by the APC leaders, when they were wooing him into the party. Although, the APC leaders later apologised to Shekarau for not carrying him along, the former governor felt that he was sidelined. The former governor said it was an attempt to cut his influence.

    Former Edo State Governor John Odigie-Oyegun, who led the party’s delegation to Shekarau, said: “Under no circumstances shall we turn our back on Shekarau, the APC and its leadership in Kano State because the state is critical to the APC. Shekarau is one of the architects of merger negotiations because when there was difficulty in the merger talks, he came up with a solution. Shekarau is very important to the party as he was among those who played a key role in the merger negotiations”.

    According to observers, there was the Buhari angle to the political rivalry between the strong men of Kano politics. They recalled that the frosty relationship between the retired General and Shekarau dated back to his tenure as governor. It was said that in the eight years that Shekarau was in office, Buhari did not pay him a visit, although he visited Kwankwaso, who was elected on the platform of the PDP.

    Party sources disclosed that Shekarau was not happy that Buhari did not protest when his name was not included on the list of chieftains that visited Kwankwaso.

    Thus, his supporters feel that, since Buhari has thrown his weight behind the governor, he had, through his body language, abandoned an old ally.

    Analysts are of the view that the Oyegun Reconciliation Committee has a lot to do in Kano State. The committee has been mandated to broker peace between the two gladiators.

    The rivalry started in 2003. It was the build up to the 2003 elections and the reintroduction of the Sharia legal system. Shekarau, who was a Permanent Secretary, was attending meetings for the resuscitation of the Shari’a law. Kwankwaso objected, saying that the meetings had political undertones. Shekarau maintained that he had a fundamental right to attend the meetings. Consequently, he was removed as a Permanent Secretary and posted to a public school as a teacher.

    Shekarau’s predicament brought him into the limelight. Many people had sympathy for him. They believed that he was unjustly demoted. Many rights groups chided Kwankwaso for the victimisation. Following his redeployment to the classroom, Skekarau retired from the civil service. He joined the ANPP and emerged as its governorship candidatte. Although he lost the primaries to Alhaji Aminu Little, the party insisted on his candidature.

    Shekarau defeated Kwankwaso at the poll because of what analysts referred to as the ‘Buhari factor’. When he assumed office, Shekarau instituted a probe into the Kwankwaso’s tenure.The commission, in its report, indicted Kwankwaso for embezzlement. A White Paper was released to that effect. The probe truncated the ambition of Kwankwaso to re-contest the 2007 governorship election. But, he fielded one of his close associates, Alhaji Garba Bichi, who was defeated by Shekarau. But, in 2011, Kwankwaso defeated Shekarau’s anointed candidate, Sagir Takai.

    Between 2003 and the defection of Kwankwaso to theAPC, it was fashionable for both leaders to accuse one another at public functions. That is why some people feel that political cohabitation may be difficult for the duo, unless there is reconciliation.

    An indication that all is not well with the Kano APC manifested recently when Shekarau and his supporters stormed the party’s national secretariat in Abuja to register their displeasure over the powers conferred on the five PDP governors, who have defected to the party.

    Shekarau complained that the labours of the old APC chieftains were being ignored by the party leadership. He said that the old and new members deserved equal treatment.

    The former governor said: “If a governor comes into the APC today and wants the structure of the party in his state to be handed over to him, we may have to critically look at it. This is because there are structures on grounds in the state before such a governor came in. It is not possible to ignore this reality when you are discussing the terms under which a new person is coming into the party, else there could be confusion”

    But, not all the associates of Shekarau are with him in his battle to maintain the status quo. There is a crack in his camp. Some leaders of the defunct ANPP, including a former presidential candidate of National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa, and Senator Kabir Gaya, have visited Kwankwaso and pledged their support to his leadership.

    But, another associate of Shekarau and former Chairman of the ANPP in Kano State, Alhaji Sani Hotoro, dismissed the delegation to the governor, saying that Tofa and his crew visited the governor in their individual capacities, and not on behalf of the defunct ANPP.

