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Tag: Confusion

  • Kogi: Confusion in APC

    Kogi: Confusion in APC

    Faleke insists he’s governor-elect as party picks Bello for supplementary poll

    Rival claimants’ supporters clash at secretariat

    Wada to court: give me victory

    Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders yesterday remained firm in their support for Abiodun Faleke, the late Prince Abubakar Audu’s running mate in the November 21 governorship election. Faleke is battling for recognition as his principal’s replacement and governor-elect.

    News of Audu’s death was broken barely 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  announced his unassailable victory in 16 of the 21 local government areas. The commission declared the exercise inconclusive, fixing next Saturday for supplementary elections in 91 units across 19 local government areas.

    There was confusion over the party’s stand on the matter as Yahaya Bello was picked to fly its flag on Saturday. Faleke told INEC that he would not be Bello’s running mate.

    Addressing hundreds of party supporters in the late Audu’s Government Reservation Area (GRA) Lokoja home, the APC leaders, led by former Minister of Police Affairs Mr. Humphrey Abah, denounced members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), over what they described as their attempt to bring in a candidate through the back door.

    They called on the national leadership of the party to name Faleke the Kogi APC candidate and the eldest son of the late Audu, Mohammed, his deputy.

    They said that any attempt to pick a candidate who was not part of the party’s victory was unacceptable.

    Faleke and Mohammed Audu were surrounded on  the podium by party leaders, including former Acting Governor and APC Board of Trustees (BoT) member Chief Clarence Olafemi, the state deputy chairman of the party, Shaibu Osune, Hon. Enah Oseni, Alhaji Jibrin Isah (Echocho), Daniel Isa (Prof.), Alhaji Ibrahim Atodo and Mrs Folashade Joseph, chairperson, Women Mobilisation, Audu/Faleke campaign team. They said they would move to Abuja to push their stand.

    Amid shouts of “we no go gree, we no go gree, Kogi INEC we no go gree”, Yahaya Bello anti-party, we no want Judas, we no go gree”, Abah called on Kogi people to reject Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the APC national chairman and his choice, Yahaya Bello.

    His words: “From here, we are accompanying our leaders to Abuja. When people choose their leaders, a clique of others cannot now decide to impose anybody on them. Kogi is not a lawless state. Kogi has leaders.

    You cannot choose for us who will lead us; you cannot bring someone through the back door.

    “The man they want to bring, he worked for the PDP. We were in Ajaokuta on campaign; was he there? We were in Anyingba; did he come? The vice president came to Okene; was he there? We were in Ajaka, twice, was he there? Did he win in his unit? Did he win in his ward?

    Did he win in his local government?

    “Do you know what killed PDP? Dictatorship, impunity and corruption. If the National Working Committee of the APC led by Chief John Oyegun, decides … from Yahaya Bello, he is on his own.

    “We stand by President Buhari’s anti-corruption. We reject PDP sickness. We stand on the President’s mantra that he will not allow corruption, he will not allow wuruwuru. We stand on the mandate of our late father, Prince Abubakar Audu. We are all his children. He has children and we are all his political children.”

    Echocho said: “The happiness we have today is that our leader will continue to live with us. Our leader fought to liberate Kogi and we are assuring him that we will continue to fight for our liberation.

    Mohammed and Faleke are properly grounded to liberate Kogi State and nobody can steal our mandate.”

    Reading from a prepared text, Faleke said Audu’s demise has created a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill.

    He described the circumstances that brought about the present logjam in the state as unfortunate.

    He said: “As if waiting for the demise of this great and illustrious son of this land, the reactionaries pounced in on the situation and made fruitless attempts at truncating the process that ordinarily should have led to a smooth transition of power from the visionless handlers of our state to a new path of rescuing the state.

    “As part of their devilish agenda, they tried unsuccessfully to push for the suspension of the declaration of our party as winner of the election which to all intent and purpose is adjudged to be free, fair and best election held in recent times in our state.”

    Quoting from portions of the 1999 Constitution, Faleke said: “As it stands today, I remain the only person holding on to those votes cast for our party and no other person, going back to the primary election conducted on the 28th of August 2015, whose life span expired immediately Prince Abubakar Audu emerged the candidate and the party requested him to nominate a deputy in accordance to the constitutional provisions in Section 187.

    “Our late leader duly exercised this (Section 187) right by nominating my humble self and the party therefore handed over to us the INEC nomination form as its flag bearers. The party primary process therefore remains an ad hoc tool mainly for the purpose of producing a candidate for the party.

    “Without me as a deputy governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu would not have been qualified to run for the election.”

