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Tag: PDP

  • Orubebe visits monarchs

    Orubebe visits monarchs

    A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Delta State, Godsday Orubebe, has received another endorsement, when Central Senatorial District monarchs prayed for him yesterday.

    Orubebe, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, has been visiting opinion leaders and traditional rulers across the state.

    He started with Delta North before moving to the Central where he was hosted yesterday by traditional rulers in Ethiope West Local Government at the palace of the Ovie of Mosogar,  Samson Omene.

    Orubebe told them he would take the state higher, if given the opportunity to lead.

    He said he had prepared a roadmap that would take Delta to the next level, adding that with proper planning and serious implementation, the state would witness a leap in development.

    Moribund industries, according to him, will be brought be revived and jobs provided h.  Orubebe said he was responsible for Federal Government’s implementation of the East-West road contract and that the road would be completed by next March.

    The Ovie of Oghara, Nobele Esiemita, said he was convinced Orubebe had what it took to be governor, saying he would be in a position to continue to build on the foundation laid by former Governor James Ibori.

    Omene said with his sound education and experience, Orubebe would perform excellently if elected.

    He praised him for the East West road project which he described as of monumental importance to businesses in the Niger Delta.

  • Kashamu disown governorship posters

    Kashamu disown governorship posters

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Southwest Coordinator Prince Buruji Kashamu has disowned posters portraying him as interested in the 2015 governorship election in Ogun State.

    His posters are all over the state.

    Kashamu said he had nothing to do with the posters. He told The Nation that he had no ambition to become a governor, saying he prays that persons who would improve the lot of the people emerge governors in all Southwest states.

    He said about a week ago, over 2,000 people visited him, urging him to contest the 2015 governorship poll, but he declined.

    Kashamu said he can help in making decisions that would enthrone the right leaders in the Southwest.

     

  • Court adjourns suit against Fayose to June 30

    Court adjourns suit against Fayose to June 30

    A High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Monday adjourned the case instituted by e-Eleven against the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose to June 30.

    The court, at the hearing, ruled against the request for urgency as sought by e-Eleven, the claimants in the case.

    The group is seeking to stop Fayose from contesting Saturday’s governorship election.

    The e-Eleven, through an earlier court process, had sought to stop the PDP candidate from contesting the June 21 election, contending that Fayose had disclosed false information in Form CFO 1 of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in respect of his 2006 impeachment by the state assembly.

    But Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, opposing oral application as sought by claimants based on the ‘urgency’ of the issue, said the rule of court must be obeyed by the claimants who must observe the prescribed minimum number of days within which to file their written address (not orally) and secure a response from the respondents, citing Section 39 of the Constitution.

    The judge ruled that the claimants must file a written address by way of reply to the preliminary objection served on the defendants and that they must maintain the mandatory seven days within which to respond to whatever the defendants served on them.

    Counsel to the claimants, Norrison Quakers (SAN) had informed the court about receiving a process from the defendants that challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the originating summons filed on behalf of the claimants, expressing readiness to wave the rights to reply by urging the court to take the originating summons side-by-side with the preliminary objection.

    Quakers had pleaded for accelerated hearing of the case, considering the fact that the case is hinged on the PDP candidate’s eligibility in an election holding on Saturday.  But in a counter argument, counsel to the respondent, Ahmed Raji (SAN) said the case before the court was not ripe enough for hearing since there was no written application filed to him in respect of the objection by the defendant.

    He asked the court to give him seven days to respond to the filed affidavit which would be given to him by the claimant.

  • APC Convention praiseworthy

    SIR: One of the most significant issues that deepen democratic culture in any country is the transparent conduct of party conventions through which officers are elected to run the party’s affairs. In that wise, kudos goes to the All Progressive Congress, APC for the credible manner it conducted its maiden National Convention in Abuja recently.

    Apart from the huge attendance, with politicians drawn from all the six geo-political zones, the smooth and rancour-free manner that characterized its conduct is worthy of emulation by other political parties.

    At the end of the exercise there were visible signs of a deliberateattempt to forge not only unity of purpose amongst the party members, but to strengthen national unity as well. This is noteworthy. And it will go a long way towards the sustenance of inter-party peace, such that the elected officers would not be distracted by settling feuds.

    Instead, the members would concentrate their energy in promoting the political philosophy and ideals which the party stands for, as enshrined in their party’s constitution and manifesto. Ultimately, the people whose interests the flag bearers are supposed to serve would benefits from the dividends of democracy.

    The very fact that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, APC’s arch rival has come out to commend the process that saw to the emergence of Chief John Oyegun as the National Chairman is praise worthy. It should serve as a moral lesson for politicians of different shades to imbibe as Nigerians look forward to issue-based campaigns devoid of violence, name-calling and unwarranted brickbats.

    What Olisa Metuh, the PDP National Publicity Secretary said is instructive: “the new leadership(of the APC) should ensure an issue-based opposition that will purposefully and constructively engage  and challenge the PDP with decency and maturity as prescribed by democratic tenets and principles”. Well said. The hope however, is that the same PDP would not be the first to politicize even rather sensitive issues ranging from grave insecurity through massive corruption in high places to the raging youth unemployment in Nigeria, which the World Bank had since 2010 warned Nigeria had assumed a scary time-bomb situation.

    The APC should build on the critical and delicate issue of geo-political equity in the election of its flag bearers. Now that the choice of the National Publicity Secretary of the party, the Deputy Chairman, as well as Zonal Chairmen  have been elected based on national spread, that should serve as a template for future elections.

    What Nigerians require at this perilous moment of our history are men and women of unquestionable integrity and committed patriots ready to sacrifice their whims and caprices of personal gains to satisfy the needs of the greater majority of Nigerians. And that starts with the

    calibre and character of the APC ambassadors.

