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Tag: APC

  • Saraki: I advised Tukur not to fight Nyako

    Saraki: I advised Tukur not to fight Nyako

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, at the weekend said he advised the embattled Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to avoid conflict with Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State.

    Saraki spoke in Ilorin when he explained his defection and that of other defunct New PDP members to the APC.

    The former governor, who addressed party members at Ile-Arugbo, explained that instead of ensuring an harmonious relationship with Governor Nyako, Tukur became vindictive by dissolving the party’s Excos in his home state.

    The senator traced the problems in PDP to undue intervention of the party’s National Executive Council in the internal affairs of state chapters.

    He named the most affected states as Adamawa and Rivers.

    The senator told his supporters that the defection to the APC was necessitated by the need to sustain the collective interest of the people and not out of selfish interest.

    Saraki urged party members and supporters to register when APC begins the exercise next year.

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said the non-reinstatement of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the party secretary, despite a court judgment, was among reasons the PDP had become retrogressive and devoid of respect for the rule of law.

    The governor promised the people that his administration, in 2014, would create 6,000 jobs.

  • Playing politics with Budget 2014

    Playing politics with Budget 2014

    President Goodluck Jonathan has postponed the presentation of the 2014 budget to the National Assembly. Correspondents VICTOR OLUWASEGUN and DELE ANOFI write on the politics of budget delay and its implications for governance.

    Anxiety is mounting as President Goodluck Jonathan prepares to present the next year’s budget to the National Assembly. The budget presentation was postponed last month, following the shifting political allegiance in the Senate and the House of Representatives triggered by the defection of many legislators from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP0 to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The presentation has been aborted on two occasions. The President may have read the handwriting on the wall. Although the government explaineed that the postponement became necessary because the House of Representatives was yet to conclude work on the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), and reconcile differences on the crude oil benchmark figure with the Senate, critics said that the delay was informed by political reasons.

    In 2011, President Jonathan presented the 2012 budget proposal before the joint sitting of the National Assembly when the House of Representatives was yet to concluded work on the MTEF and FSP. It was the other way round when the President presented the 2013 budget proposal as the Senate was still working on the document. House Spokesman Zakari Mohammed alluded to that fact when he advised the President to put up other reasons for his failure to appear before the lawmakers as promised. “It is not our fault that the budget was not presented because the House is still within the timeframe for passing the MTEF”, he said.

    Mohamed said the President was being diplomatic, recalling that the President had presented the budget in the past at a time the Senate had not passed the MTEFF.

    “Last year, the Senate was yet to pass the MTEF, but the House had passed it when the President presented the budget. But, it was not an issue then. When we look at it from another angle, the coming of the MTEF to the NASS was even belated because, according to the constitution, the MTEF is supposed to be transmitted to the NASS six moths before the end of the year. But we got this in September,” he added.

    According to Mohammed, the implementation of the budget may suffer. If this happens, he said the National Assembly will not take the blame.

    Sources said the aborted presentation may not be unconnected with the alleged plan to embarrass the President by some aggrieved lawmakers, who have sympathy for the New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was learnt that some of them wanted to demonstrate to the President that he does not command parliamentary majority support. Following the defection of five of seven aggrieved PDP governors, tension had enveloped the National Assembly. In fact, many legislators allegedly boasted that they would take a pound of flesh from the party for its culture of tyranny.

    A PDP legislator from Kano State, Aliyu Madaki, however, urged the Presidency to embrace the reality. He said that the earlier the President and the PDP accept the new political reality on ground, the better for democracy in Nigeria. He said: “For me, I see this as a way forward for our democracy and with this, the future is not only bright for our democracy, but the entirety of Nigerian people. I believe Nigerians will begin to see a more vibrant federal legislature because there is a new order in place. We will leave the PDP. The injustice is too much. We will follow our governors; there’s no doubt about it. We cannot continue to stay and face injustice. This is the moment we have been waiting for, and this will eventually change the leadership in the House”.

    Already, 57 New PDP legislators have openly reiterated their determination to oppose the President, if there is a compelling reason to do so in the national interest, and in accordance with the constitution.

    Also, there are rumours that certain principal officers of the House may be removed. The Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, is said to be working round the clock to appeal to the new power bloc to mellow down. It is believed that, when the 137 APC members and 57 new PDP members join forces, the 194 legislators may pull the rug off the feet of the PDP.

    According to sources, the APC members were initially pushing for the removal of the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, the majority Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, the Deputy Leader, Leo Ogor, the Chief Whip, Isiaka Mohammed Bawa, and the Deputy Chief Whip, Ahmed Mukhtar Mohammed. But, ahead of the APC’s plan to unveil the strength of its members, the Speaker moved to douse the tension generated by the proposed change in the power structure. However, the Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the unveiling is coming soon.

    Tambuwal is popular on both sides. Therefore, he was able to persuade his colleagues to avoid any action capable of creating further division in the House.

    The Presidency and the PDP have been scheming to break the ranks of the new PDP and the APC in the House. The desperation, according to a source, was borne out of the benchmark tussle and the need to give the President a soft landing in the National Assembly. It was alleged that the legislators took bribe to toe the party line. But on December 3, Deputy House Spokesman Victor Ogene debunked the allegation that each member received a 100,000 dollars to peg the benchmark of the 2014 budget at $76.5 per barrel of crude oil.