    He continued: “Did Alhaji Yahaya Bello participate fully in all the stages of the election? The answer is capital no. While his participation in the pary primaries is not in doubt, he did not participate in campaigns, meetings, neither did he mobilise voters to vote for our party. Instead, we have it on record that he lost not only his polling unit, but his ward. This presupposes that he worked against our party at the elections. For emphasis, the results from his polling unit is APC 88- PDP 119, his ward result is APC 1,146 to PDP 2,058.

    “Whereever we went for campaigns in villages and towns, all the promises we jointly made to our people are known by me as a close companion and confidant of our late leader and I wish to assure all Kogites that those promises will be fulfilled and therefore urge our people to remain peaceful and law abiding and that no matter how long it takes, the mandate will be defended, sustained and maintained.

    “Mohammed Audu, the first son of Prince Abubakar Audu, and myself are on the same page on this matter and are both resolved to do right by the law.”

  • Kogi: Confusion as APC candidate Audu dies at 68

    Kogi: Confusion as APC candidate Audu dies at 68

    INEC’s decision is wrong, say experts

    KOGi State All Progressives Congress (APC)governorship candidate Prince Abubakar Audu yesterday died after taking ill on Saturday. He was 68.

    Audu was leading by 41,000 votes (he scored 240,867) ahead of incumbent Governor Idris Wada, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate who scored 199,514 votes.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the exercise inconclusive, saying there would be supplementary election in 91 units —a decision condemned by senior legal experts as “simply wrong”.

    Audu died in his village Ogbonicha-Alloma in Ofu Local Government Area following complications from a stroke. His death set off arguments about the future of the election.

    “I think he will be buried on Monday in accordance with Islamic rites,” a source said.

    It was learnt that Audu had been billed for a medical check-up this week. He was said to be feeling unwell since Friday.

    Another source said he died yesterday morning even before the results were announced, contrary to the information that he died after the elections were declared inconclusive.

    The circumstances of Audu’s death could not be confirmed.

    Audu’s remains will be buried in his home town this morning according ot Islamic rites.

    Governor Idris Wada is expected to lead the government team to his burial, it was learnt last night.

    When Audu’s running mate James Faleke, was asked at about 5p.m. to leave his home base in Ekinrinade for Lokoja, there was the suspicion that something untoward had happened.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “At about 5pm, Mr. Faleke got a call to proceed to Lokoja to attend to an emergency. Faleke later moved from Lokoja to Ogbonicha-Alloma.

    “A worried Faleke then asked what was wrong. He was then told that Audu had a partial stroke and needed urgent attention. This made Faleke to immediately embark on an unprepared journey.

    “Shortly after hitting the road, Faleke’s phone was bombarded with calls on what happened to Audu. He also was in a dilemma and had no answer to the enquiries.”

    The National Secretary of APC, Mallam Mai Mala Buni said: “We have not received any formal notification from the family but we just heard the announcement that he is dead.”

    A national officer of the party said: “Yes, my brother, Prince Abubakar Audu is dead.”

    In his Twitter handle, Senator Shehu Sani( Kaduna Central Senatorial District) said: ” Abubakar Audu; victory and tragedy. We mourn, we mourn a dogged fighter, a resilient optimist.”

    An aide to the late Audu said: “This is a tragedy. I just lost my boss. He did not make it despite the efforts of everybody here to revive him.  Everyone is crying here and I will call you later.”

  • Confusion over crowning of Olu-designate

    Confusion over crowning of Olu-designate

    Although Prince Ikenwoli Emiko has scaled the first of many hurdles in his quest to succeed his late brother, a long tortuous journey has only just begun, if feelers from the Warri Traditional Council of Chiefs are anything to go by.

    It was gathered that the Omoba (Olu-designate) can only assume the throne after successfully burying his predecessor and carrying out a number of rituals including, the Iken rites and three months retreat at Ideniken.

    Our investigations revealed that absence of three of five members of the Olu Advisory Council almost marred the selection process. The Ologbotsere (traditional Prime Minister), Iyatsere (Minister of Defence) and Uwangue stools are vacant.

    The continued absence of these key figures in Itsekiri traditional administration may pose further problems.

    The last Ologbotsere, the very influential Alfred Ogbeyiwa Rewane, died in 1995, 20 years after the stool is still vacant. Rewane, who was instrumental to the emergence of Toritseju Emiko as Atuwatse II, reportedly fell out with his protégé, shortly after the coronation in 1987.

    Why the late monarch failed to appoint Rewane’s successor in 20 years despite the plethora of competent and willing candidates is a subject of theories and conjectures among Itsekiri leaders.

