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Tag: disband

  • Why Peace Committee must disband now

    The drumbeats of war sounded so loudly in the run-up to the 2015 General Elections, that it reverberated in major capitals across the world, raising concerns that Nigeria could blow apart, if the polls were stalemated.

    The prospect of a political quagmire loomed very large on the horizon. But like they say, all that is now history. The transition was concluded peacefully to the glory of God, and peace now reigns in Nigeria, apart from the perennial Boko Haram insurgency which is also top on the agenda of the APC government.

    Every patriotic Nigerian should support President Buhari in his war against terror and its twin demon of corruption. His success or failure would ultimately be judged by the defeat of insurgency and the recovery of looted public funds by the government of his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in particular, because the most reckless looting of our national resources happened under his watch.

    One is therefore disappointed by the discordant tunes coming from some members of the National Peace Committee, which includes former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Rtd., Bishop Mathew Kukah, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’Ad Abubakar III; the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor; Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh;  etc. The committee only recently visited President Buhari for undisclosed reasons.

    But Bishop Kukah, who addressed journalists on behalf of the Peace Committee after the meeting with the President alluded to the ongoing investigation of the PDP government of ex-President Jonathan, saying his group appealed to President Buhari “to be fair” in his handling of the probe.

    I am amazed at the ecclesiastical affinity of Goodluck Jonathan. First it was Pastor Ayo Orisejafor and now it is Bishop Kukah. Both are now amalgamated in the Peace Committee. I submit that Pastor Ayo Orisejafor has exhibited himself as a general factotum of the imperial house of Goodluck and Patience Jonathan. He therefore debunks the definition of an emissary of peace.

    Bishop Kukah in his apologetic prolixity describes Jonathan’s governmental enterprise, inter alia, as ‘’fantastic’’. To my sanctified mind; this is not only imaginary but approaches the periphery of phantasmagoria.

    He castigates President Buhari in subtle verbiage for what he perceives to be a sluggish pace in revving the engine of governance. He thus, abandons momentarily, the responsibility of his committee’s morality posture and immerses his Episcopalian garments in the quagmire of the political emporium. He almost loses his compass in a broken monologue of praise-singing sycophancy in veneration of vanquished Jonathan Goodluck. Haba, Aboki, with all due respect!

    Question: What compels a chartered libertine who has been weaned on the mountains of divine servitude to descend to such lowly valleys of mundane terrestrials? What inspired such lisping accents of jejune political naivety? Is it peace committee? Seriously? Yeah right! Ha!

    There are several other questions still begging for urgent answers: Who sent the National Peace Committee to Aso Rock to plead with President Buhari “to be fair” to officials of the Jonathan government now under investigation? Why is the committee putting the President under pressure in his quest to rid the Augean stable of the filth of the corrupt PDP regime? Why are they pre-empting the President by assuming that he’d not be fair?

    A mitigation plea by this committee is not only premature but uncalled for, and is a direct insult to the injury that ex-President Jonathan’s six-year misrule has inflicted on Nigerians, majority of whom are now impoverished and dying from the ravages of hunger, malnutrition and disease.

    The Peace Committee is no longer relevant and should honourably and immediately disband, to save Nigerians from this gratuitous charade and national embarrassment. There’s no denying the fact that, at least, one of the committee members used to hobnob with ex-President Jonathan, and is a beneficiary of his patrimonial leadership.

    President Buhari’s crusade against corruption must begin with a comprehensive probe of former President Jonathan, to send a clear signal that he means business. A serious fight against corruption must, therefore, begin with the immediate subpoena of the former President, who ran a large patronage network that spurned the unprecedented corruption

    that has brought this nation to the abyss. Under his leadership, his extravagant wife, Patience, functioned like a Deputy President, and must also be investigated, to ascertain the extent of her involvement in the squandermania.

    Since a fish rots from the head, any credible and effective drive towards the recovery of looted public funds in the PDP federal government can only succeed, not just by investigating functionaries of that government, but by taking the bull by the horn: Probe the ex-President and his imperious wife.

    President Buhari must know that Nigerian’s are firmly behind him. He must demonstrate to the world that he still has fire in his belly, by showing himself strong, fearless and capable of taking on the most sacred cows whose hands are soiled.

    PDP chieftains and the erstwhile First Lady made an issue about Jonathan going to jail if President Buhari won the elections. In the twilight of his administration, Jonathan had warned that officials of his government would be persecuted. Well, this is cheap talk. The President has no power to send anyone to jail unless the court finds such person guilty. Moreover, there’s nothing new about jailing high profile leaders. Besides, it is in Jonathan’s interest to face a probe to clear his name if he has nothing to hide.