    The benchmark has been a source of contention between the Presidency and the House, with the House insisting on $79 dollars per barrel against the Senate’s adoption of $76.5 per barrel.

    The House went into a two-hour executive session on the issue of parameters to adopt on the 2014-2016 MTEF sent to the National Assembly by the President, particularly the benchmark. Ogene said members did not fight over the issue at the closed door session as alleged by some people.

    “Seriously speaking, you all saw us when we came out smiling. The issues, I told you clearly, was between those who insisted that the benchmark remains at $79 and those who feel that that it was okay at $76.5”, he clarified.

    The lawmaker while referring to the allegations of money- for- benchmark, cautioned Nigerians against glorifying rumours, adding: “If money went round in the Senate, I’m not a senator, and I’ve not read any such report. In fact, I’ve not seen any dollar. So, if money has come from anywhere, the question should be put to the person sending the money. I will be glad to get money on behalf of my people, if you have a leeway to the person sharing the money”.

    Before the defection of the five governors, the cold war was raging in the PDP. A lawmaker said that the development was not surprising, pointing out that the PDP has always been in the minority, despite being the majority party in the House. The PDP member, who pleaded anonymity, said not many were taken by surprise by the defection, noting that, since the inception of the Seventh Assembly, Executive Bills and motions have often been resented.

    She said: “PDP has always been in the monitory. It is not a new development because of the posture of those that have defected now. Though they were in the PDP, they were never sympathetic to the cause of the party. So, it is just only the few of us that have to battle every time to see that bills and motions sponsored by the executive see the light of the day and that has been a tough battle”.

    President Jonathan has not been in the good books of the Lower Chamber. The legislators often complained that he had ignored their inputs into governance. Last month, over 30 bills listed for presidential assent were allegedly ignored. Some of the bills have been with the President for more than 60 days. According to the constitution, the President ought to have assented to them within 30 days. The lawmakers believed that it was a deliberate act, especially when a presidential aide said that resolutions of the National Assembly were mere opinions.

    With the PDP on the brink of becoming the minority party, the days ahead may be difficult for the President. and vice versa for the hitherto opposition party, APC, options of muscle flexing for President Jonathan are disappearing and fast too, says a political analyst, Dr Alfred Armstrong.

    According to a critic, Dr. Alfred Armstrong, the President has two options. He said: “If he sees the office as an opportunity to serve his people and leaves the country better than he met it, then, he must tow the line of compromise. Against what any of his advisers would say, President Jonathan must be ready to make sacrifice by instilling on the PDP members in the House that fact that the nation comes first and that they must not do anything to jeopardise motions, bills and reports emanating from the APC or other parties”.

    Armstrong warned that, if compromise is jettisoned, the President and his party may lose the battle. He said that, even if the new PDP lawmakers refrain from defecting to the APC, their actions and activities would ultimately be detrimental to the interest of PDP.

    “Intimidation and revenge, which are the second option would leave the country worse off. To agree on most matters of national importance would be a Herculean task for both the lawmakers and the Presidency. The power struggle would play out during the budget debate and executive bills would find it harder to scale through. We should also expect more vigorous and targeted investigations from the lawmakers.

    “ If we put these together in another form, our democracy may be better for it, but the PDP would not find the new political equation too welcoming,” he added.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, said that the change in power structure would bring a better Nigeria. He said: “There has been a lot of alignment and realignment. There’s a whole new political current going on in the two chambers of the National Assembly. One thing that is certain is that the power configuration must change.

    “Now, the change in power configuration will come with consequences and implications. It might affect the leadership of the parties in the National Assembly, and again, it will also affect the way the NASS relates with the executive arm of government. It might be negative or positive, but ultimately, it will be for the good of the Nigerian people. “For the first time, there will be effective checks and balances. It will no longer be family affairs. The days of family affairs are gone and gone for good. The politics of Nigeria will never be the same again.”

  • Amaechi: APC’ll protect Rivers people’s interests

    Amaechi: APC’ll protect Rivers people’s interests

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has assured that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will protect the interests of the people.

    Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), spoke at the inauguration of the Eleme Local Government chapter of a pressure group, the Save Rivers Movement (SRM), at the playground of the Community Secondary School, Alode-Eleme.

    The event was also used for the defection of teeming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the area to the APC.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Tele Ikuru, noted that his defection to the main opposition party was to protest the refusal of the leadership of the PDP to protect the interests of Rivers people.

    Amaechi said: “We will continue to move Rivers State forward. The people of Rivers State have a responsibility to protect themselves from outsiders and the vehicle to protect ourselves is the APC.

    “As long as all of you are behind us, we will continue to do things that will bring prosperity to the state and make the people happy.”

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Magnus Ngei Abe, blamed the Presidency for the violation of the Constitution, especially the refusal of the Rivers Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu to take lawful directives from the governor, as stipulated in the constitution.

    Abe said: “If you look at the Constitution of Nigeria, Section 215 says the commissioner of police of a state shall obey all lawful directives of the governor of the state. The problem in Rivers State is that, that section of the constitution is being perverted, subverted and violated by the people who are supposed to uphold it.

