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Tag: battle

  • Jonathan can’t win battle against media , says APC

    Jonathan can’t win battle against media , says APC

    By clamping down on the media, President Goodluck Jonathan has started a battle he cannot win, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday.

    For the third day yesterday, the military continued to prevent newspapers from circulating across the country.

    The military claims it is searching  for bombs or “materials with grave security implication”,  but the search have not yielded anything.

    Newspaper houses especially The Nation, Leadership and Daily Trust, which are hardest hit, have lost millions of naira.

    In a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said the President has failed to learn from history that the Nigerian media could neither be intimidated nor suppressed by anyone, adding that those who tried to do so in the past lived to regret their actions.

    It wondered why a government that is being asked to diligently prosecute the war on terror is instead vehemently waging a war on the media and using the security agencies to interfere with democracy.

    ‘’Had the government pursued the insurgents who are killing and maiming Nigerians with the same vigour with which it had descended on the media, the war against terror would have been long over,’’ APC said, wondering what kind of weapons the small newspaper distribution vans could ferry that cannot be conveyed by other, bigger vehicles that move around the country undisturbed.

    The party described as disingenuous and ridiculous, the explanation that an intelligence alert was responsible for the “shameful and unacceptable clampdown on the media”, dismissing what it called the platitude that the Jonathan Administration holds the media in high esteem.

    ‘’Even if one believes the administration’s babble that President Jonathan holds the media in high esteem, how can that be justified by the indignities being meted out to the media under his watch? How does the so-called intelligence report justify the arrest of media workers, detention of distribution vans and the impounding of newspapers? How does it justify the restriction of newspaper circulation? How does it justify an administration’s efforts to tamper with fundamental rights guaranteed by the nation’s Constitution?

    ‘’With the clampdown on the media, the Jonathan administration has opened a new but dangerous flank in its war against Nigerians. First. It was an attempt to stifle the freedom of assembly and the freedom of speech when a yeoman Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, tried but failed to ban peaceful protests in Abuja. The outcry against the obviously-orchestrated ban on peaceful protests had barely died down when the government moved to stifle press freedom. But it is a lost battle,’’ APC said.

    The party said a government that has failed to provide security for its citizens, 12,000 of whom have died in the hands of Boko Haram since 2009, and a government that has pauperised its citizens rather than empower them is suddenly acting like someone pumped with steroids and wasting its artificial energy on tackling the media, simply because it does not like its fierce independence and highly professional disposition.

    ‘’President Jonathan gave a hint of what’s to come when he blamed the media for over-reporting Boko Haram, forgetting that the media is only a mirror of the society. Our advice to the President is to immediately call a halt to the war on the media which his administration has launched because it is one battle he cannot and will not win,’’ it said.

    NewsDirect Newspaper, whose office was invaded by soldiers has petitioned the President.

    Its Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Samuel Ibiyemi, signed the petition which states:

    “This is to raise the alarm about the invasion of Nigerian NewsDirect by 15 Army Officers of 192 Battalion led by 2ns Lieutenant Long John on the grounds of information available to them that newspaper houses are using their vehicles to convey explosives and arms for Boko Haram.

    “Offices located at 34, Aromobi Str., Blessing Estate, Gasline, Sango-Ota in Ogun State were searched and they promised to come back and monitor the circulation of our weekly newspaper.

    “We are not sure the form of what the fresh operation will entail on return. Customers and staff were shocked with the activities of the armed officers.

    “Mr. President, we are using this medium to demand for explanation since we are unarmed and do not have anything to do with the deadly Boko Haram sect. We used our newspaper to criticize the activities of the sect in the past. We are patriotic and will not engage in anything that will affect the security of the nation.

    “This is for the information of the general public.”

  • The battle for the soul of ONELGA

    The crisis rocking Omoku, the headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State, looks like a youth crisis but it is actually a battle of supremacy between the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Trouble started when the council Chairman, Dr Augustine Ahiamadu, thinking that he was doing his people good appealed to the state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi to lift the ban on Omoku Youth Association in the area which the state government had proscribed in 2009 due to crisis that rocked the area.

    In February this year, after several pleas from Ahiamadu and others, the governor lifted the ban and subsequently, Ahiamadu, who is now a member of APC, inaugurated the youth association but made it known to them that it was just for one year.

    Sources alleged that the Chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, who is also a native of Omoku, condemned Ahiamadu’s action and reportedly inaugurated a factional youth association.

    Ahiamadu, using the power conferred on him by the ONELGA bye-law, dissolved the youth association. Furthermore, thinking that the Community Development Committee (CDC) of Omoku was also going to foment trouble, he invoked the Rivers State Regulatory Law, 2010 and also dissolved the committee.

    Angered by this, the youths protested and barricaded the ONELGA council secretariat, which is owned by six zones in the area namely: Egi, Omoku, Igburu, Usomini, Egbema and Ndoni. They blocked the council with a coffin. They pasted the pictures of Amaechi and Ahiamadu on the coffin and said they would not remove it. They demanded N16 million, several tubers of yam, goats and other items.

    This incident, which took place on May 1, prevented the chairman and his workers from observing the Workers’ Day celebration.

    Not satisfied with what they had already done, on May 5, the youths stormed major streets in Omoku protesting suspension of the leadership of their association.

    Their protest crippled economic activities in the town leading to the closure of banks, motor parks and the main markets. Traders were forced to lock their stores for fear of losing their wares to the protesting youths.

    The protest also forced parents to keep their children away from school while some residents relocated to neighbouring communities for fear of being attacked.

    Some community people told Niger Delta Report that while the rampage was going on, the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was in Omoku claiming that he had an assignment at the Federal College of Education (Technical). But a resident of the area told Niger Delta Report: “Everybody knows (that the college) has been on strike for more than six months now.”

    The Assistant Police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the police was “making frantic effort to restore law and order in the area”.

    Speculations were rife in the area that the protest was engineered by the PDP, which is the opposition party in the area since Ahiamadu and other political office holders in the council have defected to the APC with the governor.

    To contain this crisis, Ahiamadu on May 6, wrote the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, complaining of the crisis rocking his council and the seeming refusal of the police in the division to step in and restore law and order.

    He said: “Every crisis being grappled by the Federal Government today started on a small scale but the inability of security agencies to nip it in the bud caused it to escalate.”

    Ahiamadu urged the IGP not to allow a few individuals to hold government and people to ransom due to complicity of the police.

    To draw the governor’s attention to the crisis in the area, the people from other communities in the area trooped to Government House, Port Harcourt on May 7 on a peaceful march to protest the crisis.

    The people carried placards with messages like: “Oba, Felix Obuah cannot hold us on hostage”; “Oga, pls call Oba of Omoku to order”: “Oba and Felix are selfish; We want Hon Austin”; ONELGA Council HQ must move to Obite”; “Hon. Austin Aiamadu Government must stand” and “Go-Round! Leadership is by choice Not by Force Leave ONELGA people Alone.”

