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  • PDP Councilor clubbed to death in Bauchi

    PDP Councilor clubbed to death in Bauchi

    Chairperson of Bogoro Local Government area, Bauchi state Ms.Hassana Arkila has confirmed the death of a serving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) councilor representing  Gizaki/Badagari ward , Bogoro local council,Mr Musa Daniel.

    The late Musa Daniel was said to have been clubbed to death by angry youth while on electoral duty, in the local government Saturday April 11, 2015.

    Arkila described the death of the councilor as unfornate saying the incident is the handwork of saboteurs of democracy, adding; ” I want to confirm the death of a PDP councilor  who was beaten to death by irate youths. l am also assuring the People of  Bauchi state  that the full wrath of law will catch up with the attackers, sooner than they would think”.

    Though, the Bogoro council Chairperson did not give reasons for the death of the councillor who is servíng under her, it was learnt the incident was not unconnected to Saturday’s governorship and state Assembly elections, in the area.

    Efforts to have the Bauchi state Police Command spokesman, DSP Haruna Mohammed to comment on the death of the Councillor was not successful as he neither responded to four text messages and several phone calls to his cell phone at the time of this report.

    She however “urged the perpetrators of the inhuman act to embrace peace because violence is not a solution to political difference” noting that “the death of the councilor is a signal that the APC is afraid of losing the electoral process” charging  PDP supporters not to react to the killing.

  • Edo PDP vows to reject Uromehe results

    Edo PDP vows to reject Uromehe results

    The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to reject results from Uromehe Ward, Urhonigbe South in Orhionmwon local government area of the state.

    Uromehe is the hometown of the state Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu.

    PDP said its agents led by one Barr. Sylvester Ogbe were attacked on Friday night and driven away from the community by thugs of the All Progressive Congress.

    The chieftain of the PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in a chat with journalists said the agents were shot and had to escape to Delta State to seek medical treatment.

    “Yesterday at about 2:00am, our agents in Uromehe called to inform me that some thugs led by a younger brother to the Deputy Governor attacked them and they were shot.”

    “He said they had to escape to Delta State to seek medical treatment. Right now, we have no PDP agents and we are not going to accept any results from that place. We have APC agents here in my village and everywhere is peaceful. This place is predominantly PDP. I don’t see why they should be so insensitive and violent because of opposition. We cannot accept what they are doing now. We cannot find one of them now.”

    The Deputy Governor, however, denied the allegations, insisting that no shootings occurred in his community.

     

  • Citizens’ election reports: Obanikoro wins PU

    Citizens’ election reports: Obanikoro wins PU

    MAIL from Sunday Moses: Election on course peacefully in my area ward 022 of Ogun state. No cause for alarm

    MAIL from sunnipy: Accreditation is going on here smoothly at polling unit 16 and 17 at Shomolu constituency II Gbagada-Lagos, there’s a turn out and electorate came as early as 7:30 am.

  • PDP chairman killed in Ebonyi

    PDP chairman killed in Ebonyi

    Gunmen suspected to be political thugs in the early hours of Saturday killed the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, in Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi State, Mr. Emeka Nworie.

    Sources revealed that the late PDP chairman was attacked at his house in Ezzagu and shot severally by his assailants on different parts of his body until he died.

    The state’s police spokesman, ASP Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the incident to our reporter.

    He said the incident took place at around 3:00am on Saturday morning.

    Anyanwu said the assailants, before killing the PDP chief asked for money which was generously given to them after which they proceeded to shoot him to death.

    The state has witnessed several politically motivated killings since last November.

    Two persons were killed earlier in the week when supporters of PDP and  the Labour Party clashed in Ikwo.

  • Governorship polls: APC, PDP in epic battle

    Governorship polls: APC, PDP in epic battle

    • APC tipped to win in North, South West

    • PDP may clinch Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi

    • Fierce contest in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Nassarawa

    With the mass defection of prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last one week,the APC  is being tipped  to win the majority of governorship   seats in today’s   elections.

    Twenty nine gubernatorial tickets are to be contested.

    These are:Abia,Akwa Ibom,Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue,Borno,Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Imo,Jigawa, Kaduna , Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto,Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

    There will be no  governorship election in Anambra,Bayelsa,Edo,Ekiti,Kogi,Ondo and Osun States.