    “Nobody should be calling the name of any minister, because no minister is seconded to Rivers State. No minister, even the Minister of Police Affairs, is on oath to upturn the Constitution of Nigeria.

    “We know those who are upturning the Constitution of this country. We know those who are saying the Constitution should not be respected and should not be obeyed. They are the ones causing trouble in Rivers State.”

    The senator also decried the refusal of the police to allow members of the Rivers House of Assembly to enter their offices.

    He urged Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar to direct Mbu to obey the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the matter and to also take lawful directives from the governor.

    Abe, who represents Rivers Southeast in the National Assembly, said: “As we speak, 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have been trying to go to the House, but the police, without any authorisation from the governor, are refusing them entry and access to the Assembly.

    “They (police) are saying they have not received a copy of the court judgment that said the Rivers State House of Assembly should be opened. Did they receive any court order before locking the Assembly complex?”

    Abe, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, also urged the IGP to end the Rivers political crisis and allow the Assembly to resume, in the interest of the Rivers people.

    The senator advised the IGP to direct Mbu to take lawful directives from the governor to ensure peace.

    The Interim Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, assured that the party would recover all the oil wells belonging to the state, which were ceded to neighbouring states, when it assumes power in 2015.

    The event was also attended by some members of House of Representatives supporting Amaechi. They included Chief Andrew Uchendu, Asita O. Asita; a former member of House of Representatives, Igo Aguma and the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Oji Ngofa.

  • Obasanjo, Jonathan and PDP crisis

    Obasanjo, Jonathan and PDP crisis

    Those who nurse the feeling that recent defection of five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to the All Progressives Congress APC is a fait accompli may have to tarry a while. Emerging signals from the political turf do not seem to give comfort that all is well with the much dramatized movement.

    The way things stand, it does appear we are yet to hear the last on which side of the political divide some of the defecting governors really stand. The impression one increasingly gets is that of a people waiting for some concessions from their erstwhile party before dashing back to base.

    President Jonathan gave an indication of this seeming confusion and ambivalence on the part of some of the governors in an interview in Paris, France. He had stated very emphatically that he is sure of two of the defectors whose hearts and souls are irredeemably in the APC while the other three are yet undecided.

    He further said even in the case of those who have made up their minds, some of the deputy governors do not share their ideas and are unlikely to move along with them.

    But these are the views of Jonathan whose party is entangled in the current pass. There is the temptation to regard these claims as some of those usual antics of politicians to shore up confidence when confronted with daunting challenges. There is therefore the lure to dismiss the claims as a desperate attempt by the PDP to save its face given the unmitigated embarrassment the defections have become.

    As this was not enough cause for worry, the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Jonathan in which he accused him of sundry misdeeds also gave clear indications that the PDP is not comfortable with the defections and many of its key promoters are bent on doing all within their powers not only to return its defecting members to the fold, but also maintain the leading role of the party in the country. Though Obasanjo touched on a number of allegations some of them very sweeping and intemperate, the main thesis of his presentation is on the current crisis in the PDP leading to disaffection and defection of five governors among others. Obasanjo is miffed by this development which he sees as not only capable of destroying the party but the entire country. He equates the PDP to Nigeria arguing that an inability to manage the crisis in the party would spell doom for the entire country. Obasanjo’s diatribe and smear campaign is rooted in the speculated ambition of Jonathan to run for the presidency in 2015 and its touted prospects of destroying the PDP. For him, that ambition has placed the country on the precipice and unless Jonathan retraces his steps, the country is heading for the rocks.

    These views do not seem to ascribe any value to the opposition APC since without PDP the country is finished. And to drive this point home, Obasanjo still believes that these disagreements could still be ‘turned to an opportunity for unity, mutual understanding and respect with the party emerging with enhanced strength and victory’. He then appealed to ‘defected, dissatisfied disgruntled and displeased PDP governors, legislators, party officials and party members to respond positively if the President seriously takes the initiative to find mutually agreeable solutions to the c u r r e n t problems’.

    What these underscore is the indubitable fact that the true intentions of the defecting governors and their party members are yet to be clear. At best, they are still sitting on the fence waiting for whatever concessions that could come from the president. This is more so with the reported attendance of the PDP governors’ meeting summoned by Jonathan at the villa by the duo of Rabiu Kwankwanso and Wammako of Kano and Sokoto states respectively.

