The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BUHARI

  • Buhari’ll win presidential election, says Eurasia Group

    We change our election forecast from a narrow win for incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to a victory for opposition leader Gen. Muhamadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) (60 per cent probability).

    The electoral map is tilting towards Gen Buhari of the APC in the swing regions of the Southwest and Middle- Belt, while high turnout in his core northern base will offset President Jonathan’s advantage in the Niger Delta.

    While a Gen Buhari administration’s reliance on technocratic, business-oriented senior officials will lead to constructive policy initiatives, we keep our long-term trajectory at neutral given the downside risks to oil production and policy implementation challenges.

     

    Buhari edges ahead

     

    We had long viewed Goodluck Jonathan as a favorite to win reelection, but a number of factors now lead us to believe the edge has swung in Gen Buhari’s favour. The election will still be difficult to call, but our expectation of a narrow President Jonathan win was predicated on several factors that are losing some saliency late in the campaign.

    Chief among them is the incumbency and financial advantages of the ruling party. While this still helps incumbent Jonathan, its impact is blunted by the intensity of support for Gen Buhari, lackluster grassroots campaigning by the PDP, and new anti-rigging measures by the electoral commission. New Permanent Voting Cards (PVCs) and Smart Card Readers (SCRs) will sharply reduce the level of rigging seen in 2011, when Jonathan beat Gen Buhari in a landslide. Equally important are the enthusiasm gap between the candidates and widespread desire for change. Tepid support for President Jonathan, even within his own party, means there is no guarantee that patronage will translate into votes. This is especially the case in the North where influential PDP governors and other leaders are taking the money but barely campaigning for Jonathan because of Gen Buhari’s overwhelming popularity in the region.

    While we expected the electoral map to favour Jonathan, current trends suggest that the swing regions may side with Gen Buhari, including the Christian-majority and heavily populated Southwest around Lagos. That could be the decisive demographic factor in the election. Dr. Jonathan won the Southwest and Middle Belt handily in 2011, but faces an uphill task now. Gen Buhari has reached out to the Southwestern Yoruba community and brought them into the upper ranks of his campaign and potential administration, in a political alliance of the country’s two largest ethnic groups (the Hausa and Yoruba). In contrast, Jonathan has struggled to make inroads with either group.

    The spotty polling data which is available is also trending in favor of Gen Buhari.

    A recent poll by a credible local think tank, the Center for Public Policy Alternatives, showed a heavy 58-32 per cent lead for Gen Buhari in Lagos State — a state in which Jonathan handily defeated Buhari last election. While a national poll by Afrobarometer in January showed a statistical dead heat at 42 per cent for each candidate, economic conditions with the weakening naira continue to deteriorate, along with the security environment. According to an IPSOS/Eurasia Group model for predicting elections, incumbents have a hard time winning reelection when their approval ratings are below 40 per cent. We do not have polling data to confirm where President Jonathan is now, but given he was at around 50 per cent at the end of last year, our best guess is that he is below 40 per cent now.

    In addition, the APC has suffered few defections during the campaign despite plenty of PDP inducements, suggesting a relatively united coalition whose members have confidence in the prospects of victory. In contrast, the PDP has been weakened by internal power struggles, including the dramatic departure from the party by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Another obstacle for the PDP is the downturn in the economy, especially the naira devaluations that have hit pocketbooks hard in the import-dependent country. That has played into the APC’s rallying call for change at an inopportune time for the ruling party.

    Despite some important military gains against Boko Haram in the Northeast and a partial exoneration of its oil revenue management in a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the PDP is starting to look desperate. Examples include: forcing the election delay; seeking (unofficially) the resignation of respected Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission (INEC) head Prof Attahiru Jega; questioning Gen Buhari’s health status; playing sectarian politics and casting doubts about the PVCs. This raises the possibility of another election delay, but we think that is relatively unlikely, in part because it would probably backfire politically and would certainly do so internationally. While some of his aides and military leaders may feel otherwise, President Jonathan himself is unlikely to support such a maneuver.

     

    Expect a contested

    election outcome

     

    The above does suggest, however, that the administration will contest the election if it loses, especially if it is close. Whether that contestation is violent and protracted, or limited to a court challenge (which would likely uphold INEC’s election verdict) remains to be seen; it will likely be somewhere in-between the two. Worst-case scenarios like a military seizure of Abuja or a self-declaration of victory by the PDP and the de-facto partition (like Cote d’Ivoire in 2011) cannot be discounted entirely but are unlikely. That is in part due to the enthusiasm gap for President Jonathan and also because of his own temperament. The concern, though, is if his administration is hijacked by hardliners in the PDP, who will do whatever it takes to stay in power and forestall a dreaded Gen. Buhari presidency that they fear will prosecute them for corruption.

     

    A look ahead at a possible Buhari presidency

     

    Gen Buhari is a radically different politician and leader than President Jonathan, and his approach to security and corruption will be a sharp departure from the status quo, most likely for the better. When it comes to policies, however, there may be less divergence than meets the eye, especially in the economic realm. Many of President Jonathan’s priorities — power and agriculture reform, local content regulations, and selective liberalisation of the economy — will also be priorities under a Buhari administration, with differences of emphasis. Gen Buhari may additionally look to liberalise the rail, refinery and gas pipeline industries, none of which will be easy.