    The very wise Chief Gabriel Mabiaku, who was the Iyasere, died shortly before the Atuwatse II; his death left a gaping chasm in the nation.

    It was gathered that the occupants of the trio of vacant stools, along with the Ojomo and Otsodi of Warri Kingdom, constitute the Olu Advisory Council. The council is empowered to appoint two members of the Ojoye to include in the selection of a new Olu.

    Ironically, it was gathered that only the Ologbotsere can crown the Olu, in line with the 1979 Gazette, but it is only an Olu that can appoint an Ologbotesere based on names suggested by the family. The same is true of Uwangue and Iyasere.

    “This has left the kingdom in a very fragile state; how do we get an Ologbotsere when there is no Olu to appoint one?” one of the younger members of the kingdom told our reporter.

    It was gathered that Chief Yahya Pessu, the Ojomo, who being first among equal, led the process that culminated in yesterday’s announcement, might not be able to perform the coronation ceremony, as members of the other families saddled with the responsibility could kick.

    “Even the Uwangue family are still seething after the 1987 coronation, which was done by the Ologbotsere, who is traditional father of Uwangue. We expect either Uwangue or Ologbotsere to perform the next coronation; any other family might not be acceptable,” a source added.

    But Mr Sunny Amorighoye Mene, a member of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, who hails from the Uwangue and Ologbotsere families, assured our reporter that the Itsekiri have a long history to fall back on to correct the situation.

    He explained that going by the tradition, the various families know their routes, adding that prior to and before the 88-year interregnum (1848 – 1936) all families know their roles and how to play them, irrespective of their titular heads.

    Speaking in the same vein Mr Edward Ekpoko, a lawyer and member of the Ologbotsere family, said the absence of a known holder of the title is no impediment to the installation of an Olu.

     

     

  • Confusion as parliament suspends union leaders

    The executive and legislative arms of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Students’ Union Government (SUG) may have been on collision course, following the suspension of Financial Secretary and Treasurer by the parliament.

    The executive arm said it rejected the resolution of the Students’ Legislative Council (SLC) signed by the Speaker, Sherif Akinpelu, saying it the decision was unacceptable and unconstitutional.

    The executive arm said the union’s constitution allows the SLC to summon any member of the executive for meeting after a notice of 48 hours in writing through the General Secretary. The executive said the house did not follow due process before it took the decision.

    It was gathered that the SLC clerk, Adeyanju Adeonipekun, only gave a 24-hour notice to the affected members.

    The executive described the suspension as a witch-hunt and unnecessary, urging the parliament to rescind its decision.

    It was learnt that the suspension motion was moved by Samuel Oshinuga of the Faculty of Science and seconded by Timileyin Akegbejo of the Faculty of Social Sciences, who cited Section 4, sub-section J,K and N of the union, for their action.

  • Obituary of confusion

    It looked like denialism, culturally endorsed and encouraged.  Media reports that said Oba Okunade Sijuade, the Ooni of Ife since 1980 and a pre-eminent Yoruba monarch, was dead sounded like nonsense to the community’s circle of chiefs. High Chief Joseph Ijadola, the Lowa of Ife, presented the sense of the palace: “We were all shocked when we heard the rumour. If at all such an incident had happened, the traditional council would be the first to know and to break the news to the entire public. Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he didn’t look like he was going to die and should that have happened to him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it.” It is noteworthy that Ijadola didn’t say that kings never die, or that Oba Sijuade could not die.

    With the question of the king’s mortality settled, Oba Sijuade cannot be dead and alive at the same time. It is interesting that Yoruba cultural thinking accommodates the conceptual possibility of life after death just as it accepts the reality of death after life. In other words: If he is not dead, he will die; and if he is dead, he will not die.  The essence of this belief is that there is an enduring partnership between life and death. In this context, the eternal lesson of the drama of colliding and conflicting claims about Oba Sijuade’s existence and exit is the marriage of mortality and immortality.

    In the global village of the communication age, news travels fast and far. This reality poses a powerful challenge to the conservative information management that is culturally prescribed in the event of a Yoruba king’s death. There are complications because Oba Sijuade reportedly died in a foreign land, on July 28 at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. If the reported death had happened in the Oba’s domain, it would have been perfect for the enforcement of traditional secrecy. The London dimension instantaneously  internationalised the news, and it is unsurprising that traditionalists are wrestling with modernity and modernised media.

    In addition, in an increasingly open world, the space of mystification is shrinking, which is a potent challenge to the romantic mystique associated with certain ancient cultural practices. To allow a reign of silence for a specific period before announcing a king’s death, as reportedly dictated by Yoruba tradition, is out of sync with the information philosophy of the 21st century, which is speed-oriented.