    Nigerians are out there waiting for a strong, virile and ideology-based opposition to assuage their pains and reverse the drift to a state of anomie. The next few months are therefore, critical to

    APC in meeting these challenges head-on. It cannot afford to fail, fumble or falter. As Chief Oyegun rightly noted in his acceptance speech: “the very task of salvaging Nigeria will, on its own, be hard

    because the rot is deep. We must learn to let go of past grudges and previous grievances and move forward together as members of the same family.” One cannot agree any less. Here is wishing all newly elected members of the APC leadership a purposeful, pragmatic and peaceful tenure in office in the service of the party and the nation at large.

     

    • Idowu Ajanaku

     

  • Al-Makura’s quest for second term in Nasarawa

    Al-Makura’s quest for second term in Nasarawa

    Human rights activist Jonathan Ubandoma, who highlights the issues that will shape the next governorship election in Nasarawa State, contends that Governor Tanko Al-Makura deserves a second term.

    Four years ago, Nasarawa State was one of the most backward states in the federation. Roads were bad. Social amenities were inadequate. In Lafia, Keffi, Nasawan Toto and Akwanga, people thirsted for dividends of democracy.

    That was the situation in the 12 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Strife, barbarism, backwardness, discord, disharmony and an indolent work-force stagnated the progress of the state.

    The picture was indeed, made worse by the acrimony that ruled the political firmament. People were generally unhappy. Those were lucky to lean on the government by executing jobs contracted out to them did it in good faith but were treated like slaves because the jobs were done but the governors refused to honour their part of the contract and so left people to go hungry.  A hungry man, they say, is an angry man. The state, from Lafia to Keffi, Marraraba, Akwanga and Doma, was inhabited by nothing but angry people.

    This discontent continued, until the 2011 elections when a messiah in the name of Umar Tanko Al Makura stepped up to the plate and offered to drag the state out of the economic, political and social doldrums in which it found itself. Then resistance to change began to manifest. The core establishment in the state was not in the mood to give up power to a caring and responsive government so it stood firmly in the way of what seemed like a silver lining at the end of the Nasarawa tunnel. At a point, when the presidential candidate of the CPC Muhammadu Buhari, to which the agent of change Umar Tanko Al Makura, alias Taal, belonged wanted to visit the state, the entire civil service and indeed the entire traditional institution in the state was ordered to look the other way. Those who the gods want to destroy, they say, they first make mad.

    The people of Nasarawa are very progressive people. They are also a very rational people. They are well endowed in both human capital and natural resources and their accomplishment in several fields since they existed in the old Benue Plateau State leading to Plateau State from where they were created knows no bounds. So, the masses of Nasarawa are not about to be blind-folded into believing that the spook works better than the mannequin. That singular resistance to change by the traditional institution as dictated by the state government became the game-changer. Nasarawa people read the handwriting on the wall and decided to stand by the truth. They voted en masse for Taal.

    The beautiful cosmopolis that is emerging in Lafia and other towns in the state today are not an accident of history. They are the fruit of the germination of an idea that was about to be buried with the decent and dedicated citizens of a state that would have lived under a perpetual bondage as designed by the PDP. When he began to vie for the governorship of the state and was asked why he was so determined since he was a man of means who did not need the state to live in opulence and luxury, Taal said just one word transformation. It is argued in many academic quarters that the word transformation was synonymous with the Taal campaigns before the Goodluck Jonathan administration adopted it. One man jocularly said in a debate that the word did not originate with Goodluck but the “Goodkid” from Nasarawa, Umar Tanko Al-Makura. And it is so carried. When asked to buttress his argument, he said the good kid Al Makura or Taal has over turned the sorry situation in the state which was soaked in poor infrastructure, unemployment, dearth of economic opportunities, deliberate falsehood and poor service delivery to a state full of hope and promise which is gradually imbibing a human face.

    In the past, the state was a ghost. Today, Nasarawa is evolving as a face that its people could be proud of. In fact the first civilian governor of the state Dr Abdullahi Adamu has thrown his weight and total allegiance to this achiever whose drive to move the state forward has no rival. Already, just three years into his administration, there are well-paved roads in all the major towns of the state. There are also health care facilities that are equipped with modern tools and affordable drugs. This situation has also begun to attract qualified medical personnel and auxiliary workers who would once desert the state like a plague.

    Agriculture, the mainstay of the state has seen a boost. Improved seedlings are everywhere and the fertilizer scarcity that used to be the bane of the average farmer has become history. While agric is getting a boost education is being embellished. A walk across the state shows that several schools have received a make-over and the quality of teaching is looking up. The feeding of wards in the states schools have improved because learning is not as easy on a hungry stomach. To show that this is a socially responsible government, the downtrodden in the communities like women and people living with disabilities have since endorsed this administration as the one that serves their interests the most. It is a testimony of greatness and a large heart.

    But, while all these are home truths more palatable is the decongestion of the city by the restriction imposed on commercial motorcyclists who used to swarm Lafia and surrounding towns like bees to honey. Worse even are the atrocities that used to be associated with them in the areas of street violence and petty crimes. These are gone with the decisive action of the governor who put his foot down to deal with the menace regardless of whose ox is gored. Today the once inclement traffic situation caused by these cyclists has been turned to a marital bliss between two wheels, tricycles and automobiles, something that once looked impossible to boot.

     

     

     

  • 2015: Governorship ticket tears Adamawa PDP apart

    2015: Governorship ticket tears Adamawa PDP apart

    A disagreement in the Adamawa State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is threatening its cohesion. The scramble for the 2015 governorship ticket is tearing the party apart, making the political future of Deputy Governor Bala Ngillari to hang in  the balance, writes BARNABAS MANYAM.

    Swift and unprecedented changes are taking place in the Adamawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As a result, the political future of  the deputy governor, Bala James Ngillari, is hanging in the balance. Ngillari’s profile  rose swiftly when he refused to defect alongside  Governor Murtala Nyako, who dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC) last year.

    At the time, PDP bigwigs in Abuja were in support of his bid for the governorship in 2015 on the platform of the former ruling party. But, since then, a lot of developments have taken place. Now, and new and equally credible aspirants have also emerged.