    Even though a Gen Buhari win may be the better outcome for investors over time, we are keeping our short-term trajectory (six months) at negative and long-term political outlook (two years) at neutral. In the near term, the post-election climate will be tense and likely contested regardless of who wins. But in contrast to President Jonathan, a Buhari administration has a different mix of assets and liabilities. On the plus side, a Buhari administration would be stronger in tackling corruption, more reformist in the oil sector, and less likely to allow politics to swamp the business climate.

    The reason we are not upgrading Nigeria’s outlook to positive, however, rests in the potential for an oil disruption and the likely pushback to Buhari’s policy agenda in a highly polarised political climate. His victory is likely to unleash a resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta (Jonathan’s home region) that targets the oil sector. Former Niger Delta militants have threatened to blow up oil pipelines, platforms, and personnel as in the past when they routinely took up to 500,000 barrels per day offline. There is likely some bluster in their threats. The former Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) barely exists, but it could be reconstituted. It is likely in the aftermath of a Buhari win that pro-Jonathan ex-militants disrupt oil production, potentially on a market-moving scale. The risk may not be sustained for long, as most of the former militants are more interested in collecting their amnesty payments, enriching themselves from oil bunkering, and tending to business interests in oil and security. Opportunists may see a chance, though, to gain leverage for future amnesty deals, especially as the current amnesty program rewards militants roughly in proportion to their rank and ruthlessness.

    Second, even though fiscal management is likely to be constructive, there are still some uncertainties about the broad direction of his economic team. The austere 2015 Budget proposal that now includes a low $52 oil benchmark (in the Senate version in consultation with the Ministry of Finance) is likely to be broadly compatible with Buhari’s own vision for fiscal policy in the near term. Despite some expansive welfare and public works pledges in his campaign manifesto, the oil price climate, together with Buhari’s top economic advisors, will dictate austerity at least this year. That’s also consistent with his track record when he was in office in the 1980s.

    It is not clear, though, that Gen Buhari has a strong economic policy orientation. This uncertainty is a chief risk for investors. Two different camps from inside his campaign will likely vie for control of economic (and other) policy. In short-hand, one camp is dominated by Southwestern (Lagos and surrounding states) technocrats and businesspeople while the other is an old guard of Northern aides and politicians with longstanding ties to Gen Buhari. The policy gap between the two is vast, with the first group pro-business and pro-liberalisation and the latter group more statist and nationalist in orientation. The signal from the campaign is that the Southwestern group is ascendant when it comes to the economy while the Northern group will get important posts outside of the economic realm, including national security. Such a division of labor would be positive for the investment climate, particularly since Gen Buhari is known as a delegator outside of his core issues of national security and to a lesser extent, petroleum.

    Gen Buhari’s likely approach to tax policy and tax enforcement is instructive. His emphasis, at least at the outset, will not be on raising or lowering taxes but rather enforcing the current tax regime, which is widely ignored by companies and individuals alike. Using successful tax enforcement models from Lagos and elsewhere in the Southwest, the administration would look to combine a zero tolerance approach (stiff penalties) with greater transparency in the collection effort to “plug leakages.” Plugging leakages is a recurring mantra among Buhari’s economic advisors, who are convinced that tax/customs enforcement, revenue transparency, and tough anti-corruption measures will bring billions of dollars into the treasury without raising taxes or even including oil revenues in the equation. That may be a hopeful assessment in the current oil price climate, but there is conviction behind it from the economic team.

    Having been the Petroleum Minister previously, Gen Buhari is likely to take a more hands-on approach to the sector. He will push for reforms on multiple tracks — reform of the NNPC, reform of oil revenue transmission to the state (plugging leakages), and reform of the fiscal/regulatory climate for oil companies, perhaps in that order. Buhari’s platform calls for restructuring of the NNPC so that it is leaner and has less regulatory authority (and conflicts of interest) in the sector. This could allow for the commercialisation of its upstream operations, allowing it to borrow on international markets to make its joint venture cash calls.

    The process is likely to be slow, with some pushback from vested interests. That will be countered by the president’s discretion to appoint the Petroleum Minister, the head and board of the NNPC, and many others in decision-making positions. While corruption will not magically disappear, there will be fewer sweat-heart deals for favored local companies or opaque oil swaps, and high-profile prosecutions will set a tone of accountability that has been absent under the Jonathan administration.

    A Buhari administration would funnel oil revenues to the Central Bank through the Single Treasury Account (STA) rather than through dozens of banks as is currently the norm. The Petroleum Investment Bill (PIB) will again be reformulated and probably streamlined into a far less expansive reform package; fiscal terms will improve of necessity for International Oil Companies (IOCs). This will open up a window of opportunity for passage of a far narrower PIB, especially if the opposition APC gains a parliamentary majority. Failing that, a Buhari government will focus on unblocking the many oil and gas disputes with the IOCs (blocked by vested interests) that are forestalling additional exploration and development.

     

    Philippe de Pontet is Practice Head, Africa, Eurasia Group.

     

     

     

  • Buhari will not support same sex marriage – Group

    Buhari will not support same sex marriage – Group

    A group, the Buhari Volunteer Network Monday denied insinuation by the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO  that the All Progressive Party Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari is collaborating with western nations to support same sex marriage if elected as President.

    The group said General Buhari will not support same sex marriage.

    The National Co-ordinator of the Network, Comrade Olayemi Success who spoke with newsmen in Abuja said General Buhari if elected President will not revert the existing law on same sex marriage in the country.

    The Director, Media and Publicity of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode had last week alleged that Buhari was considering repealing the anti-gay laws in Nigeria designed to get the support and endorsement of western governments.

