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Tag: governorship

  • Governorship poll a priority, says ex-lawmaker

    Governorship poll a priority, says ex-lawmaker

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Princess Omowumi Olatunji has said the people of Ondo State are warming up for the governorship election, adding that the carrot of council poll dangled at them by Governor Olusegun Mimiko is a distraction.

    She faulted the decision to conduct the local government elections by the Mimiko administration, which she said, had rejected the agitation for the exercise in the last seven years.

    Olatunji, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, said that it is curious that the governor who had refused to conduct the elections has suddenly turned around to release its timetable at a time people are preparing for the governorship poll.

    Describing the council election as a trap and distraction, she said many stakeholders are of the view that the poll should be conducted by the next administration.

    Olatunji said: “The state is ready for the governorship election. It is going to be an election with a difference. The people of Ondo State are yearning for change. The APC is now their party of choice. We need to probe for the motivation for planning for the local government elections by the same government that has refused to hold it in the past seven years. The priority of the stakeholders now is the governorship election.”

    The politician, who spoke with reporters in Akure, the state capital, on her empowerment programme for women and youths, applauded the opposition political parties for their decision to boycott the council polls. She said the boycott will herald a credibility problem for the local electoral process.

    Olatunji, who chided the government for its inability to pay salaries of workers regularly, urged the people to endure the hardship, assuring that help is on the way.

    She added: “I think everything is set for the APC and we have to leverage on the inability of the current government to discharge its duties. I won’t lie to you. People are not happy with the Mimko administration. I think it has really lost its popularity. Many things have gone wrong. So, you cannot repair a broken wall overnight.

    “The Buhari administration just got into office less than a year. We are not going to expect so much. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. So, for any administration that is still flowing from the PDP, it will be rejected. They do not have the interest of people at heart.

    Olatunji reflected on the succession struggle in the Sunshine state, saying that the large number of aspirants on the platform of the APC will not constitute any problem for the main opposition party. She said: “ I believe the leadership is looking into that and at the end of the day, the number would be pruned down. So, I see that number reducing before the primary. We cannot have that large number; it doesn’t make sense, it does add up to have 25 people going for the shadow poll. I think the party is looking towards that direction to prune down the number of aspirants.”

    Exuding confidence over the proposed governorship poll, the former lawmaker said the gale of defections from the PDP to the APC have attested to the public disillusionment about the Mimiko’s government.

    She said if voted at the poll, the next APC governor will advance the cause of change and progress and restore the lost glory of Ondo State.

    Olatunji stressed: “The APC is a government that believes in accountability and that is what we are saying and in whatever we are doing, we are very consistent; we believe in continuity. Anything that we do, we sustain it and that is what we are selling-consistency in governance. We don’t believe in duplication and wasting money. Anything that we are doing and is affecting people positively, we sustain it. Also, in what we do, transparency is important. You must be seen not to only say you are transparent. You must be seen to be transparent.”

    On the empowerment programme set up in memory of her mother, she said:  With the empowerment that I have introduced, it is going to capture a large number of people. On individual basis, I have been doing that, paying school fees for people and all that. It is what I am used to. You get to hear this family has problem, that one is sick in the hospital. I do that periodically; sometimes on a weekly basis, on a daily basis. So, I touch their lives. But, I want to look at a larger percentage of the people of Ondo State. That is why I am sponsoring an empowerment programme that will cut across the entire state to touch a thousand people-youths, women, old people, widows, orphans.

  • Linus Idahosa’s quest for Edo governorship

    Linus Idahosa’s quest for Edo governorship

    As a Christian, the story of Daniel who was in the lion’s den and came out unscathed is well-known to him. As a believer, he must also believe that with God all things are possible. His name is Linus Idahosa. His belief in Christ has nothing to do with his surname and the late Bishop Benson Idahosa.

    Idahosa is one of those men who have to carry the burden of being described using their popular wives. His wife is a successful actress and film maker Stephanie Linus who produced the award-winning ‘Dry’, a film on VVF. But with Idahosa’s quest for Edo State’s number one seat, chances are that he will no longer have to bear this burden.

    If his plans sail through, Idahosa, 37, will take the baton from Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Stephanie will be addressed as wife of Edo State governor.

    But who is this man daring the old to the coveted seat? He is the CEO of Del-York International and Farenheight Global Security Solutions. In a career spanning 15 years, his organisations have championed various initiatives to drive innovation in media, entertainment, youth development and national security.

    When he completed the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programme, he was awarded ‘Corper of the Year’. After this, he joined Nayee Security Printing Press (a high level security printing company in Lagos, Nigeria) and rose to become General Manager. He later became Managing Director  of Joscas Engineering, a turnkey engineering and construction firm. His constant interface with International media/PR agencies coupled with his inherent skills in Public Relations and Mediation eventually informed his career move into the media and broadcast Industry. Linus honed his skills while working with ace broadcaster Segun Akpata for CNN as its exclusive accredited agent and producer in Nigeria.

    He played a pivotal role in raising awareness of Nigerian brands on CNN. He also worked with the private firms and government agencies to maximise their visibility on the platform. His quest to enhance youth and institutional development led him to sign a strategic partnership deal with The New-York Film Academy to represent the institution in Africa, and between 2010 and 2015 he successfully flew in 72 of its lecturers from New York and Los Angeles into Nigeria.

    Idahosa has forged positive strategic relationships with global media organisations, NGOs, and governments across Africa.

    Through intensive vocational training programmes, he has empowered young graduates and professionals within the creative and media industries, resulting in job creation, higher professional and technical standards and lucrative international collaborations.

    In recognition for his work, he was in July 2015 invited by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth to Buckingham Palace where he met with her personally at the Queens Young Leaders Awards in London.