    Ngillari was taken aback by a media statement credited to the  PDP chairman, Chief Joel Hammanjoda Madaki, that the  governorship ticket has been zoned to Adamawa Central Senatorial District.

    Stakeholders in the party were surprised that Madaki could go public with such a sensitive matter, without discussing at the PDP  executive committee meeting. They say even though the high chief may have his own opinion, he should not have presented as if it is the party’s official position.

    One of the governorship aspirants,  who has been fighting to build the PDP for more than six years, Dr. Umar Ardo, was the first to respond. The genial Ardo said the chief may have been quoted out of context by the newspaper, even though he admitted that he had not read the publication.

    According to Ardo, it may also have been Madaki’s personal opinion, which may not go down well with many party faithful. He added however, that as a good party man, he would accept it in good faith.

    Given his close relationship with Madaki, observers say Ardo was being economical with the truth. “He has been a close ally of the elder statesman for many years. In fact, he is like a brother to him. So, he will not publically oppose him,” said a party chieftain.

    The deputy governor is a politician with impeccable qualities. He has climbed every surmountable mountain in his political life. But, he prefers to work quietly from the background.

    From the remarkable role he played during the Oputa Panel, to his days in the National Assembly, Ngillari has been very active politically. He had already secured his ticket to return to the  House of Representatives for a second term, when he was picked the deputy to Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako.

    This time around, it remains to be seen, if he will spring a surprise. But, the statement by  Madaki, who holds the traditional title of the Nzomoro Kaku, meaning the defender of the Bwatiye nation, may have jeopardised the hopes of the prodigious deputy governor.

    Going by Madaki’s statement, the deputy governor, who is from the Northern Senatorial District, is out of contention for the  ticket, in spite of the fact that he has contributed so much to  the party and had refused to defect to the APC.

    PDP bigwigs in Abuja are of the view that Ngillari should be allowed to spend one term in office as governor.

    Ardo, in an interview some  months ago, said that President Goodluck Jonathan had already destroyed the PDP zoning formula and that the governor of Adamawa State can come from anywhere, because zoning is now irrelevant in the PDP.

    The chapter has more than 25 governorship aspirants, who are from  the three zones and more are still coming out. There is no telling who will clinch the ticket from aspirants eying the coveted ticket.

    For now, many of the aspirants like Ngillari and Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, who are all from the Northern Senatorial zone, are oiling their machinery to do battle against others like Dr. Dahiru Ahmed Modibbo, who has allegations of corruption hanging on his neck, courtesy of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the ICPC.

    But, observers say some of these cases lack merit. But, that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Dr. Modibbo is prosecuting his ambition.

     

  • Ekiti: let the people win

    Ekiti: let the people win

    For the Ekiti and Osun elections, no prize for guessing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) grand  strategy: Ayo Fayose would stage his adult delinquency stunts, Iyiola Omisore would scowl his sinister scowl and the petrified — and pacified — electorate would fall in line!

    It is bully tactics as perfect electoral recipe.

    A colluding presidency, pushing a failed president for second term, sure needs the destructive force of the twain, in its manifesto of fear and threat.

    It also fits perfectly into an historical pattern: whenever the South West is making progress, even amidst pan-Nigeria chaos, noxious forces, with their local office-seeking collaborators, would attempt a scuttle.

    It happened in the old West, shortly after independence.  It happened in the Second Republic.  Now, it is about to happen — in any case, the electoral invaders wish so — with President Goodluck Jonathan’s desperation to get a second term at all cost, using both Ekiti and Osun to establish some phoney toe hold in the West, despite a record of glaring presidential failure.

    The snag is: the first battle ground is Ekiti: happy graveyard of past all-muscle-no-brain federal vote fiddlers.  But the “invaders” are hardly fazed — for they have good, old “federal might” — illegal use of the police and other security agencies for partisan electoral ends.

    If you think this painted scenario is alarmist or even harsh, then you have not been closely following the Ekiti unfolding drama, in the run-up to the gubernatorial election of June 21.

    Flashback, June 8.  The local Mobile Police (Mopol) OC (officer-in-charge), one Gabriel Michael Selekenkere, reportedly threatened to “arrest” the governor, claiming “orders from above”.  His “orders”, specifically, was Vice President Namadi Sambo.  The VP was in town, the insolent policeman snapped.  So, the governor must dive for cover!

    But all of these are really not new.  Since Mopol junked its truncheon-and-shield for firearms, and assumed its notorious kill-and-go moniker under IGP Sunday Adewusi in President Shehu Shagari’s Second Republic (1979-1983), police pre-election rascality, in favour of federal electoral bullies, has become tales of the expected.  Even then, Selekenkere’s recklessness ploughed new depth in infamy.

    But there is also some satanic symbolism to it all, suggesting some inexplicable electoral death wish.  VP Sambo is the latest federal ogre.  But in 2009, it was VP Jonathan, then trying to earn stripes under Olusegun Obasanjo’s do-or-die electoral regime.  As Jonathan declared war on Ekiti then, Sambo is declaring war on Ekiti now.

    Still, between then and now, a lot has happened.  The 2007-2010 electoral conspiracy had come a-cropper, with Kayode Fayemi judicially regaining his stolen mandate.  Mr. Fayose, Ekiti’s enfant-terrible governor (2003-2006) had been thrown to and fro, out and in, and is now back gobbling his vomit as PDP candidate; and scowling face of unrepentant retardation in Ekiti.

    Olusegun Oni, principal actor in the 2007-2010 electoral judicial war, and dashing general of the fierce Ido-Osi re-run manoeuvre, has somewhat executed a Pauline conversion, back into the progressive camp.

    Not unlike Brutus who joined to kill Julius Caesar, not because he hated his imperious friend but because he loved Rome, many say Oni was part of that electoral steal not because he hated Fayemi, the winner, but because he loved Ekiti.  But saint or sinner, Mr. Oni is alive to the clear catastrophe of Fayose’s second coming, with its aridity of ideas, executive criminality and gubernatorial gangsterism.