    While stating that General Buhari will surely win the forthcoming election, Success added that he will be sworn –in on the 29th of May 2015 as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “General Buhari is a candidate of millions of Nigerian citizens and suffering masses who are demanding for change in the way and manner the country- Nigeria is currently being governed.

    “There is no relationship between General Buhari and any western nation concerning gay marriage and such pervasive orientations that are not in conformity with our cultures and values.

    “Gay marriages and such pervasive acts are more in tune with the upbringing and orientation of people like Femi Fani-Kayode who are products of corrupt and unpatriotic systems that frittered away the commonwealth of the Nigerian people in foreign land in the name of having good education abroad.

    “It is laughable and unreasonable for anybody to think that a man of General Buhari’s standing will at this age and stage descend to a level of upturning Acts of Parliament single-handed in a democracy,” he added

    The National Coordinator said the only explanation is that the PDP and Fani- Kayode have dirty minds and are not qualified to speak to Nigerians in the capacity they are doing today.

    He said, “this is purely a sign of frustration and a drowning party like the PDP appears unprepared in the face of imminent defeat by APC in March 28th presidential election.

    “The truth today is that majority of Nigerians are calling for change, it’s this change that GMB represents. Only a few of these PDP sycophants are deceiving Mr. President.

    It is also clear that some important government officials who are patriotic enough are also calling for CHANGE. As you are all aware, the real reason for sacking Lt Gen. Martin Luther Agwai the immediate past chairman of SURE-P is his lecture delivered in commemoration of Obasanjo’s birthday and in the speech he said.

    “You find out that everything needs change, if that is what the community wants, what the people want, you must give it to them and as such, change becomes inevitable. Gentle men of the press, this is the major source of PDP’s frustration, and the reason for incessant, unholy, ungodly, unreasonable and laughable attacks and blackmail on GMB.

    “As the election is fast approaching, we are calling on Nigerians to continue to remain resolute, calm, collect your PVC, protect it and be ready to Match for Buhari on 28th March by voting for GMB and APC.”

  • Benue massacre: Buhari says bloodshed cannot solve any problem

    Benue massacre: Buhari says bloodshed cannot solve any problem

    The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) had deplored the frequent resort to violence to deal with perceived grievances by the people.

    Reacting to the incident at Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, where dozens, mainly women and children were killed in cold blood by suspected herdsmen, the APC Presidential said in a statement in Abuja on Monday that the resort to violence in whatever form is not acceptable and justifiable, no matter the grievances.

    Mallam Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity of APCPCO quoted General Buhari as deeply saddened that the cordial relationships that once existed between and among the people have been replaced by intolerance and hate.

    According to the statement, leadership is the key to dealing with frequent communal clashes between Fulanis and Benue communities over disputes about farmlands and grazing lands.

    Shehu said political leaders should be able to build trust among the people as the basis for dialogue adding that “if the people can no longer listen to their leaders, such crises might persist and make life more miserable for the people.”

    While condoling the families of the of the latest victims of violence in Benue State, the APCPCO called on all politicians regardless of partisan divide, to unite and speak with one voice over these embarrassing incidents.

    According to Shehu, the interested parties should recognise the rights of each other and be able to make compromises for the sake of peace.

    He explained that confidence building is the only approach the people that could bring the people together for dialogue at the negotiation table, adding that “in moments of tensions, leaders should rise to the occasion and be part of the solution.”

    The APC Campaign advised Nigerians to stop killing one another when they face the basic challenges of survival facing their lives including insecurity, unemployment, hunger, disease and poor governance caused by corruption and other manifestations of bad leadership.

  • Buhari gets massive support in Ondo

    Buhari gets massive support in Ondo

    Two political groups working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State – Heritage Solidarity and Saka Lawal – at the weekend declared their intention to work for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

    The Saka Lawal group, which claimed to have worked for the former PDP governorship candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, was founded by Oke’s former running mate, Saka Lawal.

    The groups, with structures in the 18 local governments, said they decided to dump the PDP presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, because the party structures have been hijacked by “aliens”.

    An APC chieftain, Group Capt. Bola Owoeye, said since Buhari’s emergence as the APC candidate, the party has been growing stronger daily.

    Owoeye, who is the state Chairman of Buhari Vanguard and Change-Over Network, said the group would mobilise groups and prominent party members in other parties to their fold.

    He noted that they have successfully lured two vibrant groups from PDP to APC, assuring that more would join the party before the elections.

    The representative of Saka Lawal, Taiwo Saka, urged party members to embark on a house-to-house campaign, particularly by enlightening the aged on the reasons why they should vote for APC.

    “As our groups are known for, we don’t organise rallies, but our political instrument is door-to-door campaign. As at now, our members across the 18 local governments have been directed to begin work for Buhari and before elections, our people will be more enlightened on the need to vote in APC,” Saka said.

    But some members of the old PDP at the weekend vowed to work for President Goodluck Jonathan and other PDP candidates.

    The aggrieved PDP supporters promised to remain committed and loyal to the party.

    According to them, they would not abandon the platform they laboured to build in 16 years.

    The members, who have been watching the unfolding scenario since the merging of the Labour Party (LP) and PDP made the resolutions at the weekend at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure, the state capital.

    The Central District meeting held in Akure was the second phase of the senatorial mobilisation of old PDP members.

    Oke, former PDP national legal adviser, read the resolutions at the end of the meeting.