    He has been a tireless campaigner for the youth, both domestically and internationally. He carries with him a message that good governance delivers extensive social capital —including the creation of jobs as well as enabling growth and diversification of the economy. He believes that Nigeria should be a net exporter of its cultural products, whilst deploying the creative arts as a potent instrument for diplomacy and international relations.

    As an ardent ambassador for ‘Brand Nigeria’, Idahosa seeks to serve his people, using his wealth of experience and vibrancy of youth to positively contribute to the collective effort of building a greater Edo State and Nigeria.

    With the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) saturated with older and richer aspirants, Idahosa has pitched his tenth with the Young Democratic Party (YDP).

    Idahosa is convinced that mobilising young people to support what is in their interest is not as difficult as it seems.

    “On the 15th of March 2014, I received a picture from a Thisday Photo journalist, by name Sunday Aghaeze; that picture was to change the course of my life. It was my screensaver for a whole year.

    “It was an aerial shot of a crowd of almost 70,000 young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 cramped up at the Abuja stadium in search of a job opportunity at the Nigerian Immigration Service

    “Eyes filled with hope, fear, promise, desperation and faith in what was possible. For me, it was the highest demonstration of faith in an idea in what was possible but a lack of skill in how to get there. I was convinced that these same men and women some day would come out in their droves if they were convinced that their best interest was going to be served,” he said.

    On generational shift, he says: “I believe we now have an opportunity to rewrite history. Nigeria is at its tipping point; at no time in our history has there been the need for a generational shift in governance in Nigeria. We have been debating, analysing and pontificating on this across various traditional and social media platforms, it is now time to turn our resentment about all that is good or not with our Country and leaders to a strong resolve that we would be the change that we seek. We constitute 70% of our population; where is our representation in Government?”

    ”There seems to be a fundamental flaw in our thinking; a veil that we have placed before ourselves, when it comes to young professionals vying for elective offices. A veil that immediately stops us from attempting to take on the challenge of governance. We have often been referred to as the SA Generation’. A generation whose birth right it seems is to become SAs and PAs, when indeed we provide the architecture, the policies and the brains for the smooth running of most elected officers at both federal and state levels.”

    He identifies money politics as the biggest challenge to politics in this clime.

    His words: “The biggest challenge to democracy in Africa is money politics. When people are impoverished they want instant gratification.

    “We live in an age where young men and women pursue fame instead of honour, riches instead of wealth and position instead of service.

    “It is time to frontally combat money politics in Nigeria. A different kind of education is needed; an education of the head, an education of the hand and most importantly, an education of the heart.”

    He says being young is an advantage.  ”Look through history and ask yourself: what was the age of the young Europeans who came in the 18th century to conquer Africa?”

    He adds: “What was the age of Henry Stanley when they came to the continent to capture and enslave our ancestors? What was the age of Wilberforce when he was agitating for the abolition of slavery? How old was Jean van Rhibeck when he settled in SA in the cape coast in 1668. How old was Ferdinand de brasa when he conquered what is now called Congo Brazaville?

    “What was the age of Martin Luther King junior when he led the civil rights movement? How old was Eduardo Mondlane or Samora Moises Marshel in Mozambique? What was the age of Nelson Mandela in 1964 and Oliver Tambo? How about Sam Nyoma and Toivoya Toivo in Namibia? How old was Augustino Naeto in Angola or Jounas Malheiro Savimbi? How old was Kenneth David Kaunda in Zambia and Hastings Kamuzu Banda in Malawi or Kwame Nkrumah? How old was Donald Duke when he became Governor of Cross River State? They were all in their 20s and 30s.

    “At that time they knew only one thing, they had to liberate their continent. They had no wealth, they had only the force of their conviction. Young Nigerians must realise that we are the masters of our own subjectivity. We must realise it is time to rise up to the occasion. Here lies the generation that would liberate Nigeria!”

  • Unravelling Kogi governorship impasse

    Unravelling Kogi governorship impasse

    The recent inauguration of Yahaya Bello as governor of Kogi State without a deputy is a novel development. To resolve the matter requires the intervention of the court to provide clarification, RAYMOND MORDI and LEKE SALAUDEEN, who spoke to lawyers and other stakeholders, report. 

    Kogi State made history recently as its fourth elected governor, Yahaya Bello, was sworn in without a deputy. The person who was supposed to be his deputy, Abiodun Faleke, is challenging the legality of the emergence of Bello as the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer, following the demise of the former governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu. With the current state of affairs, the party has mandated Governor Bello to choose a deputy he can work with.

    But, opinions are divided among legal practitioners on the matter. Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Albert Akpomudje, believes the governor represents the substance and that it is only when the governorship candidate is not in place that there will be an issue. He said: “The main man is there. It is only when he is not there that there can be serious issues. The governor can be sworn in while the issue of his deputy can be regularised subsequently.”

    Similarly, the APC National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, said there is no law that says a governor must be sworn in with a deputy governor. What the law provided for, he added, is that a governorship candidate must contest with a running mate and Yahaya Bello fulfilled the condition. He added: “The governor contested with a deputy. Secondly, no law says that a governor cannot be sworn in, in the absence of a Deputy. Hence, the requirement of the law for valid nomination has been met.”

    Former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Mr. Monday Ubani agrees. He said swearing-in Governor Bello without his deputy in attendance is not strange. According to him, it was not Bello’s fault. It was the deputy governorship candidate nominated by his party that failed to make himself available at the swearing-in. Ubani pointed out that Bello had a deputy at the time he was declared winner of the governorship poll.

    Ubani explained: “There is a provision in the constitution for a governor-elect who failed to turn up for swearing-in to be replaced by his deputy but the same constitution does not make such provision for the deputy governor-elect. Since Mr. James Faleke has declined to serve as deputy governor, Bello has the right to pick a new deputy and send his or her name to the State House of Assembly for approval. He said the fact that a deputy governor-elect stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony cannot stop or invalidate the event.

