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Tag: PDP

  • Bafarawa, Shagari rift tears Sokoto PDP apart

    Bafarawa, Shagari rift tears Sokoto PDP apart

    Efforts by the Presidency and the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve the lingering crisis in the party’s Sokoto State chapter without success appears to have put the party’s chances in next month’s governorship election in serious jeopardy, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Muhktar Shagari, is seething in anger.

    For the second time in eight years, his dream of ruling his home state has crashed almost irretrievably.

    In the run-up to the 2007 general elections, Shagari, who served as the Minister of Water Resources under the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, indicated interest in running for the governorship seat on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Leveraging on his ministerial position, popularity in the Sokoto PDP and closeness to the then president, Shagari beat all comers to the governorship ticket with minimal efforts.

    But his joy was short-lived. No sooner had he secured the ticket than he was “prevailed” upon to step down and cede it to a relative newcomer in the party, Aliyu Magatarkarda Wammako, then the deputy governor.

    Wammako’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate was the product of high-level negotiations reportedly brokered by the Presidency determined to dislodge the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party, which had been in power for eight years.

    Having fallen out with his then boss, Attahiru Bafarawa, who refused to back his intention to take over from him, Wammako defected to the PDP and was compensated with the governorship ticket. Though shattered by the disappointment of having his ticket withdrawn, Shagari took the setback in his strides.

    As a loyal party man, he agreed to abide by the party’s decision and in compensation; he was named the running mate to Wammako. The 2007 governorship election soon came, with Wammako defeating the ANPP candidate and Bafarawa’s preference, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi.

    Between Wammako and Shagari

    For six years, Wammako and Shagari worked together harmoniously. The defection of Wammako from the PDP to the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) however put spanner in their relationship, with Shagari declining to leave PDP.

    His decision was connected to a deal he allegedly struck with the Presidency, that he would be handed the PDP structures in the state in addition to an offer of the 2015 governorship ticket.

    Second time unlucky

    Still basking in the euphoria of his new status as the ‘new leader’ of Sokoto PDP, the party’s governorship ticket appeared a done deal for Shagari. But the permutation soon changed with the unexpected defection of ex-Governor Bafarawa from the APC to PDP following a superiority clash with his arch rival, Wammako, who on joining APC, automatically became the leader of the party in the state.

    Within weeks of his entry into PDP, Bafarawa practically relegated Shagari to the background in the party, a development that angered the deputy governor and his legion of supporters.

    To make matters worse, Shagari lost the governorship primaries to Ambassador Abdallah Wali. And despite persistent efforts by the Presidency and the national leadership of PDP to enlist his support for Wali, the deputy governor has distanced himself from the governorship campaign, while telling whoever cares to listen that his major priority is the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Presently, there are fears that if the conflict is allowed to linger on much longer, it could further widen the crack in the state chapter of the party and snowball into a serious violence among its supporters.

    Already, the two key political figures have launched a ‘media war’, while their supporters have resorted to name calling in a bid to express grievances over the result of the gubernatorial primary election which is being faulted by Shagari, the former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman and Senator Abubakar Umar Gada.

    Intrigues before the governorship primaries

    Prior to the governorship primaries, there had been a fierce competition, especially between Shagari and Wali in their bid to win the support of delegates. The competition started at the inauguration of the new executive committee of the party, where Wali announced a gift of one brand new Peugeot (406 model) car to each of the 23 local government chairmen of the party. The announcement precipitated a thunderous applause and the shout of “Sai Wali”.

    Sensing the implication of Wali’s gift to his ambition, the deputy governor in a swift reaction, announced a gift of motorcycles to each local government secretaries and ward chairmen of the party.

    While defending his preference for ward chairmen and local government secretaries, Shagari said it was based on his conviction that they were the grassroots mobilisers, stressing that it would be disastrous for any right thinking politician to marginalise them.