    He said: “We have reached the following resolutions. One, we remain active, committed and loyal members of PDP in Ondo State. That we will not abandon the platform we have been on for 16 years.

    “Secondly, we all resolved that we believe in the transformation agenda of Mr. President. He has been able to make our economy the largest in Africa. Our rails are working. The aviation industry is doing well. There is economic empowerment for our people. There is capacity building. Our roads are looking good. Our health facilities are improving. We want him to continue.

    “Thirdly, we resolved to return to our various wards and unit to maximise the returns from these levels for Mr. President. In this regard, it is our belief that Ondo State votes will be the highest in the Southwest.

    “We have also resolved that we would vote for PDP candidates, irrespective of the controversy that surrounded their emergence. We believe that PDP is the best thing that has happened to Nigeria and that we must sustain the party beyond 2015.”

  • Group chides Fayose over uncouth statement against Buhari

    Group chides Fayose over uncouth statement against Buhari

    A group, the Grassroots Mobilisation for Muhammadu Buhari, has berated the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose over his recent uncouth statements against the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

    In a statement by its National Coordinator, Mr Remi Oyebamiji, the group said Fayose exhibited lack of depth in his contribution at the interaction with civil right activities in Lagos.

    He said: “Mr. Ayo Fayose, the audacious  and uncouthed Governor of Ekiti State exhibited lack of depth in his contribution at the interaction with civil right activities. In his trademark of abuse, disrespect, crude and uncivilised comments on Gen. Buhari (rtd) APC flag bearer, he described him as old, physically unfit and mentally incapable of leading the country.

    “We need to ask Mr. Ayo Fayose the credentials he parades academically and intellectually that can compare him with Gen. Buhari’s astuteness, brilliance, mental alertness. Even Fayose’s principal cannot stand, Gen Buhari in mental, alertness, intellectual depth in good governance. Just recently the symbol of CHANGE and BRAND Gen Buhari (rtd) received a standing ovation at Chatham House, London U.K after a brilliant presentation and question and answer sessions on issues that bother on governance.”

    According to Oyebamiji,  Fayose’s myopic opinion that the North should wait until 2019 for the Presidency, has reduced Nigeria to a banana republic at the expense of the clueless leadership PDP offers.

    He said Fayose’s remarks about Governor Fashola’s performance is nothing but hypocrisy and distaste for good governance. Oyebamiji said Lagos State has become the standard for which other states including Federal Government are measured in terms of dividend of democracy and good governance.

    He urged Ekiti people to call a family meeting on Fayose and take concrete decision on the bad conduct and demeanour has brought shame to the integrity and wellbeing of Ekiti people.

    Oyebamiji added: “Ekiti State stands out among the states of Nigeria with indigenes that have distinguished themselves in all areas of human endeavour. The state has assemblage of best brains any nation can be proud of. Here is a Governor whose antecedent speaks nothing but mediocracy, brigandage, impunity, indiscipline and fraud.

    “The Yoruba nation also needs to be on the alert. It is one servant that makes others to be despised. Like the bird “Elulu” calling for rain when the rains will come, the flood will sweep away everybody and everything on its part.”

  • ‘PDP can’t stop Buhari’s victory’

    ‘PDP can’t stop Buhari’s victory’

    Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary Comrade Joe Igbokwe spoke with reporters in Lagos on the general elections, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s chance and the purported endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Igbos in Lagos: Excerpts.

    Has the postponement of the general election not reduced the momentum of APC?

    I f we had held the presidential elections on February 14  as scheduled by INEC, PDP would have been history in Nigeria for now. All the security agencies in Nigeria did a combined report and told the President Jonathan that if he allows the election to hold on February 14 2015, he may not score up to 20 percent  of the votes in the 36 states of Nigeria including Abuja. Now what did the PDP do? They sent the National Security Adviser to the President Alhaji Sambo Dasuki to Chatham House London to fly a kite that because a lot of people are yet to collect their PVCs, Federal Government may ask for an extension so that people will collect their PVCs. Nigerians saw the danger coming. APC raised an alarm that PDP is planning something sinister. The world was alerted that President Jonathan and PDP may burgle our hard earned democracy. We later learnt that the Service Chiefs wrote to INEC that given the insurgency in the North East, they may guarantee elections in the troubled areas. They intimidated INEC to accept the extension. They got six weeks to try to repair the sinking boat called PDP. PDP has been running helter skelter and so is the President. They have emptied the treasury doling out money in millions of naira, dollars and pounds. President Jonathan came to Lagos two times distributing money to traditional rulers, interest groups, market leaders, religious leaders, transporters, traders, mechanics, artisans etc. It was a bazaar, the type unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. They are also using the six weeks to attack APC leaders and diminish their towering personalities. They started with candidate Buhari on AIT and  moved to Asiiwaju Bola Tinubu and from  BAT they intend to move to Amaechi and then to Rochas Okorocha. This is what they are using these weeks to do.s2

    What is the assurance that the polls will not be shifted again?

    PDP and President Jonathan is still tinkering with the process. They are mortally afraid of imminent and crushing defeat. PDP does not want Buhari to contest this election. They want General Buhari to die today. They say Buhari has no certificate. They say he is sick. They say he is too old. They say he will Islamize Nigeria. They say he is a dictator. The fear of Buhari is now the beginning of wisdom. They do not want PVCs to be used. They do not want Card Reader to be used. They want Professor Jega of INEC to be removed. They want only President Jonathan to be the sole candidate.

    Why is APC afraid of troops deployment for election purpose?