    Civil rights activist Comrade Moshood Erubami aligned himself with Ubani’s position. Erubami, who is the President of the Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTAS), said: “It is not correct to say that Governor Bello is without a Deputy or portray the political scenario in Kogi as a deliberate error on the part of the APC, given the circumstance that underlined  the events that led to the swearing of the governor who was sworn in because he was the preferred candidate of the party”.

    Erubami recalled that Faleke was the appointed Deputy to the late Audu and he remained in that position until he withdrew. He said: “The non-appointment of a deputy could without prejudice be due to two reasons: Firstly, Faleke would have been automatic deputy if not that he rejected the offer and sought the intervention of the court to determine who should be governor in the event of the death of the candidate in an inconclusive election?

    “Secondly, In my view, since there are pending court cases on the issue, it will be wrong for the APC to pre-empt the court final determination of who should be the Governor hence the party did not appoint anybody for now. A new deputy will be appointed immediately the court/tribunal dispose the case before it.

    A lawyer, Mr. Kunle Adegoke, agreed that it was the death of Prince Audu that led to the situation that warranted the swearing in of Bello without a deputy. He said: “Following the death of Audu, the APC made a replacement as requested by the electoral commission and what the party did was to pick the runner-up in the governorship primaries and that was Bello who came second in the exercise. The party, however, retained Faleke as deputy governorship candidate.”

    Adegoke said if Faleke decided to pull out of the arrangement, Bello now has the right to pick a new deputy acceptable to the party and seek approval of the State Assembly.

    Erubami explained further: “It would seem that it was Faleke’s refusal to be deputy that made the Chief Judge to swear in Yahaya Bello as Governor without a deputy, the legality of the action is as novel like the death of Alhaji Abubakar Audu and will be decided by the tribunal after due consideration and whatever the decision of the Court will settle the current debate and strengthen both the Electoral Act, the Constitution and our growing democracy.

    “In my layman’s view, it is an indisputable fact that Hon. Faleke withdrew to be deputy and since it is his right to do so, and since he has also sought the intervention of the court to determine the validity of his party’s action, against his own claim, we would need to wait for the court to pronounce the legality of the two actions, the end of which nobody could object once it goes through the whole hog. The scenario thrown up in Kogi is good for our law and democracy having underscored the fact that all legitimate laws cannot be enacted in a day. The makers of our laws are human beings and they are not infallible.

    “As it is, it is the court that has the final say because the sword of justice is double-edged and the person carrying it is blindfolded, she can cut either side. We should look up to the Supreme Court to set new rules to be quoted in the future as precedent.”

    But, Mr Jide Eniola, a lawyer, sees it differently. He said the constitution made it mandatory that, for a governorship candidate to be qualified to run election, he must have a deputy because both of them are to run on a joint ticket. Eniola insisted that Bello ran the supplementary election without a deputy because Faleke did not accept to be his running mate.

    According to him, Faleke wrote the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to that effect. Then, who was Bello’s running mate, he queried. It was a breach of the Constitution to run governorship election without a running mate, he argued.

    The APC Publicity Secretary, Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who spoke in his personal capacity, stated that while the system have decided to swear in Mr. Bello, he saw “a travesty and an aberration” in the development.

    Igbokwe said: “The truth here and nothing but the truth is that the late Chief Abubakar Audu/ James Abiodun Faleke won the November 21 2015 Governor election fair and square before Audu’s death in the early hours of Sunday, November 22, 2015. When the news filtered into the public space that Audu had died what the State INEC Returning Officer, Professor Emmanuel Kucha would have done is to do an urgent truthful and honest consultations, carry out a simple arithmetic, check the number of registered voters, check the number of those with PVCs in 91 polling Units.

    “The world was told that there are 49,000 registered voters in the remaining 91 polling units and out of that 49,000 voters, only 25,000 have PVCs. But, the late Audu was leading with 41,000 votes. Assuming that all the 25,000 persons with PVCs voted for the PDP, Abubakar Audu would still have beaten Governor Wada silly with 16,000 votes. This professor turned sound reasoning upside down by saying the election was inconclusive and ordered for supplementary election in the remaining 91 polling units. Now what was the result? Only about 10,000 votes were garnered in the futile exercise that wasted everybody’s precious gift of time, energy, money, strength and power.

    “Now a combination of ethnic politics, primordial sentiments, and fear of the unknown led the APC Kogi and the APC National to do the unthinkable by pushing Alhaji Bello who lost the primaries, and may not have supported the APC candidate in the cause of the elections proper to steal the mandate won by Prince Audu and James Faleke in a keenly contested exercise fraught with excruciating pains, doubts, apprehension, anxiety, fatigue, panic and unease. What was their excuse? Faleke did not partake in the primaries. Do deputy governors take part in primaries? This is the absurdity that led to the emergence of Bello.”

    Adetunji Fadairo (SAN) said swearing in Bello without a deputy is constitutionally not tidy because the constitution did not support such. He said: “If there is no deputy governorship candidate, I think there is a constitutional provision for somebody to act, probably the Speaker. I don’t think the governor is allowed to be sworn in without a deputy. Constitutionally, it is untidy.”

    Against this background, Lagos-based lawyer Ogunlami Olumuyiwa Babatunde said the inauguration of Bello as governor without a deputy is a novel development that requires the intervention of the courts to provide clarification.

    He said: “It is a new development in our jurisprudence. Basically, what people should know is that the constitution cannot provide for everything under the sun just like the constitution never envisaged the death of former governor, Abubakar Audu who contested the election. He can appoint a deputy any moment from now, probably before the court makes pronouncement.”

    Lawyer and human rights activist Adetokunbo Mumini agrees with those who argue that since the constitution did not give any specific role to the deputy governor, he is more or less like an appointee of the governor.