    The leader of the group, Mr Sunny Esor, alleged that since 1991 when the ONELGA Council was created, Omoku youths have allegedly been a threat to peace, especially when the council chairman is not from their town (Omoku).

    He said: “The fact that council secretariat is located at Omoku does not imply that it is the property of Omoku but it rather belongs to the six geo-political zones of ONELGA.”

    Esor said the continued blockade of their council gate was disrupting governance, adding: “We can no longer tolerate this continuous hostage of the six geo-political zones by a section of one geo-political zone as in a democracy, minority would have their say but majority would have their way.”

    On this note, they pleaded with the governor to permit Ahiamadu to relocate the council secretariat to another community in ONELGA.

    They also called on security agencies to protect lives and properties of ONELGA people.

    The Permanent Secretary, Government House, Mr Fortune Oguru who received them on behalf of the governor, said their request would be communicated to Amaechi.

    For now, the governor has not made any official statement on the ONELGA crisis. Wike, Obuah and the Oba have also kept silent. Thus everyone is watching and waiting to see how the matter would be resolved.

  • Kwara: Still a battle of siblings

    Kwara: Still a battle of siblings

    The defection of former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with other members of the new PDP perhaps may have changed the face of Kwara politics permanently.

    On the heels of Saraki’s defection was the decision of the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, two senators, all members of the House of Representatives–all PDP members (except one) in the state House of Assembly, the 18 local government chairmen and over a 100 councillors in the state–to join APC in solidarity with the former governor who currently represents Kwara Central in the Senate.

    While the Kwara PDP still boasts of prominent stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Prof. Abdulrahman Oba; former Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Bio; Senator representing Kwara South, Simeon Ajibola, and Senator Gbemi Saraki, Mr. Dele Belgore, there are still lingering doubts in the minds of many people in the state as to whether the PDP structure can dislodge the formidable Bukola Saraki machinery in the battle for the 2015 governorship race.

    PDP’s major handicap, according to sources, is the seeming lack of unity among its leaders to forge a common front ahead of the 2015 polls.

    Unlike in the APC where the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki is indisputable, the scenario in the PDP appears rather complicated.

    The recent state congress in the Kwara State PDP, rather than become a soothing balm to address the internal wrangling within its rank and file, may just be the beginning of the end of the party in the state.

    After weeks of political maneuverings and tussle for leadership, a new 33-member executive committee to run the party’s affairs for the next four years was elected a few weeks ago.

    The exit of Senator Bukola Saraki and his supporters created a big vacuum in the party, which was temporarily filled by the leadership of the Edo State-born caretaker committee chairman, Solomon Edoja.

    The congress, which was held under the supervision of a 5-man Congress Committee led by Senator Barnabas Gemade, was the climax of intense power play amongst various factions who were determined to install their loyalists in key party offices, especially as party Chairman and Secretary.

    Prior to the state congress, several meetings were held across the state where stakeholders reviewed the list of candidates and assessed their chances.

    The contest also pitched old members of the party against those who defected from other parties, especially from the APC and the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

    Right from the ward to local government congresses, top party shot including those allegedly eyeing the governorship seat in 2015, had engaged in intense lobbying and in-fighting to impose ‘their own’ people as executives at various levels.

    Those listed in the power play seeking to influence the composition of the new state executive committee include, among others, Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Belgore, Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola and Senator Suleiman Ajadi and an oil magnate, Hajia Muina Bola Shagaya. And at the end of the contest, Saraki’s loyalists reportedly emerged chairmen in 14 of the 16 local government areas in the state.

    The Nation gathered that on the eve of the congress, there were three main groups namely; the Kwara South/Kwara North Alliance, The Gbemi Saraki/Abdulrahman Abdulrazak Group/Dele Belgore, the Professor Oba/Col. Lawal Group and the emerging Bola Shagaya group.

    The Kwara South group paraded the likes of Chief Joel Ogundeji (a former deputy governor), Chief Samuel Adedayo, Deacon John Dara and Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi as their arrow heads. They demanded for the chairmanship to be zoned to the South senatorial zone with the hope of leveraging on it to get the gubernatorial ticket.

    In order to ensure a hitch-free election, most of the candidates were prevailed upon to step down after stakeholders agreed to zone the chairmanship to Kwara South. Out of the eight candidates vying for the position, five stepped down to allow for the zoning arrangement to work

    Those left in the race included Iyiola Oyedepo, who is a former member of the state House of Assembly; State Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Sunday Fagbemi, and Mr. Bode Ojomu. They, however, failed to agree on a consensus.

    While Belgore was rooting for Oyedepo, Saraki supported Fagbemi. The two contestants hail from Kwara South. At the end, Fagbemi was prevailed upon to step down for Oyedepo.

    Announcing the results, Gemade, who is a former National Chairman of the PDP, declared Oyedepo winner after polling 397 votes to defeat Ojomu, his closest rival who secured 225 votes, while Alhaji Maryam Al-Hassam came a distant third with 19 votes.

    As it is, the new executive is currently dominated by loyalists of Saraki, Belgore and Abdulrazak, a development that has not gone done with the ‘old members’ of the party including Senator Ajibola, Oba, Bio, amongst others.

    Now that the congress is over, the concern of some stakeholders within the party is whether the unity which it laboured to achieve with the recent unity rally attended by the president will be sustained.

    And in what seems to be an attempt to mend the cracked fence, Saraki reportedly paid a surprise visit to Abdulraheem at his private residence in Ilorin a few days after the congress. The outcome of the meeting was yet to be made public. Sources however, disclosed that the meeting was premised on the need for the PDP to forge ahead in unity and cohesion after the conclusion of the party’s congresses.

    Saraki, who reportedly arrived Abdulraheem’s residence  in the company of a modest convoy, told her host she was at his  home in appreciation of his doggedness during the exercise and to also  urge him to ensure that the party is kept intact, irrespective of the outcome of the congress.

    Leading governorship hopeful

    In the APC, there are strong indications that barring any last minute surprises, the incumbent governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, will be backed by his godfather, Senator Bukola Saraki, to run for a second term in 2015.

    But in the PDP, the battle will be a straight fight between Gbemi Saraki and Dele Belgore. This is, however not ruling out the likes of Oba, who was once allegedly the anointed candidate of the presidency until the defection of Gbemi Saraki and Belgore changed the game plan.

    The Nation learnt that the presidency and the national headquarters of the party have allegedly resolved to zone the party’s governorship ticket to Kwara Central, which controls 55 percent of the voting population. The incumbent governor hails from Kwara South.

    But it remains unclear who among Saraki and Belgore will step down for each other for the party’s governorship ticket.

    The way out, according to a source, is that Belgore may pick the governorship ticket, while Saraki will run for the Kwara Central senatorial seat.

    “Kwara State is dominated by Muslims and it will be foolhardy for the PDP to pick a woman as its governorship candidate,” a source clarifies.