    According to Hotoro, members of the defunct ANPP had written a letter to the APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, about their grievances.

    “It is in the public knowledge that members of the APC coming from the defunct ANPP, Kano State, have on December 18, 2013 under the leadership of our 2011 presidential candidate and former Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau , delivered a letter to the APC interim leadership in Abuja conveying our concern and the way forward.

    “In it, we requested for clarification on the rumour going round that the five aggrieved new PDP governors who decided to decamp to the APC did so as a result of an alleged agreement they reached with a section of the APC leadership that they will be given special privileges that are clearly against all fairness and democratic norms. These included the state leadership of the party, automatic tickets for all their members of the state and national assemblies and also the handling the registration of members.”

    Hotoro said that, as far as “the ANPP section of the APC in Kano State” was concerned, Shekarau remained the leader of the party in the state.

    Will Shekarau group dump theAPC, if the party is adamant on its constitutional provision that confers the leadership of the party on the governors? Hotoro said Shekarau and the other aggrieved members had no plan to defect to other parties.

    It was also learnt that the bickering is rampant among those currently eyeing the Government House in Shekarau’s camp in 2015. Prominent among them are Malam Sagir Takai and Hon Kawu Idris Sumaila, a member of the House of Representatives.

    Kwankwaso has pledged to treat every member of the party with fairness. He also promised to carry everyone along in the decision making. He has urged them to join hands with him for the progress and success of the party.

    The party elders are not relenting in their bid to reconcile the two leaders. A source said that truce is possible, but added that confidence building may take some time.

    Already, party sources said that Shekarau has reconciled with Buhari. The reconciliation, according to sources, was facilitated by former Minister of Agriculture Alhaji Sani Zango Daura. A deal was struck that Shekarau should drop his presidential ambition for Buhari, the source added.

    Currently, Odigie-Oyegun and his team are in Kano. The former Edo State governor has said that both leaders will work together for the party in an atmosphere of oneness. The APC interim Publicity Secretay, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, also said that the APC will not neglect crisis resolution.

    “To take care of some of the grumblings and protests that may come up in the affected states, we have set up some committees that will take care of the concerns of our leaders in those states and ensure a seamless integration of the new members. The committee will take care of whatever crisis that may ensue in the on-going process of integration,” he said

  • ‘Yewa/Awori should produce next Ogun governor’

    ‘Yewa/Awori should produce next Ogun governor’

    Prince Segun Adewale is a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) and a senatorial aspirant in Ogun West District. In this interview with Jeremiah Oke, he speaks on the Yewa/Awori agitation for power shift in 2015.

    What is the political situation in Ogun State?

    Ogun State is a state where we have intellectuals, educationists and prominent people like the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and other notable politicians. You should know that it is an important state. The political situation in Ogun State is that we have the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a member of the ruling party People Democratic Party (PDP) and the state is controlled by the opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). The people of Ogun State have experienced the PDP leadership for eight years and the AD/APC for close to seven years now and the people are still yearning for another political party to give them a change. That is why the Labour Party is being recognised in the state to give them the change they are clamouring for. Today, the Labour Party has become a force in Ogun State politics and that is the political situation in Ogun State as we speak now.

    Moreover, Ogun State is not a kind of state you will say because a political party is a national party that has ruled them for eight years, it will use a veto power to influence anything for them. But, it is a dynamic state where a credible political party is welcomed and no other party can give them the deserved dividends of democracy than the Labour Party.

    Since your party is just coming up in Ogun State, don’t you think the party might be lost in the struggle for power?

    Before the PDP came on board as a ruling party in Ogun State, there was no party, except that the President came from Ogun State. The President himself lost in his ward. What that is telling us is that, regardless of the number of years a political party has existed in a state, a new party can defeat it. It is possible for a new party to record a landmark victory in an election. People know what they want and they how to get it. So, the issue of our party coming up in less than a year has nothing to do with our success in the proposed election. It is not about how long, but it is about how well we can harmonise and mobilise the people.