    We have seen soldiers deployed before in Lagos and we know they did their job creditably and honestly. They were just interested in maintaining peace and orderliness. Nobody was harassed and nobody was intimidated. They were firm, resolute and committed. But given what we saw in Ekiti gate scandal and the brigandage and impunity we saw in Osun state, we cannot trust the Army now to supervise this election. Brigadier General Momoh was deeply involved in Ekiti state scandal and invasion and up till now, he has not been invited for interrogation or questioning.

    What is the chance of your party in Lagos State?

    If honest and intelligent leadership is the benchmark for the 2015 governorship election in Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode is the next governor of Lagos. If performance is the criteria and the parameter to judge, Ambode has won this election for APC. If experience and knowledge is the yardstick to judge, then, the man Ambode should be the governor-elect. The great performance of both Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Fashola has placed Lagos strategically on the map of the world. Lagos is now a destination and a place to be. APC has made Lagos the economic hub, the centre of excellence, the pace setter, a huge economy as big as that of Ghana, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Senegal etc. Lagos is now the most secured state in Nigeria, the pride of Nigeria and Africa. APC government in Lagos has shown that Nigeria is not a hopeless and helpless case.

    Which Party will the majority of Ndigbo vote for in Lagos?

    I am aware that APC Lagos is having some problems with Ndigbo in Lagos because of the President Jonathan factor. PDP and President Jonathan have been pumping a lot of money into Lagos and Ndigbo is the target. They are telling our people lots and lots of lies just to sway them to their side, but I know Ndigbo will not forget the past in a hurry. I know there are intelligent Ndigbo in Lagos that will not be deceived by these antics of playing money, ethnic and religious politics. I know that majority of Igbo will vote for APC in Lagos.  If out of annoyance you throw your cap away, a mad man will pick it and use it forever.

    Could you shed light on the purported endorsement of the PDP candidate by a section of Ndigbo?

    Yes I know that a segment of Igbo in Lagos say they are going to vote for the PDP candidate, but I want Ndigbo to think deeply. I want them to do what will make their host happy and by so doing you make friendship and peaceful co-existence possible , and once this is achieved, you will see peace and progress. There may be problems but I know that things can get better. I have worked with the leaders of the Yoruba nation for years now and I know what they want and what will make them angry. Lagos is the second home for Igbo and they have made great success here. I want my people to show some tact, respect, understanding and common sense (even though common sense is not common) in dealing with our host in Lagos. Blackmail, careless talks, lies, clannishness and rashness will not help us. I expected that enlightened and committed Ndigbo in Lagos, I mean intelligent Ndigbo with third eyes will rise up to take over leadership and navigate our people to the path of honour, respect and integrity. Let us dialogue with the Yoruba to fashion the way forward. Lagos is our home. This defeatism and leadership complex must stop.

    Again the PDP candidate a cross section of Igbos are endorsing in Lagos cannot fly. Ambode has 27 years experience going for him while Jimi Agbaje has no experience in matters of governance. Jimi Agbaje does not understand the Lagos he wants to govern. He hasn’t been a counsellor, a local government chairman, a commissioner, a permanent secretary, a House of Assembly member, a minister, a House of Rep member or a senator.

  • Why Itsekiri dumped Jonathan for Buhari –Ideh

    Why Itsekiri dumped Jonathan for Buhari –Ideh

    • · Insists Atiku won’t quit APC

    Itsekiri leader and Secretary of the APC National Convention Committee, Dr. Alex Tosan Ideh, has said that the Itsekiri will vote massively for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, in the March 28 election.

    Ideh, in a statement in Warri, Delta State, said President Jonathan has failed the people through denial of economic empowerment and demonstration of ethnic politics.

    He said: “Jonathan was supposed to have come to perform the groundbreaking of the $16 billion Export Processing Zone at Ogidigben, which is an Itsekiri community, in November last year. But he refused to do so 48 hours to the event because of protest from the Ijaw community led by an ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo, who told the President that ‘he could not guarantee his (President’s) security’ if he dared to come.

    “Nobody from the presidency thought it fit to come and give any explanation. It is now that elections are around the corner and the tempo seems to be favouring Buhari that the President thought he could quickly come and visit the Olu of Warri and give explanations.

    “We feel he is giving too much credence to ethnic considerations because the instigated protest was coming from his people.”

    Ideh, national treasurer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said the return of Gen. Buhari from the United Kingdom had put an end to the lull in the political space.

    “We are fully back to the turf not just to play but to win the political game outright and move Nigeria forward,” he stated.

    Ideh said that Delta State governor, despite being a PDP member, is the most humiliated under the present administration.

    He said: “Under Jonathan’s PDP, Uduaghan is seen as the most humiliated governor in the whole country. First, he was arm-twisted by Jonathan’s government to drop an Itsekiri chairmanship candidate for one of Jonathan’s kinsmen in the October 2014 local government election.

    “Second, Uduaghan’s much publicised senatorial ambition was thrown out in favour of another Jonathan’s kinsman. Even his attempt to secure an ordinary House of Assembly seat for one of his trusted aides was scuttled.

    “And, of course, we all know that after many months of struggle, he had no input in who is likely to succeed him in the Asaba Government House. Uduaghan is a wrong barometer to determine Itsekiris support for Gen Buhari and the APC in Delta State.”

    Meanwhile, the APC chieftain has described the rumoured rapprochement between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a ruse.

    “Atiku is done with PDP. He won’t quit APC for whatever reason. He has put the issue of the presidential primary behind him and has since moved on.