  • My battle with bursary racketeers, by Eghagha

    My battle with bursary racketeers, by Eghagha

    Delta Stage Commissioner for Higher Education Prof Hope Eghagha, in this interview, speaks of his endless battles against fraud in the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board, a parastatal under his ministry. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA and BLESSING OLISA met him. 

    Since his assumption of office, the Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Hope Eghagha, has not had a dull moment. He was once kidnapped and taken away for days.  The professor of English from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has also had his reputation at stake over allegations of fraud in the Bursary and Scholarship Board, a portfolio under his ministry. He is accused of teaming up with the Executive Secretary of the board to inject up to 23,000 fake names that were paid bursaries at the expense of genuine beneficiaries.

    But Eghagha says his hands are clean. His impeccable academic profile, he insists, is there for all to see.

    “I almost regretted coming to public service. As a lecturer in UNILAG, I never changed scores for students. I did not come to government so as to defraud by putting fake names on the list.”

    Speaking to The Nation in his office in Delta State, Eghagha put the blames on students who engaged in rackets. He said the reluctance of the board to prosecute racketeers led to the table being turned against his ministry.

    Eghagha said he neither facilitated the recruitment of an incompetent software provider to the board, nor introduced e-payment as against the erstwhile manual payment system, all in an effort to defraud the board.

    He said due to the bad reputation the board had earned over the years, he was left with no choice than overhaul the parastatal. Eghagha also recounted how, having blocked the loophole, he got approval to increase the bursary from N10, 000 to N20, 000 per students.

    He said: “Our people have an adage that if you catch a thief from your farm and you don’t call him a thief, he will call you a thief. To start with, I met the consultant that was doing the job here when I came. So to say I brought him in is not true at all. Two, the e-payment was introduced to curb fraud in the system.

    “I taught in UNILAG before I came in to office, and I can tell you confidently that none of my kids enjoyed the bursary. When I resumed on January 2, 2009, I found out that money had been released by the state government but most students never got them. Two days after, students came here and protested that they had not been paid their bursaries. I then sat them down, listened to them and asked them questions. Some of those people that protested then are being employed by the state government now, and they are now the ones fighting those racketeers.”

    “So upon his discovery, what step did he take next?” our reporters asked.

    “I then decided we had to reform the scholarship board and particularly the bursary system. That accounts for the e-payment system whereby we deal directly with the students. The board advertises, and students respond this time not by proxies. Each student fills in his or her particular on a form we have provided on the board’s website.”

    In spite of the e-payment, Eghagha expressed surprise that students still infiltrated the website. He corroborated his finding by showing our reporters a heap of fake names, some registering with different name but same account number. However, to convince the public those students that got the bursary were not ghosts, he said the board decided to publish their names in national dailies every year.

    “We decided to publish the names because each year, some people will tell their parents that they didn’t get money. Publishing the names was my initiative because we wanted to tell the public that these students that we pay were not ghosts. Some of them get paid and claimed they were not paid.

    “Many of them did not know we were going to scrutinise the process. So, the first year we published everybody names that these are Delta State students. There was somebody who registered over 100 times. So that is the battle we have been fighting since then,” he lamented

    He said some students, who could not afford to go through the rigour associated with the prerequisites of the bursary, decided to do it through proxies.

    “There are some students that have not yet been paid because they used the old bank account numbers. In some cases, the name of the accounts did not match the applicants of the bursary. The board has their statistics. Since I’ve come here, any year any students wasn’t paid, it is either the students did not register properly or that there was an error. Students send me SMS making one complaint or the other and I would get back to the board to say: ‘look into this case’.”

    Explaining how the 23,000 fake names came about, Eghagha said the fake names were discovered shortly after his first time as commissioner in 2011. However, his suggestion to have the racketeers arrested and prosecuted was turned down by the board’s leadership who felt such action might provoke reactions from parents.

    “Unfortunately at that time, we didn’t envisage this backlash. So, when I was reappointed in June same year, the matter came up again, and I presented to the state executive the 23,000 fake names that were tracked and we were able to save some money for government. I then called for a media briefing, but to my surprise, students came here two days later protesting that the board injected fake names,” he added.

    When asked whether the board made further attempt to investigate owners of the bank accounts, Eghagha said it is not the board’s responsibility to do that. Eghagha challenged security agencies to spread their dragnet to banks where those accounts are domiciled, and let management of those banks provide more information as regards their true owners.

    “If a student opens an account anywhere, it is not our business. But when he or she comes to register for bursaries, and we found out that this person uses different names but one bank account that has been used 300 times, he or she is automatically disqualified. Some of them didn’t know we would check, they thought we would just pay. For instance, we sent officials to Jos, they came back with 600 passport photographs belonging to 600 people, four per person. Some of the students even tried to intimidate our officials. These are students who perpetrate this crime,” Eghagha said.

    The greatest achievement under his watch, Eghagha stressed, is that for the first time, the board was able save back into government coffers money that would have gone into wrong hands?

    “Like for the first year, about 600 million was released (by government). By the time we were through with the bursary, we couldn’t exhaust the money and I had to refund the outstanding to government treasury. For year 2009/2010, the approved sum was 514 million, beneficiaries were 24000. Actual amount plus administrative charges came to 434 million. So we saved 80million and I declared this to the executive; and I said next year, give us less 80 million. In 2010/2011 approved amount was N643 million, beneficiaries are 28,000; and actual amount was N481 million, and saving was N172million which I declared this to the executive. Except mischievous persons, anybody in government who knows what I’m doing will just laugh.”

    Aside the amount expended on bursaries, Eghagha said the board has to meet administrative charges, which some students consider questionable.

     “Sometimes students act out of ignorance,” Eghagha lamented, “For instance, when you have N600 million and you pay 200,000 students amounting to N400 million, students will ask you the remaining N200.000. But we have administrative charges. We do publicity, people travel, and all that. So, you find that that every year about N80million goes into logistics.”

    Eghagha said in his determination to demonstrate more openness, the ongoing 2012/2013 bursary, is being done in collaboration with JAMB to nip infiltrators’ plan in the bud.

    “So, when I found out that even with the e- system, we were still having problems. I then got permission from the government to approach JAMB. We told JAMB to conduct the process and give us a final list. JAMB then went round institutions nationwide to verify for us. That was what we did this year; and as soon as we started paying, those racketeers started fighting because no kobo could leak out.

    “Now from the report I’ve gotten from JAMB, the number of infiltrators has dropped drastically.  The infiltrators, our findings show, were from the polytechnics, which we did not ask JAMB to screen. But next year, it’s either JAMB or nothing,” Eghagha concluded.

  • Lions Club, pediatricians battle diseases

    To find lasting solution to some preventable diseases among children, Lions Club International (Multiple District 404, Lagos, Nigeria), is in partnership with the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN).

    Lion (Dr.) Kola Oyekan, its immediate past district chairman, said the collaboration was aimed at serving humanity better.