    The APC is favoured to consolidate on its  March 28 presidential /National Assembly elections triumph  by sweeping the gubernatorial polls in the Northeast,Northcentral,Northwest and the Southwest today .

    It is also expected to put up a strong fight in states like Rivers,Akwa Ibom,Plateau and Nasarawa  where it accused the PDP of manipulating security agents and electoral officers the last time around to record victory.

    Reports by our correspondents from across the states suggest that the PDP may win the governorship seats in Cross River,Delta,Enugu and Ebonyi.

    The gale of defections is a fallout of the election of APC’s General Muhammadu Buhari to run the country’s affairs for the next four years from May 29.

    The National Chairman of the PDP, Mallam Adamu Mu’azu, is optimistic that his party is still capable of pulling through a miracle today.

    He said last weekend that PDP’s target is to win 24 governorship  seats today, including those of Lagos, Rivers and Imo.

    Buhari’s victory may  have a bandwagon effect in states like Nasarawa,Taraba and Plateau where the result of the presidential contest was close.

    The impact  is also expected to tell in Akwa Ibom,Imo and Rivers States.

    The APC strongly disputed  the votes it garnered in those states in the presidential election on the grounds that some key INEC officials and security agents were compromised by the PDP to manipulate the results.

    The police have  since re-ordered their security plan in all the states to ensure free and fair elections today.

    For instance, more policemen have been deployed in some of the states and while Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs) have been posted to the states to co-ordinate secutiry.

    Many voters in the Southeast  and Southsouth where President Goodluck Jonathan hails from are  increasingly considering whether they want to be in  opposition to the central government and this may persuade some to vote for the APC.

    Other factors that are going to influence the pattern of voting are: strong party affiliation, ethno-religious configuration, the personality of the candidates; zoning / power shift syndrome and probable voters’ apathy.

    In the Southwest states of Lagos,Ogun and Oyo, the gubernatorial contests would be determined largely by local issues and personalities, although   the Buhari factor could come into play as the people of the region are excited at the prospect of being in the same boat as the party that controls the center.

    Voters in  Ondo, Ekiti and Osun  will only choose members of their state assemblies.

    The loss of home boy, President Jonathan, in the March 28 election  is likely to dampen the enthusiasm of his supporters in the Southsouth states of Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta.

    Some of them are already wondering what life in opposition could be having strongly supported the central government in the last 16 years.

    There will be only state assembly elections in Edo and Bayelsa.

    The Southeast,  which voted overwhelmingly for the PDP and President Jonathan in the presidential/national elections  just like the Southsouth, may also  be persuaded to have a rethink today, especially in Imo and Abia states.

    The Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Ralph Obioha, in a statement asked voters in the two states to throw in their lot with APC so that the Igbo might have a voice in the incoming central government.

    The APC candidates  are expected to do well across the North.

    An example is Borno State  where the proclamation of Gambo Lawan as the PDP governorship candidate by the Federal High Court, Abuja, has thrown the party into a  disarray. The major loser in this is  a former governor of the  State, Senator  Modu Ali Sheriff, whose  plan to install his godson has hit the rocks. The development has forced many PDP members to stand aloof and watch how Lawan will weather the storm.

    This has left Lawan going into the governorship election as a political orphan. It remains to be seen what percentage of the 473, 543 votes recorded by APC two weeks ago  in Borno State against PDP’s  25,640 votes he can win.

    The situation is not too different in neighbouring Yobe  where APC  got 446, 265 votes in the presidential poll as  against  PDP’s 25, 526.

    Ex-Minister Adamu Maina Waziri does not seem to stand any chance against  Governor Ibrahim Gaidam who is seeking re-election on the platform of the APC.

    The APC, by all calculations ,appears comfortable in Katsina, home state of President-elect Buhari, Kaduna, home state of Vice President Namadi Sambo and Kano, which returned the largest votes of 1, 903,999  for Buhari.

    APC chieftains see Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto States as strongholds of the party and  are not entertaining any fear about losing there.

    Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido acknowledged after the presidential election  that the PDP was rejected at the polls on March 28 by Nigerians and that “there is a tendency for bandwagon effect.”