    The beginning of a seven-day Oro festival believed to be related to the reported death deepened the drama, though traditionalists observed that important and clearly defined rituals expected to publicise the death of an Ooni have not been performed, meaning that Oba Sijuade may not be dead as reported.

    Interestingly, the source of confusion is not Oba Sijuade’s first obituary. According to the Secretary, Royal Traditional Council of Ife, the Ladin of Ife, High Chief Adetoye Odewole, ”They did it in 1984, also in 2004 and now, these people are coming up with another rumour. Oba Sijuade remains in sound state of health.”

    Critical obituarists focused on Oba Sijuade’s alleged unprogressive tendencies in the country’s political sphere without considering the difficulties of a monarchy in a democracy. Oba Sijuade’s cultural radiance and relevance, distinct from his alleged political incorrectness, cannot be disregarded.

    An illustrative narrative:  It was July 2013. The 10th Orisa World Congress was holding at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State. Ile-Ife, regarded as “The Source” and a culturally significant Yoruba town, was an appropriate setting for discussions on the challenges of the Orisa way of life, especially in the context of a diverse globe, and contending faiths, some of which have the advantage of apparent numerical dominance. The variegated gathering, which included participants from the United States of America (USA), Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico, demonstrated the appeal of the Yoruba religion beyond its local provenance, and brought instructive international perspectives. An all-male family of four from Cuba, a Chinese couple who lived in Venezuela and a densely bearded white American were among the alluring sights.

    It is worth noting that in 2005 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the Ifa Divination system to its list of the “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” A multitude of gods or orisa makes up the Yoruba pantheon, with Ifa as the oracular mouthpiece of Olodumare, the Almighty in Yoruba religion.

    Oba Sijuade, the community’s revered traditional ruler and the Grand Patron of the Orisa tradition and religion, took advantage of the forum to name July and August as “Yoruba cultural months” starting from 2014.  ”I implore all descendants of Oduduwa to return home every year during these months to celebrate our culture and religion,” he said, at the opening ceremony at Oduduwa Hall, OAU. Oduduwa, regarded as the progenitor of the Yoruba people, is artistically represented by an imposing wooden sculpture carved by Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, which was unveiled at the front of the university theatre in 1987 by Oba Sijuade himself.

    Oba Sijuade also said: “Celebrate the values, virtues and treasures of our towns and cities. Hold public events, conventions and activities that showcase the invaluable riches of Yoruba culture and religion. These are the treasures that have made Yoruba culture and religion a global heritage of humanity.”

    On the last day, it was time to visit Oba Sijuade’s palace.  In a large decorated hall with shimmering lights, the Royal Court Band played danceable melodies, and the visitors socialised in a setting that reflected monarchical grandeur. Oba Sijuade, 83 at the time, was resplendent in a white flowing robe which he wore over purple attire. He wore purple shoes and a glittering white cap.  It was momentous that three devotees were installed as Cultural Ambassadors at the party. They were: Suriname-Dutch American Tony Van Der Meer, Chinese Chiu Ming Ho, and Michelle Abimbola, a white American. There was a mystic dimension to their installation, or perhaps more precisely, their initiation;   one by one, they went briefly into an enclosure formed by powerful traditional chiefs who created a human screen that prevented any view of their encounter with the Oba in the sacred space.

    The 10th edition of Orisa World Congress in Ile-Ife, with the theme “Culture and Global Peace,” was the fourth in the ancient town, and six others have been held in Brazil, USA, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba.  Founded by Prof Wande Abimbola in 1981, Orisaworld is “an organisation of practitioners and scholars ofOrisa tradition, religion and culture”; the group’s overriding aim is “to revitalise and rejuvenate the Orisa culture and all its traditions.”

    It is memorable that Oba Sijuade spoke of a religion that would never die: “I hereby make the following proclamation: the religion of Yoruba land; the religion of Oduduwa who descended from Heaven on a chain of iron; the religion of Oranfe who lives in a house of perpetual fire in Heaven; the religion of Ifa, witness of destiny; the religion of Sango, the great warrior and giant, child of Oranmiyan; the religion of Oya nicknamed oriirii, eater of she-goats, the female warrior who wears a sword as part of her outfit; the religion of Osun nicknamed ewuji the greatest mother of all; the religion of Obatala, owner of ancient Iranje; will never perish.”