    Do you think the Yewa/Awori will unanimously adopt the Labour Party in 2015?

    Yes, they have adopted the Labour Party already. The dynamism of politics differs from state to state and from region to region. What is happening in Akwa Ibom today may not necessarily reflect what is happening in Lagos and Ekiti states. This is because there is a peculiar agitation in the state and that is what happened in Anambra State where we heard that the APGA swept the poll just because there was the agitation from the Anambra North to present the governorship candidate for a very long time. That is why it is very easy for the APGA to clear the poll. the same thing also applies to Ogun State where the Yewa/Awori has never produced a governor in the last 38 years of existence. The Labour Party now said that, because of equity and fairness, the state should maintain balance in governance. Therefore, Yewa/Awori should produce the next governor.

    Do you think the antecedents of the people in the Labour Party can give the anticipated victory in 2015?

    What antecedents are you talking about? The people in other political parties are not better, in terms of the antecedents. What was the antecedents of Otunba Gbenga Daniel in 2003 before he became the governor? We are not selling names in the Labour Party. But, we are parading the grassroots politicians who know the problems of our people. So, it is not about big names, but what we are able to achieve individually. I can tell you that, come 2015, it is the people that will win elections and not the big names.

    In 2011, Gboyega Isiaka, who is from Yewa/Awori, was unable to make any impact as the People Party of Nigeria (PPN) governorship candidate. Don’t you think the same thing will repeat itself in 2015?

    The question you ask could be titled “so near, yet so far in 2011”. But today, I want to tell you that the Yewa/Awori have learned their lesson by speaking in one voice and we are ready to correct our mistakes. We have done a lot of re-orientation within Ogun West. I have been in the forefront of doing that and I am sure it is going to be a productive effort. Some of our people coming from the Labour Party have even agree to have a gentleman agreement with the other regions of the state to ensure that the Ogun West Senatorial District produce the next governor for the first time in the history of Ogun State. I am sure they will actualise their dreams.

    As the aspirant of the Labour Party in the Ogun West district, what have you done for your people that will make them vote for you?

    I am a grassroots politician who understand the plight and aspiration of our people and I am ready to assist them. In the history of a nation, there is always a move to rescue at a critical point and that is why we have agreed in Ogun State never to play politics with the warfare of the people, but to play politics the way it should be played. I saw the challenges of our people and that is why I rise up to rescue them and give them the dividend of democracy. In the last eight years, I have been associated with the people of Yewa/Awori and I know their challenges. I have several on-going projects in 52 wards of the region. I have been able to construct 10 schools across my senatorial district. I have inaugurated many transformers for our people. I have created many job opportunities for our children in Yewa/Awori. I have empowered many people mentally and financially, which is the most important thing we need in Ogun West. In the past one and the half years, I always spend an average of N250,000 every week to provide free medical care for the people in the grassroots and the medical personnel are always on ground to attend to our people whenever need be. Go round the Ogun west and ask of all these things I have mentioned.

    After Otunba Gbenga Daniel was expelled by the state chapter of the party, the national secretariat return him as the grand patron of the party. Do you think his past record will not affect your party in 2015?

    What past record are you talking about? We need all sort of people in a particular party regardless of their antecedents and what they must have done in the past. Our party is the only party that has ideology and tolerance because we have records. The party was formed as a result of the agitation of the people for good governance, so therefore, we are welcoming people from anywhere they may be coming from. it is not about OGD antecedents and what he has done in the past but it is about what he will do in the future. His coming to the party will even strengthen the party the more. OGD has ruled the state for eight years, also unseat a seating governor, and a governor unseated him, I think we need a lot to learn from him. So what I am saying in essence is that LP is a party for everybody in the state regardless of their past and antecedents.