    Before this article is published, Jonathan might have acceded to the demands of the governors to relieve Tukur of his position to make way for eventual reconciliation. This is a clear possibility. If this happens, he would have met a very key demand of the defectors as it would have taken care of mounting complaints of lack of internal democracy and high-handedness on the part of Tukur. The other demand of reigning in officials of the anti-graft agencies from harassing them and restoring party structures would have cued in appropriately. They will only be left with Jonathan’s second term ambition which Obasanjo has now confirmed there was no written agreement between Jonathan and anybody that he (Jonathan) will not run in 2015 but a statement of intent. Obasanjo claimed Jonathan confirmed to him in 2011 that if he adds the two years he inherited from Yar’Adua to another four years, he would have been done. He would therefore want him to keep to this promise to avoid the burden of moral overhang. But can we say in all sincerity that Jonathan has been allowed to concentrate on governance given the current distractions by the likes of Obasanjo and the challenge of Boko Haram insurgency which we have been told has its roots in opposition to his presidency? These are the issues to ponder when we consider the moral propriety of Jonathan going for another constitutional term. But then, what is all this hue and cry about Jonathan’s ambition destroying the country? Why must the inability of a section of the country to corner the presidency in 2015 culminate in its destruction? There is an indecent haste in the way and manner Jonathan is being intimidated to chicken out of the presidential race. There is also everything wrong with the impression Obasanjo sought to convey that unless power reverts to the north in 2015, hell will let loose. That has been the position coming from a section of the north. Many other states in the north are firmly behind Jonathan. Curiously Obasanjo has bought into that position and it is really very unfortunate. Given this, it is inherently ridiculous and insincere of him to accuse Jonathan of dividing the country along ethnic and religious lines. Nothing can be farther from the truth than this. Is it Jonathan that created Boko Haram that has not only expelled southerners from the north but also threatened to annihilate Christians in the north as if there are no northern Christians? What of the years of festering religious riots in that part of the country?

    Those fanning embers of discord are the people who promised to make the country ungovernable for Jonathan and have since made good their threat through all manner of contrived subterfuge.

    Obasanjo is guilty of falsifying extant realities and to that extent his recent letter is meant to get even having lost grip of power in the PDP. Is there anything the north kept in Aso Rock that if they do not enter there in 2015 that part of the country will no longer survive? Or put differently, are they seeking power for the north or the entire country? And if they seek power for the good of the entire country, six years thereon may not make much difference in the history of this nation to warrant the unnecessary heating up of the polity.

    Even then, the possibility cannot be ruled out that Jonathan may eventually not run. But if the gang up is to intimidate him to chicken out, instead of going through due process, it may boomerang. Its outcome may end up swelling public sympathy in his favor. If eventually he opts out of the race, there is everything to suggest that the defected governors and party members may hurry back to the PDP in droves. Then, everything would have been perfect with the party. What a huge contradiction!

    This will only go to reinforce the view that these defections are neither based on parity in ideological leaning nor shared values on how best to conduct the affairs of governance.

    It is therefore, a political risk for the APC to trust the defectors given their current posturing. They could be moles in the new arrangement.

  • ‘PDP, LP can’t dislodge APC in Ekiti’

    ‘PDP, LP can’t dislodge APC in Ekiti’

    Former Ekiti State Governor Adeniyi Adebayo is the All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim National Vice Chairman (Southwest). He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU and MUSA  ODOSHIMOKHE on the challenges confronting the mega party, preparation for Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections, Jonathan Administration, single term tenure, national security and other issues.

    Why was it difficult to resolve the rift between Governor Kayode Fayemi and House of Representatives member Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele?

    We did everything possible to bring about rapprochement. We tried to pacify all the parties, but I really don’t know why it did not yield the desired results.

    As a big brother, people thought your influence would have robbed off and brought about peace…

    But unfortunately, this did not make the impact and, like I said, I did my best to ensure that the parties involved resolve their differences.

    What do you think is the bone of contention?

    The reality is that Opeyemi Bamidele don’t want to step down for Kayode Fayemi. He has made up his mind to go to another party to contest. All I can say is that I wish him the best of luck.

    It has been speculated that his departure will have adverse effect on the party….

    Sincerely speaking, I don’t see how that will happen in Ekiti State. I don’t see how our members will leave a winning party and join a party that is not yet tested in Ekiti. I do not think that people will move from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Labour Party (LP). It will not have any adverse effect on our party.

    Some people said that Bamidele has grievances, which you elders failed to address…

    Frankly speaking, Opeyemi Bamideles is a non-issue with me for now. He has left my party. So, I wish him all the best in his future endeavour.

    Why is it difficult for the progressives to resolve their differences?

    Your question is hypothetical. I am a progressive and I don’t think I have problem with anybody.

    People are of the opinion that you don’t have crisis resolution mechanism in your party

    You will always have aggrieved people in any political party, whether progressives or conservatives. That is because sometimes, reasons do not prevail where a man has an ambition. And I don’t think this happens only among progressives. We have it in the conservative fold.

    A month ago, the APC only had an adversary, the PDP. But now, it has the PDP and Labour Party to contend with…

    Add both together; they cannot pose a threat to the APC in Ekiti State. I keep saying it and I will say it again ,until we hold election in Ekiti. The APC will win not less than 70 percent of the votes.

    What is responsible this over confidence?

    It is not over confidence. It is confidence borne out of the reality on ground. The governor has done a fantastic job. He has done fantastic a job, in term of developing the state and that is what gives me the confidence. Any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission to rig the election will be resisted. As a politician, I go round the state. I see what is on the ground and I feel the pulse of the people. The feeling is that the governor has performed. Everybody in Ekiti is desirous of having continuity in government. The problem of Ekiti is non-continuity in government. After I left office in 2003, I think we have had about five or six governors in the state. This has created a lot of disruption within the system.