    The rivalry between the two became more intense on the day of the primary election when Shagari alleged that there was an importation of delegates who were not genuine members of the party by Bafarawa and his favourite, Wali. To express his displeasure, he along with his supporters walked out of the Gigimya Memorial Stadium, venue of the election.

    The situation gave Wali an easy victory as he got over 500 votes, leaving the deputy governor with only one vote.

    While making his stand known on the election, Shagari contended that the whole process was marred by irregularities, including the dragging of electoral process to lapse into the night for the sole purpose of rigging the poll.

    In apparent reference to how his loyalty to the party has not paid off for him, Shagari in another interview, said nobody in the state had laboured for the PDP than him, stressing that he deserved to be compensated with an automatic ticket. This view was also shared by many political analysts in the state.

    He also referred to an agreement which he said members of the old PDP entered with Governor Aliyu Wamakko shortly after he was cajoled to join the party by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He recalled that his ticket was given to Wamakko after the latter agreed that he (Shagari) would succeed him after completing his tenure.

    However, Wali refuted this claim, saying there was no such agreement. He challenged the deputy governor to produce evidence to prove his claims.

    In an interview with newsmen in Sokoto, Wali faulted Shagari for his refusal to accept defeat in an election which he described as one of the fairest in the state.

    “In the real sense, nobody should have the moral justification to allege that delegates are being manipulated.  Do not forget that these delegates were accredited in front of the three certified agents who represented the three aspirants.

    “To us, it is embarrassing for anybody to raise the issue of fake delegates during the election. The venue is in an open stadium and not in a hall. The INEC officials were present and they monitored the processes. The security agents were also present at the venue. To many, the election is one of the most transparent in the state,” he asserted.

    Wali, who is the Nigerian Ambassador to Morocco, admitted that Shagari’s decision not to accept the outcome of the election would be a challenge. He, however, called it a “manageable challenge”.

    “The reason why we believe it is a manageable challenge is that the election is not a question of somebody winning 100 percent. We only won the 74 percent of the total votes counted, which means three quarters of our party faithful shared our beliefs and dreams. That is a strong percentage of the party followership, which can lead the party to success.

    Wali also disagreed with those who believe that Bafarawa’s coming to PDP has done more harm to the party than good. Rather, he says the former governor’s membership has galvanised the party in the state.

    He said, “If you will recall, in 2003, former Governor Bafarawa was leading the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) to run for the second term and I was running on the PDP platform, hoping for my first term in government. But he (Bafarawa) won the election in that contest. Today, the two of us are working together. We believe that we have the necessary structures to swing the elections in favour of the PDP. So, we hope that with God’s help, it will come to pass.”

    But the popular questions being asked in the state now are: can the PDP make any impact in the 2015 general elections with a fractured house? Can Wali defeat the APC candidate, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who also happens to be his in-law? These questions and more will be given definite answers on March 28 and April 11.

  • PDP now operates as opposition party

    The ruling party in this country, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would create history and also be listed in The Guinness Book of Records as a party in power but operating as opposition.

    After the election of 2011, no sane person would believe the self-acclaimed largest party in Africa would find itself in this tight corner of defending most of the policies and programmes of the party with difficulty.

    It’s a well known fact, that before, if you were contesting under PDP in any platform you could go to sleep because victory was assured in any election. However, that has changed for now.

    With the coming of All Progressives Congress (APC) as a legitimate opposition party, the ruling party has been having sleepless nights on how to go about to convince Nigerians to elect the party in this coming election.

    PDP, as a political party, in spite of being in government and with its war chest, is finding it difficult to sell itself to Nigerians unlike what we all saw in the past before any election.

    The recent campaign undertaken by the party across the country has exposed the struggle of the ruling party to stay afloat and be relevant in the scheme of things in this country.

    The party is so divided that in most of its campaigns it has always been alleged of buying crowd to attend. The stoning and destruction of posters and bill boards by the same PDP members have been seen in places like Bauchi, Kastina, Taraba and all PDP states; it shows the centre can no longer hold for the ruling party this time around.