    But alas, Opeyemi Bamidele, Labour Party (LP) candidate in Saturday’s election, appears headed in opposite direction as Mr. Oni.  The one heads for destruction; the other heads for redemption.

    Ripples’ frank opinion: the Bamidele defection is another manifestation of Nigerian progressives’ abject failure to manage prosperity, without falling upon themselves.  Mr. Bamidele was too rash.  Governor Fayemi and his court were too smug.  Things fell apart and the centre could not hold.

    Now, an election that ought to be a shoo-in, based on Dr. Fayemi’s demonstrable performance, is now the subject of some phoney speculation of “closeness”, because the proverbial wall has opened; and the treacherous lizard has entered.

    Still, on the electoral street, on both sides of the partisan divide, Mr. Bamidele is viewed much more emotively.  His LP is a PDP Trojan horse, a treacherous Jacob who voices progressive ideas but whose Esau arms are hairy and sooty with deeds of reaction and retrogress.

    If Mr. Bamidele fronts for LP and LP itself fronts for PDP (which just virtually yesterday ran Ekiti aground), even Mr. Bamidele and his new company would admit theirs is a treacherous enterprise which, given Mr. Fayose’s disastrous first coming and President Jonathan’s catastrophic current term, can only take Ekiti back to the Egypt it thought it had left forever.

    Of course, Mr. Bamidele’s foes in the Fayemi camp waste no time to trigger the Yoruba political cosmos of extreme saints and sinners, and put their former comrade-turned-antagonist pat in the hottest part of that sinners’ corner.

    Whatever happens, the notorious fact is that should the Ekiti election go awry, and the invading forces succeed to use the notorious “federal might” to rig the election, claiming a bogus victory but explaining the crime away with Mr. Bamidele, as a factor in splitting the All Progressives Conference (APC) vote, Mr. Bamidele would be installed on the throne of infamy which Mr. Oni just vacated.

    Still, the most annoying thing in all the electioneering hullabaloo is the PDP cynical posture that performance does not count; and that the electors are idiots.

    The president rode into town like some sheriff, his deputy bawling war, his police bullying everyone; implying such empty braggadocio is enough to sweep the polls.  But if Jonathan has ruled Nigeria the way Fayemi has ruled Ekiti, the country would not be in this mess.  Yet, there is so much hype about the partisan endorsement of a failed president.

    Mr. Fayose too blabs and roars.  But does he think the Ekitis would just forget four years of Fayemi’s systematic governance, and zombie-like, opt for the haphazard Fayose: his government by sub-human impulse and pedestrian thinking, which spectacularly undid them less than 10 years ago?

    From cynical water in 2003, Mr. Fayose has graduated to cynical rice and Okada bribes in 2014.  Some news sources, quoting Thai authorities, even claim the Fayose electoral rice is toxic.  If true, it becomes all the more interesting: Toxic candidate.  Toxic rice.  Toxic future!  It doesn’t get more diabolic!

    On Saturday, Prof. Atahiru Jega’s INEC has its job well cut out.  If it delivers free, fair and transparent election, the best candidate will win.  Ripples has no doubt that would be Governor Fayemi.

    But if it succumbs to the Anambra magic, and later turns round to rationalise brazen fraud, it would court untold trouble, given Ekitis’ past reactions to such shenanigan.  Federal electoral bullies, itching to use lawful force for lawless causes, had also better dust up their history books.

    Let the Ekiti people win on Saturday.  That is the only way to deepen democracy and ensure sustainable development.

  • A popularity ride in Ile-Ife

    A popularity ride in Ile-Ife

    The Ile Ife, Osogbo and Ikire ecstatic campaign crowds have established the massive support Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola enjoys across the state, writes Adekunle Owolabi

    The return of the mythical Oranmiyan to Ile-Ife, the scradele of Yoruba, could not have been a strange thing, given the well-known Yoruba mythology. Perhaps, this was what made the flag off of the re-election campaigns of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the symbol of the Oranmiyan phenomenon an electrifying event.

    It a political funfare.  It was a celebration of a political figure ,who symbolizes the new thinking and perspective in political re-ordering. The Ife Federal Constituency re-election campaign brought the Ooni Okunade Sijuwade’s Ile Ife to a standstill .

    The huge crowd of supporters showed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenger,  Senator Iyiola Omisore, who hails from the ancient city, is really no match for the governor.

    The town was agog. From the main entry point through the popular Lagere Road, to Enuwa, the palace of  Oba  Sijuwade, people poured into the street in thousands to welcome the campaign train. For six hours, Ile-Ife stood still for the ACN governorship candidate.

    The first point of call was the palace where Aregbesola was received and regaled in a grand manner typical of the demonstration of Ooni’s majesty.

    The significance of Aregbesola’s straight journey to the palace was not lost on the people. The monarch’s Iwure (royal blessing) and endorsement that followed put paid to all insinuations that given the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate is of the Ife stock, the royal father of the city might be tempted to blindly throw his weight behind one of his subjects who is eyeing the same position.

    But not only did the Ooni pray for Aregbesola, his words were believed to be profound enough attestation to the royal support he is poised to offer to the governor, whose sterling performance he affirmed.

    In his remark, the first class monarch said election is not a do-or-die affairs but only a civil exercise to choose those whom the people want to lead them.

    In a passionate prayerful mood that appears to have jolted the opposition, the influential royal father had said in Yoruba, “Olorun to fi e s’ibe ko de ni mu e kuro” (meaning God that enthroned you will ensure your continuity in office).

    He also said: “All you have been doing are not for yourself or for your people. You are striving for the good of the entire Yoruba race, for the country. God will always be with you.”

    Ooni said he had called a meeting of all politicians in the town and cautioned them to conduct themselves in the peaceful manner devoid of bloodshed.

    The monarch commended Aregbe-sola for his numerous achievements in all sectors of governance.

    “As royal father to all, I can only tell the politicians to conduct themselves in the accepted manner and play according to the electoral rules.