     

  • Confusion over the Ooni

    Confusion over the Ooni

    A case of culture clashing with modernity

    Last Wednesday, the news was all over town that Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife, Olubuse II, had passed on at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, United Kingdom (U.K), where he was being treated. He was reportedly flown out penultimate Friday in an air ambulance for treatment at the hospital when his health suffered a relapse. But Ife traditional chiefs quickly dispelled as ‘wicked rumour’ the news of the Ooni’s death. According to them, the foremost traditional ruler in Yoruba land was ‘hale and hearty’. Ever since, the confusion has continued as to whether the Ooni is dead or alive. While the media stuck to their stories about his demise, the traditional chiefs have also maintained their stance that he is well. As of the time of submitting this piece on Friday, a condolence register had not been opened for the Ooni, thus giving the impression that the chiefs’ position is the authentic stance on the matter.

    It is instructive that none of the media that reported the death of the monarch retracted the story, thus putting the Ife chiefs who insist the paramount Oba is alive on the defensive. Apparently the editors must have been waiting for the Oba to debunk the rumour of his death by speaking from wherever he is. As at Friday however, that had not happened. The chiefs had said that the Oba would be at the wedding of one of his sons, Adegbite, with ace television presenter and actress Dolapo Oni, today. I am not in a position to say whether that happened as this write-up went to bed on Friday. But, as a colleague jocularly said, if the Ooni appeared at the function, even the children would ‘pick race’.

    At 85, the Ooni is not too young to die; so, naturally his death should not be controversial. Many people would wonder that if, as Shakespeare said, death is a necessary end that will come when it will come, why then would someone’s death be a subject of controversy? The answer lies in the Yoruba tradition that Obas don’t die. Thus, when an Oba passes on, the Yoruba simply say ‘Oba ti w’aja’, which means he has joined his ancestors. Not only this, there are also procedures for announcing such passage. The Oba is not just anybody whose death should be heard of first in the media or on the street. Even in the days of yore before the advent of the mass media, the town crier could not just go to town with the news of an Oba’s passage; he had to be instructed by the appropriate authorities before breaking the news. It would appear the bypassing of that protocol by the mass media and the social media is responsible for what is now making the Ooni’s issue controversial.

    Yet, we may just be seeing the beginning of such defiance of culture, especially with regard to traditional rulers. It is simply a case of   tradition caught in the web of modernity. The mere fact that Oba Sijuwade had to be taken abroad for treatment had made it impossible to hide anything concerning him or his health, worse still, his death if he died abroad. Apparently the culture that forbids announcement of the death of an Oba until certain rites are performed, or until certain protocol is observed, did not envisage that an Oba would be flown abroad for medical attention, not to talk of him dying there. Apparently, too, that culture did not reckon with the fact that a time will ever come when the world would become a global village that today’s world has become, with the advent of the ubiquitous internet. If Oba Sijuwade had died in London, that is an open society and the demise of such a personality cannot be a guarded secret for long. This, indeed, is why it is surprising that the chiefs are angry that the media broke the news of Oba Sijuwade’s death or rumour of the death (since the Ife chiefs appear to prefer the latter). There is no hiding for the fish; not a big one as the Ooni of Ife.

    But, Nigeria is a country where we have had many examples of deaths and rumoured deaths.  Prominent Nigerians rumoured to have died included the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. Indeed, I remember that of Zik vividly because I had the onerous responsibility of splashing his pictures on the centre-spread of The Punch title on the day he was reported dead in 1989, appropriately titled “The life and times of Zik”.

    Moreover, this year alone, the Ooni is not the first traditional ruler that has been rumoured to have died. The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolopkolo, Erediauwa, was also said to have died since about a year ago because he had not been seen in public. In February, the Benin Traditional Council had to refute publicly, the rumour of the Oba’s death, which intensified with his inability to personally receive President Goodluck Jonathan in his palace when the president visited during his campaign for reelection on February 4. Secretary to the council, Mr. Frank Irabor, explained that it was the responsibility of the council to issue a formal statement, if such a development (death) did occur. “They have been peddling that rumour for more than a year now, because the Oba has not been coming out. If there is anything like that, there is usually a statement from the palace or from the Benin Traditional Council”, he said.

    However, in March, the same council came out with the news that the Oba was indisposed. The council said in a statement signed by Irabor that: “It is hereby announced for the information of the general public that, in the Palace parlance, ‘Uhunmwun ve Ekpen vbý’ Ato,’ meaning the Leopard is ill in the Savannah bush. The explanation is that Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolopkolo, Erediauwa, CFR, Oba of Benin, is indisposed. Public engagements, including courtesy visits, hearing of complaints from individuals, families and communities, and in particular, complaints over inheritance and land disputes, are therefore suspended until further notice. All palace chiefs and functionaries are to note that their routine traditional duties continue as usual.”