    As the general elections of March 28 and April 11, 2015 draw near, what would be the fate of a ruling party that is gradually turning into an opposition party?

    We keep our fingers crossed.

     

    •By Bala Nayashi

    Lokoja, Kogi State.

  • ‘PDP remains epitome of democracy in Nigeria’

    ‘PDP remains epitome of democracy in Nigeria’

    Plateau State born Barrister Victor Yusufu Kwon, the current National Legal Adviser of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had a chance meeting with journalists recently. It was an opportunity to take the former law lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Jos and youngest member of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) to task on the implication of General Olusegun Obasanjo’s departure from the PDP and other issues presently bedeviling the political party and the forthcoming elections. Paul Ukpabio was there.

    Why is the PDP joining in court case against General Buhari?

    The case against Buhari as you know, was filed by concerned Nigerians acting under the Section 31 of the Electoral Act, which gives any Nigerian right to file an action, to challenge any declaration that are made by a candidate of a political party in the INEC forms, if they believe that those declarations are not correct. So, PDP as a political party has not joined in the case. It is a case by concerned Nigerians, who have the view that the candidate for APC had made statements in the INEC forms that were not true.

    How many cases has the PDP won so far?

    Generally, you find that it’s not usual for PDP as a party to file any suit in court, but in many cases what happens is that PDP is joined as a defendant, may be suites relating to the nomination process of the party or suits relating to the general elections; so if you say suits that PDP has won, if you have a case involving the party by which two members of the party tussle over the party’s ticket, is an intra-party matter. However it goes, it is still victory for the party because the tussle is for the party’s nomination and all the parties are members of the PDP. But of course as you well know, not too long ago we got judgment in the petition brought by the APC challenging the election of Gov. Fayose; those are the serious cases involving the PDP, but many of the cases involving the party usually relate to the nomination processes.

    As the National Legal Adviser of the PDP, are you not bothered that the party is having too many cases in court?

    No, you see the matter of litigation is part and parcel of the political process and the electoral process. That is because, it is only natural that people who lose nominations will be aggrieved, and we do expect that they express or vent their grievances within the party. But by and large, the Electoral Act gives all aspirants the right to challenge the nomination process, if the nomination was done in breach of the party guidelines or the Electoral Act or the party constitution. So, its part and parcel of the political process; we’ll sort them out.

    Is the PDP not worried about the large number of its members decamping to other parties?

    PDP is a large party and it is also natural following every nomination process; the unfortunate thing is that we have members who are aggrieved, who would want to try and get nomination from other party when they lose in PDP. A few people have left the party but we’ve also gained a few people too; so it’s like more or less a give and take situation. But yes, we would rather keep our members all intact but some of these things are inevitable because they will try to seek alternative platforms to realise their political ambitions. It happens to every large party not just PDP.

    What is your reaction to Chief Obasanjo’s defection?

    I am not aware that he has defected. Obasanjo is a much respected leader of the party and indeed it is a matter of worry that such a leader, respected in the party, can make a comment accredited to him. We expect that where they are problems, even if they are problems, there are ways and means of addressing them at the level of leadership and that is what we expected he would have done. So, it’s a matter that I think all lovers of the country and the party will express some concern that a respected leader of the party with the rank of the former President under the platform of the PDP will expect that he’ll do everything to build the party, to support the party and not the kind of statements accredited to him.

    Some aggrieved PDP aspirants claimed there were no party primaries and threatened to sue the party, claiming N15 billion, being money paid for their nomination forms; what is your reaction?

    The claim that there were no primaries in the PDP is not only baseless but also uncharitable. The PDP conducted primaries before nominating candidates for all positions in the forthcoming general elections. INEC monitored the primaries upon being notified as required by the Electoral Act and the monitoring reports are available to the public. More than this, the Nigerian Police and other Security Agencies who also were present at the primaries have their reports available for public scrutiny. The various Electoral Committees and Electoral Appeal Committees sent by the National Secretariat who considered complaints arising from the exercise have also submitted reports which are available to the public. The PDP remains the best vehicle for the realisation of the political aspirations of all Nigerians and the epitome of democracy in Nigeria.