    Late politician, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the leader of the opposition in the first republic when he was tried and jailed by the Balewa government for treasonable felony. President Buhari himself was behind bars for 23 months with his No. 2 man, the late Gen. Tunde Idiagbon, after their military regime was toppled in August 1985, 30 years ago this month.

    The Peace Committee should stop whipping-up sentiments about the probe and allow justice to take its natural course. Whoever is aggrieved or dissatisfied with the outcome of an investigation could seek reliefs from the court, which is open to all. The probe is across party lines, President Buhari has assured. Therefore, nobody has anything to fear if their hands are clean. Whoever is found guilty of misappropriation must face the appropriate sanctions prescribed by law. Period!

    The ambience of peace we now enjoy was attained by team effort, not just the Peace Committee. The international community, especially American President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister, David Cameron, played commendable roles.

    On my part, I dare say that I contributed to the success of the transition by resisting pressures to go to court to stop the general elections because of INEC’s refusal to allow our party, Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, participate in the elections, despite the court verdict that voided

    the de-registration of our great party. I knew that a successful move to halt the elections would favour the PDP, which was facing imminent defeat from a determined and cohesive opposition, APC, which looked certain to carry the day. The PDP would have been grateful if anyone was able to stall the polls. It would have had a valid excuse to stay in power to

    continue to cover its tracks.

    Former President Jonathan feigned ignorance of INEC’s intransigence in perpetuating the illegal act of disobeying a court order to relist our party and allow it to take part in the elections. He condoned the abuse of power and flagrant contempt for the rule of law displayed by the electoral agency; but now out of power, and at the receiving end of a new order that has restored individual liberties, Jonathan is desperately campaigning for

    the corporate respect of the rule of law. What goes up must come down.

    • Rev Okotie, a pastor – politician wrote from Lagos.

     

  • Nasarawa CJ under pressure to disband impeachment panel

    Nasarawa CJ under pressure to disband impeachment panel

    Desperate to impeach Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, lawmakers sat yesterday outside Lafia, the state capital, with a mace allegedly procured from the National Assembly.

    The Assembly held the session against the advice of President Goodluck Jonathan that the lawmakers should halt the impeachment.

    At the curious sitting, members of the Assembly asked the Chief Judge, Justice Suleiman Dikko, to disband the seven-man investigative panel looking into the allegations against the governor.

    The members of the panel, inaugurated last Friday, are Yusuf Shehu Usman (chairman), Mohammed Sabo Keana, Reverend Joel Galadima, Alhaji Abdu Usman, Samuel Chaku, Mohammed Sani Usman and Pastor Daniel Chaga.

    The Assembly, The Nation learnt was uncomfortable with the composition of the panel, which the Chief Judge set up in line with Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution.

    The section states: “Within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions of this section, the Chief Judge of the state shall at the request of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, appoint a panel of seven persons who, in his opinion, are of unquestionable integrity, not being members of any public service, legislative house or political party, to investigate the allegation as provided in this section.”

    In spite of the fact that the panel is made up of non-partisan members, the dissatisfied lawmakers relocated to Karu Local Government Area, near their new base in Abuja, to sit.

    The lawmakers asked the Chief Judge to disband the seven-man probe panel which they  alleged was “tilted in favour” of the embattled governor.

    A source said: “They rejected the composition of the panel by claiming that it would not be able to look into the allegations against the governor without bias.

    “They have asked for the reconstitution of the investigative panel by the Chief Judge who had insisted on substantial compliance with the law.

    “They wanted the CJ to raise a panel made up of only PDP members or those who have an axe to grind with the governor. But the Chief Judge appointed panel members with unquestionable integrity.”

    According to the source, the game plan of the lawmakers is to create a stalemate which will not allow the panel to sit for three months as required by Section 188(7) (b) of the 1999 Constitution. “They want impeachment by ambush because they are afraid of the outcome of the panel”, he said, adding:

    “The idea behind yesterday’s sitting was to create an impression that the Assembly ordered the Chief Judge to disband the panel and recall the report on expiry of the constitutional period allowed for the panel and go ahead with the impeachment.

    “They are aware that the impeachment process ends constitutionally if the panel clears the governor of any wrongdoing on the 16 allegations of misconduct levelled against him.”

    It was gathered that some Abuja-based PDP leaders were behind the pressure on the lawmakers to go ahead with the impeachment.

    But it was not immediately ascertained on how the lawmakers procured the mace to sit in Karu.

    A highly-placed source said: “Some top members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly provided the logistics and the venue at the neighbouring Karu Local Government Area that was used during the sitting.