    “Election is just a routine through which people elect those they want to rule them.

    “Therefore, election is not synonymous with bloodshed. This is why I cautioned all politicians to eschew violence before, during and after the election,” Ooni said.

    Armed with the royal blessing, Aregbesola’s campaign train had left the palace snaking through the city on its way to the campaign ground at the Ile Ife Technical School playground.

    Expectedly, commercial activities came to an end; traffic movement slowly wound to a halt. Left, right and centre, people radiated happiness as they saw a leader, who, for close to four years now, has busied himself with how his people would live better and qualitative lives different from the lives of hopelessness they had been subjected to in the years past.

    At the campaign ground, speakers after speakers x-rayed the performance of Aregbesola, which they said is uncommon, unrivalled and unarguably unassailable at the moment.

    Senators Jide Omoworare, in whose had Omisore had suffered a humiliating defeat in the 2011 National Assembly election, in the Osun East senatorial District and Professor Sola Adeyeye, representing the Osun Central senatorial District, said Omisore has no mental capacity to serve the state.

    The lawmakers averred that the job of administering the state is enormous and Omisore is unprepared and lacks the know-how to rule the state.

    “Ogbeni Aregbesola is God-sent to the people of Osun. In just a single term of four years, this wonderful man transformed the state positively.

    “The truth of the matter is that Omisore has no mental capacity to govern this state.

    “As senator, Omisore cannot point to anything beneficial he has done for Ile-Ife not to talk of Osun.

    “What has he brought to his town, his state from his much-touted mainstream politics?” the lawmaker said advising the people to vote wisely by voting for Aregbesola’s continuity in office.

    In what has become characteristic of his campaigns, Aregbesola undoubtedly stirred the crowd by simply telling them what his administration had done since his assumption of office.

    According to the governor, seeking re-election is to perfect the establishment of genuine and credible leadership that only aims at delivery of service to the people in the state.

    He said though electoral fraudsters stole his mandate in 2007 warning that the shenanigans of 2007 would not happen again in the history of Osun politics.

    Aregbesola also remembered 12 innocent people, who were killed in their bid to prevent rigging in their constituencies saying never again would violence against the people be allowed in any part of Osun.

    Aregbesola’s emphasis against violence was understandable. Not only were members of his party killed in 2007, no fewer than another six were brutally murdered on the eve of the National Assembly election in 2011.

    For a man who hinges his bid for second term on his scorecard for the first opportunity to serve, Aregbesola reeled out his administration’s achievements in the Ife Federal Constituency thus: “We have touched lives in all facets of human endeavours.

    “In the constituency we have constructed more the 50km of intra-city roads; built six new schools, several boreholes, distributed 1, 473 pieces of Opon Imo tablets to high school students.

    “This is in addition to ensuring adequate security by providing necessary equipment to security agencies, provision of health care facilities as well as monthly welfare package for vulnerable elders under the Agba Osun  Scheme.

    “All these we have done and are doing. While we want a second term is to consolidate on all these achievements as well as lay down a solid foundation for credible governance,” Aregbesola said.

    The intimidating crowd in Ife seems to have sent signals to many quarters. From then, the wave of defections to the APC has increased. While many are still believed to be on their way perfecting their defection strategies, former Governor of the State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke formally boosted the rank of the APC with his defection on Saturday May 31, when he led thousands of his supporters to the APC.

    Adeleke was given a grand reception at the state capital where Governor Aregbesola and his Ekiti counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande were on hand to receive the new political bride.

    Addressing the gathering at the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom Square, Osogbo, Adeleke said he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because he does not want a mediocre to take over from a performing governor so as to avoid dragging the hand of the clock of progress backward.

    Adeleke said: “I am happy to be with the progressive. I was a governor under Social Democratic Party (SDP), which was a progressive party.

    “I was involved in the struggle for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. I cannot work for a thug to become the next governor of the state.”

    It was this streak that blazed down to Ikire on last week when the campaign train berthed at Isokan/Ayedade/Irewole Federal Constituency.

    As is the tradition, the Governor first paid homage to the traditional ruler of the town, Akire of Ikire, His Royal Highness, Oba Olatunde Falabi, who commended the governor for what he described as a revolutionary touch in the state.

    Oba Falabi said the people did not need a soothsayer to tell them that the government of APC has brought huge development to the state in the past three and half years.

    Falabi would not see any need to change what he called winning team in the affairs of Osun.

    “You have done very well in your first term. We did not need another person to tell us that.

    “We can see the development with our very eyes. We can see the transformation of the state all around us.

    “In fact, you have been doing the job as if your life depends on it. With this achievement, your second term is guaranteed,” Akire said.

    A leader of the party and one-time PDP chieftain and Chief of Staff to Oyinlola , Elder Peter Babalola,  said the PDP, in its seven and half years in government, performed abysmally.

    Babalola averred that the poor performance of PDP was exposed when in just a single term of almost four years, Aregbesola changed the face of the state.

    He noted that his own constituency, Isokan-Irewole-Ayedaade Federal constituency benefitted immensely from Aregbesola’s positive transformation saying “Today, my constituency is better than when the PDP and I were in power.

    “In fact, government projects in my federal constituency are countless and the people can attest to that. So we have benefitted from APC government of Aregbesola.”

    Roads leading to the campaign ground came out in different colours as multiple social and political groups, professional groups, artisans resplendent in colourful attires lined the route to add glamour to the scene.

    On the left side of the route you would see an aged woman shaking her fragile frame to the rhythm of entertaining beats. At the other side of the road, you would see an excited baby at the back his mother looking innocently but quite conscious something unusual was happening in the environment. Down another road you would see a bike rider displaying his dexterity and mastery of the machine on the road. Another time you would a young man in acrobatic display all in excited display of love for the man they are convinced has brought meaning to their lives.

     

    A middle aged woman, confounded by the motley crowd, preened here and there, telling bystanders in local dialect “Aregbe ni jare; e je a gba f’olohun’ meaning ‘It is Aregbe. Let us just accept that this man is God-sent.