    Could you please give us an idea of how many cases the PDP has in court?

    It is a difficult thing to say. There are quite a few cases as you know that the PDP is no doubt the largest political party in the country and in Africa in terms of membership. Even within the party, there will always be competition. Such competitions sometimes result into conflicts and we try as a political party to apply internal remedies of dispute resolutions but unfortunately, sometime some aggrieved members fail to take advantage of those internal remedies and go to court. Some members take advantage of the internal remedies. Inevitably, there would be litigation, either by reason of the aggrieved members not satisfied with the outcome of the internal remedy mechanisms or members totally disregard those internal remedy mechanisms and go to court.

    There are quite a number of cases and the Electoral Acts (EA) in Section 87 (10) also confers on any aspirant who participated in the primaries or political party to go to court if he or she feels that the EA was not complied with or the guidelines of the political parties have been breached in the conduct of the election.

    As a practicing lawyer do you support the abolition of the rank of SAN?

    I do not think that the rank of SAN should be scrapped; it is important because every profession recognizes distinction. A lawyer that has distinguished himself and qualifies deserves to be given the rank of SAN. Such a privilege should be conferred. I know that some people have called for the abolition of the rank of SAN because of their perception that the rules are not properly applied. For me, that is advocating for throwing away the baby with the bathwater. Rather, let us throw the bathwater and keep the baby. It is better to sanitise the process if there is any imperfection rather than abolish the rank.

    How can we fight terror within the law?

    There are constitutionally conferred rights; you cannot keep a suspect beyond 24 or 48 hours depending on the proximity of the place of detention to the court of law. However, it does not say that you cannot detain him beyond that! The constitution just says that you cannot detain him beyond that period without charging him to court and so such people can be apprehended and taken to court and if they bring an application for bail, the prosecutor should be able to satisfy the court that in the light of the available evidence and the surrounding circumstances of the case, such individuals are not fit to be admitted to bail, in which case there would still be detention but it would be by order of court. It would therefore not be unlawful.

    What is your reaction to the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, in the appeal filed by Dr. Ardo Umar challenging the eligibility of President Jonathan to contest as president in 2015?

    Dr. Umar Ardo had brought an application for leave to appeal as an interested party against the decision of Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of the FCT High Court in the suit brought by Cyracus Njoku against Mr. President, PDP and INEC and that application he brought before the Court of Appeal (CA), the CA saw that the application was incompetent and without merit, hence it was struck out.

    Dr. Ardo does not have an interest in the matter. The judgment of the high court did not affect any of his rights, he did not show what he suffered, so the CA dismissed his application and he brought an appeal to the SC and the SC also saw that the CA was right and that his first prayer in his application at the CA was not the prayer that he should have asked for. That therefore made his application incompetent. Again on the merit, he did not have an interest in the matter and therefore not necessary to be made a party and to be granted leave to appeal.

    I salute the decision of the CA and the SC in that matter. Yes, in the light that he didn’t have any interest in the appeal at the CA and he sought to get leave he was appropriately described as a ‘busybody.’

    Mr. President has taken Oath of Office twice and if he succeeds in the 2015 Presidential Elections don’t you think he would have spent more than eight years provided in the constitution?

    The President took Oath of Office in 2007 as Vice President; he did not take Oath of Office as President and with the unfortunate demise of late President Yar Adua, Jonathan became President in 2010 by reason of the appropriate constitutional provisions and took Oath. Mr. President ran for office as President only once before now and that was in 2011 General Elections; he succeeded, won the election and took Oath of Office as the President.