    Nevertheless, he believes that the Kogi matter is for the court to decide. He said: “It has never happened before that a governor would be sworn in without a deputy. I think that what should have happened is that the APC should have appointed another deputy governor-elect immediately Faleke declined, so he would be sworn in together with the governor. That is what the law provides for.”

  • Still on the Abia governorship tussle

    December 31, 3015 was a special day for Abia and its well-meaning people. It was a day God delivered a unique New Year package to His own people through a well-thought out verdict of the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri.

    The day began like any other until late evening when news filtered into the state that the Appeal Court had delivered its judgment on the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti.

    Otti had approached the Appeal Court to upturn the judgment of the Hon. Justice Usman Bwala-led governorship election petition, which affirmed the election of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor.

    The five-member jurists of the Court of Appeal, headed by Hon. Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, not only annulled the purported election of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor but declared Otti the winner of the election. The court resolved that Otti scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election. And Hon. Justice Omoleye, beyond pronouncing Otti the winner, ordered that he (Otti) should be sworn in.

     

    How Abians received the court of appeal judgment

    The jubilation that came with the eve of January 1, 2016 judgment was spontaneous and widespread. From Arochukwu to Umunneochi down to Umuahia up to Aba, Owaza and far end of Ndoki and Ohambele in Ukwa East Local Government Area of the state, the people’s joy knew no bounds. Villages, communities and cities erupted in wild celebration.

    The joy was palpable and infectious all over the state as residents danced and made merry all-night-long on the streets and churches, thanking God for finally taking firm charge of the affairs of the state. It was indeed a beautiful and divine as it coincided with the celebration line up to herald a New Year.

    This was the situation that pervaded and still pervades the state to date. Suddenly and just from the blues emerged the forces of evil, which have over the last 16 years held down Abia from growth and development.

    Swimming against the tide and in contrast with the popular feelings across the state, some disgruntled professional politicians began to hold nocturnal meetings, where the idea to sponsor serial protests against the judgment was hatched.

    So, barely 48 hours after the landmark judgment was delivered, PDP shenanigans, mixed with street urchins, took to the streets to molest unsuspecting motorists at the Aba-end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in the guise of a protest against the judgment that brought joy and hope of economic and political emancipation to more than 90 per cent non-PDP Abians.

    Of course, it was clear that the intention of the few protesters was to create the false impression that the people of Ukwa/Ngwa extraction of the state were opposed to the judgment. But that aim was roundly defeated because in the real sense, such a protest ought to be spontaneous and instantaneous, coming on the spur of the moment. Rather the protest came two days after the judgment, giving it away as sponsored and an after-thought.

    The scanty size of the protesters, who later moved to the streets of Umuahia, turned out to be a child play, when a multitude of Abians thronged the major streets of the capital city on Wednesday, January 6 to celebrate Otti and the December 31 judgment.

    The celebrators, comprising supporters and admirers of the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank, took Umuahia by storm. The victory celebration attracted street traders, artisans, tricycle operators, motorists, market men and women as well as pensioners. The celebration was to continue in Aba but it was disrupted by the police on the orders of the state government.

     

    The April governorship election in perspective

    The story of the April 11 general election in Abia state can be comprehensively captured with a narrative of the bizarre drama that played out at the state collation centre on the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Umuahia.

    The exercise commenced smoothly even though the atmosphere was tense. The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, who was flanked on both sides by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Selina Oko, and security chiefs in the state, kicked off the collation of the results of the election from the 17 local government areas.

    Midway into the exercise and at a time Otti was cruising comfortably to victory, having expectedly shot into a comfortable lead in nine out of the 14 local government areas (LGAs) collated, came the bombshell. Prof. Ozumba declared the results of the election in Obingwa, Osisioma and isialangwa North LGAs cancelled.

    He said: ‘’By the powers conferred on me, I hereby cancel the results of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isialnagwa North LGAs based on incontrovertible evidence from international observers.’’ The cancellation was recorded by the local and international election monitors as well as journalists and security chiefs, who largely made up the audience.

    No sooner had he announced the cancellation than some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stole into the collation centre like a thief in the night.

    And in a brute and rascally manner, characteristic of the legendry Idi Amin of Uganda, they whisked the REC away from the collation centre to her office.

    Rising from a meeting, Ozumba, who now looked intimidated and mystified, immediately recanted, reversed the cancellation of the results and proceeded to re-admit them. At the end of the exercise, he declared the election inconclusive, with no clear winner. He ordered a supplementary election in selected polling units in Osisioma, Ugwunagbo and just one unit in Isialangwa North. No unit was listed for the supplementary in Obingwa, where the mother of all-rigging took place.

    This was how PDP arm-twisted INEC and paved the way for the declaration of Okezie as the governor, after awarding fabulous figures to the party in the three controversial LGAs.

     

    Post-declaration public reaction

    Ikpeazu’s declaration as governor was a sad commentary for Abians. Many people in the villages, communities and cities broke down psychologically with the INEC declaration. It was a dark Sunday for the good people of the state. INEC has dashed their hope of getting rid of PDP and everything it represented in the state.

    Relief however came their way, when Otti announced at a press briefing that he would challenge the result in the tribunal, pointing out that ‘’the battle has just be  started.’’ He described the INEC declaration of Ikpeazu as governor as ‘’a rape of democracy.’’

     

    Salient issues in Otti’s petition

    In his petition, Otti had alleged over-voting in Obingwa, Osisioma and Isialangwa South LGAs, signing of multiple ward results in the affected LGAs by local government agents rather than the duly accredited ward agents. He also requested the tribunal to sustain the cancellation of the results of the three LGAs in line with the initial pronouncement of the returning officer, insisting that Ozumba had no power to reverse the cancellation. He also cited sundry other irregularities and malpractices that vitiated the credibility of the results in the three contentious LGAs.

    Surprisingly, these weighty issues, which characterised the election in the three LGAs and rendered it substantially non-compliant to the Electoral Act, were dismissed by the tribunal.