    The roadshow train later arrived at St. John’s Primary School playground Ikire, which had already been filled to the brim.

    It was this gathering that Senator Isiaka Adeleke, addressed, telling them to allow the incumbent governor to continue his positive transformations of the state.

    Adeleke said that Aregbesola has performed excellently in the state thus deserving to consolidate and finish with what he has started.

    He called on members of All Progressives Congress (APC) and citizens to vote for continuity come August 9, saying it will be wise to show the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party that Osun’s governorship seat is not meant for people bereft of idea.

    “I want to plead with our members and Osun people to use their vote to bring back Aregbesola because he has worked tremendously for the development of Osun, you should make sure that we score 80 per cent of the votes.

    “If we are able to do this, we will be killing an ant with a sledge hammer,” Adeleke said.

    He averred that with present government’s developmental stride in the state, if election holds tomorrow, Aregbesola’s victory is guaranteed, saying Senator Omisore is only grandstanding.

    While speaking, Aregbesola said his achievement in his first term in office will be dwarfed by that of second term if elected.

     

    The governor said they should expect more than the 88 boreholes which had been sunk in the federal constituency; 2,299 Opon Imo distributed to secondary schools in this axis and the beautification of Asejire to Gbongan on Ibadan-Ife Expressway.

    Aregbesola also listed 5 newly built ultra-modern school buildings; intra and inter road networks totalling 60 km among other things in Isokan-Ayedaade-Irewole Federal constituency.

    In his words, “We believe, and are of the opinion that power is responsibility. But PDP believe that power has no responsibility. That is the difference between the two of us.

    “Our party rules with the aim of running a government that is beneficial to the people. We have the people’s welfare at heart.

    “Whereas the PDP is selfish, greedy and avaricious, we do not resemble them. PDP was here for close to 8 years. Was it in their imagination that ambulances were needed on our roads?” To this question, there was a resounding “Noooooooooo!!!!!!” from the huge crowd.

    State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives and Empowerment, Mr. Ismail Alagbada, succinctly put the scenario thus: This is simply electrifying! But we do not expect anything less than this. The last three years and more have seen us working ourselves to the bone,” Alagbada said.

    Like in a carnival, dodo Ikire, a popular delicacy made of mashed ripe plantain was served in excess to all that came for the campaign that day. Just as the people went hysterical with the campaigns, so they savoured the pleasure that had been part of the economic life of the Ikire town for decades.

     

     

  • Nasarawa 2015: PDP’s plot to dislodge Al-Makura

    Nasarawa 2015: PDP’s plot to dislodge Al-Makura

    Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Al-Makura, has many battles to fight ahead of his reelection bid in 2015, mainly from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has devised well-thought out strategies to outsmart him, reports Sunday Oguntola.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), still smarting from a shocking defeat at the 2011 governorship race in Nasarawa State, is determined to wrestle power from the incumbent, Umaru Al-Makura come 2015.

    The game plan codenamed “Operation back to power in 2015” has become popular among leading chieftains of the party. It is anchored on the exigency of the party to assume the governorship seat again at the next election with members promised juicy offers at the federal and state levels.

    Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the game plan has been adopted as the blueprint of the party’s electioneering campaign ahead of 2015 with huge resources allocated to making it a huge success.

    The ‘power’ of the unseen pact  

    The mainstay of the strategy, according to reliable sources, is the alleged pact Governor Al-Makura reportedly signed in the run-off to the 2011 race that he would only run for a term. For several months now, that pact has become the strongest weapon of the PDP in staving off efforts by the governor to seek reelection.

    Party sources said Al-Makura entered into the pact in 2011 to curry the favour of Nasarawa North Senatorial District comprising Akwanga, Eggon and Wamba local governments. They said the governor needed the district’s support to dislodge former occupant of the seat, Aliyu Doma, who slumped to a famous defeat to the incumbent.

    The Governor, they alleged, had an understanding with the district as candidate of defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that he would only run for a term to repay the district’s support in 2015. But his camp has repeatedly denied such an understanding or pact existed. Al-Makura, they said, came to power on the groundswell of supports from across the state and did not need a particular district to assume the governorship.

    This line of thought has become popular across the state, especially in the PDP. The Eggon ethnic nation has been most vociferous in this agitation, insisting the governor lacks the moral strength to seek reelection based on this unseen pact. For key strategists in the PDP, it is a masterstroke that will keep the governor on the defensive and attract the sympathy of the politically inclined in the state.

    The zoning dimension

    The major explanation for the governor’s alleged unseen pact is the need for zoning or rotation of power. Since it was created on 1 October, 1996 by the General Sani Abacha’s junta from neighbouring Plateau State, nobody from Nasarawa North has governed the state. The first governor, Abdullahi Adamu, ruled for eight years, filling the quota of Nasarawa West district.

    Doma, according to the zoning agitators, served for four years while Al-Makura will complete the eight-year slot for Nasarawa South. By conceding power in 2015, Al-Makura will allow the governorship slot to go to the North and help promote the zoning arrangement in place, they explain. While it sounds altruistic and fair, the arrangement, according to political analysts, is only a PDP affair that is not binding on other stakeholders. They request for documents backing up the alleged arrangement as well as signatories supporting it.

    As far as the governor’s camp and supporters are concerned, he is not bound by such an arrangement that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not privy to. But the zoning argument resonates with many in the Nasarawa North, who feel marginalised and edged out of the governorship slot. This sentiment is spreading like wild fire in the district, winning many advocates and agitators.

    To secure sympathy among voters, the PDP has reportedly zoned its governorship slot to Nasarawa North senatorial district. The move, the party’s chieftains believe will strike a chord among people and portray it as standing for fairness and equity. The deputy governorship, according to PDP sources, is zoned to the Nasarawa West district while the speakership is expected to emerge from the southern zone.