    The provisions of the constitution relating to qualifications and disqualification of the President in relation to having previously contested election is very clear. Section 137 (1) (b) states clearly that you are only disqualified from running for Office of the President if you have been previously elected to that Office on two occasions. In this case, he was elected only in 2011. Now people erroneously say that he cannot run because he was in office between 2010 and 2011 as President. The circumstances are clearly understood and they are separate from what is contemplated in the constitution. Has he been elected as President on two separate occasions as President? No, as held by the FCT High Court, you cannot reckon with the period between 2010 to 2011 as part of his tenure; that period was to conclude the unexpired tenure of late President Yar Adua.

    A lot of people keep citing the case of Marwa Vs Nyako, decided by the SC as authority to say that he cannot stay more than eight years and I say they cite that decision wrongly. The ratio in Marwa Vs. Nyako is that if a person is elected to an Office and has taken Oath and subsequently, that election is nullified and he wins a re-run election and takes another Oath, you calculate the 4 year period from the date he took the first Oath, that is what Marwa Vs. Nyako says.

    Now Mr. President did not win election in 2010 and then also in 2011, no, when the SC in Marwa Vs. Nyako says tenure is four years and cannot be added, it was saying so in relation to a person that had won election, election nullified and wins a rerun. Nowadays they use the decision as a catch all.

    What are some of the defects in the Electoral Act 2010 that needs to be amended?

    The area of challenge to me is the time limit prescribed for determination of election petitions. I am quite conscious of the fact that we all want the petitions to be heard and determined quickly but unfortunately in practice it seems virtually everybody who loses election want to go to the tribunal. The tribunal is manned by human beings and in a bid to rush to get to a decision before the end of the time fixed to determine those petitions, justice can be hastily carried out and that is not good justice. In some circumstances, so petitions become spent in the sense that if could not be determined within the time allowed. SC has held that that time cannot be extended so you might have an otherwise meritorious petition but because of the fact that it cannot be taken within the time prescribed it goes into abeyance. That is an area of challenge that needs to be taken care of.

  • Cally Ikpe chides PDP’s campaign strategy

    Veteran broadcaster and CEO of Callivision Network, Cally Ikpe, has taken a swipe at the ruling People’s Democratic Party and its campaign strategies. In a recent Facebook post, Ikpe described the presidential race as a very tough one for President Goodluck Jonathan, not necessarily because he underestimated the potency of the opposition candidate, but more because of what he describes as the bad advisers, cronies and grabbers around him.

    “It is worst still that the closest of these advisers and most indispensable is Dr. Patience Jonathan. It is to her credit that Governor Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers State turned foe and ultimately a big boost to the opposition. Madam has carried on with anything and everything but decorum, hurling invectives at just any one who crosses her path. It’s amazing how the president is able to put up with all of these embarrassing attitudes,”Ikpe lamented.

    In his words, her recent remarks on General Muhammadu Buhari, calling him brain dead, sparks off mockery not to the General but herself as people naturally are inclined to probe into the mental state of the attacker.

    “Interestingly, all of this rascality is only serving to boost the opposition. Again, brazenly against common sense and love for her country she has gone further to advise the whole nation to “stone anyone who shouts change.” I insist it is divine providence that foisted GEJ on us as president; not even OBJ should take credit. The president does not owe any Deziani, Iweala, Anenih, Mark, IBB or any other person. If he believed so and ran his show like he were in charge completely, he won’t be struggling this much at this point,” he added.

  • Oke, Kuku schemed out of Ondo PDP

    Oke, Kuku schemed out of Ondo PDP

    Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, appears not to be making any pretense about his leadership status in the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    That the governor now calls the shots in Ondo PDP is no longer in contention. Following his defection from the Labour Party (LP) to PDP, some old members of his new party resisted his leadership of the party, but their strident objection has not yielded any positive intervention from both the Presidency and the national leadership of the party.

    The biggest casualties of the brouhaha are a former governorship candidate of the party, Chief Olusola Oke and the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, who are now made to look like outsiders or better still onlookers in the affairs of the party.

    But while Oke has openly vowed not to kowtow to the governor, sources say Kuku is playing it cool in order not to jeopardise the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in the state.