    So, all we are saying is that we admire places like Lagos as a result of continuity of government. When there is a continuity of government, there will be continuity of policy of development. And many people are saying that, with the kind of job Governor Kayemi has done, if allowed to continue in another four years, he will continue to do the same job by making Ekiti greater.

    And whoever comes after him, the developmental stride will continue. That is what people want to see. All they are interested in is to ensure that there is continuity, in term of development. Now, they have somebody who is doing a good job. So, he will continue.

    Between now and 2014, what do you think should be the pre-occupation of Fayemi Administration?

    I think by the time the detail of Governor Fayemi’s budget is out, it will be the continuation of what he is already doing. He will be involved in bringing more development to Ekiti State. He will continue with the development and construction of roads in Ekiti State. He will continue with the development of infrastructure for school, hospitals. I know there is plan to expand the social security for the elderly people. He will put more money in agriculture togenerate employment. He plans to do a lot and he should be given the opportunity to carry this out in another four years.

    The APC has been protesting the outcome of the governorship election in Anambra State. You are going to elections in Ekiti State and Osun states. What are your fears?

    We have learnt a lot from what happened in Anambra State. We have studied the situation and we are going to ensure that we guard against what happened. We are not going to allow that to play out in Ekiti and Osun states.

    The defection of Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye from the Ogun State APC to the PDP has been described as a minus. What happened?

    I have to ask you why he decided to leave. Sometimes we engage ourselves too much on personalities. It is not the personality that is the issue; it is the followership. For instance, in Ekiti, my deputy decided to go to the PDP, but his followers did not go with him. At a time 14 members of the ACN left and they thought it was going to weaken the ACN, but this did not happen because, when they left, their followers did not go with them. And that is the situation in Ogun State as well. Though Ogunleye has left, many of the followers did not go with him. Many in the APC believe in our party. No party is perfect; there will always be differences. Even within families, there is difference. You are not going to say because you have differences with your children or relatives, you are no long a member of that family. It should not be that way. And incidentally, when these people leave and believe that they are going to move with their followers, they get disappointed. If you want to go, you can do that, f am not happy with what is going on. But I prefer to stay within my own house and fight for my right than abandon the ship.

    Is there no lesson that we can learn from their defection?

    If you say the grass is greener onthe other side, it is when you get to the other side that you discover that it not so. I don’t understand how you profess to be a progressive and you now leave it to the conservative camp. That I don’t understand.

    The PDP is targeting the Southwest for liquidation…

    That has always been their ambition, even when they used might and everything that they have to overrun us in the Southwest. Later, the Southwest liberated itself. They have always dreamt. Let them continue to dream.

    But, how are you prepared to curtail them?

    They did it once. We made the mistake that we tried to support a Yoruba man for the Presidency, but he used everything at his disposal to get us out of office. Now, we are smarter. Our eyes are opened and you can be rest assured that nobody can deceive us. We know what they are planning to do. we are tiding up and prepared to stop any attempt by them to do thingss we considered inimical to democracy.

    You have been celebrating the expansion of your party. How will those who are coming be able flow together with you ideologically?

    If we look at those who have come to join us so far, you find out they have progressive tendencies. And, if you remember, the PDP was formed by progressive politicians. It was unfortunately that they allowed it to be taken over by the conservatives. At the time the PDP was formed and, if you look at the founding fathers of the PDP, majority of them were progressives. Unfortunately, there was an influx of conservatives and, as at today, the party has been taken over by them. And you will find out that it is the progressives among them that have said enough is enough and have moved back to their traditional abode. If you want to get progressives together, people of like minds, you will find out that there is always accommodation.

    There are diasagreements on whether the new governors will have overriding influence in their states…

    We believe strongly in internal democracy. For now, what we are going to face is the registration of our members. Anybody that is interested in our party will be registered and, from then, we will hold our congress. The congress will hold from the ward level, local government to the state level. It is at that point we will know who is in control and who is not in control. What I am saying in essence is that it is the party that will be in control of the party machinery. The leadership of the party will be decided by the people themselves, as supposed to anybody being foisted on anybody. We are not a party where you will say, come ,you are going to be the leader of the party. There is theparty constitution and the leadership will emerge by the will of the people.

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar defected to the Action Congress (AC) 2007 and, after the election he went back to the PDP. What is the assurance that those who defected now will not go back to the PDP?

    I cannot predict the future because I am not a soothsayer. From what they are saying and their body language, I feel comfortable with them. I think they have chosen to come back to their natural abode.

    It has been said that you are eyeing the Senate…

    I always laugh when I heard such comments. I have never nursed any ambition in this direction. I had the opportunity to contest for the Senate and I refused such opportunities. I am not interested in the Senate; my interest is building the party. My ambition, when I was young, was to be a governor. Ekiti State was created and I got into politics and I was elected the first executive governor of Ekiti State. Ever since, I have not shown any interest in an elective office. I still have no such plans and, ever since I left office, I have been involved in the process of building the party from the AC to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now the APC. I have been involved in building a national political party. We have now got to the state that we have to do something to achieve a national party. This will be done such that, by the time we hold our national convention, we will have on ground a national party that will be the envy of everybody and that, for now, is my ambition. I want to state categorically that, either now or the future, I doubt very much that I have such intention. I can tell you categorically that, in the immediate future, I have no interest.