    “He has been contributing his quota towards actualising the Buhari presidency,” he said.

  • When Buhari took Kaduna by storm

    When Buhari took Kaduna by storm

    Tony Akowe in Abuja reports on the day All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, stormed Kaduna to preach his message of change

    The rally was supposed to take place at the spacious Murtala Square in the heart of Kaduna metropolis to flag off the zonal campaign rallies of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. But it had to move to the Kaduna International Trade and Investment Centre otherwise known as the Kaduna International Trade Fair complex located at Kilometre four, along the ever busy Kaduna/Kano highway. Some believe that the state government was afraid of the crowd that will gather at the facility in view of the fact that the state rally of the APC which earlier took place there attracted an unprecedented crowd of supporters. But another school of thought said the government complained that supporters of the APC destroyed some facilities at the square when they first used it. Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, a member of the Media and Publicity Committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation told The Nation that the only excuse given for not allowing them to use the square was security. The government’s refusal to allow them use the facility did not deter supporters in the state to turn out in their numbers. From the Kawo Over-head Bridge to the Trade Fair Complex, supporters who had no vehicle took over the major road, walking to the square and forcing vehicles to divert to the second lane. It was like a carnival as they sang and danced two hours before the arrival of the APC flag bearer.

    Before the rally, which eventually took off at about 5.00pm, the party had held a town hall meeting with religious leaders at the historic Hamdala Hotel. The interactive session drew religious leaders from different parts of the country. The religious leaders spoke their minds and asked frank questions. Buhari told the religious leaders to be weary of people who are using religion to divide the country in the name of seeking election. He told them that leaders should not be elected on the basis of their religion, but on the competence and ability to do the work of leaders.

    Answering questions posed by the religious leaders, vice presidential candidate of the party, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who represented Buhari, assured that Buhari will not leave any stone unturned in his quest to sanitize the country and end the culture of corruption and insecurity in the country. Osinbajo said Buhari has made it clear at several fora that he will not hesitate to bring to book even members of his family that are found to have soiled their hands in corruption after he is sworn in as President, adding that Nigerians are quite aware of the position of Gen. Buhari on the issue of corruption, adding that no matter who you are, the law would be allowed to take its cause. He said “On the various issues of corruption, what General Buhari has said categorically is that as far as he is concerned, the day he is sworn in as president he would have drawn a line; anybody who runs foul of the law, anything that is being investigated before will continue as it is. If you are found to be corrupt, you will receive the consequence, no matter who you are; whether you are his brother, sister, his friends, there will be consequences. That is what he has said and I think that is in line with the position of the party.” He also dismissed the rumored agreement by Buhari to serve only one term, saying “you know who Buhari is and what he stands for. You know that he will never sign any such agreement. By the grace of God, he will run two terms in office by God’s grace. He is just too straight forward to do that; you know he can never do that, there is no way he is going to sign any agreement; so let us be very clear, I don’t even need to ask him that; I know him well enough that he will never sign anything of such; the man is healthy and strong and by the grace of God, he will run two terms in office by God’s grace.”

    Addressing party supporters drawn from the seven states of the North-West, Buhari, who arrived the venue of the rally in an open coastal box clad in a sky blue babariga, accompanied by a large number of supporters who had to walk for about four kilometers to the venue of the rally, told the people in Hausa that his idea of becoming president is not to go into probing past leaders, stressing however that he will allow the judicial process to run its full course in all cases relating to corruption if elected into office, adding that, his government will draw a line as soon as he assumes office. He said further that anyone who embezzles a single kobo after he is sworn in will not only be made to refund it, but will face prosecution as from May 29, 2015 if he becomes president.

    He asked Nigerians to vote for all APC candidates in the coming elections.  At the end of the four years that they are seeking for, they would have spent 20 years in power and we would have been so dehumanized that that we can’t even recognize each other”.

  • PDP plans to have Buhari try his Party men – APCPCO

    PDP plans to have Buhari try his Party men – APCPCO

    The APC Presidential Campaign Organization says that the PDP Federal Government is working extra hours to raise malicious charges against the leaders and suspected financiers of the opposition All Progressives Congress using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in order to force Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to “try his own men” in a test of his bid to fight corruption without fear or favor.

    A statement signed by the APCPCO Media Director, Garba Shehu alerted that the federal government is planning to take advantage of a vow by General Buhari that if elected, he will not investigate the past, but that all on-going cases, as he said will be allowed to run through the courts without any hindrance.

    In what is clearly a mischievous attempt to railroad the Presidential Candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to subject his own supporters to trial and conviction, the Federal Government, in a letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Brig. Gen. Jones Arogbota (rtd) sent a list of some of the most senior APC leaders, businessmen and company CEOs with a view to the immediate commencement of investigation and trial against them.

    The list as circulated on the web included former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State.

    Others are Senator Danjuma Goje, Senator Bukola Saraki, Faruk Ahmed, Executive Director PPPRA; Sulaiman Barau, a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank; the MD of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Habib Abdullahi and the DG of the NCAA, Captain Mukhtar Usman.

    The rest are the MD of NDIC, Umaru Ibrahim; Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed; the Group Executive Director of the NNPC, Aisha Abdulraham; the Governorship candidate of the APC in Taraba State, Senator Aisha Alhassan; the PDM candidate for Adamawa Governorship election, who was formerly the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Ahmed Modibbo as well as the former Minister of Education, Professor Ruqqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i.