  • Tackle your leadership crisis, Bayelsa PDP urges APC

    Tackle your leadership crisis, Bayelsa PDP urges APC

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa State chapter, has urged the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to resolve the crisis rocking the state’s branch of the party.

    PDP, in a statement by its Chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (rtd), said it noted with concern, the tension among the three factions of the APC, led by a former defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain, Ebikibina Miriki, Richard Kpodo and Tiwei Orunimighe, all claiming leadership of the party.

    Hailing the state government’s statement on its commitment to the protection of life and property of law-abiding citizens, including APC members, PDP enjoined the national leadership of APC to resolve the crisis and announce the leader in the state, stressing that it cannot afford to be thrown into chaos.

  • Benue APC begins door-to -door tour

    Benue APC begins door-to -door tour

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has begun a door-to-door sensitisation tour.

    The tour is led by the Interim Chairman, Targema Takema, and all members of the executive.

    The Publicity Secretary, Philip Anza, said the tour is to sensitise members on the January 28 party registration.

    Anza said the tour will afford the committee the opportunity to interact with members.

    He called on APC supporters to remain resolute and participate in the registration

  • Comments

    Comments

    For Olatunji Dare

    Jonathan’s nickname is Mr. Promise and Fail, and Mr. Incapacitated. When APC called him kindergarten president everybody was throwing abusive words at its leaders but now they are vindicated. A man who promised to send generators in Nigeria on exile is still battling with power supply in the country. May be he needs minister of generator to do so. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Lagos

    Dare, if Jonathan promised an all time power supply, which to a discerning mind, was a mere projection, and in two years provided half a day’s from the moribund level he acquired from preceeding government, should he not be commended in place of condemnation, though in subtle manner? You even called him a liar whose words could not be taken in its clout. Who is that Nigerian who was unaware of the fact that successive governments had been vaccillating on privatisation of the refineries over the years; for you to capitalise on disparity on status quo on the issue between Petroleum Minister and Jonathan, whose position might have been arrived at shortly after the minister had stated the prevailing situation at her public address abroad? The humanisation of high office by holders, including Obasanjo, had no unusualness but Jonathan’s. Ha! Dare, even you? God, when will these end? From Lai Ashadele

     

    For Segun Gbadegesin

    Re: Centennial of greed (2). A remote cause was possibly the need to enlarge recruitment field for world war. The hurry was so much that it was federation. It should have been confederation leading to agreement to federate. We would have been saved all the power struggles that have been the bane of our economic community so necessary amongst all zones of Nigeria. Noteworthy for centennary review. From Ita Ekpott, Uyo

    The skewed federalism creates the belief in some quarters that Nigeria belongs to them. How do we handle the ‘born to rule’ idea in some persons? All British federal creation with our kind of incongruities have dissolved quietly. South Sudan is not a good example. They need further division. From Uche Lawson, Aba

    Re: Centennial of greed(2). It was a wonderful piece, more power to your elbow. ‘…nook and cranny not ‘nooks and crannies’, take note. From Ayo Joseph, Ikeja Lagos

    A visit to UI Advancement Centre/Office of PRO, UI Ibadan will reveal a hill of dirty flags of many countries flying at half mast. It is real insult to those nations. It will also be noted that the flag of Nigeria is nowhere to be found among the flags. Evidently, those manning the UI Advancement Centre are unpatriotic people. The centre is UI Destroying Centre which is hostile to education transformation in Nigeria. From Prof. Akesinro K. S.