  • PDP: Six weeks is not enough

    PDP: Six weeks is not enough

    In less than two weeks Nigerians would be voting in elections that may turn out to be a watershed in the country’s democratic development. Despite all the advantages of incumbency, a very strong possibility exists that an invigorated opposition could topple the ruling party for the first time ever.

    President Goodluck Jonathan says his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is too big and established to fail. The owners and operators of the tragic ocean-going vessel ‘The Titanic’ had similar notions of its invincibility before it sank like a stone in the Atlantic. The president might be privy to intelligence we don’t have, or perhaps this is just bluster to project a positive front even when things aren’t going the way you would like.

    The two main political parties have commissioned their own private polls and have a fair idea which way the wind is blowing. That notwithstanding, both sides would tell you in public that they would win handsomely.

    To further muddy the waters you have clerics who also say they know who will emerge winner. To give their claims credibility they boast that God let them in on the secret. There’s a little problem though: some say General Muhammadu Buhari would win, others insist Jonathan would prevail. One thing that’s not in dispute is that God is not the author of confusion. In another fortnight those who truly heard the Almighty and those who were just hearing things would be separated.

    For those who make no claims to prophetic or clairvoyant capabilities, there’s a common sense way to project what is about to happen to the nation’s power configuration. These informed observers understand our political behavior and can sense which of the leading contestants has a credible route to power judging by the way the electoral map is shaping.

    Of course, their projections cannot be foolproof being the works of men. There are also imponderables that may yet come into the mix over the next 12 days to throw all assumptions out of the window. However, for the sake of today’s column we must stick with what is known at this point.

    So what is not in dispute? This is the most bitterly contested election in a generation. The exchanges have quickly headed for the gutter. The feeble attempts at discussing policy have been drowned out by a slew of invective.

    Jonathan’s campaign has informed us that leading opposition figures have body odour and should be in jail for their supposed crimes. Cash-strapped television stations have lost their heads and broadcast potentially libelous smear documentaries just because they have to pay bills.

    First Lady Patience Jonathan – not one to sidestep a fight – declared her husband’s rival ‘brain-dead’ and suggested that Northerners breed like rabbits without caring how present and future almajiris would be fed. She added helpfully that her own people were not that way.

    We’ve heard – albeit without a shred of proof – that the All Progressives Congress (APC) splashed out all of N5 billion so that Buhari could stand in the spotlight at London’s Chatham House.

    Of course, the APC campaign are no innocents and have given as good as they have received. They have questioned the psychiatric health of the Jonathan campaign spokesman as well as his choice of leisurely diversions in the past. Among other choice insults their characterization of the president as ‘clueless’ might just be the mildest.

    This recourse to coarse abuse simply says one thing: people are not looking to be persuaded about whom to vote for anymore. Minds have been made up and there’s not much that either side can do now to convert voters in a significant manner as to swing the direction of the election from what it would have been had it held as scheduled on February 14.

    Nothing has happened in the last five weeks since the polls were shifted that can be classified as game-changing. Rather all that has unfolded has hardened positions and attitudes. Take the smear documentaries against Buhari and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Tinubu.

    The airing of the videos didn’t reveal allegations or accusations that were not already in the public domain. Before they were broadcast there was advance warning that the ruling party was considering the nuclear option. That fact conditioned how many received it.

    For PDP supporters who watched gleefully and shared same online, the recordings merely preached to the converted. On the other hand they only served to incense APC supporters who felt that rules for political broadcasts were being blatantly violated while so-called regulators of the industry kept disgracefully mute.

    The purpose of the documentaries was to destroy the image of the APC leaders and turn voters against the party. The hope was that after viewing them, Jonathan and his PDP would smell like roses compared to the opposition. That hasn’t happened.

    Where the president and his supporters miscalculate is that they don’t understand the depth of feeling of those who have turned against the ruling party. Demonising Tinubu isn’t going to make the typical APC supporter love Buhari less. Calling the general names hasn’t turned his admirers to deserters because they are in love with him – and love is blind.