    Mum has been the word from the palace or the council since then. The point I am trying to make is that because the rumour and counter-rumour making the rounds about the Oba of Benin are all happening within our shores, it is easier for the palace and the traditional council to manage the information. This is not the case with the Ooni. If anything happens to a big fish like Oba Sijuwade outside our shores, that thing is of significance not only to Ife people; it is something that would interest the entire Black race because of the importance of Ile-Ife to many of them. So, it cannot be made a secret.

    Another point though is that culture itself is dynamic; it is ever changing; never static. A time there was when albinos were an endangered species. If they walked aimlessly, even in daytime in many places in those days, they were done for. A time there was when people with hunchback could also not move freely without the fear of being caught for ritual purposes. A time there was too when twins were also thrown into the evil forest in certain parts of the country until Mary Slessor came and put a stop to the barbarity.

    Anyway, whatever becomes of Oba Sijuwade is expected to unravel in a short while. This is much more so when the chiefs had reminded us that this would not be the first time Oba Sijuwade would be rumoured to have died. They said it was so in 1982 and 2004. So, is this a reenactment of those years’ rumours? Time will tell.

  • Confusion reigns over House of Reps leadership crisis

    Confusion reigns over House of Reps leadership crisis

     • Dogara, Gbajabiamila groups in claims and counter claims

    The crisis in the House of Representatives over the sharing of principal positions in the Green Chambers of the National Assembly remained cloudy last night after claims and counter claims about the resolution of the stalemate.

    The camp of Speaker Yakubu Dogara sparked the latest standoff after announcing that the crisis had been resolved with the Femi Gbajabiamila group accepting the sharing formula proposed by the Speaker.

    Details of the sharing unveiled by Abdulmumin Jibrin are: Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC Kano, North West) as House Leader; Buba Jibrin (APC Kogi, North Central) as Deputy Leader; Pally Iriase (APC Edo, South South) as Chief Whip; and Chika Okafor (APC Imo, South East) as Deputy Chief Whip.

    “Interestingly, both the Speaker and a great majority of the APC caucus in the House including gladiators in the Gbajabiamila’s group like Mongunu, Doguwa and Pally support and stand by the Equity Team,” Jibrin said.

    “We have commenced collection of signatures which has reached advanced stage to affirm the Dogara Formula. All other interests, including those excluded from the principal officers specifically Gbajabiamila and Mongunu will be duly accommodated with commensurate responsibility to serve. Since the Speaker has about 200 positions to share out, many members will have the opportunity to serve the country.

    “In light of this development, it is heart-warming to announce to you that the disagreement in the house, which many have erroneously labelled as crisis, has finally come to an end?.”

    Three of Gbajabiamila’s supporters – Mohammad Monguno (Northeast) , Alhassan Doguwa (Northwest) and Pally Iriase (Southsouth)- announced their acceptance of Dogara’s proposal.

    But in a swift reaction, Gbajabiamila’s loyalists denied that they had reached an agreement with Dogara.

    Their spokesman, Nasiru Zangon-Daura, in a terse statement, denied “any purported endorsement of a so-called formula.”

    “Any member of our group who claims to be part of this arrangement acts on his own and not on behalf of the group,” he declared.

    At stake are the positions of House leader, deputy House leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip.

    The party had written to Dogara that Gbajabiamila be made House leader but Dogara rejected the directive.

    The Speaker’s camp is insisting that the Northeast and the Southwest having already got the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker cannot be accommodated in the sharing of the remaining four positions.

    The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun had, on Friday summoned Speaker Dogara ostensibly on resolving the deadlock.

    There were suggestions that Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun from Osun State was being prevailed upon to step down.

    On the same day Gbajabiamila was at the State House, Abuja to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He emerged from the meeting to dash to the party’s National Secretariat to see Chief Odigie-Oyegun on the same matter.

    The House has been enmeshed in crisis since the June 9 election of Dogara and Lasun as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

    It is scheduled to resume sitting on Tuesday, a week later than it originally proposed.

     

  • Confusion in Anambra over suspension of LG boss

    Confusion in Anambra over suspension of LG boss

    There is tension in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra state following the indefinite suspension of the  council chairman, John Onyeakpa, by the councilors over allegations of misconduct and poor performance among others. Already, Anambra state police command had deployed more security operatives to the area to maintain law and order.

    Before his controversial suspension, the chairman was served with an impeachment notice on July 2nd, 2015. In reaction to the move by the legislators, Onyeakpa dragged the Councillors and the Chief Judge of the state to court, seeking discontinuation of the impeachment process. Specifically, the LG boss urged the Court to stop the Chief Judge from setting up a panel to investigate him.