    Re: Centennial of greed(2). Let us assume ‘the knife had already cut the Youth’s finger’! Dropping it is not the solution. Since Lugard had executed own agendum of amalgamation, what are we doing as the amalgamated to grow, unite and develop rapidly? Why are others not talking about Ibo presidency for continued unity and true oneness? And no one, including Nigerian journalists talks about 2015 Presidency as Ibo’s turn? Why? I am a Yoruba man. Amalgamation is gone and dead! Why the fume about it. Ghana has its history and South Africa has its in own different way(s). Yet they had trudged on. State Police is irrelevant if dishonesty continues, corruption continues and greed by the so-called leaders people claim to be our leading lights! When a state police system emerges, whom will they guide and guard? The populace? No. From Lanre Oseni

     

    For Gbenga Omotoso

    How I wish Dr. Goodluck Jonathan just swallow, regurgitate and ruminate on this counsel, his battles, of course, would be half won before 2015 but his advisers will tell him ‘be a hard man this is Nigeria where anything is possible.’ From Udie

    Mikel is, all the way, the African Footballer of the Year. Anonymous

    South-south votes, lgbo votes with its significant national spread and larger Middle belt support will no doubt help secure for Goodluck Jonathan the needed popular vote to lead in 2015, should he decide to exercise his second term right. Bless you sir. From Animanjor David

    Mikel deserves to be the best African Footballer of the Year. From Prince Ajiboye, Emure-Ekiti

    Mikel deserves it. Whenever he is on the pitch with Yaya Toure either in the Nigerian jersey or Chelsea colour-jersey, he always outclasses Yaya. We wish him the best. From Jonah Bakut, Kaduna

    The answers to some questions in the country asked by Omotoso lie in the presidency. If the president tackles corruption, impunity, insecurity, armed robbery, then he has answered some questions. The president does not understand the meaning of his office, he embarrasses his office which is very shameful to all Nigerians. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa Lagos

     

    For Tunji Adegboyega

    Re: 2014 Agenda for Jonathan. I demand a retraction from you that “if Jonathan thinks he can go far with this high rate of corruption, he is wasting his time”. You are pained though. As the country keeps bleeding, Mr. President remains our president and needs to be addressed kindly. Corruption is a cankerworm and needs to be’ crushed and killed’ at all levels and sectors. I agree with you that corruption is at the root of all ills plaguing Nigeria. Mr. President should remember that the buck of corruption effects stops at his table. Hence, he must deal with it headlong. From Lanre Oseni.

    Whoever thinks President Jonathan will be thinking on how to fight corruption should think twice. A man who has nicknamed his government corruption cannot fight corruption rather; it is corruption that is fighting him. The government has a ‘ministry of corruption’ with many cabinet members running and the president himself supervising it to avoid it from disintegrating. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

    2014: Agenda for Jonathan. I quite appreciate your admonition of Mr. President on the need to seriously fight corruption. We are where we now found ourselves, in the hands of neophytes in the saddle of jobs they neither prepared for nor possessed the intellect, competence or strength of character to undertake. The impact of docility on the part of any leader from whom much is expected can only be made good by the electorate who have the sovereignty to vote such inept leader out in a free, fair and credible election. Can Jonathan allow this to happen? Your guess is as right as mine. But not with his body language and the myriad of impunity taking firm roots in the system. From Abiodun AISPI, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

    In spite of what the international community and Transparency International are lamenting about corruption in Nigeria, our President is yet to take proactive action on it. Daily, we lay emphasis on how to move the country forward, in spite of the fact that corruption and other social vices have become the order of the day. Anonymous

    ‘Yes, the office can only be as exalted as the occupier wants it to be’. You could not have put it better! I am simply amazed that the President remains unruffled by all the ills going on around him. Is this pretence or a true lack of discerning ability? Is he aware that his speeches on issues do not match his actions on them? Is it that his handlers are deliberately goading him on to his downfall out of their own frustration at not being able to convince him to act right? How else do we rationalise the attack team of Abati, Gulak and Okupe whose reactions to criticisms win more enemies than friends for the President ! A President would not have procrastinated over Ms Oduah’s case – not with the added issue of her MBA qualification. Haba! What else can we do to move this President to act speedily as he did when he sacked his honest and efficient former Power Minister? Anonymous.

  • APC is not Muslim party, says Lai Mohammed

    APC is not Muslim party, says Lai Mohammed

    The Interim National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the country is unsafe for Nigerians in view of police brutality.