    He said the club had been looking forward to such collaboration with PAN to end to some of the preventable diseases, adding that this year’s world immunisation week, with the theme, ‘Are you up-to-date,’ provided a platform that brought the two groups together.

    He said: “About two or three million people die of preventable diseases every year; this is why the leadership of our club sought a partnership with that of the Paediatric Association on Nigeria to celebrate this year’s World Immunisation Day.”

    Another member of the club, Lion (Princess) Adetope B. Tycchus, said because the club is known for fighting blindness, discovered that such a disease is associated with too many other diseases, caused by non-immunisation of the kids at birth.

    She stated that the partnership is beyond race and boundaries, as it is intended to be of great benefit to all Nigerians, adding that with the partnership, the future of the children in the country is guaranteed.

    Professor Adebiyi Olowu, PAN’s President, praised the leadership of the club, both Nigeria and abroad, for the gesture and the opportunity afforded his association to join the partnership against infant deaths in the country.

    He said: “Most of the killer diseases of children are highly preventable. We are not happy with present the high level of infant mortality in the country. We are happy that Lions Club is collaborating with PAN in reducing the rate.”

    Olowu said his association would open the eyes of Lions Club to other areas about from immunisation, which he said, would, strengthen the survival of the Nigerian child.

  • Edo North 2015: Ihonvbere, Momoh, Obende battle for Senate

    Edo North 2015: Ihonvbere, Momoh, Obende battle for Senate

    As the people of Edo North Senatorial District prepare for the next general elections, Correspondent OSEMWENGIE OGBEMUDIA examines the strengths and weaknesses of the senatorial aspirants in the zone.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not lifted the ban on political campaigns. But, aspirants for the Senate in Edo North District have designed other methods to sensitise and mobilise the people, ahead of the next general elections. Consultations are going on. Aspirants are organising campaigns through town hall meetings, village square meetings, visits to traditional rulers and community leaders and public rallies.

    Many factors will shape the senatorial contest. They include the popularity of the political parties, the antecedents of the contestants, their performance on their present assignment and zoning. The aspirants include Senator Domingo Obende, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Hon. Abubakar Momoh, and Francis Alimhikhena.

    Obende

    Senator Domingo Obende was elected in 2011 on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He is now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is seeking a fresh term. Obende is the first senator from Akoko-Edo, Edo North. The other important blocs in the district are Etsako and Owan. The senator is campaigning, based on his achievements in the last three years. He said that he has attracted some projects to the area, sponsored Christians and Muslims on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mecca and organised skill acquisition training for some constituents. In particular, Senator Domingo also said that he is not a bench warmer in the Upper Chamber. He has sponsored the bill, which criminalised same sex marriage in the country.

    Many stakeholders are grumbling that Obende is scheming for a second term. It appears that they are not impressed by his performance as a lawmaker. This is evident in the way the Akoko-Edo political leaders and stakeholders boycotted the meeting he called at his residence recently. It has been alleged before the meeting that the senator is not accessible. Although his supporters pointed out that he attracted some projects to the district, critics have saod that the projects were sited in his local government of origin, leaving the remaining five councils in the cold. They have also questioned the quality of the work done by the senator’s project contractors.

    Stakeholders have also rejected the argument of Obende’s supporters that Owan (East and West) and Etsako (Central, East and West) axis have at one time or the other produced senators. But, this argument is true. From 1999 to 2007, Senator Kasim Oyofo from Etsako was enjoyed the slot. From 2007 to 2011, Senator Yisa Braimoh from Owan also served in the National Assembly. But, powerful politicians are still ganging up against Obende, who a source said, lacks the backing of Governor Adams Oshipmole for a second term.

    Momoh

    Abubakar Momoh, an engineer, is a member of the House of Representatives. He is representing Etsako Constituency, which consists of Etsako Central, Etsako East and Etsako West. The story of Abubakar Momoh is very well known to stakeholders in Edo North. He is a popular politician and he has grassroots support. He is also perceived as a rich person.That may be the reason he is seeking promotion to the Senate. Momoh took off as a Supervisory Councillor. Later, he served as the Chairman of Etsako East Council. For eight years, he was a member of the House of Assembly. But, his opponents believe that he has not performed very well in the Lower Chamber. In fact, they have alleged that he is playing the ethnic card. This may be a vague reference to the meeting of the Etsako people he hosted in Auchi, along with Alhaji Usman Shagadi, for the purpose of selling the “Etsako Agenda”. The agenda is to mobilise the people of Etsako to endorse him as the consensus candidate. The Shagadi/Momoh calculation is that the Etsako are more in population than other three local governments-Owan East, Owan West and Akoko-Edo.

    Critical stakeholders, including top party leaders his Etsako East, have pointed out that playing the ethnic card amounted to mediocrity. They also accused Momoh of selfishness. Only a few school blocks, according to them, have either been built or renovated in the last three years by Momoh in the three local government areas he represents. Even in Etsako, stakeholders say the federal legislator lacks the support of his people in Etsako East where another aspirant, Francis Alimhikhena, has been tipped for the position.

    Alimhikhena

    A retired soildier and lawyer, Francis Alimhikhena is in the race for the third time. He is therefore, a veteran aspirant. He has built political structures, which he can rely on in the APC. He is popular in Etsako East. Alimhikhena may enjoy the sympathy of some critical stakeholders.

    Ihonvbere

    An economist and political scientist, Prof. Ihonvbere is the Secretary to the Edo State Government. He was the Special Adviser, Project Monitoring and Evaluation to President Olusegun Obasanjo from 2003 to 2007 during which period he developed a wide network of contacts locally and internationally. An accomplished and erudite scholar, Ihonvbere was student union leader and has remained a life member of the student union government. He is a teacher, researcher, human rights and pro-democracy activist.

    The Professor changed platform in 2012 after he was short-changed by the PDP in his quest for the governorship ticket of the party. He was indeed the front runner in the race for the ticket. Coming over to the APC, Prof. Ihonvbere brought with him thousands of supporters to swell the ranks of the party. His ability to communicate, integrity, accessibility, selfless disposition and political ability have become assets not only for the prosecution of his ambition but also to the party.

    Prof. Ihonvbere, has set up the Julius Ihonvbere Foundation, has to give a helping hand to the needy in Edo North. Many youths and women have benefitted from the educational and empowerment programmes. Stakeholders say Ihonvbere is a tested and trusted politician, who is prepared for the task of representing the district. This is why it was easy for him to secure the endorsement of four local government areas. These are Akoko-Edo, Owan East and Owan West. He also has the backing of some leaders in Etsako Central, East and West. His credential place him above other aspirants to the senatorial seat.

  • 2015: Zoning battle in Rivers

    2015: Zoning battle in Rivers

    The upland/riverine dichotomy is a very strong factor in the politics of Rivers State. In terms of population, the uplanders are more than the riverine people. Thus, the riverine people fear that the upland politicians would always produce the governor at the expense of the equally qualified and competent persons from the riverine communities.