    I am equally mystified as to why Jonathan and the PDP think that the gains of the military campaign in the North-East will shift the electoral equation in any significant way before March 28. The perception of the president as not being up to the job transcends his handling of the insurgency – although that has been a major contributor.

    The dampener for Jonathan is that many can see the desperate attempt to manipulate the military success for short term political gain, and they are unmoved. What has been achieved over the last four weeks doesn’t obliterate the memory of five years of unrelenting bloodshed and traumatisation of the North-East. The contributions of our neighbours are no big secret and that vitiates the degree to which the president can claim credit.

    I am amused when PDP and the military get worked up at the lack of outpouring of love and affection from the public for their efforts. You don’t have to browbeat people to make them express what they don’t feel. When the Cameroonians called a demonstration in support of their troops, the response was massive. When Nigerian government officials and their spouses tried the same thing in Abuja, the response was underwhelming.

    In anger sponsored agents embarked on picketing selected offices of newspapers in Abuja. But they just don’t get it: you can’t decree affection. The moment the government chose to politicise the military’s actions they took it out of the realm of the patriotic and made it partisan.

    Again, by jumping legs first into the polarised political atmosphere and forcing through the polls postponement, the military turned many Nigerians against the institution as they were perceived as being too willing to do the partisan bidding of the ruling party.

    That perception that the armed forces had been sucked to deep into terrain they shouldn’t be found in was what Lt. General Martin Agwai (retd) erstwhile boss of SURE-P harped on at former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 78th birthday celebration. For his troubles he was kicked out of his job.

    Clearly, the military’s victory over Boko Haram in the North-East is not what is resonating with voters in the South-South, South-West, South-East, North-Central and North-West. If it was so important to them there would have been enthusiastic and spontaneous celebrations of the successes. Insurgents being chased out of Bama or Baga won’t be the reason many would vote for Buhari or Jonathan. The insurgency would count in the North-East but not in the way the PDP campaign is hoping.

    Perhaps the clearest indicator of how the presidential contest of 2015 is tilting lies in the body language of the two main candidates and their campaigns. The PDP campaign projects a defensive air. The president looks stressed and disturbed. Each new day there’s a new embarrassing story like the Nigeria-Morocco diplomatic fiasco or the First Lady putting her foot in her mouth.

    Each time the PDP presidential campaign makes some new outlandish claim like blaming the opposition for the recent fuel scarcity they come across having lost the plot.

    For Buhari, it has been a remarkable turnaround from the candidate who ran on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) four years. He may not be the perfect candidate but he has handled himself with calm assurance this time around, and he has also learnt to play politics better. That is evident in the remarkable cohesion that his patchwork coalition of opposition parties has shown going into the elections.

    In the weeks leading to his 1992 loss to the then Democratic Party challenger Bill Clinton, the air around former United States President George Bush Snr. and his Republican Party was decidedly gloomy. It is akin to what surrounds the PDP.

    When the party’s governors insist Jonathan would win – and tell voters to ignore the ‘APC propaganda’, they are simply reinforcing the notion that the other side is now dominant. Clearly, six weeks isn’t enough to undo the damage of six years.

  • APC: PDP plans to have Buhari try his party men

    APC: PDP plans to have Buhari try his party men

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

    In a  statement ,the APCPCO Media Director, Garba Shehu said  that the federal government planned to take advantage of a vow by General Buhari that if elected, he will not investigate the past, but that all on-going cases will be allowed to run their course without any hindrance.

    The campaign organization cited  an alleged memo to EFCC from the Chief of Staff to the President,Brig-Gen Jones Arogbofa (rtd)  which  it described as a mischievous attempt to railroad the Presidential Candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to subject his own supporters to trial and conviction.It accused Arogbofa of  recommending senior APC leaders, businessmen and company CEOs  for investigation and trial by the commission.

    On the list are former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State.