    Al-Makura’s spokesman Abdulhamid Kwarra said: “I want to tell you that these people are desperate to remove the governor. The mace that was used today is not that of the State Assembly but the National Assembly.”

    “Members of the Assembly have stopped using the President’s name but are now dropping the names of the Senate President and other members of the National Assembly from Northcentral Zone.”

    But the governor’s Special Adviser (Special Duties) Mohammed Abdullahi, said: “ I doubt whether the Senate President will condescend so low to support the subversion of the Nigerian Constitution…If truly he does, it’s unfortunate!”

    Armed boys yesterday invade the Nasarawa State House of Assembly complex in Lafia and beat some of the lawmakers.

    The youths laid a siege around the complex and attacked the members, who they thought came around in connection with the impeachment move against Governor Al-Makura.

    The protesters demanded the immediate suspension of all impeachment proceedings.

    People who work in the building were barred from the Assembly Complex.

  • Buhari: disband INEC

    Buhari: disband INEC

    The former presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday said the 2015 election may not be free and fair – unless the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is disbanded.

    Besides, said Gen. Buhari, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – Federal Government has emasculated the Judiciary since 2003 to the extent that the court cannot protect the ballot.

    He blamed the international community for turning a blind eye to electoral fraud in Nigeria since 2003.

    Gen. Buhari, who spoke at the Africa Diaspora Conference in London , said the Judiciary had lost its reputation to protect the sanctity of the ballot.

    He said tackling corruption was beyond the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    His words: “All the present indications are that INEC as it is presently constituted would be unable to deliver any meaningful elections in 2015. I have gone to some lengths earlier in my talk to describe INEC’s conduct in the last decade. The electoral body has developed a very cozy relationship with the Executive and Judicial arms of government that its impartiality is totally lost.

    “In the run-up to the last elections, INEC requested (and received with indecent haste) in excess of N80 billion (about £340m), a hefty sum by any standards, so that it could conduct the elections, including organising bio-metric voters data specifically for the 2011 elections.

    “But when opposition parties challenged the patently dishonest figures it announced and subpoenaed the bio-metric data in court, INEC refused to divulge them on the laughable excuse of “National Security”.

    “INEC’s top echelon is immersed deep in corruption and only wholesale changes at the top could begin to cure its malaise. What is required is a group of independent-minded people, patriotic, incorruptible but with the capacity to handle such a strenuous assignment of conducting elections in Nigeria.

    “It is not difficult to find such people, but whether the Government and the National Assembly have the inclination to do so, I am not so sure. The only way I and many more experienced politicians than myself expect the 2015 elections to be remotely free and fair is for the opposition to be so strong that they can effectively prevent INEC from rigging.

    “I would like, here, Mr. Chairman, to repeat what I have said time and time again at home in Nigeria with regards to the election aftermath. Some commentators and public figures have wrongly pointed accusing fingers at me for inciting post-election violence. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

    “I have been a public servant all my adult life: a soldier, a federal minister, a state governor and the head of state. My duty is to Nigeria first and foremost. Post-election violence was triggered by the grossest injustice of election rigging and accompanying state high-handedness.”

    Gen. Buhari expressed regrets that elections had not been free and fair since 2003 in Nigeria with the connivance of the Judiciary.

    He said: “Central and critical to democracy is adherence to the rule of law. That is to say, no individual, institution, not even government itself can act outside the confines of the law without facing sanctions. Executive arbitrariness can only be checked where there is respect for the law.

    “Other desirable conditions of democracy, such as freedom of speech and association, can only flourish in an atmosphere where the law allows a level playing field. In the absence of the rule of law, free and fair elections and an independent judiciary cannot exist.

    “As a result of the virtual absence of the rule of law, elections in Nigeria since 2003 have not been free and fair. As a participant, I can relate to this audience my experiences during the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections. Hundreds of candidates have similar experiences in state, federal legislature and gubernatorial elections.

    “Under Nigerian law, these elections are governed by the 1999 constitution, the Electoral Law and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Acts of 2002, 2006 and 2010. Ordinarily, an election is an occasion where contestants will join the electorate in celebration of freedom, because the will of the majority has prevailed. Winners and losers alike come together to work in the interest of their country. But this happens only if the elections were deemed free and fair.

    “In 2003, INEC tabled results in court which were plainly dishonest. We challenged them to produce evidence for the figures. They refused. The judges supported them by saying, in effect, failure to produce the result does not negate the elections!

    “In a show of unprecedented dishonesty and un-professionalism, the President of the Court of Appeal read out INEC’s figures (which they refused to come to court to prove or defend) as the result accepted by the court. The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, said this was okay.