    What is your position on the proposed national conference?

    I have been around long enough. Many people use these conferences for tenure elongation. During the time of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and now President Goodluck Jonathan, I believe that, in this country, we should have a national conference. If we are serious about having a national conference, this is not the time to have it. If President Jonathan was serious about it, we should have had that earlier. This is the same President that had stated categorically that he does not believe in it. And, all of a sudden, it is coming to election time and he has changed. He wants to use it as an opportunity to try and convince some people to get their support. The Yoruba people voted for Jonathan for him to become the President of the country, but the Yoruba have not been treated well under the administration.

    There are complaints in Yorubaland and I think honestly, he must have been advised that the Yorubas are not happy with him and what you can do now to make them happy is to tell them that he will hold a national conference. For someone who for many years opposed the national conference and toward the end of his tenure now decides to hold a national conference is a smack of deceit. I for one do not believe that it is feasible. I do not believe it will work and I believe it was something somebody suggested to him.

    They believe he can use this one to keep people quiet for sometimes and get support from the Southwest. President Obasanjo tried it, which was the beginning of his tenure elongation. The Deputy Senate President has even told us that there should be tenure elongation. He has suggested that people should stay in office for another two years. It is the same script. They are reading the same book, the same attempt that was used by Obasanjo. They have now brought the same script again and the way it failed during President Obasanjo time, that is how it will fail again.

    Does that mean that the proposal will not work?

    Even if we are going to have it, it is not the way he put it to us. Not by saying that the present elected officers should stay for another two years. If we are going to have that, let us sit down and do a proper national conference. We should have proper resolution made; have everything properly put in a constitution. And not that the present people who have been elected to stay in office for four years should now come and extend their tenure. No way. We did not vote for them to stay for six years; we voted for four years.

    What are the factors and issues that will shape 2015 general electionn?

    Number one, it is corruption. There is massive corruption at the federal level. In fact, I am happy that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo Iweala, made a comment yesterday that corruption is a major problem they are unable to tackle. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, said categorically that corruption is being encouraged by the executive. Nigerians are sick and tired of it. That is one issue that we will put on the front burner.

    The mood in the APC tends to suggest that its presidential slot may be zoned to the North…

    Even, if it is so, there will still be primaries. Whoever is going to emerge will be chosen by the people through a democratic process as provided for in the constitution.

    Will the primary be guided or open?

    We have different procedures. Which ever that is decided upon will be used.

    Most of you who are leaders of Afenifere are not prepared for reconciliation in the fold again…

    I believe that, one day, we will all come back together again. Efforts are being made in that direction. At the end of the day, really what is Afenifere all about? It is the wellbeing of Yoruba people. Many of us are in different political parties today, but we still have the wellbeing of the Yoruba at heart. The most important thing is that, as long as we are fighting for the progress of the Yoruba people, irrespective of political parties, then, we are still on course.

    Are you not worried that local government election has not been held in Ekiti?

    The election has not held because of the case in court. The PDP took the government to court and that is what is holding us. It is not something that we are happy about.

  • Jonathan, PDP govs shop for Tukur’s successor

    Jonathan, PDP govs shop for Tukur’s successor

    •Abba Gana, Hassan Adamu, Boni Haruna on the list

    •Embattled chairman to be fired to prevent more defections.

    The Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) governors are having a fresh go at the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamabga Tukur.

    The governors want him out at all costs even with the exit, from the party, of five of their colleagues who initiated the ‘Tukur Must Go Campaign’.

    Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), left the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently following the reluctance of the PDP hierarchy to sack Tukur.

    The exit of the five governors is causing ripples in the PDP and the remaining governors resolved at a meeting in Abuja on Friday night that only Tukur’s removal could restore sanity to the party.

    They also backed repositioning of the party and reconciliation of the aggrieved governors and members to put PDP in good stead for the 2015 poll.

    The governors were scheduled to go into another round of meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan last night on Tukur’s exit and other issues bothering the party.

    The PDP governors, sources told The Nation, met at the Akwa Ibom Lodge in Abuja preparatory to their audience with the president last night.

    It was gathered that the crisis which led to the defection of five governors and the fate of Tukur dominated discussions.

    Some of the governors suggested a soft-landing for Tukur with a choice ambassadorial appointment.

    A source said: “The governors admitted that a change of party leadership is crucial to any reconciliation in PDP. They also said they have realised that with Tukur still in charge, some governors are just managing to stay in PDP.

    “They called for pre-emptive steps to prevent more defections from PDP to the main opposition coalition, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “They also agreed that PDP cannot afford to be in tatters if it wants to win the 2015 poll. So, they have opted for far-reaching reforms in the party where all members and organs will play their roles without inhibitions.”

    But the governors were unable to agree on where Tukur’s successor should come from.

    While some suggested the retention of the office in Adamawa State, others were of the opinion that the new chairman should come from any of Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba or Borno states.

    The governors of Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states were said to be opposed to their states producing the next National Chairman of the party because of likely interference by such a chairman in the affairs of the local PDP. They recalled the incessant disagreements between Tukur and Nyako and between Dr. Okwesilize Nwodo and Governor Sullivan Chime in Enugu State.