    The riverine people are clamouring for power shift. They want a politician from the area to succeed Governor Rotimi Amaechi in 2015 in the spirit of fairnes, justice and equity.

    Since 1999, the three governors: Dr. Peter Odili, Sir Celestine Omehia and Amaechi, who was the Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly for eight years (1999 to 2007), are from the upland part. Thus, the area would have enjoyed the slot for 16 years by 2015.

    Amaechi, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wants to hand over to an anointed successor in 2015. But, he has not publicly indicated his preference for either the upland or riverine person.

    The leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), especially President Goodluck Jonathan, an indigene of Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and his wife Dame Patience, who hails from Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika LGA of Rivers State, want the party to produce the next governor.

    President Jonathan is seeking re-election in 2015 and Rivers State is strategic to his ambition, in view of the over two million registered voters in the state. Thus, the Niger Delta state is likely to become a battleground.

    The riverine (Ijaw) people, under the umbrella of the Eastern Delta People’s Association (EDPA), are insisting on producing the governor, A leader of the group, Lawrence Jumbo, declared that: “On upland/riverine dichotomy we stand.”

    The Eastern Delta people inhabit 10 local governments. They are Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Bonny, Okrika, Ogu-Bolo, Port Harcourt (South), Asari-Toru, Degema, Akuku-Toru and Abua-Odual.

    A chieftain of the PDP, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, admonished Mrs. Jonathan to ensure that a riverine person succeeds Amaechi.

    Inko-Tariah, a Kalabari, who is also the President of the socio-political group, the Rivers Liberation Alliance, said that power shift would give the zone, sense of belonging and compensate them for their earlier support for the upland people.

    He said: “We want the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, to be solidly behind a riverine person as the next governor of Rivers State to ensure equity, justice and fairness.

    “Rivers is a peculiar state. Emphasis must be placed on upland/riverine dichotomy in 2015. We are talking of God-made, not man-made dichotomy. Governor Amaechi’s successor must be a riverine person. The best candidate can be found in any of the riverine communities.

    “If an uplander is forced on Rivers people, the political haemorrhage would occasion the death of the PDP. It could lead to a serious crisis, if we are not circumspect. The PDP, APC or Labour Party should allow a riverine governor in Rivers State in 2015. We are pleading today. Tomorrow, we may no longer do so.

    “The Presidency and the national leadership of the PDP should ensure that the right thing is done in Rivers State, ahead of 2015. President Jonathan is in a fix because of his ambition. A leader should be able to say what is right or wrong.

    “Nobody should be desperate. Violence is a function of desperation. The Rivers State’s political engine is overheated. The peace of the state is being constantly threatened. Any slight error on the part of the gladiators would consume the state. It is not a battle of ideology, but of ego.”

    Inko-Tariah also stated that he envisaged crisis in Rivers State ahead of the 2015 elections, if the problem of the upland/riverine dichotomy was not resolved, stressing that it would take the grace of God to stave it off and that anybody could be the victim.

    He warned that if an uplander emerges as the next governor, the riverine people would agitate for the creation of a new state.

    The President of Rivers Liberation Alliance admitted that it was the constitutional right of all qualified Rivers people to vie for the governorship in 2015, but it would only be fair to allow a riverine person to be the next occupant of the Brick House (Government House), Port Harcourt.

    The governorship aspirants are Nyesome Wike, Magnus Abe George Sekibo and Dakuku Peterside.

    Wike, an Ikwerre from Rumueprikom in Obio/Akpor Council, is a two-term Chairman of the council; former Chief of Staff, and Director-General of Amaechi Campaign Organisation in 2011, before he was appointed as a minister of State for Education. He is also the grand patron of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI).

    The President’s wife is now backing the minister, who is at the forefront of the re-election campaign for her husband, in spite of the ban by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The First Lady was earlier pushing for the candidature of Senator George Thompson Sekibo, who represents Rivers East District. But, suddenly she changed her mind.

    Sekibo, who hails from Ogu, the headquarters of Ogu/Bolo local government, also the hometown of the self-acclaimed Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, Evans Bipi, is banking on Dame Jonathan’s support, since Okrika and Ogu people speak the same language.

    Wike and Amaechi from Ubima in Ikwerre local government, are both Ikwerre. Wike is from Ikwerre South, while the NGF chairman is from Ikwerre North.

    Many politicians, have been endorsed the minister as the PDP’s governorship.

    The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), however, dismissed the claim by the few “self-serving” Ogoni politicians that Wike had been endorsed as a governorship candidate.

    MOSOP, through its President, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, called on all Ogoni people and the members of the public to discountenance the spurious, deceitful and misleading claim, declaring that Ogoni had not endorsed any politician. He said that the next governor would come from any of the four Ogoni LGAs of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme – which had not produced the governor since the creation of the state on May 27, 1967.

    The Kalabari people from Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru and Degema Councils also indicating that, since Rivers was created nobody from the area has emerged as governor.

    A PDP chieftain from Etche Prince Emma Anyanwu, claimed that the people of Etche ethnic nationality, in Etche and Omuma Councils had endorsed Wike as Amaechi’s successor on the platform of the PDP.

    Anyanwu stressed that he was endorsed because of his detribalised nature, capacity and integrity.

    The Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Okey Amadi, an Etche indigene, however, dismissed the purported endorsement saying that majority of Etche people belong to the APC.

    Amadi insisted that a God-fearing person, with the interest of Rivers people at heart, would succeed Amaechi in 2015.

    Some of the founding fathers of the PDP in Rivers State and members of the Rivers PDP Third Force Movement (RPTFM) declared that the supervising Minister of Educationwould not be Rivers governor in 2015.

    They said that, to ensure equity, justice and fairness, somebody from another ethnic group or senatorial district should succeed Amaechi.

    PDP leaders in Rivers State: Chiefs Lolo Ibineye and Anab Sara-Igbe, from Kalabari, Elemchukwu Ogbowu from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA in Orashi Region have asked Wike to forget his 2015 ambition.

    The PDP chieftains maintained that it would be difficult for another Ikwerre person to succeed Amaechi. In their opinion, a Kalabari should be the next governor and he should be succeeded by an Ogoni.

    They admonished President Jonathan and other leaders of the PDP to call Wike to order, addiing that imposing him as the standard bearer of the party would lead to the failure of the PDP.

    Rivers PDP’s spokesman, Jerry Needam, claimed that Ibineye and Sara-Igbe were not card-carrying members of the party, which they denied. But, the Secretary of the PDP, Ibibia Walter, has announced the suspension of Ogbowu for anti-party activities.

    The Rivers PDP Third Force Movement, through its General Secretary, Oprite Amachree, however, accused Wike of taking over the PDP, through his GDI.