    “In 2007, the violations of electoral rules were so numerous that most lawyers connected with the case firmly believed that the elections would be nullified. I will refer to just two such violations. The Electoral Act of 2006 stipulated that ballot papers SHALL be serially numbered and voters result sheets must also be tallied on serially numbered papers. INEC produced ballot papers with NO serial numbers and also used blank sheets, thereby making it well near impossible to have an audit trail.

    “At all events, at the final collation centre, the chief electoral officer, after 11 (eleven) states (out of 36) were tallied excused himself from the room – apparently on a toilet break – and announced the ‘final results’ to waiting journalists. He had the ‘results’ in his pocket. At the time, several states had not completed transmission of their tallies.

    “As in 2003, the courts rubber-stamped this gross transgression of the rules. Some election returns confirmed by INEC stamps included, 28th April, two (2) days before the election, 29th April, a day before the election and astonishingly, 31st April a date which does not exist on the calendar, illustrating the farcical nature of the election. The

    Supreme Court split 4-3 in favour of the Government.

    “In 2011, all pretences at legality and propriety were cast aside. In the South-South and South-Eastern States , turn-out of voters was recorded by INEC at between 85% – 95% even though in the morning of the election, the media reported sparse attendance at polling booths.

    “The rest of the country where opposition parties were able to guard and monitor the conduct of the Presidential election turn-out averaged about 46%. In many constituencies in the South-South and South-East, votes cast far exceeded registered figures.

    “Which brings us to the need for an impartial judiciary in a democratic setting. The judicial arm of the government, properly speaking, should be the interpreter and arbiter of executive and legislative actions, but the Nigerian government, since 1999, has successfully emasculated the judiciary and turned it into a yes-man.

    “An independent and impartial judiciary would have overturned all the presidential elections since 2003. In addition, hundreds of cases of judicial misconduct have marred elections to Local Government, State and Federal Legislatures. The judiciary has run its reputation down completely since 2003.”

    Gen. Buhari blamed the international community for turning blind eye to electoral malpractice in Nigeria.

    He said: “Here, I would like to say a few words about the international observers. In 1999, the greatly revered former US President, Jimmy Carter, walked off in a huff at the conduct of that year’s presidential election. But, compared to what took place afterwards, the 1999 election was a model of propriety.

    “I am sure many Nigerians like me feel gratitude to the international community, notably the Catholic Secretariat which deployed over 1,000 observers in 2003 and the National Democratic Institute in Washington for their work in Nigeria.

    “In 2003 and 2007, all the international observer teams, along with domestic observers concluded that those two elections fell far short of acceptable standards. The Nigerian government, along with the international community, ignored those critical reports.

    “Some members of this audience may recall the trenchant criticisms by the UK and US governments on the Zimbabwean elections held about the same time as Nigeria’s. Now the Zimbabwean elections were very much better conducted than the Nigerian elections as the opposition party in Zimbabwe actually was declared to have won the parliamentary elections.

    “Yet, Western Governments turned a blind eye to Nigerian elections and an eagle eye on Zimbabwe’s and its supposed shortcomings. No better illustration of double-standards can be cited. Accordingly, in 2011, the international observers, having seen their painstaking work in earlier years completely ignored, took the line of least resistance and concluded after cursory examinations that the elections were okay.

    Gen. Buhari accused the Federal Government of allegedly frittering away the Execss Crude Account (ECA).

    “Instead of using the so-called excess crude account which in other countries goes by the name of Sovereign Wealth Fund to develop major domestic infrastructure, such as power, railways, road development, the account has been frittered away and applied to current consumption.

    “There is no magic, no short-cut to economic development. We must start from first principles – by developing agriculture and industries.”

    On corruption, the politician said it had “shot through all facets of government and economic life” in Nigeria.

    He added: “Until serious efforts are made to tackle corruption, which is beyond the capacity of this government, economic growth and stability will elude us. On corruption, don’t just take my word for it.

    “The Chairman of one of the bodies charged with the task of fighting corruption in Nigeria, Mr. Ekpo Nta of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), was quoted by the Daily Trust newspaper of 14th February, 2013, as saying that there was no political will to fight corruption in Nigeria .”

    On administrative structure for the country, Gen. Buhari expressed regrets that state, had become dysfunctional.

    He said: “We have tried regions and this was deemed lopsided and a trap to minorities. We tried 12, 19 and now 36 states and there is clamour for more.

    “I firmly believe that state creation has now become dysfunctional, as disproportionate amounts of our meager resources go to over-heads at the expense of basic social services and infrastructural development.

    “Moreover, I also believe that Nigeria ’s problem is not so much the structure but the process. Nevertheless, I believe a careful and civil conversation should be held to look closely at the structure.”