    Those being speculated include a former acting National Secretary of PDP, Alhaji Musa Babayo; former Governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu; former Ambassador to the United States, who is also the Wakilin Adamawa, Alhaji Hassan Adamu, (Adamawa); Mr. Boni Haruna, former governor of Adamawa State; Political Adviser to the President, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak; Senator John Wampana and a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Abba Gana.

    A source said former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, who is a strategist for the president, and some party leaders were backing Abba Gana to give PDP a leverage in Borno and Yobe states.

    The Borno-Yobe axis is also said to be under-represented in appointments at the federal level.

    Although some leaders are rooting for Babayo, it was learnt that he may prefer running for governorship to the National Chairman post.

    One of the governors said: “I will not say we have abandoned or ditched anyone, but we have suggestions on the way forward. We will present these recommendations to the president who is the National Leader of the party. It is left to him to accept or not.

    “By the time we meet, we will be able to chart a new course for the party. But there will be no winner or loser in the end.

    “Note it: we are in a period where we must sacrifice to move the party forward.”

  • FG gave Obi N8b to prosecute Anambra election- Ngige alleges

    FG gave Obi N8b to prosecute Anambra election- Ngige alleges

    …as APC vows to recover mandate in Anambra

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday alleged that the federal government gave Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, N8 billion to prosecute the election.

    Ngige further alleged that the money which was given in the guise of Ecological Fund by the FG was to ensure that APC was rigged out in the election, adding that “the N8biilion is apart from the N4billion state resources used by Obi for the election.”

    Speaking in Owerri, the Imo State capital, during the Southeast APC leaders meeting, Ngige disclosed that the FG also allegedly directed security agents to clamp down on APC members during the election.

    According to him, “Even the Army and the Police were biased against the APC. They were arresting every vehicle with the APC logo. Some of our members were arrested in Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo States just to stop them.”

    Also speaking during the meeting, an APC leader, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, congratulated APC members for their solidarity and support during the recently held election in Anambra State, adding, “The PDP-led government was afraid of the APC and they ensured that APC came out third to stop us from going to the tribunal but we will disappoint them and fight on until the election is cancelled.”

    He observed further, “In the history of Nigerian politics, there has never been an opposition party as strong as the APC. We have 16 governors already and many more are joining. I can tell you that by 2015, the PDP will be the opposition party.”

    Earlier in his speech, the host and Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, sued for unity and harmony among members of the party.

    He said, “In APC, we believe in the masses; there is nothing like consensus candidate in APC. Let nobody claim that because he is close to the leaders, he is anointed.”

    The communiqué issued at the end of the meeting read, “We have met and agreed that a contact committee be set up to reach out to people in the zone.

    “To recover the party’s mandate in Anambra State through all legal means and ensure that Senator Ngige becomes the Governor of Anambra State.”

  • We’ll not falter in the crusade to rescue Nigeria, says Tinubu

    We’ll not falter in the crusade to rescue Nigeria, says Tinubu

    FORMER Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday said the party would not falter in its legitimate struggle to “rescue Nigeria” from the “rudderless and clueless” Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)-led government at the centre.

    Tinubu, who spoke in Imoru-Ijebu, Ogun State, during the installation of the APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, as the Baba-Oba of Imoru by Oba Munirudeen Bashorun, said the progressives would provide the country with “purposeful and quality leadership” needed to pull it away from the brink.

    According him, the struggle to salvage Nigeria and place her on the path of genuine development and transformation by the progressives had been on for a long time.

    The APC National Leader, who is the Agbaakin of Imoru-Ijebu, expressed gladness that about 16 progressive governors cutting across the country are currently joining hands with him and others in the “crusade for a better Nigeria.”

    Tinubu said, “We will provide Nigerians with good leadership; once upon a time, Ogun State was on the wrong political corner of this country. Now, we have a purposeful and people-oriented government in Ogun State.

    “There was a time I was alone, but today we have 16 governors on a rescue boat. We shall rescue Nigeria as a whole. We shall succeed in this crusade to save Nigeria. As Moses crossed the Red Sea, no going back to Pharaoh again.

    “The PDP-led administration at the centre is demolishing democratic structures without any plan to rebuild it.”

    While commending APC governors in the South west and other parts of the country for their determination to make things better for citizens of their respective states, Tinubu expressed satisfaction at the massive infrastructural development in Ogun State, which he described as second to none in the annals of the Gateway State.

    He said, “Ijebu-Ode is already a giant construction site with the dualisation of roads going on, the overhead bridge, thank you Governor Amosun for your dedication and commitment to duty which made the transformation possible.”

    In his acceptance speech, Akande lauded Oba Bashorun, his chiefs and Imoru people for finding him fit to be bestowed the title of Baba Oba, pledging to always work for the growth and development of the town.

    Akande noted that the traditional institutions remain the custodian of the people’s culture, history and tradition and rued that it is now being bastardised by government’s interference.

    The former Governor of Osun State warned traditional rulers in the country, particularly those in the Southwest region not to be part of the touted National Council of Obas, which he said may not be in their best interest and the institution they represent.