    The group said: “The PDP in Rivers State no longer exists because Wike’s GDI has taken over the machinery and functions of the party. As a result , Rivers PDP continues to go down whileWike’s political empire is increasing.

    “Wike is using the name of President Goodluck Jonathan to build a political empire for himself. PDP should not allow Wike to field himself as the governorship candidate of the party for the 2015 election, because it would amount to grave injustice to the people of Rivers State, with plurality of ethnic nationalities.

    “If the PDP insists on fielding Wike as its standard bearer in Rivers State in 2015, it would lose abysmally. Wike must be sacked so that the source of power which he uses to build his political empire at the expense of the Rivers PDP will be cut off.

    “Rivers PDP must be restructured to give other stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the development of the party. We also wish to state that Wike’s PDP State Executive in Rivers State, led by Felix Obuah, is grossly incompetent.”

  • Succession battle hots up in Taraba

    Succession battle hots up in Taraba

    The succession battle is gathering momentum in Taraba State. Ahead of the governorship poll, the people of the South District are agitating for power shift. But, there are certain odds. Acting Governor Garba Umar form the North District is scheming to succeed ailing Governor Dambaba Suntai. Will the South’s consensus candidate beat the acting governor at the primaries? Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO examines the politics of succession in the Northeast state. TWO years ago, the succession battle started in Taraba State. Governor Dambaba Suntai was involved in a plane crash in October 2012. Since his deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar, became the acting governor, he has positioned himself as the heir to the throne, to the consternation of Suntai’s supporters. The governor, it is believed, favours power shift to the South Senatorial District. But, he is indisposed and cannot muster the strength to fulfil this dream. The acting govenor, who is from the North, is scheming to succeed his boss. This has led to a major rift between the Suntai and Umar camps. Umar’s emergence as the acting governor has altered the power-sharing arrangement in the state. Alhough the state does not practice zoning, the South District, which has not tasted power since the state was carved out from the defunct Gongola State 25 years ago, is pushing for power shift. Before the air crash, Suntai had made a case for the district to be given a chance to produce the next governor in 2015. Suntai hails from the Central Zone. His predecessor, Jolly Nyame, who hails from the North, ruled for 10 years. Suntai had argued that the fairest thing to do was to hand over to a successor from the South when he bows out next year after serving his two terms. But after he was hit by the blow of fate, Umar, who is from the North, has consolidated his hold on power. He is also kicking against power shift. Having tasted power in the last one and half years, Umar is interested in the party’s ticket for the election. Ahead of the election, Umar has declared his intention to run. His posters now adorn the streets. Other party chieftains are also warming up for the race in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This has generated tension as various interest groups are justifying their interests in the slot. To secure the ticket, Taraba South has decided to endorse a consensus candidate. The leaders of the zone explained that the move would enable the district to avoid splitting its votes at the primaries. They are also persuading their allies from other zones to support them. Following this resolution, the zonal PDP chapter has taken up the responsibility of searching for a suitable candidate that would effectively wrestle the ticket from the acting governor or other contenders from the Central and North. But, it has been a difficult assignment because the aspirants from the North are many. If Suntai is effectively in charge, his influence would have robbed off on the selection process. The governor, it is believed, would have rallied support for a suitable candidate and convinced the stakeholders to endorse him as the flag bearer. Party sources said that the leaders of the Southern Taraba Stakeholders Forum (STSF) have been holding meetings with the aspirants. “Our leaders are holding meetings with the aspirants from the zone. They are trying to mediate to avoid a situation where choosing a candidate for the contest would divide the ranks of politicians from the zone and lead to violence”, said a source. Also, the forum has released a 10-point criteria for selecting a consensus candidate for the zone. The leaders have also been moving round to sell the idea to the traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders. If these guidelines are strictly adhered to, they believe that no aspirants from other zones would be the South’s consensus candidate. Following the release of the guidelines, fear has gripped some of the aspirants. If they fail to meet the conditions, they are likely to be screened out, a source said. According to the ‘Guidelines’, signed by the STSF’s spokesman, James Nwunuji, the consensus candidate must possess certain verifiable qualities. These include experience, sound academic credential, integrity and political clout. Nwunuji stresed: The consensus candidate must have the fear of God and sense of justice, fairness and equity; experience in both the private and public sectors; track record of verifiable and quantifiable achievements in the private or public sector or both; acceptability the people in the state, particularly the masses; good disposition and maturity in tackling conflicts and other sensitive societal issues. The candidate should not be over 60 years old and his ideas should not be anachronistic in modern day governance. “The candidate should know how the Federal Government works. He must have a good knowledge of the internal diversities of Taraba State. He must possess morality, based on a decorous character, not one with a record of wantonness, corruption, profligacy, criminality, thuggery, intimidation and harassment. “ He or she must not curry the favour of the likes of General Theophilus Danjuma, the PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, the committee saddled with the selection responsibility or even the STSF. Finally, the consensus candidate must have a vision to continue with the developmental strides of former Governor Jolly Nyame and Governor Danbaba Suntai in road construction, health, security, education, peace and unity and culture andtourism development.” The guidelines, Nwunuji said, would help the selection committee to do a thorough job. He said the forum’s approach has shown that “the governorship race is not all comers’ show.” According to the STSF, the committee has 40 members. Among them are five members from each of the five local governments-Ibi, Wukari, Donga, Takum and Ussa. There are also ‘special stakeholders’ and three members from Special Development Areas. Prominent aspirants from the South include Hon.Agbu Kefas, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, Ephraim Kifasi and Darius Ishaku. A source said that they have submitted their Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the committee. They have also intensified their consultations with the stakeholders. According to a member of the committee, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, the committee has completed its assignment and handed its report to another sub-committee made up of 11 members. The sub-committee, which was given two weeks to submit its report, is likely to do so next week. Following the submission of the report, the two committees would meet to announce the South’s consensus candidate. Nwunuji said the consensus candidate will be the face of the zone at the primaries. He added: “The endorsement is by elimination method and the ast man or woman standing would carry the day. And all those that would not make it would have to rally support for the endorsed candidate.”

  • 2015: PDP, APC, APGA battle for Imo

    2015: PDP, APC, APGA battle for Imo

    Three political parties-the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)- are battling for the soul of Imo State. The PDP is scheming to bounce back. But, the ruling APC is consolidating its hold. APGA is also not sleeping. Who produces the next governor? Correspondent SANNI OLOGUN examines the struggles of the parties for power in the Southeast state.

    For eight years, Imo State was the stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). That was between 1999 and 2007 when Chief Achike Udenwa was the governor. But, things took a dramatic turn for the party in 2011 when the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) produced Governor Rochas Okorocha, who has now defected to the All progressives Congress (APC).

    Ahead of the next elections, the three parties-the PDP, the APC and the APGA- are in the battle for the soul of the Southeast state.