    Checks revealed that the zoning arrangement was championed by leading Eggon politicians to shore up their governorship bids and blackmail Al-Makura out of the race. Information Minister, Labaran Maku, Senator Solomon Ewuga, who decamped to the PDP recently and the deputy governor, Dameshi Luka Barau, reportedly bought the issue to the limelight.

    Ewuga, speaking on the governor’s unannounced reelection bid, recently said: “Governor Al-Makura told me that he wants to continue in office beyond 2015, and I said to him, ‘look, Your Excellency, I have no problem with you coming back in 2015 but you need to tell me how to approach the people whom you told openly that you would only run for a single term. It is not me. So, if the blame is on me and it is on 2015, it is those who are looking for it that are causing it, not me.”

    Playing religious card

    Since its creation, Nasarawa has never been governed by a Christian, a development that is becoming politicised by some of the aspirants. Many of them are clamouring for a Christian governor to give the Christian community a sense of belonging and in the spirit of fairness. Professor Onje Gye-Wado, who was deputy to Adamu, openly canvassed for the emergence of a Christian governor.

    He said it was unfair that the state has never had a Christian at the helm of affairs, a situation he said makes the Christian community wonder if they are not qualified to lead. Reports indicated that many aspirants have approached churches and their leaders in the state to drum up support for the emergence of a Christian as governor in 2015.

    If the card works well, it will suit the PDP since the Nasarawa North, where the Eggons are predominantly located, is mainly Christian. With its governorship slot already zoned to the district, the religious card will work to perfect harmony of the PDP’s dream of having someone from the district as governor to succeed Al-Makura.

    The party has also embarked on widespread reconciliation moves to heal the wounds of 2011 and return defectors to its fold. Governor Al-Makura started his governorship race from the PDP before he lost the ticket to Doma. He left for the CPC where he emerged victorious. He is a Muslim and considered part of the state’s tradition. Sources close to him said he is working to diffuse the religious sentiment across the state by holding strategic inter-faith meetings aimed at building consensus.

    Prominent among those who have joined the PDP lately include Senator Solomon Ewuga, Damishi Luka and Professor Onje Gye-Wado, among others.

    The spate of massive violence across the state has also become a selling point for the PDP, which accused the governor of incompetence in tackling the serious insecurity challenge. The proscribed Ombatse group unleashed violence in the state, killing over 70 security operatives in Alakyo village in Lafia East development area of Lafia local government.

    There have also been communal clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Nasarawa South as well as the recent incidents among Odobu, Obi and Assakio communities. The APC has however accused Eggon politicians of inciting the clashes to wrestle power violently, a charge they all denied.

    The party is also banking on the support of the Assembly in unsettling the governor. It retains majority of the membership and made a good impression at the last council polls in March though the ruling APC won more seats.

    Al-Makura fights back

    The governor is however a dogged fighter. He has survived several impeachment plots and remained grounded despite the massive oppositions against his administration. His political sagacity has enabled him to survive among hawks and retained his sanity despite the many killings in the state.

    But like most of his colleagues in the APC, his masterstroke is obviously sterling performance and delivery of democratic dividends. Even his cruelest critics acknowledge that he has revolutionised governance through infrastructural development. Major roads in Lafia, the state capital, have been constructed, helping to shake-off the rustic atmosphere of the city.

    His administration has also impressed in the area of construction of schools, healthcare delivery and economic empowerment. Many cottage industries have become operational across the state, which has witnessed even distribution of government presence. Though he is yet to declare his intention to seek reelection, his aides said it is only a matter of time. It is believed that his fighting spirit, sharp political navigation and exemplary performances will stand him in good stead should he present himself for re-election. He has the power of incumbency on his side as well as large financial war chest.

    Other contenders

    Senator Solomon Ewuga: In 2011, he has to align with Governor Al-Makura to win the senatorial election in the north district. He is the leading candidate for the district. Most people from the zone love to imagine him becoming their governor.

    He served as deputy to former Governor Adamu in 1999 after he was believed to have won the PDP primary election in a compromise arrangement.

    However until 2011, he never won any election. The lawyer is fiercely popular and recently defected to the PDP. Should he contest, he can count on the votes of his district but that certainly cannot take him to the governorship post.

    Labaran Maku: The Minister of Information has the PDP structure in his pocket. He is believed to have nominated the current state chairman and enjoys support from the presidency. Also a deputy governor, Maku has to stave off the ambition of Ewuga to really win nomination from the district. Many believe that the PDP might not make any Eggon politician its governorship aspirant so as not to alienate several victims of the Ombatse cult group.

    John Danboyi

    A gentle politician, Danboyi was in the Senate in 2003. He has been a loyal PDP member since formation and is a strong contender from Mada ethnic nation in the northern senatorial district. His biggest challenge will be how to handle the ambition of Maku and Ewuga, who are from his senatorial zone.

    Dameshi B. Luka

    The current deputy governor is as daring as endearing. He caused a stir recently when he hoisted the PDP flag in his office despite serving in the government of APC. He was considered a big catch to the PDP when he defected from the APC recently. Many believe he is the anointed candidate of the presidency because it is believed he can give Al-Makura a good fight being an insider.

    He is also from the northern district where the party has zoned its governorship slot to. But can he dislodge his boss, who has tolerated his treachery with calmness?

    Whichever one considers it, analysts say Al-Makura has to fight many battles within and without to win reelection come 2015.

  • 2015: PDP woos opposition lawmakers

    2015: PDP woos opposition lawmakers

    Ahead of the 2015 general election, the ruling party is intensifying efforts to ensure that it continues in office at the federal level. Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, reports that the party, as part of strategies to ensure victory at the general election, is wooing opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly. 

    The Presidency and the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are reaching out to some opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly, ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Investigations on Friday revealed that the leadership of the party had met severally with some lawmakers elected on the platforms of some opposition parties including the Labour Party (LP) Accord Party (AP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in recent times.

    It was reliably gathered that while the meetings did not discuss defections of the said lawmakers into the PDP, parties to the parleys spent ample time talking about how their various parties can collaborate to check the rising influence of the All Progressives Congress in the national Assembly, especially the lower house.