    At a conference yesterday in Lagos, he said the police has constituted themselves into an enemy of the people, who could no longer trust the institution.

    He said: “How can Nigerians trust the same police that is this partisan to protect them, especially if they do not belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?”

    He added that the disgraceful performance of the police in Rivers State brought to the fore the campaign for state police. “The only reason the Rivers police commissioner has turned himself into a de facto governor is because he has the backing of higher authorities.”

    “When we raised the alarm that the Rivers crisis is all about 2015 and that it was about to get worse, some people said we were crying wolf where there is none.

    “Now the situation has so deteriorated to a level in which even a senator can be shot by the police. If a senator, with all the protection around him, can be so targeted, are ordinary people safe?”

    The APC chieftain stressed that the administration was not serious about fighting corruption because it was shielding some officials who have been indicted.

    He said Transparency International had made it clear that corruption had worsened under the administration. “No administration is as embracing of corruption as the Jonathan administration.”

    “The Aviation Minister Stella Odua is a classic example; she has been indicted by the House of Representatives and even the presidential panel set up up by the President himself,” he said.

    Mohammed explained that APC is not an Islamic party, as some people are trying to label it.

    “This is dangerous. No country that has brought religion into politics has survived intact.

    “We have not registered members, hence they could not have carried out any survey to say our members are all Muslims. Our interim executive has 35 members, made up of 18 Muslims and 17 Christians, the best balance you can achieve in an odd number division,” Mohammed said.

  • Aregbesola, Osun APC urge Muslims to pray for Nigeria

    Aregbesola, Osun APC urge Muslims to pray for Nigeria

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the state’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have urged Nigerians to pray for the restoration of peace in the country.

    In a goodwill message by his Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor advised the nation’s leaders to emulate Prophet Mohammad, a selfless political and religious leader.

    Aregbesola urged Muslims to submit to the will of Allah and pray for the country to overcome its insecurity.

    The governor advised Muslims to be tolerant and love all, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

    He advised Nigerians to reflect on the ideals of peace, unity, harmony and selflessness.

    Aregbesola said: “I urge all Muslims to continue to follow the leadership of Prophet Mohammad.

    “The Prophet lived a life worthy of emulation. Those who imbibe such leadership style and qualities would enjoy the essence of life.

    “Our administration will bring change in Osun.

    “I enjoin Muslims to cultivate the habit and imbibe the spirit of peaceful co-existence and be their brother’s keeper.”

    The Interim Chairman of APC in Osun, Mr Adebiyi Adelowo, urged the residents to rededicate themselves to peaceful coexistence, which Prophet Mohammed taught and lived for.

    In a goodwill message yesterday, Adelowo noted that the hallmark of Islam, which Allah sent the Prophet to propagate, is love.

    He noted that the message is devoid of violence, malice, hatred or man’s inhumanity to man.

    Adelowo said: “The love that Islam teaches, as all other religions, emphasises on care for the less privileged and giving.

    “Only the peaceful, the thoughtful, the generous and the kind-hearted could attain this height of love that Mohammad taught.

    “It is not only a goal for Muslims but also for everyone, who shares in this philosophy.”

  • Presidency under attack over shooting of senator

    Presidency under attack over shooting of senator

    Youths protest

    Senate calls for probe

    Tinubu, David-West, CNPP, MOSOP, others condemn police action

    There was outrage across the country yesterday over Sunday’s shooting of Senator Magnus Abe in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by policemen.

    The popular thinking was that Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu would not have ordered his men to visit violence on innocent citizens without the backing of the Presidency.

    Mbu said he ordered his men to smash a rally by the Save Rivers Movement (SRM) – a non-governmental body with affiliation to Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Tear gas canisters and rubber bullets were fired. Amaechi’s Chief of Staff Tony Okocha was hit in the leg. Abe was hit in the chest. He is believed to be receiving treatment in France, contrary to reports yesterday that he had been moved to Britain.

    The Senate called for a probe.