  • No plan to disband Eagles if….

    THE Stephen Keshi-tutored Super Eagles who begin their quest for glory in South Africa today, will not be disbanded irrespective of their eventual standing at the end of AFCON 2013.

    Minister of Sports and chairman National Sports Commission (NSC) Bolaji Abdullahi, who gave the assurance, said the team has shown enough commitment to returning the country to an enviable position in the round-leather-game. He added that the best assistance that can be given to the technical crew is to allow consolidation on achievements made so far.

    “Of course, it is natural to set targets, but I assure you that no matter the outcome of our campaign in South Africa, this team will be left intact,” he assured in a chat with SportingLife Friday in Lagos.

    Nigeria, winners of the 1980 and 1994 editions of the Nations Cup, begin campaign for a third title today against Burkina Fasso. Keshi who won the title as a player will be hoping to further boost his profile by winning the title as a coach.

  • Eminent citizens to Jonathan: disband your cabinet now

    Eminent citizens to Jonathan: disband your cabinet now

    The ship of the Nigerian state is sinking, eminent Nigerians said in Lagos yesterday.

    The Patriots urged President Goodluck Jonathan to take radical steps to stop the country from descending into anarchy.

    The group’s leader, Prof. Ben Nwabuaeze, an octogenarian constitutional lawyer and one time Secretary of Education, read a statement at a Lagos news conference in which the group urged Dr. Jonathan to “reconstruct his government immediately and appoint a competent, energetic, selfless, patriotic team, which will assist him in initiating the peaceful but far-reaching revolution involved”.

    The Patriots also insisted on a national conference, saying the increasing demands for more states and local governments is “seen by many of the would-be rulers of the new entities as the quickest way to personal fortune and not necessarily for dedicated public service, to spread development and improve the standard of living and quality of life of the vast majority of our people”.

    Nwabueze said the government has failed to tackle the Boko Haram challenge. “Security of lives and property is the foremost challenge for any government. On the issue of Boko Haram, we do not believe that it is being tackled effectively by the Federal Government. There is need to do more, though we are not in a position to say more about security because it is a sensitive matter.”

    With Nwabueze at the briefing were Olorogun Felix Ibru, Gen Alani Akinrinade, Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, Chief Philip Asiodu, Mrs. Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, Chris Okoye, Chief Solomon Asemota, Senator Ben Obi, Mr. Michael Orabotor and Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

    The challenges facing the country, according to them are: pervasive corruption; outrageous remuneration of political office holders; detoriating security situation; proliferation of government agencies and government’s failure to improve power and transportation.

    They also pointed out the inability to improve educational facilities, failure to punish appropriately and promptly the few persons found guilty of corruption and failure to embark on effective and widespread publicity of Vision 2020 and the Jonathan 2011 – 2015 Transformation Agenda to demonstrate the commitment and determination of the leadership to implement them.

    The Patriots said: “In order to avoid the horrors of descent into a very bloody and destructive anarchy, there is need for a revolutionary change of attitude among key elements of the national leadership and the emergence of a re-awakened and re-vitalised responsive government.

    “It is the duty and historical challenge of President Goodluck Jonathan as the democratically elected president of the country in whom authority for government is vested, to initiate and lead the necessary revolutionary changes to enable the nation avoid the horrendous holocaust which threatens.”

    The Patriots said: “The purpose of this conference is to enable the people of this country, as members of ethnic groups and as individuals, to deliberate and agree on how they are to live together in peace and unity, and to work out a programme of ensuring development and progress for the benefit of all Nigerians and for promoting nation-building and integration of the various ethnic groups in the country in equality and freedom, and the continuing development of the Nigerian nation.

    “The Patriots believe that a national front comprising itself, Project Nigeria, Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Elders Forum, Middle Belt Forum, Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta, South-South Peoples Assembly and other civil society organisations, is necessary to facilitate the process of convening a National Conference.

    “We (The Patriots) are at present actively engaged in efforts to create such front. When the effort is completed, a meeting of the front with Mr. President and leaders of the National Assembly will be organised, and a memorandum on the National Conference submitted to them, accompanied by a draft bill on the subject, covering all aspects of it, particularly representation at the conference, election/selection of delegates, preparation of a draft constitution and its submission and adoption at a referendum.”

    The Patriots said they will approach certain persons who command reverence and credibility as “fathers of the nation” to join in appealing to the President and the leaders of the National Assembly to accede to the demand for convening the National Conference.

    Nwabueze said: “We are only postponing the evil day, until we have a National Conference. We must have it, if we don’t have it now, we will have it some day.”