    The cloud of depression and hopelessness that enveloped the cities, towns and villages in the wake of the tribunal judgment endured until December 31, 2015, the eve of the New Year day. However, Abia and its well-meaning people experienced a fresh breadth on December 31 with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    The judgment was the needed tonic that brought life back to many Abians, who were dying by installment each passing day as they waited patiently for justice and the recovery of their mandate.

    This is the reason for the unending joy today in the streets of Aba, Umuahia, Obehie, Ukwa, Umunneochi, Ohafia, Arochukwu and Bende as well as the villages and communities in the state.

    In his official reaction to the judgment, entitled ‘’Justice at last,’’ Otti said, ‘’It is said that the windmill of justice may grind slowly but it surely does grind.

    ‘’After more than seven months of tortuous and needless legal tussle, the will of the people has triumphed!’’

    Also reacting to the judgment, Ikpeazu, who urged his supporters to remain calm, said that he would challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court through his counsel.

    Aside from wasting the scarce state resources, pursuing a matter that is already sealed at the Court of Appeal, appears more like a wild goose chase and an exercise in futility. And expecting the Supreme Court to reverse the unanimous decision of a five-member panel of jurists looks like mere wishful-thinking, a mirage and a near-impossibility.

    Indeed, it amounts to self-delusion for anyone to expect the nation’s apex court to uphold a proven case of massive electoral fraud, brazenly committed by PDP desperadoes to continue to foist themselves on the people against their wish.

    According to a popular maxim, anyone who goes to equity must go with clean hands. It goes to explain therefore that going to the Supreme Court with proven cases of over-voting, massive electoral fraud, corrupt practices, irregularities and substantial non-compliance to Electoral Act, with an intent to shortchange the people and deny them their popular choice, is akin to going to equity with soiled hand. And nobody goes to equity with blemish and expects justice.

     

    • Great Nwadike is an Abia indigene resident in the United Kingdom

  • ’How appeal court erred on Abia governorship verdict’

    Civil society organisations under the aegis of Civil Society Alliance for Good Governance has criticised the judgment of the Appeal Court which upturned the election of Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

    The group said the decision, which resulted from the cancellation of results in three local government areas of Obingwa, Isialangwa North and Osisioma Ngwa amounts to disenfranchisement of the masses.

    In its statement endorsed by the Coordinator and Secretary, Emmanuel Usoro and Okechukwu Victor Ogbonna, the group expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would restore ‘the inalienable right’ denied the people by the judgment.

    They argued that the voting strength of the three cancelled local government areas would substantially affect the result of the entire election.

    “If the number of votes awarded to the two candidates by the Appeal Court, which is 279,776, and the number of registered voters in the three local government’s is 259,222, then there is no way the result of the election in the three local government areas will not affect the result of the entire election substantially.

    “Going by the above facts, it stands to reason that the Appeal Court judgment disenfranchising this large number of voters is very unfair, grossly perverse and ought not to be allowed to stand”, they stated.

    The group submitted that the judgment even denied the declared winner right to vote for himself, arguing that there is no law that says an entire local government election should be cancelled on account of over-voting, insisting that over-voting did not and cannot occur in 458 polling units in the three local government areas.

    “For us in the civil society, this judgment flies in the face of our collective march towards a people-oriented democracy and good governance”, they declared.

    Meanwhile, some lawyers have also reacted to the judgment, saying it amounts to disenfranchisement of voters. Former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch, Monday Onyekachi Ubani said he doesn’t think the Court of Appeal was right in canceling the results of three local governments without ordering for a rerun.

    According to him, it is bizzare to cancel an entire local government because of over-voting which in any case occurs in polling units. He expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would strengthen the position of the law with regards to that.

    Also, a Lagos-based lawyer, Martins Nnebedum said he was shocked when he read the decision of the Court of Appeal. He stated that the number of votes cancelled was high, adding that it amounts to disenfranchisement.

    According to him, what the court could have done was to order for a rerun as a result of the number of votes involved. He added that the cancellation is strange because it did so in the local governments where the sitting governor has his strength. He stressed that elections should be by the people and not by judicial fiat.

    “The worst case scenario is that the court should order a rerun,” he said, urging the Supreme Court to do justice.

     

     

     

  • Eight Owo indigenes in Ondo governorship race

    Eight Owo indigenes in Ondo governorship race

    •Olowo urges unity among contenders

    Owo, a politically conscious agrarian community in Ondo State, has played important roles in the history of the Southwest. The first most important political meeting, which was the launch of the defunct Action Group (AG), led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was hosted by the Owo community in 1951.

    The town has produced many first class politicians. In the old Western Region, the first educated Olowo of Owo, Oba Olateru-Olagbegi, was a prominent member of the House of Chief. Also, a prominent Owo indigene, the late Chief Michael Ajasin, was the last President of Egbe Omo Oduduwa and Second Republic governor of Ondo State. For many years, Owo was also at war with itself for partisan reasons. Political differences, clash of ambitions of leading lights and crisis arising from the deposition of the monarch and his reinstatement have paved the way for division, strife and rancour.

    When Owo was enveloped by communal clashes, houses were in flames. Prominent indigenes were hacked to death. The anger, animosity and culture of hate have not completely subsided in the ancient town. The memory of the sad episode lingers in the hearts of the victims. What is most striking is the lack of unity in Owo, despite series of reconciliation.

    The disunity also manifests in the clash of ambitions among the eight governorship aspirants from the town. The scenario is worrisome to the Olowo, Oba Folagbade Olateru-Olagbegi. The monarch was said to have held two meetings with the aspirants, urging them not to set the town on fire. A source said: “The Olowo, his chiefs and other community leaders want Owo to produce the next governor. But, there are fears that the votes may be split, if the eight indigenes insist on participating at the primaries.”