    The outcome of the ongoing talks, it was learnt, will see some opposition parties ganging up with the ruling party against the APC in the hallowed chambers ahead of the 2015 general election.

    It was also gathered that the opposition lawmakers currently in talks with the PDP leadership may be doing so with the support of the leaderships of their parties as well as some Governors and former Governors.

    A party source, who pleaded anonymity, said the talks are aimed at creating ripples at the owe house with a view to possibly changing the leadership of the party before the next general election.

    “The PDP, backed by the presidency, is in talks with some opposition legislators. The talks have been ongoing for a while now and the notion behind them is to see how loyal PDP legislators in the House of Representatives can collaborate with ready opposition embers in parties like the AP, LP, APGA etc, to checkmate the growing influence of the APC in the national assembly.

    There is a strong fear within the ruling party that the leadership of the lower house is no longer with the party. Although they are still members of the PDP on paper, many of the leaders of the House of Representatives are no longer with the party in principles and practice.

    This explains why the APC appear to be having a field day on the floor of the house. It is also the reason for the incessant decamping of PDP lawmakers to the APC in recent times. The APC, though still the minority party in the House, enjoys the sympathy of the leadership of the chamber.

    For PDP to change the situation and ensure that it continue to steer the ship of the House, there is need for it to form alliances with other minority parties aside the APC on the floor of the House. And since the APC forms the minority leadership of the House, the PDP is left with no choice that to deal with the legislators individually.

    That is what the party has been doing. The Governors and national leaders of the concerned legislators are also part of the ongoing rapprochement. If the deal sails through, the legislators will remain in their parties and champion the cause of the ruling party at all times on the floor of the house.

    The basic implication of this would be the balkanisation of the opposition on the floor of the House. One of the immediate outcome of the ongoing talk is the recent botched attempt to change the minority leadership of the house,” our source said.

    It would be recalled that motion seeking to have the leadership of the Minority dissolved caused a row a fortnight ago in the House of Representatives. The Nation learnt that the development was a fallout of several meetings between some opposition legislators and the leadership of the ruling party.

    The botched motion was raised by the Deputy Majority Leader Leo Ogor (PDP-Delta), to the effect that the APC should relinquish some of the minority positions in the House for other opposition parties to occupy.

    Immediately the lawmaker raised the motion, members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and Accord Party (AP) from Ondo, Oyo and Anambra states insisted they should be part of the Minority leadership hierarchy in the House. This led to a rowdy session on the floor as APC legislators rose to the occasion.

    Ogor noted that the Minority leadership slots of the House were filled with only All Progressives Congress (APC) members. This, the lawmaker said, was a breach of the House rules, which provide that minority parties – not one of the parties – would form the leadership.

    Ogor expressed reservations that all minority leadership slots available were in the hand of APC without the consent and input of the LP, APGA and Accord.

    He said: “It behoves on the minority parties, in line with Item 31 of the House Rules, to nominate among themselves a new Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Deputy Minority Leader and Deputy Minority Whip.” Ogor urged the Minority leadership to vacate their seats and give room for a proper nomination.

    “The lawmakers sitting on the platform of the APC now were members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Accord Party and other parties. Therefore, they are unknown to the House. and since they were not a part of the nomination process for the leadership of the Minority, APC members must vacate their seats,” he said.

    But Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) dismissed Ogor’s motion as unnecessary and unfounded. The lawmaker said the motion ought to have been raised by an opposition member, instead of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker.

    He said: “Under our rules of privilege, you have to have locus before raising such a motion. If this matter of privilege was raised by a member of the opposition, then it will have locus. Our rules do not create room for meddlesome interlopers. I have seen a letter nominating our leaders sitting here, but I have not seen any letter nominating any PDP member sitting as a principal officer.”

    But APGA, Accord and LP members in Anambra, Ondo and Oyo States disagreed with the opposition leader. They insisted on having their shares of the opposition pie.

    Bukola Abiola Ajaja (Accord -Oyo) opposed Gbajabiamila’s position.

    She said: “I want to say whoever goes to equity, must go with clean hands. Since the formation of APC, we in the opposition have not met to decide who would take positions. Rules 32, 33, 35 and 36 define the roles of different political parties and these provisions provide that all opposition parties must be represented on the leadership of the opposition.”

    Another member, Debo Ologunagba (LP-Ondo), noted that the composition of the opposition leadership violates the privileges of Labour Party members.

    He said: “It’s a collective privilege of members.”

    The rowdy situation was saved when Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, who presided over the plenary, referred the motion to Committees on Rules and Business and Justice for further legislative consideration.

    Of course, many believe that is not the end of the matter. Sources within the collaborating parties insist the collaborators will not rest until the minority leadership of the House is altered.

    “The idea is not just to make noise. It is actually to kickstart the changes in the lower House by altering the minority leadership first. With the ongoing collaboration between some opposition lawmakers and the PDP, it is unclear how the Femi Gbajabiamila-led minority leadership of the House will survive.

    Ogor’s argument has encouraged members of the LP, AOGA and Accord in the House to see that they can actually demand for representation in the minority leadership. This is merely a test case for the bigger push. If their agitation scales through, then the House leadership proper should beware.

    The PDP will instruct its lawmakers to back the agitation of the opposition lawmakers against the pact. The House leadership, on its part, will work against such change knowing fully well that it will be the next target. This is the current scenario at the lower House,” our source said.

    The Nation also learnt that the APC leadership in the House is aware of the nocturnal dealings between the PDP leadership and some opposition lawmakers.

    “We are not unaware of their antics. We are fully abreast of their plots and we cannot be caught unawares. However, one thing we are sure of is that undemocratic forces can never defeat the progressives. We are insisting it is out of place for the PDP to dictate how minority parties will form the minority leadership of the lower house. We are saying we will resist any attempt to impose a leadership on us by the presidency as it is done in the PDP,” another source, a lawmaker said.