    But he was quick to add that “it is up to us to work very hard.”

  • Who revives PDP?

    Two weeks after the presidential election, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are still bemoaning their fate, especially how the ruling party became the opposition through the ballot. In this piece, YUSUF ALLI, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, takes a look at how things went wrong with the PDP and the kind of opposition it might offer.

    AFTER boasting of ruling the nation for 60 years, the ruling PDP suddenly lost the people’s will and found itself in the opposition. It was a fall least expected, but inevitable in view of the troubles the party had undergone in the last 16 years. The PDP bestrode the nation with impunity and it took resilience and vigilance of voters to end its democratic tyranny. The questions on the lips of many are: How did the PDP get into this mess? What kind of opposition will the party make? Will it bounce back?

     

    How PDP got into this cul-de-sac

    The PDP was an amalgamation of groups. Initiated by G9, comprising Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Senator Francis Ellah, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Chief Bola Ige, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Alhaji Sule Lamido and Mallam Adamu Ciroma, it metamorphosed to G18 and G34. Founded on August 31, 1998 ,  the PDP has had 11 national chairmen in the last 17 years, including ex-Vice President Alex Ekwueme who was in office for three months before quitting to contest for the presidential ticket with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Other past chairmen were the late Chief Solomon Lar;  Sen. Barnabas Gemade; Chief Audu Ogbeh; Sen. Ahmadu Ali; Prince Vincent Ogbulafor; Okwesilieze Nwodo; Bello Haliru Mohammed; Abubakar Kawu Baraje; Bamanga Tukur; and Adamu Muazu. But the build-up to the fall of the PDP started during its National Convention in 1999  when it began to change its leadership like clothes. At the said convention, Chief Gemade,  who was backed by the presidency, defeated Chief Sunday Awoniyi to become the first elected national chairman of the party. It was the first direct interference of the government in the internal affairs of the PDP and most foundation members were disappointed that the then Obasanjo administration was about to hijack the party structure.

    By 2001, what manifested as a smaller crisis assumed a larger dimension when Aso Rock boy, Gemade, ignored Obasanjo’s advice not to seek a second term in office. Following intense pressure and intimidation from the presidency, Gemade caved in and stepped down for the new anointed candidate, Chief Ogbeh, who was crowned as a consensus National Chairman of the PDP.

    By December 6, 2004, the honeymoon between Obasanjo and Ogbeh was over, following a letter by the latter to the President in which he said the nation was drifting. At gunpoint, after a bowl of pounded yam and palm wine, Ogbeh was asked to resign in January 2005, culminating in the emergence of Sen.  Ali, otherwise branded as “Garrison Commander”, as a result of his commando-style control of the party.

    The exit of Ogbeh led to the loss of the soul of the PDP because it led to many crises, including a face-off between ex-President Obasanjo and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar. When the PDP was too hot for Atiku, he sought succour in the defunct Action Congress (AC) where he contested for the 2007 presidency with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

    Some successors of Ogbeh like Prince Ogbulafor, Dr. Nwodo and  Tukur went through turbulent tenures. The lucky ones were  Mohammed,  Baraje and  Muazu. For seven years, conventions and meetings of National Executive Committees  of the PDP created political quakes in the country. To underscore its instability, the party produced six National Chairmen between 2007 and 2014.

     

    The revolt of G-7 Governors (later G-5) and the formation of New PDP in 2013 dealt a devastative blow on the PDP. There were futile attempts to win back Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso, Murtala Nyako, Aliyu Wammako, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and Rotimi Amaechi. The same governors later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) which will govern the nation for the next four years.

     

    What went wrong with party?

    Between 2007 and 2011, different tendencies had emerged in the party. The battle to rescue the party from some hawks provoked the formation of new caucuses like the Obasanjo Camp; G-21; National Assembly /Integrity Group; the Governors’ Forum; Kingibe/ Tony Anenih Group and G84. There was also the G-37 that was out to preserve the status quo. In a January 9, 2013 letter to  President Goodluck Jonathan, G-84 ( consisting of eight deputy members of the National Working Committee (NWC), 24 ex-officio, 37 state chairmen of the PDP and some former leaders of the party) highlighted the problems with the party as follows:

    •wrongful and consistent misinterpretation of the PDP constitution

    •arbitrary expulsion and suspension of leaders/ members

    •overbearing attitude of PDP governors

    •management of the party as a cult

    •exclusion of elected party officers by the NWC

    •imposition of candidates

    •lack of internal democracy

    •lack of discipline

    •frivolous court injunctions and disrespect for court orders.