    The PDP National Leader, President Goodluck Jonathan, has said that the party will bounce back in 2015. The APC Governor, Okorocha, has described the statement as a joke, saying that the PDP leaders are day dreaming. The APGA is also mobilising ahead of the poll. The question is: who produces the next Imo governor?

    The PDP’s Southeast/Southsouth rally at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, where the President made the statement, was a carnival of sorts. The rally was organised to welcome Senator Chris Anyanwu, Udenwa, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and Chief Mike Ahamba back to the fold. But, the President used the opportunity to flag off the battle for the Imo Government House.

    The PDP has a formidable APC governor, Okorocha, to contend with on the field. He has raised the stakes in the state. However, the defection of some politicians to the PDP has motivated the to renew its spirited fight for power.

    Senator Anyanwu returned to the fold to position herself. She was voted to represent the Imo East Senatorial District in 2011on the platform of APGA. Her return to the PDP was not a surprise. Her sojourn in the APGA was borne of political exigency. She would not have moved to the APGA, if she was not robbed of the PDP ticket to return to the Senate. The PDP ticket was given to former Minister of Aviation and now, National Woman Leader of the PDP, Mrs Kema Chikwe.

    Anyanwu moved to APGA where she was welcomed with open arms by the leaders of the party and was handed the party’s senatorial ticket. Today, APGA is not as formidable in the Southeast as it was in 2011. The death of its National Leader, Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odimegwu – Ojukwu, and the leadership tussle that plagued the party have made it unattractive to its members who have ambition for 2015.

    Although the APGA defeated the PDP in the governorship and legislative polls in 2011, the defection of Governor Okorocha to the APC changed the political calculation in the state. Most PDP and APGA members, are banking on the support of the PDP government at the centre to relaunch their struggle to recapture the Douglas House, Owerri, in 2015.

    The recent Southeast/Southsouth rally was meant to rev up the PDP’s 2015 electioneering machinery. Those who were received into to the fold also included Mr. Cosmas Iwu, Mr. Lambert Ihenacho, and Hon Independence Ogunewe. The calibre of PDP dignitaries at the occasion underscored the priority the party accorded Imo State. President Jonathan, was accompanied by Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihadioha, Chief Emmanuel Iwanyanwu, and ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau. Others are Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mrs. Viola Onwulriri, Prince Arthur Eze, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senator Hope Uzodinma and ex-Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu.

    Governors at the rally included Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Theodore Orji (Abia), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Captain Idris Wada (Kogi), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa).

    To Anyanwu, the defection underscored the party’s resolve to reclaim Imo State in 2015. The lawmaker said: “We are positioned now to recover power for the real people of Imo. We are ready to join forces with our brothers and sisters under the large umbrella of the PDP to rescue power from the confused, deceptive and misguided adventurers, who have aborted the people’s dream for a more promising and assured future. We have returned home and I hope that nothing will stop us.”

    She added: “Today is a great day. If look around here, you will see the grand masters of Imo politics, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Arthur Eze, all the former governors are here. The intellectual power house of Imo Stateare here. The business movers and shakers of Imo State are here, and, if all these people are all here, who is left in Imo State?

    It is good to be back home. I have come home with thousands of APGA members, including 27 Local Government Chairmen, half of the State Executive and over 800 APC members from my local government alone. Imo is for the PDP now. The children of Imo have decided to come under one roof. I have brought the children of Imo State. The PDP should open its hands and receive them. It should not let them run away again.”

    Addressing the Imo State Executive Committee of the PDP at its state secretariat along Okigwe Road, prior to the rally, Anyanwu described her return to the PDP as a home coming. She said although she represented APGA in the Senate, she had remained emotionally bound to the PDP. She said she was pained to see the PDP losing grounds in the Senate and therefore, decided to return home to join like minds to salvage the party.

    She said: “I was hurt watching the PDP being plummeted like that and I had difficulty coping. I just made up my mind at that time that it was time to go home. We are back to lend our energies and our strength to your energies and strength to rebuild the PDP and make it strong, viable, on top and centre in this state and in this country.”

    Anyanwu insisted that Imo State had no business being on the periphery of national politics. She added: “We must return Imo State to its rightful position. Things went wrong in the past, we all know. We hope we have all learnt the lessons of our past mistakes. Never again do we go back there and do those things that made us wobble.

    “We hope that our experience, what we have learnt out of this experience will strengthen us to now pursue and fulfill the mission of the PDP as the strongest, the largest, the most viable, but also the party that has all the strength, compassion and sense of justice, where people can feel a sense of belonging and be assured that things would be done right.”

    Udenwa, Ararume and Ahamba, said that the accident that led to the whipping of the PDP in 2011 would not happen again. Udenwa, said: “The accident that happened in Imo State in 2011 shall not repeat itself because it is not everyday that accidents happen. Imo today is completely a PDP state. We are on a rescue mission to re-rescue Imo State.”

    Ararume said the party leadership would not allow the division that led to its defeat in 2011 to reoccur, while Ahamba noted that the defection marked the beginning of the battle to reclaim Imo for the PDP. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) added: “Today, I have returned to my ranks because we found ourselves in a situation where the opposition in power has nothing to offer except disruption. The battle to rescue Imo has just begun.”

    President Jonathan described the rally as a clear demonstration that the PDP has regained Imo State. He promised that the party would not discriminate against the returnees.

    The President said: “The political timbers of Imo State are all here, which is an indication that the PDP has regained the state. This state has been a PDP state and would continue to be so. We formally welcome our brothers and sisters, who for one reason or the other, became angry and stepped aside. But everybody has stepped back and we have listened to all of them. These are great men and women. Imo State knows their worth in the politics of Imo State. Without them, there is no politics in Imo State.

    “So, where is the other party? There is no other party in Imo State. The time to join us is now. The party is open to everybody. It is the party that believes in justice and equal rights. For us, Imo State PDP has come to the level where everybody has to preach equal right. There is no discrimination.”

    To Anenih, the desire of the PDP to “capture” Imo State in 2015 would not succeed, if the party continues on the path of political squabbles.

    Anenih said: “It is only when we are united that we can get things right. The PDP is the pan-Nigeria party that will take care of everybody. Unless you are united, we will lose Imo State again and God forbid.”

    Mu’azu blamed internal wrangling for the loss of the state in 2011. He was however, optimistic that the party would regain its lost glory in 2015. Ma’azu said: “With the returnees and other members of the PDP in Imo State, we will sweep all elective positions in 2015. I want to appeal to all aspirants to know that this is the dawn of a new era. We must ensure that only our first eleven is presented in any election.”

    The former Bauchi State governor urged for the Imo PDP to work together victory in the next elections. “Part of our visit today is to receive our members who strayed and went to see the other side of the world. They have seen that there is nothing good on the other side and they are back home,” he added.

    Mark, said that the PDP was on the path of regaining Imo State. He said he was particularly overjoyed that Anyanwu, who earlier “strayed” from the party, decided to retrace her steps. He said: “PDP is Imo and Imo is PDP; you cannot separate the two. Whatever mistake was made in the past is now history, whether we counted rightly or wrongly is for historians to judge. The fact is that Imo has returned to PDP.