    The aspirants are Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba, Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose, Mr. Awodeyi Akinseyinwa Apata, Hon. Sule Akinsuyi,  Bukola Adetula, Dr. Bode Ayorinde, and Olubunmi Agbaminoja. A source said that Chief Segun Ojo may join the race.

    Akeredolu was the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 election. He was defeated by Governor Olusegun Mimiko. Party chieftains complained that he was imposed on the party. Shortly after poll, he indicated interest in the office of the National Legal Adviser. But, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) from Lagos eventually occupied the office because he had the backing of powerful leaders.

    Recently, Akeredolu hosted party members for the Yuletide celebrations. During the ceremony, some members resolved to work for the actualisation of his ambition. Akeredolu has a rich profile. He is a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

    Anifowose, a lawyer, is the daughter of Chief Ajasin. She also served as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Adefarati Administration. She was the chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Ekungba, a banker, is a Board of Trustees (BoT) member. Party sources said he became a BoT member, when another female aspirant turned down the offer. He is being considered for a board appointment by the Federal Government, the source added.

    Akinsuyi is an experienced politician. In the Third Republic, he was elected into the Ondo State House of Assembly. He was the Commissioner for Special Duties under Governor Mimiko.

    Adetula is a lawyer. He is a household name in Owo, his father, Pa Soka Adetula, having served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic.

    Ayorinde, the founder of the Achievers’ University, is a member of the House of Assembly.

    Akinseyinwa Apata, the youngest aspirant, is a businessman.

  • APC governorship candidate denies ‘video clip’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Taraba State, Senator Aisha Alhassan, has distanced herself from a purported ‘video clip’ circulated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    In the video clip, it was alleged that the APC candidate, who is also the Minister of Women Affairs, boasted that she would influence the outcome of the Appeal Court’s judgment at the Supreme Court.

    The Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja had annulled the election of Darius Ishaku as the governor and declared Alhassan as the winner of the April 12, 2015 governorship election.

    In a twist, the Appeal Court last month nullified the victory awarded the APC candidate by the tribunal.

    Alhassan, dismissing the purported ‘video clip’, denied any attempt, either by herself or aides to influence the apex court’s judgment in her favour.

    A statement by the Aisha Media Office signed by John Ali-Mararaba in Kaduna yesterday said the PDP was jittery over her approaching the Supreme Court.

    This, she said, was responsible for the so-called video clip, adding that the party was confused, desperate and trying to whip up judiciary’s sympathy (Supreme Court).

    “Why are they worrying and trying to whip up sentiments if they say they have a good case and I have no case?”  Senator Alhassan asked.

    She said rather than wasting tax payers’ money on campaigns in the media, PDP should prepare to meet her at the Supreme Court.

    Acknowledging that power comes from God and only Him gives, the APC standard- bearer said if she had the power or influence as alleged by the PDP, she would have got the Appeal Court judgment in her favour.

    She said: “The Court of Appeal has decided that I have no locus standi to question Ishaku’s qualification and eligibility to contest the election. Although with due respect to the Court of Appeal, I don’t agree with that because that is not the position of the law and the proper place to prove that is before the Supreme Court and not the media. This why I am going to the Supreme Court.

    “So, the PDP should keep cool, stop wasting Taraba State’s funds on media campaign and let us meet at the Supreme Court.

    “As I have always said, I believe in God and the judiciary which I was part of for 20 years before I joined politics.

    “I have always said only God gives power and not man. Therefore, nobody, no matter how rich or influential he or she may be, can change the will of God or my destiny.

    “If I had that kind of power or influence as alleged by the PDP, I would have used it to get the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    “The edited video clip the PDP in Taraba State are making an issue of is nothing but a contradiction of the message they are trying to send or my image they are trying to portray.”

  • Ex-Speaker in governorship race

    The former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Victor Olabimtan, has joined the governorship race.

    According to him, “my word will be my bond and I pledge to treat Ondo State as one with development evenly distributed”.

    At a briefing in Akure, the state capital, the Supare-Akoko-born politician and teacher declared his intention to run on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Olabimtan, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Commissioner in the Federal Civil Service, said his motive is to get the best for the citizens.

    He said: “Our agenda is to align our systems, processes and outcomes to that of a modern state where things will work for all.

    “There is need for justice, fairness and equity, we need emancipation and positive change in the state. We need a person who will see Ondo State as his own project and not that of his catchment area alone.”

  • Rivers governorship: APC, PDP back in the trenches

    Rivers governorship: APC, PDP back in the trenches

    In anticipation for a possible rerun in Rivers State Governorship Election, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress have returned to the trenches

    Following the decision of the Court of Appeal affirming the judgment of the Rivers Governorship Election Tribunal that Governor Nyesom Wike, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in this year’s election, was not validly elected, tension is building up in the state over plans to win the now more likely re-run governorship poll between the ruling PDP and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Recent checks by The Nation revealed that chieftains of both parties are making moves to ensure that their candidate emerges victorious should the Supreme Court, which is the last appellate Court in the matter, uphold the governor’s removal. The Rivers Tribunal had earlier, on October 24, nullified Wike’s election. The tribunal, which delivered its ruling in Abuja, also ordered that a fresh governorship election be conducted in the state.

    After the tribunal’s ruling, the governor headed to the Court of Appeal, saying the judgment was untenable. But the Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment of the Rivers Governorship Election Tribunal, insisting on the re-run election. Dissatisfied, Wike and the PDP have approached the Supreme Court, urging it to set aside the ruling.

    The possibilities

    The Rivers governorship election, which was criticised by local and international observers, witnessed the largest amount of violence both in its build-up and after the elections, following it’s nullification by two competent courts, has left the ruling PDP literarily clinging unto straw according to many analysts. The embattled party is hoping the Supreme Court will rule in its favour.