    A party elder, Chief Edwin Clark, regarded  the imposition of candidates by the Peoples Democratic Party as a major problem of the party. He said:  “The problem of imposition is not limited to Gombe. The problem the PDP has today across the country was caused by the imposition of candidates who are not qualified.

    “A situation whereby a governor of a state would try to nominate everybody to become part of him is not democracy.”

    On his part, a former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, traced the party’s crisis to lack of internal democracy. He said: “First and foremost, what I want to tell you is that the problem with the PDP is like the problem being encountered by other political parties. It is not the problem that only the PDP is suffering from; it is the problem all the political parties are suffering from.

    “The absence of internal party democracy, and, I think, internal party democracy is the foundation of democracy itself because if somebody emerges as a candidate of a political party fraudulently, he will not see anything wrong in winning election fraudulently because he is a product of fraud.  That is where we should start. Some people over the years have now amassed so much power to themselves. They have amassed so much power; they have amassed so much wealth; and they are now calling the shots. People will go and spend the whole day queuing behind people, choosing their candidates to represent them in various elective offices.

    “Somebody will just sit in his office and with a stroke of his pen strike their names out and forward different names to the INEC.  They say people should elect their executive members at the ward level,   local government level and state level, but some powerful people will just sit and select those they want to occupy those offices and they recognize those people and they don’t recognize the ones that emerged through the popular choice of the people. To compound the woes of the PDP, President Olusegun Obasanjo left the party a few weeks to the presidential election, leaving an image deficit for the party upon which he was elected into office in 1999.”

     

    Unending reconciliation

    Worried by increasing internal crises, the PDP in 2006 raised an 11-member Reconciliation Committee headed by the Second Republic Vice President, Alex Ekwueme. Other members were Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Jerry Gana, Fidelis Tapgun, Bode George, Abubakar Mogaji, Shuaib Oyedokun and Ime Udum. Although a 17-man review panel was later set up by  Ogbulafor’s administration, at the prompting of the late President Yar’Adua, the recommendations of the panel had not been fully implemented till date.

    While still keeping the report in the cooler,  Nwodo came up with new reforms, including e-registration of members, which were not allowed to take off. By 2012, the Bamanga Tukur leadership floated another national reconciliation scheme, leading to the touring of six geopolitical zones. He was passionate about 3Rs agenda of reconciliation, rebuilding and reforming the party.

    Disturbed by the failure of his NWC team, Tukur also toyed with the idea of a 30-member reconciliation committee led by the governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, and former governor of Borno State, Asheik Jarma, as deputy. The Dickson panel was mandated  to “resolve problems in non-PDP controlled states in the South West,  including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. The work of the panel was extended to  Anambra, Imo and Edo states. Tukur also sent an eight-man Graham Douglas panel to Kano State and Shuaib Oyedokun’s reconciliation team to Benue State.

    Members were suspicious of Tukur’s initiative and most of the sessions of the committee were boycotted by governors and other leaders of the PDP.

    Still undaunted, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, came up with a fresh reconciliation agenda to reach out to aggrieved leaders of the party. Anenih’s group, which met with ex-President Obasanjo, took its reconciliation campaign to Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto, Rivers and Benue states.

     

    Season of defections from PDP to APC

    Since the cookies crumbled for the PDP on March 28 with the defeat of President  Jonathan by the candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the centre does not hold again for the party. It has been a gale of defections by PDP stalwarts to the APC. The list of defectors from the PDP to the APC is legion, including ex-Governor Saminu Turaki; Bello Kaoje; Maj-Gen. S.B.S. Biliyock; the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Musa Ibeto; Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Alli Olanusi; the Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Ahmed Mahmoud;  Sen. Jonathan Zwingina; Sen. Gbemisola Saraki; Sen. Muhammad Dudu ; ex-Governor Oserheimen Osunbor; a former governorship candidate of the PDP in Edo State, Gen. Charles Arhiavbere; a former National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Chief Olusola Oke; Maj-Gen. Lawrence Onoja; Alh. Bello Dansokoto; Alh. Ibrahim Zamfara; ex-Rep (Hon) Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo; and Chief (Mrs) Ayoka Lawani, among others.