    Abe’s Ogoni kinsmen seized the East-West road in protest.

    APC leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Prof. Tam David-West, a Rivers indigene, and the conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) condemned the police action.

    There was no word from the police headquarters in Abuja.

    The leadership of the Senate condemned in “strong terms” Abe’s shooting by the police.

    In a statement by its spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate “deplored the escalating political violence in Rivers State”. It urged Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar to probe the incident and ensure that it does not recur.

    The statement warned politicians to avoid overheating the polity and derailing the nation’s democracy.

    “The Senate particularly condemns the Sunday violence which resulted to injuries on a serving senator, Magnus Abe,” Abaribe stated.

    Abaribe said the “Senate is disturbed that what should have been a peaceful gathering turned violent, resulting in injuries”.

    He added: “On this score, the Senate associates itself with the admonition of President Goodluck Jonathan on his pronouncement to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, wherein he warned that no Nigerian blood is worth spilling in the name of politics.

    “Consequently, the Senate urges the Inspector General of Police to investigate the latest incident and ensure that it never reoccurs.

    “In the same vein, the Senate advises politicians and their supporters to exercise greater restraint and avoid acts that will not only overheat the system but may harm the country’s democracy.”

    Prof. David-West, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, expressed serious worry over the worsening political climate in Rivers State.

    The university don, who condemned the shooting, likened the political situation in the state to that of the Western Region in the First Republic which, he said, contributed to the outbreak of the civil war.

    David-West described Abe as a complete gentleman who does not deserve the treatment he got from the police.

    The former minister described the attack as “the lowest depth of indecency”.

    He said: “To attack somebody like that because of politics is the lowest depth of indecency. I am very ashamed as a Rivers man that all these are happening in my state. It is a great disservice to President Jonathan. Police are acting with impunity because they know they enjoy protection from the Presidency and the Inspector General of Police.

    “President Jonathan should remember what happened in the Western Region, which ultimately contributed to the civil war. Anybody who sits in Abuja and is happy should have a rethink. It is not good for the state. It is not good for the country. I am very worried. With what is happening, I see a very dark cloud stretching from the Niger Delta waters to the sands of the Sahara desert. The dark cloud could consume all of us if they do not stop.

    “If it does not stop, 2015 will be in jeopardy. We have never had politics this bad in Nigeria. There is politics of bitterness, ethnic problems and so.

    “Senator Abe is a very gentle man. He belongs to an ethnic group. By doing this, police and their backers are stoking the fire of trouble. They should stop,” he said.

    The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) promised to hold President Goodluck Jonathan responsible for the crisis in Rivers – if he does not intervene.

    The umbrella body of opposition parties was angry over the shooting of Abe and others: “in the presence of CP Mbu at a peaceful rally organised by the All Progressives Congress affiliate, Save Rivers Movement in Rivers State.”

    Jonathan, CNPP said, should as a matter of urgency order the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar to transfer Mbu out of Rivers.

    A statement in Abuja by the National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, said: “Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) calls on President Goodluck Jonathan to as a matter of urgent national importance to save our democracy by nipping in the bud the gathering storm in Rivers State. The first step is to post out of Rivers State Commissioner of Police Joseph Mbu, before it is too late.

    “For us, this is against police professional ethics and best practices, which means that CP Mbu had taken side, and, unfortunately, descended partially into the political arena; thereby breaching the law and enforcing a non-existing Police Permit Order.

    “CNPP wishes to remind the Nigeria Police Force that the Police Permit Order had been repealed by the Appeal Court, as an obnoxious colonial order, following a suit filed by the CNPP.

    “Accordingly, groups, associations and political parties are under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guaranteed freedom of association and assemblage; hence the duty of the police is to protect all and not to side any group.

    “We challenge President Jonathan to direct the Inspector General of the Police to post CP Joseph Mbu out of Rivers State; failing which we shall hold Mr President responsible for the do-or-die politics unfolding in Rivers State.”