    But in a surprise statement on Friday at Umunze headquarters of the council area, after their sitting, the Councilors announced the indefinite suspension of the Chairman and directed him to hand over the affairs of the council to his deputy, Sir Emma Enwere, within 24 hours.

    According to reports, the motion for his suspension was moved by the leader of the house, Sir Chukwudi Okwuma, and was supported by all the 15 legislators present out of the 18 member house.

    Okwuma alleged that the chairman had crippled the activities of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the council area and had equally accused Governor Obiano of sponsoring the councilors to impeach him at all cost. Also, chairman information and security, Hyginus Umeaka alleged that the chairman had turned the council area into a private business, while Mr. Stanistus Nnaka accused him of being stubborn.

    But there is confusion over the state of things in the council as Onyeakpa has vowed to resist all attempts to wrongly and forcefully remove him from office. Although he could not be reached for his reaction, a close aide of the embattled LG boss said it is unlikely that Onyeakpa will give up without a fight.

    “Don’t forget the matter is in court already. I am sure the Chairman will seek justice till the very end. He will not succumb to this extra judicial act by the councillors. He will resist them,” the aide said.

  • Confusion, lethargy or, worse, paralysis

    Confusion, lethargy or, worse, paralysis

    UNTIL President Muhammadu Buhari’s government sufficiently picks up momentum, and is revving full steam into the Eldorado many believe he is capable of midwifing, it will remain legitimate, and even defensible, for critics to conclude that his pace is deplorably slow. His party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), can defend him all they wish, and his fanatical admirers can also rhapsodise his attributes all they can, but there is little both groups can do to mollify the anxiety of the country, or to encourage those who voted for him that the votes they expended on the ageing former army general will eventually yield the expected dividends. The president may have slowed down, but as this column has said repeatedly, he still possesses the right qualities to rule: honesty, simplicity, firmness, and equity, among many others. He has an obligation to ensure that those qualities are neither misapplied nor misused.

    Neither his party, however, nor his supporters can resolve the riddle of what speed is appropriate for these times. Among both his critics and the undecided, criticism of his pace, while audible, has not risen above whispers. As the weeks wear on, and the pains the people feel multiply on account of the government’s perceived inattentiveness, the whispers will rise gradually to a crescendo. If that should happen, President Buhari will no longer be able to control the momentum of the change he and his party promised, and will struggle, without any assurance of success, to stamp his will and ideas on his government, events and the country. His best bet therefore is to create, modulate and impose his authority on the vestigial momentum that accompanied electioneering. Rather than heedlessly jump to his defence, his party and his aides should let him understand these nuances.

    For the about two months available to him to fine-tune his preparations for assuming the reins of power after his election as president in March, it was not clear, for instance, that he paid enough attention to compiling a list of the close advisers and aides he would ned. He has now governed for a little over a month without the full complement of advisers, let alone hint at a ministerial list, and has shown no clear direction where he wants his government headed. The people, the world and the domestic economy have been left second-guessing him. While the world can afford the luxury of waiting for as long as the situation requires, neither Nigerians nor their economy has done fairly well in anticipating him. Of the latter two, the economy, though it is the more important and adverse actions on it more consequential, is far less competent in anticipating the president. It has virtually slipped into near paralysis.

    His party may be speaking to him behind closed doors, for their fate is intertwined with his, and they will sink or swim with him. But, so far, there is no proof the APC is exercising that gentle restraint and moral suasion the president’s actions and inactions desperately call for. Indeed, much more than the president, the party is itself enmeshed in a paralysis of its own finding and fouling. It has lost control of its national lawmakers, many of whom are defying it with increasing insouciance and considerable chutzpah. The party leadership itself appears rent in two, with no discernible philosophy or even a scintilla of discipline. Party members are left unattended to, as many of them file greedily and giddily behind their rebellious champions. If the party does not put a lid on its schisms, and take firm, practical and brilliant steps to curb the lurch towards chaos in their ranks, they will fritter away their hard-earned victory, a part of which has already been mortgaged to the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by errant and ambitious lawmakers and leaders.

    The president has rejected blame for the crisis convulsing the party. He had at first attempted idealistically to stay above the fray, arguing that he was prepared to work with any legislative leadership, irrespective of its composition or orientation. He had also probably assumed that that leadership would be as altruistic as he had been all his public life. Now, he may apparently be waking up a little too late to discover that the altruism he read into their actions and politics were merely theoretical and chimerical. There were indications, as this piece was being written, that the president might be wading into the legislative fracas after all. Nigerians will wish him much luck in pacifying the rebels. For without a united party behind him, especially one with a definite and uplifting worldview, it is doubtful whether he can create or retain the policy conciseness and vigour necessary to remould the country along the change mantra enunciated during his party’s electioneering.