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

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

     

  • PDP is irresponsible for opposing Card Reader – Osinbajo

    PDP is irresponsible for opposing Card Reader – Osinbajo

    It is irresponsible for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to oppose the use of card readers for the coming general election, Prof Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday..

    The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) wondered why the ruling is afraid to support the use of electronic device that would give credibility to the electoral process, saying the PDP was jittery of its imminent loss.

    Osinbajo spoke at the presentation of a book entitled: For The Love of Their Nation: Lawyers as Agents of Change in Nigeria, written by former Judiciary Editor of the Guardian, Kunle Ogunsakin, at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

    He said: “It is a big surprise to everybody watching political events that the PDP that approved the card reader for the election suddenly finds something seriously wrong with the device. The card reader is to ensure that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are not fake. It would be irresponsible for any political party to oppose the use of gadgets that would give credibility to electoral process. It sounds strange when the main political party says don’t let us authenticate the PVCs.”

    He added: “There is a lot of impunity in the country. Many people are losing faith in the ability of administration of justice system and indeed, the government to observe the tenet of the rule of law. We must return to observance of the rule of law and to holding government and its officials accountable for what they do. That can only come from exemplary leadership.”

    Osinbajo said lack of accountability explained why the Federal Government could not account for billions lost when oil price was at $130. He noted that Saudi Arabia saved $750 billion in the period of increased oil sale, adding that Nigeria’s foreign reserve did not rise.

    He said corruption must be stopped for the nation to make meaningful progress, noting that the book asked thought-provoking question about engendering accountability and justice in the country.

    The book reviewer, Mr Dele Adesina, SAN, described the book as a “literary work of great significance”, noting the author’s knowledge of justice system made him an authority even though he is not a lawyer.

    In a similar vein,  Osinbajo, has called on christian community to support all genuine efforts towards checking corruption in the country.

    Osinbajo who bemoaned the deep and widespread corruption in Nigeria, said his nomination to pair with Buhari for March 28 Presidential race  was parts of God’s plan to salvage the country.

    The former Attorney – General and Commissioner of Justice, Lagos state, made the call on  yesterdayat Idiroko area of Ogun State while addressing a monthly meeting of the state state chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

    According to him, he had notified the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian. Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye as well as his wife before accepting the nomination to run for vice presidential race.

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

    PDP plans to have Buhari try his Party men – APCPCO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

  • Polls: Group endorses Buhari/Osibanjo ticket

    Polls: Group endorses Buhari/Osibanjo ticket

    A group, Rivers Youths for Democratic Vanguard, (RYDV), one of the formidable socio-political organisations in Rivers State has endorsed the candidature of Gen. Mohammadu Buhari of All Progressive Congress (APC) and his deputy Yemi Osnibajo for 2015 general election.

    Arising from their emergency meeting Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, the group said their decision was on the premise of the economy critical condition which needs someone like Buhari for urgent rescue

    The leader of the group, Rev’d Fred Woke who chaired the meeting yesterday said as much as governor Chibuike Amaechi is leading the change movement there is no going back on their support for Buhari/Osinbajo ticket.

    He said out of 262 members of the organisation only 22 were against their vision, adding that the group has planned to begin door to door campaign for Buhari presidential election in Rivers State.

    He accused the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of defacing the pictures of APC Presidential Candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in Rivers state, describing it as a campaign strategy to misinform Rivers people that Buhari has no supporters in the state.

    Woke said, “As you can see, we have just ended the three hours meeting of this great organization to decide on who among the Presidential candidates of the various political parties lined up in the forthcoming election in Nigeria will be our candidate.

    Today, after resolving our differences, we have in one voice endorsed Buhari/Osinbajo ticket, we love the governor of this state and if he could lead this change movement then we have no choice than to endorse the APC presidential candidate.

    “I want to use this opportunity to call on the PDP in the state to stop defacing Buhari campaign pictures. We described such action as a failed quest to mislead the public and blackmail Gen. Buhari.”