    Although the reasons for the mass defections vary from an individual to another, they expose the suppressed anger of the affected leaders over the years. To Oke, he could not afford to ignore the wind of change in the country. He said: “I resisted the wind of change that was blowing until it was almost trying to blow me out. Now, I have surrendered. I can resist no more and I have come.”

    On her part, Sen.  Saraki said: “After wide consultations, we found in the APC a platform that mirrors the ideals of our political family both in content and context, especially under the leadership of Gen.  Buhari. We are assured in the promise of APC for a new Nigeria.”

    Also speaking,  Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo said: “ God has deserted the PDP, and Nigerians have rejected it. That was why we left the party. The APC remains the only party that can take Nigeria to her land of destiny.”

     

    Any ray of hope for party?

    Notwithstanding the humiliation of their party, some PDP leaders are still hopeful that the party will bounce back. In a tweet,  Mu’azu said: “We are humbled by the March 28  decision of many Nigerians and promise never again to let you down. We will reform our party.

    “We have learnt some very useful lessons with the March 28 elections and we want to assure Nigerians you will see a new PDP.”

    The President of the Senate, Chief David Mark, also said: “I have no reason to jump ship. I will not leave the PDP. I will be the last man standing for the PDP. The party gave me the platform to be where I am today. I will stay in the PDP to contribute my quota to the rebuilding and restructuring of the party.

    This is a democracy. Winners emerge and the losers go back to the drawing board to rejuvenate.”

    Irrespective of the comforting words of PDP leaders, the reality is that success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. The moment of loneliness of the PDP has come. It will take much hard work to regain its lost glory because most founding fathers have forsaken the party. Nigerians await the PDP resuscitation pill.

  • APC chieftain dispels rumour of Atiku’s defection to PDP

    APC chieftain dispels rumour of Atiku’s defection to PDP

    A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress, Deacon Elijah Afolabi‎, has dispelled the rumour that the former Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, is planning to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Speaking with reporters in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Afolabi, who is an ally of Atiku for more than fifteen years‎, said that it was unthinkable for any some group to carry out a smear campaign against Turakin Adamawa and doubt his loyalty to APC inspite of his commitment to the party.

    According to him: “The Turakin personally sent me a text message, distancing himself from the group that was said to have decamped to the PDP in the South West led by Chief Bode Ajewole and his rented crowd with the Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and his executive in attendance. He clearly told me they did not have his mandate to do so.

    “Another group of so called 120 Atiku Supporters also exploited the desperation of the PDP to swindle them, using the name of Atiku Abubakar which he also openly dissociated himself from. It must be realized that Atiku is a foundation pillar of the APC, when he led the G-7 Governor’s and other stakeholders out of the stage-managed PDP convention in Abuja.

    “Atiku’s commitment to change as epitomised by the APC is not only visible but deep-rooted. Even overtures were severally made to him by the PDP from the highest level but he stood his ground, deciding to pitch his tent with the wind of change that is blowing across the political landscape of Nigeria.

    “His political enemies went to town, claiming that Turakin is championing the cause of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Adamawa State, what can be further from the truth? It is obvious that some elements outside the APC are up to some mischief. Atiku is a giant of democracy, who can never be dwarfed by elements with sinister motives.”

    He maintained that the former vice president has demonstrated his unflinching loyalty and commitment to the APC in every possible way‎ physically, morally and financially.

    Afolabi, who noted that Atiku has openly discountenanced those‎ against the APC but using his name, said that Turakin stood for democracy, good governance, social justice, equity and all that the APC stands for.