    But the state chapter of the APC says Wike “is wasting his time approaching the Supreme Court in his desperate bid to cling to a non-existing mandate as Rivers State governor.”

    Rivers APC said in a statement signed by the Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, and issued in Port Harcourt: “Chief Wike knows deep down in him that he did not win any election on April 11, 2015. He is only seeking to buy time by hopping from one court to the other in a doomed bid to avoid the inevitable, which is that his days as care-taker governor of Rivers State are drawing to an end.

    As a lawyer, we expect Wike to know that the Supreme Court cannot save him because he has no case. Common sense dictates that he should concentrate his energies on preparing for the fresh election ordered by the tribunal but, as the saying goes, common sense is not really common.”

    The party reminded Wike that the Supreme Court had earlier ruled on appeal that he brought before it on the Rivers State election that indeed, “there was widespread violence during the election.” It advised Wike to stop wasting his time and prepare for a re-run election that will enable the Rivers State to reclaim their state from his maladministration of the state.

    But the Rivers State Government has dismissed the testimonies of some witnesses that testified in the case, insisting that the judgement cannot stand. The state government, in a statement signed by Opunabo Inko-Tariah, took a swipe at the military personnel that discredited the elections in the state.

    The state government also downplayed the testimony of the senior INEC official, Charles Okoye, who also claimed the elections were marred by violence and intimidation. Inko-Tariah said all the testimonies so far were in contradiction to the facts before the Justice Ambrosa-led Tribunal.

    He accused the army of playing the script of the petitioner, the All Progressives Congress, adding that the military men “merely lied on oath”.

    “Although this should not ordinarily be an issue for media debate, being a matter before a tribunal, it is important to straighten the records for public information to the effect that all the bogus claims by the busybody INEC staff represented were not only entirely scripted but dead on arrival,” he said.

    As it stands, it is either the Supreme Court supports the Appeal Court which ordered fresh election within 90 days, or uphold the election of Wike as governor. But many observers of the politics of the state say given the widespread irregularities and violence that characterised the last guber election, Wike’s chance to remain in office is a very slim one.

    Fresh battle plans

    Ahead of both the Supreme Court ruling and the likely re-run election, several meetings are being held in the state and beyond. Recently, Wike was at the national secretariat of the PDP in Abuja to discuss the Appeal Court ruling and its consequences with the leadership of his party.

    Sources at the party told The Nation that the governor harped on the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure his victory should the re-run become inevitable.

    “The governor kept reminding the leadership of the PDP of the need to rally all forces within and outside the state ahead of the re-run election. As part of efforts to ensure victory at the poll, both the governor and the party agreed on the need to reconcile some aggrieved chieftains with the party in the state.

    Personally, the governor expressed willingness to reach out to everybody. He urged the party to immediately commence the reconciliation effort which has been left unattended to for so long. The party on its part, has assured the governor and the Rivers PDP of its readiness to fully support the party in the state should the need arise,” our source said.

    Last Saturday, youth groups supporting the governor gathered in Port-Harcourt to plan ahead of the possible rerun election. At the parley, attended by many prominent Chieftains of the party in the state, the youths said they will embark on sensitisation rallies to prepare the people of the state in case the rerun election holds.

    Spokesperson of the groups, Comrade Samuel Sukubo, told The Nation that there is need for the PDP to set out early in its quest to retain the state should the Supreme Court order a rerun. According to him, “there are so many forces plotting to steal Rivers State from us but I can assure you that we know what to do and we are already doing it.”

    The PDP in a statement issued on Monday, December 21, by its media adviser, Jerry Needam, also accused the APC of illegally retrieving Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) from residents in readiness for the incoming re-run gubernatorial election in the state. The state chairman, Felix Obuah, said the party had already alerted relevant security agencies on the alleged move of the APC in order to curb it.

    Obuah went further to explain that the APC under the guise of conducting the party’s membership registration in the state had been dispossessing members of the public their PVCs. He urged the state’s security agencies to arrest those involved in the illegal act.

    “Mindful of the criminal implication of the act, and the danger it poses to the nation’s democratic electoral process, the Rivers State chapter of the PDP has called on the police and other security agencies to urgently be on the heels of leaders and members of the APC in the state, who have under the guise of conducting the party’s membership registration in the state unlawfully dispossess members of the public of their PVCs,” he said.

    According to him, the party is apprehensive because of its criminal inclination and as it infringes on the fundamental rights of the legitimate owners of the PVCs, adding that the victims have been deprived of their right to choose their leader as well as their personal identities been impersonated, undermined, endangered and abused.

    Obuah insisted that he did not only get the reports but went ahead to confirm that APC leaders and members under the pretext of revalidating their membership base, bought PVC’s at the cost of N5,000 in some areas while in some cases forcefully obtained it through intimidation and threat.

    The chairman listed the areas seriously affected by this alleged illegal act to include Ogoni Local Government Area, ONELGA, Port-Harcourt, Obio-Akpor, Etche, Kalabari, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Oyigbo, among others.

    “We are also made to believe that the act of buying PVCs with such amount is an exposition of the APC taking undue advantage of the poverty and the hard economic situation that have ravaged the nation following the insensitivity and apparently lack of vision and focus by the APC administration under President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

    Responding to PDP’s accusations, the state publicity secretary of APC, Mr. Chris Finebone, described it as another falsehood from a drowning party. He insisted that the party is carrying out registration and revalidation of its members. According to him, the exercise became imperative following the decision of some former PDP members to defect to the APC.

    “I think they (PDP) have no answer to the fact that we are doing revalidation. The PDP in the state is lost about how we are doing the registration of our new members.

    “We are doing this exercise based on request. There are a lot of PDP members that are no longer happy with the PDP and they are saying that they want to join us. So, we are using the opportunity to register them and revalidate the members of our members.