    The letter-forwarding the list to the EFCC quoted the Chief of Staff as saying that he had been “directed by the C-in-C (President) to instruct your Agency to clandestinely investigate the personal and official finances” of the listed individuals.

     

  • Jonathan, Buhari in struggle for Benin monarch’s endorsement

    Jonathan, Buhari in struggle for Benin monarch’s endorsement

    President Goodluck Jonathan and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari are struggling for the endorsement of stakeholders in Edo State. With the recent endorsement of the former military Head of State by Benin palace chiefs, there are indications that the APC will have an upper hand at the general elections. OTABOR OSAGIE reports.

    The Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa, seldom makes speeches whenever he welcomes visitors in his palace. His responses are usually brief. But, palace chiefs who understands his body language know what to say when they are asked to speak on behalf of the monarch.

    However, for the first time, the in-fighting among top Benin chiefs over whether Oba Erediauwa should support President Goodluck Jonathan re-election bid or back the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu buhari has been a source of worry to the people of Edo State.

    During the last governorship contest between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and General Charles Airhiavbere, the monarch did not openly endorse any candidate. But, speeches by palace chiefs suggested the monarch’s preference.

    To General Airhiavbere, Oba Erediauwa said: “I have been watching you on the television and I will continue to watch you on the television.” But, the royal father, who spoke through Chief David Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, during the campaign visit of Governor Oshiomhole, said: “Adams Oshiomhole is the Benin candidate. He is the one who wants Benin City to join other modern cities in the country. So, he is our candidate. Some people said the palace is playing politics. What is politics? The Oba himself is an embodiment of politics.

    “If you have a house and you are old and your children did not come to paint the house and somebody from outside came and painted it and decorate it for you, will you leave that person? Once again, we are voting for Adams Oshiomhole.

    “As the Odionwere of Bini Kingdom, and I am speaking on behalf of the Oba, you are going to win. The oracle has spoken. Anyone who disputes it or fights against the oracle, then, let him fight on. We will wait and see the result.” Governor Oshiomhole later won the election in a landslide.

    In 1991, when Lucky Igbinedion of the defjunct National Republican Convention (NRC) contested against Chief John Odigie-Oyegun of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), the support of Oba Erediauwa saw Oyegun to victory. Chief Gabrial Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin and father to Lucky, later dragged the Oba before the tribunal.

    During the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan on February 4 for royal blessing, the Benin monarch, in a letter read by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, said the Benins would accept whoever God chooses to lead the country after the presidential elections

    He said: “God and our ancestors already know your (President Jonathan) aims. Whoever God has chosen is our choice.”

    There was controversy over royal support for candidates recently when Chief Edebiri, who doubles as Chairman of the Benin Forum, said at a press briefing that Benins would not support President Jonathan. The statement was seen by many as the voice of the Oba because the forum, which is the umbrella body of  body all Benins in Nigeria and the Diaspora, reports to the Oba and its is personally appointed by the Oba.

    Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin, is the Odionwere (head) of all witches and wizards in Benin Kingdom. He listed the sins of the President against the kingdom. He said President Jonathan sacked the Minister of State for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi, an engineer, and gave it to his (Ogiemwonyi) ex-wife, Stella Oduah, who hails from Anambra State.

    Edebiri added: “What was for the Benins was taken to Anambra by the present administration. That is why the Benin people will not vote for the PDP. Besides robbing the Benin people of the ministerial appointment, the home of the former minister, Ogiemwonyi, was completely broken by the action of the Presidency.

    “Is that what they have done for the Benin people that will make us to vote PDP? Impossible. If they want to postpone elections 20 times, the people are here waiting for them. The consequences of what Jonathan has done will be very grievous for him and his party. You met a man who was appointed half minister by the previous administration. His people in Benin voted massively for you during the elections. You now want to compose a new executive, you dropped him and took his wife, who comes from across the Niger.

    “Consequently, his home became divided and irretrievably broken. Robbing Benin of their ministerial appointment, destroying their son’s home for the interest of some people in Abuja. And this time around, you are coming to campaign here that we should vote for you. It is not possible that we will vote for such people because the Benin nation has been sidelined with ignominy in the present arrangement.

    “Nothing that the Federal Government can come to point to in Edo state that this is what he has done in the last four years. We have a governor who is performing. We have a governor we all love because of his developmental strides. The same Federal Government is starving the state government of funds. They don’t want the government to perform any more for us. How do we vote for people like that? The die is cast, whether they like it or not, the defeat of the present Federal Government is imminent and irreversible”.

    The Esogban’s statement did not go down well with members of the opposition parties. Chief Patrick Eholor, the Enobore of Ute Kingdom and President of One Love Foundation, frowned at it. Chief Eholor said Chief Edebiri should desist from using his position as the Odionwere of Benin to speak on behalf of the Binis on political choices. But, the Esogban said the criticism was inconsequential.

    Eholor pointed out that Chief Edebiri has no moral right to speak for the Binis since the Binis are enlightened people who have the right to their freedom of political expression. He said: “This is a rat race. The Esogban must remain neutral and should not use the Benin Forum to conclude that the palace has taken a stand on who the Binis should vote for and he should desist from such utterances or we will resist him

    “The Binis has its proud culture, which must be separated from politics and, if we are to maintain our cultural heritage, the palace should not be dragged into politics. That is why we are worried about what he said.”