  • Ex-Commissioner returns to APC from PDP

    A former Commissioner in Edo State who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in December 2014, Dennis Idahosa has apologized for his wrong decision in betraying the trust and confidence reposed in him by the state.
    Idahosa made the appeal on Friday in Government House when he formally returned to the All Progressive Congress (APC) fold with his supporters.
    Addressing the Governor at the ceremony, Idahosa said, “I was a Commissioner in Edo State under Comrade Oshiomhole. I resigned and I made mistakes, I went to PDP, now I am back home. On behalf of my Local Government, I want to say sorry for my wrong actions and I believe that God knows the best.
    “I am back to the family of APC and I will do my best for every other task that is ahead and I will do all my best to be faithful to this party. To some of my colleagues that I see here, I am saying sorry for letting you down and I am going to do more to make sure that everyone is proud of me.”
    Receiving the former Commissioner and his supporters on behalf of the Party Chairman, Barrister Anselm Ojezua, Oshiomhole said “let me assure you that the event of last week, of March 28th has redefined the future of our youths in fundamental ways.
    ” Buhari Government will move away from politics of tokenism, celebrating token skills to one that would radically transform our country from being a country notorious for consuming what it doesn’t produce and exporting without adding value to what it produces. That way the economy will grow and that growth will be job led growth and many of our young people will have jobs to do.”
    He added, “For the political class, those changes in Abuja have had profound implication for all of us. Like I said somewhere during the week, by June 29, certainly not later than June 30th, by the time all Federal Boards, Commissions, Parastatals and Agencies are dissolved, almost a million vacancies will arise in Abuja and Edo State will fill its own shares of those vacancies.
    “Unlike the other party, we will ensure that opportunities are given to everybody and these will be fairly distributed across the state so we will have something to take care of our younger ones who look up to us for empowerment. Even the SURE-P that became an instrument of blackmail; if you support me, you collect a letter for SURE-P and you will get J-Alert, now all of that is now SURE-APC.”
    Oshiomhole said, “Unlike the way it was done before, if I am happy with you I give you job the day I am not happy, I withdraw, General Buhari Government will approach job creation in an institutional way, not based on tokenism or individual”.
    Governor Oshiomhole however eulogized the humility of the former Commissioner in realizing his mistakes and taking bold steps to correct them by returning to his own home, the APC.
    According to him, “I am very delighted to welcome you back because you have shown uncommon humility. There are people who make mistakes and rather than own up to those mistakes they rather seek to defend those mistakes or to perpetrate it because of issues of ego. Only God can make no mistake.
    “I fully understand the circumstances and I was actually touched when you called me after you have left to tell me you regretted your actions just barely 22hours later so that for me is something to be admired. A lot of us when we make errors of judgment tend to continue with it so as not to be laughed at by people but forgetting that it is only the one that God laugh at that can complain, no man can laugh at another because life is about learning”.

     

  • ‘Jonathan lost because of PDP’s arrogance’

    ‘Jonathan lost because of PDP’s arrogance’

    Dr. Steve Egbo is the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship running mate in Ebonyi State. In this interview with OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE, he says the party must avoid the mistakes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain popular.

    Why did the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lose to the APC?

    At a point in time, after uninterrupted control of power at the centre, the PDP became over bloated; it became arrogant and pompous. They had no respect, no regard for anybody. Such things were not supposed to obtain in the society at this age. The PDP was the architect of its own downfall. The PDP lost all focus and every form of integrity. So, I really don’t wish to sing ‘Nunc Dimitis’ for the PDP, but what has become has inevitably come to become. They saw it coming, but it was too late. In life certain situations when they occur are not reversible. When a bullet leaves the barrel of the gun, you cannot recall it. It has become a self-propelled magnet and it must find a spot to rest. The collapse of the PDP was like a bullet that has left the barrel of the gun and no magic, no miracle or voodoo could have stopped it from self destruction. Let me hope that the election of March 28 will be a lesson not only for the remnants of the PDP, but for other ruling parties across Africa. I also want to say that the APC must also have something to learn from what happened to the PDP, so that it does no fall into the same trap of delusional invincibility. I know that sooner or later, some of these hawks in the PDP would like to come into the APC and do to the APC what they have done to the PDP. Indeed, if the information available to us so far is correct, their applications are already piling up. So, those of us who laboured to create the APC must be careful to know that we have a contract with the Nigerian people and that contract must at all times be kept with care, tenderness and attention to details. The APC has a job to do and every hand must be on deck to accomplish that job.