    “I welcome all of you my brothers and sisters of the PDP family to the gathering here today. For me, it is a joy because we are getting one of our own, who mistakenly strayed back today and she is here live. When she comes back, I believe that Imo State would have completed the circle and the light in the state would be brighter. There is no harm in missing step, but when you miss a step and you realise and trace it back, then, you are a good person.”

    Former Governor Ikedi Ohakim, said that the PDP’s defeat in 2011 was not due to lack of “votes,” but loss of “calculation.” He said the incident was a lesson well learnt. According. “What happened in the past was a lesson. We did not fail. We went to school; we have learnt the lessons; and we have come back together.”

    Ohakim said the PDP was ready to fight with the last drop of its blood to regain its lost ground. “I want to say that joining with our brothers and sisters here, we will resist with the last drop of our blood, anything that would create division in this party again, because we don’t have anywhere else to go. This is our last bus stop, as far as politics is concerned. We want to protect this party.

    “Let everyone who comes to this party respect himself. And I demand respect from everybody. Political party is like a football match. The person at the goal post is not the one that scores goals. If your position is the mid-field and you abandon it and go ahead to do another thing, thinking that the defense man would come to score a goal, before you know it, a goal has been scored. No matter what we say here, if you don’t come together, it will not be a right talk. But the luck we have today is that great men and women have joined us.”

    Governor Okorocha described the defections as good riddance to bad rubbish. He insisted said the defectors have lost political relevance in Imo State. He said Imolites were angry to hear that the PDP is plotting to “capture” the state.

    Okorocha described as cheap propaganda the insinuation that he was not disposed to receive President Jonathan to the state. “In fact, they are making the people even angrier by saying that. It is not true that Imo is PDP. Imo is not the PDP, it has since left the PDP. But what shocked me was that, aside, from the funfare of the rally, not one of them was able to request from Mr. President what he can do for Imo people, nothing. All they were talking about was how they will capture power. But after capturing the power, what next?What have they done with the power given to them in the last 12 years in the state?

    “But, I am happy, if you listened to them very well, none of them has said that this government is not performing. I think they did not find any reason at all to advance. And again, it is very important to set certain records right. Those who have joined the PDP today are very expired like expired medicine in a medicine shop. So, for me, it was rather painful that the Presidency can spend as much as N200 million, mobilising who is who in Nigeria to come to Imo State to buy products that are not up to N1million put together, politically in value.”

  • Student dies as soldiers battle Boko Haram

    Student dies as soldiers battle Boko Haram

    A student of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) was killed last Friday when the school came under fire during a clash between soldiers and Boko Haram insurgents. The insurgents had attempted to rescue their detained colleagues in the nearby Giwa Barracks. TAIWO ISOLA (300-Level Human Anatomy) reports.

    A student of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State was killed as soldiers and Boko Haram insurgents clashed last Friday. The insurgents had attempted to rescue their detained colleagues in the nearby Giwa Barracks.

    The victim, a direct entry student, was hit by bullets in his Tafawa Balewa Hostel. He was said to have resumed a few days ago. His body was brought to the university’s Central Mosque on Saturday for Janazah prayer and burial according to Islamic rites.

    A 400-Level Adult Education student, Abdulmumini Abubakar, was also hit by a bullet while going to the campus for a lecture in a taxi. He is at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Other students injured in the melee were taken to the university clinic.

    Guns boomed for several hours as the university was caught in the crossfire. About 60 insurgents were killed. A deafening explosion rocked the campus during the clash. Rocket launchers fired by the sect members shattered the louvers and ceiling of the ETF Building.

    Students going for lecture ran back to their hostels when the building was hit. Those in lecture rooms ran in different directions. During the battle, the university was tense; students hid in wardrobes and toilets.

    A 300-Level Accountancy student, who was at the Science Complex when a rocket launcher hit the building, said: “We were in class when we heard a deafening sound. The hall was shaken. We even thought the explosion happened right behind us because of the bang. We all fled in different directions.”

    Students were frightened, with many thinking that the insurgents had invaded the campus. Some students ran towards the University Gate 5, which leads to Mairi, a neighboring community.

    A student, whose school bag was strapped to his back as he was leaving the campus, said: “When I heard the second explosion, I lost balance. Immediately, I took my identity card and packed all my credentials and left the campus through Gate 5. We all thought Boko Haram was on the campus.”

    A worshipper in the mosque told CAMPUSLIFE: “It was an emotional moment for us as we said prayers for him. We survived it but he did not. May his soul rest in peace.”

    A graduating female student of the university, Vera Effiong, relived the experience. “I was preparing for lecture when I heard the sound of the explosions. I did not know what was happening. I just broke down in tears. I did not know what to do or where to run to. I just lay flat under my bunk, prayed to God and confessed my sins. Then, I waited for the horror. As at that time, all my roommates had fled the hostel but I didn’t know where to run to.”

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that there were three explosions on the campus. The ETF 09 Hall was damaged by the explosions. The building was hit by bullets and grenade. One side of the hall was ripped open; there are bullet holes on the wall and metal door.

    Though no student was in the hall when it was hit by the grenade, an Anatomy student in the College of Medical Sciences, which is close to ETF Hall, said: “I was in class, preparing for a lecture billed for 8am. The explosion went off a few minutes before the lecture time. Everywhere vibrated and all of us ran out of the college.”

    Paul Archippus, who witnessed the explosion in the commercial area of the campus, said: “I was leaving the barber’s shop when the explosion occurred. Traders left their wares and fled. But nobody was affected because the explosion was on an open field.”

    While the campus was in confusion, Civilian JTF, a volunteer group of Maiduguri residents, arrived the school, with weapons, such as arrows, spears, knives and spiked sticks. They surrounded the perimeter fence of the school back gate, looking for the fleeing Boko Haram members. Soldiers manned the main gate to prevent insurgents from entering the school.

    A student living in 303 Housing Estate, a residential area adjacent to the university gate, said: “For about three hours, there was a rain of bullets on our roofs; some penetrated the ceiling. We hid ourselves under the bed to prevent being hit.”

    The halls of the male hostel were riddled with bullets. A female student said nobody could move during the gun battle. Another student, Elizabeth Alao, said a bullet landed at her hostel’s corridor. She said a female student was hit by a stray bullet.

    Social and religious activities scheduled for the day were cancelled. Occupants of Titanic Hll could not sleep. They kept vigil. Some brought their mattresses to the hostel’s entrance.

    After the incident, the university’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Alhaji Buba Usman, urged students to remain calm, saying there was no cause for alarm. Its spokesman, Ahmed Mohammed, said the school would not be closed down, since there was no direct attack on the campus.

    As at the time of filing this report, students could no longer go for night reading because of the fear of the fleeing insurgents, who they said could come back.