  • APC to resist perversion of justice in Rivers Assembly

    APC to resist perversion of justice in Rivers Assembly

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday it will resist any attempt to cause a constitutional breach in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

    It warned against any reliance on Wednesday’s judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the takeover by the National Assembly of the functions of the House of Assembly, to perpetrate any mayhem or unconstitutional acts in Rivers State.

    In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC also warned the police and other security agencies not to provide cover for renegades to engage in any illegality.

    The party said the role of security agents was to ensure the safety and security of all lawmakers, “if and when the House decides to sit.”

    It noted that the six lawmakers, who opposed Governor Chibuike Amaechi would attempt to hide under the cover of the judgment to convene the Assembly with the purpose of removing the Speaker as a prelude to impeaching the Amaechi.

    APC warned that any such act would constitute an illegality and trigger a cataclysmic reaction, “the end result of which no one can predict.”

    The statement added: “The six legislators opposed to Governor Amaechi do not and cannot form a quorum (nine members) that will even allow the House to convene legally, not to talk of at least 20 members – representing two-thirds majority – that can constitutionally impeach the Speaker. In a House of 32 members, there is no way six members can be more than 26, even under the warped arithmetic which the Jonathan administration has been conjuring up in recent times to back the losing faction of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    “However, we are aware that the renegade legislators, with the backing of President Goodluck Jonathan, have nothing but disdain for constitutionality and the rule of law, hence will have no qualms in carrying out any act of impunity.

    “We are, therefore, constrained to warn that we, in the APC, will take any impunity in Rivers as an impunity to all and will resist such with a spontaneous explosion of people power, not only in states under our control but across the country.”

    The party urged the police to avoid being used to perpetrate violence and chaos, adding that the police commissioner had ordered that roads leading to the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt be barricaded, perhaps as a prelude to escorting the renegade members to convene to illegally remove the Speaker.

    APC urged President Jonathan not to allow personal and partisan considerations to blot out his responsibility as the father of the nation and put in jeopardy his constitutional role of ensuring the country’s unity.

    It said: “We are aware of the letter to President Jonathan by former President Olusegun Obasanjo virtually accusing the President of destroying the same nation he was elected to preside over and uplift. We hope he will not allow Obasanjo’s prognosis about him to come true so soon by backing any move that can plunge Nigeria into chaos.

    “This is because we, in the APC, have resolved never to sit by and allow anyone – no matter how highly placed – to engage in actions that will make our country a laughing stock and a pariah in the comity of nations. “Therefore, there will be no peace anywhere in the country if this Federal Government supports the perpetration of impunity in Rivers. This is not a threat but the sure consequences of any acts of impunity.”

    The party called on all people of goodwill, especially past leaders, to prevail on President Jonathan to back off the renegade MPs who are hell bent on causing mayhem in Rivers.

    Also, the party has described Wednesday’s court ruling as bizarre and alarming, against the background of the massive mayhem that was unleashed in the Rivers House of Assembly last July.

    It wondered why the court would say there were no facts that the House of Assembly could not carry out its functions, with the Mace as well as heads broken and the hallowed chambers desecrated by a free-for-all that was watched all around the world.

    “What else must occur before the stipulated conditions can prevail for the National Assembly to take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly? Is it when MPs are slaughtered like rams that such a condition will be deemed to have prevailed?

    “We are astonished and concerned by this court ruling, especially coming shortly after we warned the Judiciary not to allow itself to be used by unscrupulous people to reverse the gains that have been achieved under the present chief Justice, who has embarked on determined and sincere efforts to clean up the Judiciary,” APC said.

  • You’re idle, Ogun APC tells opposition

    You’re idle, Ogun APC tells opposition

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has accused the opposition of idleness, saying its criticism of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration is not constructive.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Sola Lawal, APC alleged that the candidate of the People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN) in the 2011 governorship election, Mr. Gboyega Isiaka, was part of those engaging in “destructive criticism” of the government.

    It said: “Close watchers of recent events in Ogun State will readily understand why Isiaka found his present ignoble path fascinating. It followed closely on the heels of his failed bid to crawl his way into Amosun’s circle in the name of new party formation.”

    Isiaka recently alleged that the state was broke and condemned the 60-storey skyscraper proposed by the government in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    APC said the opposition was only being hypocritical, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel left a “crushing debt of over N60 billion” behind.

    It said the Amosun administration, rather than compound an already bad situation, had been clearing the financial mess left behind by its predecessor.

    APC said the proposed 60-floor edifice would house hotels, residential apartments, malls, offices and a cinema.

    It said the project would be funded in phases.

    APC said: “Unlike the profligate administration served by Isiaka, the Amosun administration has moved the science of government expenditure away from the mundane pedestal of bread and butter to the lofty realm of rigorous financial wizardry, an accomplishment helped largely by the fact that the helmsman himself is an accountant.

    “The Amosun administration has consistently avoided the loan option, owing mainly to the fact that the previous Daniel administration cruelly mortgaged the state.

    “In the manner of a visionary, it is not a surprise that the gargantuan height of Amosun’s intellectual capacity would confound dwarfs in the opposition. It is the stuff great dreams are made of and only the deep can fathom landmark heroic constructions in the mind of a visionary. Such is the case of the vilified skyscraper.”