    PDP members who purportedly won the National Assembly elections are planning to join the APC for the fear of losing their elections at the tribunals. What are your comments?

    As far as am concerned, there was no election in Ebonyi State on March 28 and our investigations reveal that it was a similar scenario across the entire Southeast and Southsouth. I stand boldly to say that what happened in the state and across the entire former Eastern Region was a grand plan, a well articulated plot to scuttle democracy in the Southeast and the Southsouth, in order create a situation that gives massive victory to the PDP. What we had was allocation of votes. There was no way Muhammdu Buhari could not have attained 25 per cent in most of the Southeast and Southsouth states, especially in Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia, Anambra, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. It was an absurdity for anybody to imagine that Buhari could not gain 25 per cent in these states. In fact, the case of Imo State is an embarrassment to everybody. A state that is controlled by a very capable APC governor cannot give APC 25 per cent? The so-called PDP winners should be jittery because the victory they had was stolen. Some of them are not even receiving congratulatory messages because they are afraid of what will happen the day after. APC has a strong foundation and believes in legitimacy and the rule of law. I wouldn’t want to preempt anything, but believe that the courts would be busy in the next few months and would determine who won and who lost. Can you imagine a situation where the APC cannot have a National Assembly member in Ebonyi and some other parts of Ibo land. It is a situation that does not portend well for Ibos because our so-called Ibo leaders have taken us to the depth of the abyss. I believe that the March 28 election was not a reflection of the wishes of the Ibo people. Rather, it was that of those who felt they can mortgage us to achieve their personal interests of greed and avarice. They sold us and have pocketed millions of naira and dollars. But, as I said earlier, there is always the day after and as we walk steadily towards that day. Many people would have a lot of questions to answer.

    What stunned the people was the alleged involvement of the military in the election rigging. What is your reaction?

    Let me say this, in the nation’s history from 1964 after Nigerian first independence elections, the military has always operated as the terrorist wing of the party in power. I want to underline this. It happened in 1964 when the military institution was unscrupulously deployed to do the dirty work of the ruling NPC. In 1983, it was the same show of shame replicated. It has been so since 1999. I believe that with the recent exposure of the military underbelly, there is bound to be a change. When you talk about fear being expressed on the elections of April 11, let me tell you the scenario. What we saw on March 28 will not repeat itself because some people are already looking behind their backs. Already asking; can I do this again? Can I get away with the ones I have done? Is it still the same old story? Can it still be business as usual. The role of the military in the march.28 elections was more orchestrated in the south east and south-south parts of the country and maybe reasonably Ekiti state. But I am happy that despite all they have at their disposal, they were not able to defeat the will of the Nigerian people. I salute the Nigerian people for the courage they have shown. The election of March 28 was Nigeria’s revolution. It was a very quiet revolution. Their ballots have created a new nation. I make bold to say that March 28 is Nigeria’s independence day. If you ask me I will say lets relocate from October 1 to March 28; it was the day Nigeria for the first time in 55 years, gained its independence and freedom. The PDP placed on the head of every Nigerian, a crown of thorns and went a step further to crucify us all on the cross of red-hot iron. We can now say no more crown of thorns and no more crucifixion. I am happy for the country and every citizen that made sacrifices to get us to this beautiful Easter period.

  • Edo APC accuses PDP of recruiting fake INEC staff

    Edo APC accuses PDP of recruiting fake INEC staff

    The All Progressive Congress in Edo State has raised an alarm over recruitment of students by the Peoples Democratic Party with a view to sabotaging Saturday’s House of Assembly elections.

    It said the PDP hoped to bribe some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt the students as adhoc staff for the election.

    State Publicity Secretary of APC, Comrade Godwin Erhahon, in a press statement said thugs have been recruited by the PDP to unleash mayhem in areas where the PDP could not rig elections.

    Erhahon warned the students’ mercenaries to steer clear of polling units and collation centres especially in Orhionmwon or they would be dealt with in a lawful manner that would jeopardize the student’s future.

    He urged parents not to allow their children to be used to sabotage the election by politicians whose children are schooling abroad.

    Erhahon advised INEC not to allow its ranks to be infiltrated as it did in the March 28 general elections.

    Responding, a chieftain of the PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, denied the APC allegation and said it amount to insanity.