    “It has nothing to do with the falsehood from the PDP that we are buying PVCs. The PDP is in power and they control the finance, why did they not buy PVCs from the people since they now think it is easy to purchase PVC from anybody,” he said.

    Announcing its readiness to dislodge Wike, should the rerun hold, the APC recently said that it’s gubernatorial candidate, Dakuku Peterside, will win the governorship election re-run in Rivers State. The APC revealed the camp of their leader and motivator in Rivers, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, was thrown into jubilation following the Appeal Court ruling.

    “On the other hand, the governor of the state, Wike, must be wondering now how to wriggle out of this misfortune. From all indications, a rerun is imminent, whether Wike appeals or not. The question now is who will carry the day?

    “Most people, especially members of the PDP are upbeat that Wike will carry the day but there are undeniable facts that expose that optimism to be farfetched,” the APC said adding that its candidate in the election, Dakuku Peterside, would not only win, but would have a landslide victory.

    “One, there is no way Wike and his cohorts will expect any kind of support or even sympathy from the Police or military or even INEC as all these institutions are going to be neutral now and will quickly deal with any deception from Wike and or PDP. Also, many who do not know Amaechi personally make the mistake of overlooking his doggedness but it is on record that Amaechi has never lost any political battle.

    In Rivers State, there is a gentlemanly agreement between these two political blocks. Unfortunately for Wike , he is coming to replace another man from the Upland, Amaechi. Fortunately for APC, Peterside is from the Riverine area and by this agreement, Peterside has the upper hand.

    Some people will argue that this is not a strong point as it did not improve Peterside’s chances before, but they forget that PDP was still in power then and Wike’s thugs were deployed with federal might to diminish this important issue. Now that Wike cannot count on the federal support, APC will play this sentiment up to their advantage.

    Most importantly, most Rivers people, especially those in the riverine areas, totally adore Dakuku. Wike was totally aware of this fact and that was why he had to deploy thugs and security agents to compromise the elections. With this current scenario, there is no way Wike will remain governor,” the APC said.

  • Unease in Taraba PDP over governorship

    Unease in Taraba PDP over governorship

    The nullification of Governor Darius Ishaku’s election as Taraba State Governor by the Election Petition Tribunal appears to have unearthed the subdued crisis within the party, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    The Taraba State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in disarray, no thanks to the nullification of Governor Darius Ishaku’s election by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, coupled with the mutual distrust among leaders of the party in the state.

    In a judgment that apparently caught PDP leaders both at the state and national levels napping, the tribunal had declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Alhassan, as the winner of the April 28 election, citing the flawed primaries, which produced Ishaku as the PDP candidate as basis for its decision.

    The governor has since appealed the judgment at the Court of Appeal, but his aides and PDP leaders are however apprehensive of the likely outcome of the case.

    Garba Umar spurns reconciliation

    From all indications, the governorship primary that produced Ishaku, which held at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja in deviance to the provision of the Electoral Act, has since become the albatross of the governor in the battle to retain his seat.

    Against this backdrop, sources disclosed that PDP leaders recently reached out to the former acting governor of the state, Alhaji Garba Umar, who was schemed out of the governorship primaries by some powerful forces in the party in order to pave way for the emergence of Ishaku.

    Umar, it was gathered, was allegedly prevailed upon to admit that a “proper governorship primary” was held in order to save Ishaku’s job in the overall interest of the party.

    But Umar reportedly declined, telling the party emissaries that doing so would amount to a betrayal of his supporters who stood by him through thick and thin, but were shabbily maltreated by the party eggheads.

    A source close to Umar said: “The man was messed up by the party simply because some forces wanted Ishaku at all cost. The party leaders illegally shifted the governorship primary from Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, to the Wadata Plaza (PDP national headquarters). And worse still, Umar’s supporters were denied access to participating in the voting exercise, which held in the dead of the night.

    “At the end of it all, no one deemed it fit to address Umar’s supporters, some of whom were robbed on their way back to Taraba. As it is, the former acting governor has told whoever cared to listen that he would continue to insist that no credible primary held to produce the PDP candidate.”

    His stance, The Nation learnt, is giving Ishaku and his supporters’ sleepless nights, with many of them allegedly resigning to fate on the likely outcome of the case at the Court of Appeal.

    Bwacha, Ikenya aggrieved

    Just at a time the governor is still hanging precariously on his job, comes another unconfirmed report that some prominent PDP leaders in the state, including Senators Emmanuel Bwacha and Joel Ikenya, are currently at daggers drawn with him over their alleged sidelining in the running of the state.

    Both Bwacha and Ikenya played major roles in the emergence of the governor, but were allegedly not consulted before the inauguration of the state executive council some weeks ago.

    A source in the know of the feud said, “The Taraba PDP is in disarray. While many supporters of Garba Umar have since defected to the APC, Bwacha and Ikenya are also not happy with the governor for sidelining them in the appointment of his commissioners and special advisers. To get even with the governor, they have been staying aloof from the affairs of the party in the last few months.”

    Both men have accused the governor and the state chairman of PDP, Victor Bala, of allegedly hijacking the party and government machinery to the disadvantage of other stakeholders that worked for Ishaku’s victory in the last election.

    “If the governor loses his appeal as it is being feared in many quarters, the Taraba PDP may plunge into an unimaginable crisis that may defy any reconciliation,” warned a party source.

    Ikenya mulls defection to APC?

    The unresolved festering crisis in the party has continued to fuel speculations that some of its leaders are planning to defect to the APC, it was learnt.

    One of such leaders is Joel Ikenya, a former senator representing Taraba South who was elected in 2003 and won another term in 2007. He also served briefly as Minister of Labour and Productivity earlier this year under the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Ikenya, a former governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 general elections, is allegedly banking on his closeness to some national leaders of the APC to facilitate his defection to the party.

    Would the Taraba PDP survive its present challenges or get consumed? Only time can tell.