    A part of the Buhari idealism that also needs to be dismantled in order to curb the confusion, lethargy and paralysis of the past few weeks is the president’s romantic notion of not wanting to hurt the legacy of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Other than a few desultory probes, including one involving the NNPC and another side bar involving the excess crude account, there is no consistent or comprehensive probe of the commanding heights of the Jonathan government. From all indications, a few more panels will be set up to look into aspects of the former government’s shortcomings, but there is no indication something grand, compelling and even cathartic will be attempted. President Buhari now has a healthy appetite for obeying the constitution, and is in addition a truly reborn democrat, as he has asserted vigorously. Surely, then, he must recognise he has an obligation, notwithstanding his campaign promises, to satisfy the longings of those who voted him into office, and who want a concise understanding of the terrible wrongs perpetrated under or by the Jonathan presidency.

    The PDP wails against what its spokesmen describe pejoratively and preemptively as an APC-induced witch-hunt. The president must decry and ignore these plaintive opposition jeremiads. His first obligation is not to satisfy or mollify the opposition, but to satisfy the majority of Nigerians within the ambits of the law and the constitution. In particular, he has a responsibility to help the country understand and come to terms with what happened before he assumed office, how and why things went terribly wrong, and how so much of the country’s resources and funds were wasted or stolen. He is at liberty to determine what punishment to mete out to high-profile offenders, or even pardon them. But he must neither abridge nor eliminate the people’s need to know all the atrocities that happened in the preceding years. If the present and the future are to make any meaning, the past must be understood.

    Overall, rather than be defensive, it is time President Buhari recognised that the criticisms he has received about the pace and structure of his presidency are designed to help him properly and scientifically lay the foundations for success. The confusion that enveloped his party in the National Assembly, the rather discomfiting manner the acting leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was appointed, and the even more distressing fashion the Department of State Service (DSS) leadership was changed after the unseemly struggle between the Service and the president’s Aide de Camp (ADC) at Aso Villa leave a very sour taste in the mouth. The president must put some precision into his presidency, avoid unforced errors, take charge of situations threatening to spiral out of control, and give the country firm, insightful, inspiring and proactive governance.

    If his spokesmen and aides suggest that by and by, the president would get it right and pick up speed, they have not offered enough arguments why they should be taken for their word. Nigerians want to give the president time, but contemporary events do not give them the confidence that when eventually he acts at all or picks up speed, he can be trusted to satisfy the longings of those who voted him into office. It is up to him to dispel their misgivings and quieten their mistrust.

  • Anger, confusion in Bayelsa local govts over arrears of unpaid salaries

    All is not well between local government workers in Bayelsa State and their chairmen. The workers are angry that about four months of their salaries have not been paid by the council bosses.

    Confronted with economic hardship, the local council employees are not buying their chairmen excuses that the dwindling revenue allocation from the Federal Government has affected their wages.

    There are eight local government areas in Bayelsa, the least in all the states in the country. The workers are of the opinion that with the oil-producing status of the state and the reduced number of local councils, the chairmen should not have problem paying salaries despite the economic crunch.

    Besides, they argued that the Chairman of Brass Local Government Area, paid his workers up to May salaries. Why then are the chairmen of Sagabama, Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw, Nembe, Ekeremor and Kolokuma-Opokuma unable to pay their bills? They queried.

    The Secretary, Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWU), Mr. Lartan Bany and the Chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said the governor had no hand in their travails. Bany said the local government chairmen admitted that the governor never interfered in their revenue allocations from the Federal Government.

    The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Esueme Kikile, said the government had intervened to ensure that the outstanding salaries of the workers were paid.

    He said: “The present administration in the state has demonstrated its commitment to local government autonomy and has the policy of zero deductions from local government allocations”.

    But the Bayelsa Democratic Watch Forum (BDWF) blamed the salary crisis on the inefficient management of finances by the chairmen. The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Binaebi Femo and Secretary, Mr. Tari Oki, thanked the MHWU and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) for calling off their strike.

    While NULGE and the MHWU are leaking their wounds and raining curses on their chairmen, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) are heaping praises on the state governor for promptly paying their monthly salaries.

    A statement by the State council chairmen of NLC, Ebipere Ndiomu and his TUC counterpart, Dounana Tari, said that their members were appreciative of the governor’s gesture which would keep the workers committed to duty and raise productivity.

    They said that they were aware of the personal sacrifices the governor had made to ensure that salaries were paid regularly despite the shortfall in revenue from the federation account.