    A chieftain of the PDP and palace chief, who is lower in rank to the Esogban, Chief Amos Osunbor, the Eson of Benin, described the comments from the Benin Forum as “vexatious.”  He warned that such mis-formation portends an inherent danger to the Benins. “I wish to state categorically that Omo N’ Edo Uku Akpolopkolo, through our revered Crown Prince Ehenede, had already expressed his desire to have President Goodluck Jonathan serve a second term to enable him complete the transformation that he has already started.

    “Every Nigerian witnessed the epoch royal visit. I am therefore, wondering about the intention of Chief Edebiri because his latest comments amount to an affront on His Royal Majesty. No one, except the monarch, has right to speak for the Binis,” he said.

    President Jonathan has sent a powerful PDP delegation led by his campaign coordinator in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to woo the Chief Priest of Benin Kingdom, Chief Nosakhare Isekhure. Chief Isekhure was nominated as a delegate to the National Conference by President Jonathan. Isekhure, who reiterated the Oba’s support for the President’s re-election bid, promised to mobilise all southerners to vote for him.

    He said: “I have not seen a person who has dedicated himself to Nigeria like Jonathan. I am very confident that he has good agenda. Therefore, I will vote for Jonathan more than one hundred and ten times. Even though I am of the APC, I will not only vote for him, I will mobilise all the traditional institutions in Benin and elsewhere in the South and I believe he will win. The only candidate I know is Jonathan and I will vote for him. If heaven is going to fall, let it fall.

    “Those calling Benin people not to vote for Jonathan are just wasting their time because there is no such platform that can tell the people who they should vote for. During the 2011 presidential election, the Oba of Benin not only endorsed Jonathan, but was the one who set the impetus for the president to run and so, I do not think the monarch has change his stand on that.”

    The campaign team of President Jonathan also visited the Holy Arosa Cathedral, the traditional church of the Benins where the Oba is the General Overseer. At the church, Pastor Ize-Iyamu met with some palace chiefs led by Chief Sunny Omorogbe, the Osafuoba of Benin.

    However, the Benin Royal family in its reaction condemned the presence of Jonathan Campaign Organisation at the Holy Aruosa Cathedral and warned against its desecration. The Oba’s younger brother and Enogie of Obazuwa, Prince Edun Akenzua, hinted that some of the palace chiefs would be sanctioned by the appropriate authorities.

    “We will not allow the Holy Arousa to be desecreted. Invading the Holy Arousa Cathedral, as Pastor Ize-Iyamu-Iyamu’s team did, shows how desperate they are to capture the royal institution. It is even more so when the leader or the coordinator is a Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church. I wonder if he will do that in his church.”

    Prince Akenzua explained that it was against the rules of the palace for Chief Amos Osunbor to openly castigate the Esogban, since the Eson is lower in rank after the Esogban in the hierarchy of the palace Chiefs.

    He said: “The disturbing aspect of the whole episode is the indiscipline and disloyalty to the Benin cause and our revered institution. In order to comprehend the gravity and implication of Eson’s act, it is important to explain briefly the organogram of Benin chieftaincy.

    “Palace or royal chiefs belong mainly to three groups namely: Eghaevbo n’ore, Eghaevbo n’Ogbe and Ibiwe. Iyase is the head of Eghaevbo n’orhe. Esogban, Eson and Osuma belong to the same group and are in that order of seniority. That means Eson is next to Esogban in the hierarchy of that group.”

    “Both Esogban, Eson and Isekhure can exercise their freedom of speech, but that freedom of speech does not extend to a chief or member of the Royal Court to publicly and derisively criticize his colleague, more so a senior one. In the military or the uniformed forces, the erring person would be court marshalled”.

    “I have even said it myself that. after the Benins voted the President in 2011,when Oshiomhole said we should support him, the man has not done anything for our people. And when the Esogban spoke, he did not say he was speaking on behalf of the Benin Forum which I am a member, he said he was speaking his mind. And let us not forget that as chairman of the forum, he protects the interest of the Binis and not that of a few, so if he says Benins will not vote for Jonathan because he has not done anything for the Benins what is wrong with that comment. Personally I have not seen anything that Jonathan has done for us as a people and if there is anything let them come and show me”.

    The Benin Royal Family was however, shocked when a sponsored advertorial by the PDP on the television showed last year’s visit of Benin Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa to President Jonathan at the behest of his father. A replay of the interview granted journalists by the Crown Prince was perhaps to hoodwink people that the Benin Monarch endorsed President Jonathan.

    Crown Prince Erediauwa warned the PDP to desist from politicising his visit to garner votes, ahead of the general election. He urged the public to discountenance the use of his pictures, images, audio and video to campaign for votes.

    The Benin Prince noted that his visit to the Presidential villa as directed by his father, Oba Erediuawa, was to douse negative comments that the Oba does not support the government of President Jonathan. He maintained that the palace has not endorsed the President for a second term.

    A statement by Royal Palace Chiefs last week and read by the traditional Prime Minister of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, the Iyase of Benin, reiterated that the Benin monarch has not endorsed any candidate for the March 28 election.

    Chief Igbe, whose son, the Speaker of the House of assembly is an APC candidate for the House of Representatives election, said the media should stop the partisan advert showing the Crown Prince’s visit to President Jonathan.

    He said the palace seriously consider the continuous use of the video to boost support for a particular party as image-tarnishing of the palace.

    Also, the Southsouth sentiment is collapsing. Apart from Ijaw, other ethnic groups are accusing the President of being clannish. Can the President still get bloc vote from the Southsouth? March 28 will tell.