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  • Hold Buruji Kashamu accountable for whatever mayhem in Ekiti, Osun

    Hold Buruji Kashamu accountable for whatever mayhem in Ekiti, Osun

    Buruji has shown clearly that he would not mind committing any horrendous act in his quest for an unimaginable PDP victory in Ekiti

    I am ready to go if you will stand by me. If you are ready, let us start with EKITI governorship election and make it a sample to them” – Kashamu speaking at the southwest meeting of what Prof Wole Soyinka once dubbed a ‘nest of killers’

    Former President Obasanjo called his own, ‘do or die’, and we know what we went through in Ekiti; Mama Iyabo came with her ‘conscienceless conscience’ and we would later have amputated legs, shown live at election tribunals.

    Now, it is Buruji Kasamu requesting his PDP compatriots’ support so they can show us, again in Ekiti, what disdain these Ogun State elements have for Ekiti which they would like to turn to their hunting ground at every election cycle. I plead with Nigerians to help the good and humble people of Ekiti ask this total stranger what sample he intends to make of us this time around. The last I know, he is not a registered voter in Ekiti and so is not eligible to vote there for whichever of Labour or PDP contestant emerges their gubernatorial candidate, he is not a police officer so he could not, like Rivers’ State Police Commissioner, Mbu, turn Ekiti to a lawless state; nor is this man of the Electoral Commission, so he could scientifically rig the election as is their wont.

    So how exactly is this man going to ‘make a sample of us?

    My mind could only go to the snipers which their own ex- Chairman, Board of Trustees, and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, alleged are being trained at the instance of no less a personality than the president. Seeing how vociferously both the president and the PDP Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, have defended Kashamu, heartily disparaging Obasanjo, it is not unreasonable to believe that Kashamu must be so strategic to their evil plans in Yoruba land, not to allocate to him a phalange of those snipers. Nor would the two powerful politicians be bothered whatever when Obasanjo told them how serially world leaders embarrass him on account of Buruji.

    That the man is so important to Jonathan’s 2015 plans, and Ekiti and Osun especially, can also be seen in the ease with which they made him supersede not only Obasanjo himself, but the likes of Bode George, my friend, Seye Ogunlewe, Obanikoro and all those who were the PDP poster boys in the region when Kasamu was still going round his circuit of courts.

    It is for his central role in Jonathan’s evil designs for the Southwest that Kashamu must bear full responsibility for the safety of all Ekiti citizens that can be regarded as being in opposition to the PDP, which will translate to no less than 70 per cent of our people.

    Needless to say then that from this very moment, I must reckon as number one on his list but only God can save and enemies of the good people of Ekiti will certainly work in vain. Their evil counsel, like Ahitophel’s, will come to naught in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

    This is the reason why every mother, every wife, even child in Ekiti must hold the controversial Ogun state politician, Buruji Kasamu, responsible for whatever befalls their bread winners in the run down to the 2014 election in the state as he has promised to completely over run the state.

    It was my uncle, the highly regarded Chief Deji Fasuan, who first drew my attention to the inimical politics some persons of Ogun State extraction have historically played in Yoruba politics. I have searched in vain on my computer system for his exact quotes, in which he pointedly mentioned names and narrated what negative roles each surreptitiously played in the affairs of other Yoruba ethnic groups. Fortunately, I do not need to have those exact words since in the past few years, dating back to the 8-year strangle-hold of the PDP on our geo-political zone, some Ogun State elements have famously put their animus against Ekiti people at play, the latest being this new friend of Mr. President.

    It had all begun with Obasanjo who, as president, spared no scurrilous word in describing Ekiti people. Beginning from how he mercilessly shredded Chief S.K Babalola, one of Ekiti’s most distinguished elders, on his way to inflicting a governor on the state in 2003, he later callously dismissed the entire Ekiti people as educated fools. He would later conjure an inchoate impeachment of his once’ darling son’, just so he could inflict an Ogun State retired general on the state in declaring a totally reckless emergency administration whose sole aim was to prepare the ground for a PDP victory in the following election. Obasanjo would then go on to show his complete disdain for Ekiti when he disregarded the results of his party’s governorship primary election and opted for the candidate who placed third as his anointed candidate.

    For the next three years, Ekiti knew no peace.

    Next was the conscienceless INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner who, against all expectations, abandoned her avowed Christian conscience, first went underground , surfaced in the presidency in Abuja only to come back to Ado-Ekiti to eat her words and throatily declare what she had previously adjured a rigged result.

    Were Ekiti vicissitudes in the hands of Ogun State elements limited to these, we probably would have shouted Halleluiah. But then that would not satisfy our traducers who must not stop until they have seen the last of a people they proudly regard as inferior to them.

    So here comes this money man who once claimed he would spend a billion on the Ekiti gubernatorial election. Nigerians must ask him how this is his business. Must Ekiti be roughened up to have an oil block? Anyway, if he likes he could quintuple that amount; we won’t be bothered in the least since in the first place, half that amount would be stolen by his party people and as to the rest, Ekiti will show him money is not our god. He, it is, who knows how he made his money and can therefore choose to burn it. Kashamu should go and ask how much those who preceded him have spent futilely in Lagos State these past 14 years but the wishes of the people have always prevailed. If some people worship money, we in Ekiti do not. He will therefore, equally profit nothing in Ekiti, no matter what nebulous billions he sank into their evil plans against the wishes of the people.

    By declaring at their Ibadan meeting that if his historically unscrupulous party men will stand by him, he was ready to start with Ekiti and make an otherwise peaceful state ‘a sample’, (and this happens to be a man who had declared the APC leader, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu an enemy, not a political opponent) Buruji has shown clearly that he would not mind committing any horrendous act in his quest for an unimaginable PDP victory in Ekiti.

    Kashamu should know, that with this his threats, the onus is squarely on him to prove that he does not pose a danger to the good people of Ekiti, come the next election.

    Nigerians are waiting to hear from him.

  • Kafilat Ogbara resurfaces

    Kafilat Ogbara resurfaces

    It is that season again when everyone with an ambition takes advantage of any available platform. And Lagos big girl, Kafilat Ogbara, has been doing this with utmost zeal and consistency.

    Smarting from a blow dealt on her by an unfortunate fire accident that saw her taking many medical trips to Europe in 2012 and last year, the University of Lagos alumnus recently appeared on a Lagos-based television station where she showed the viewing public that she still possesses some social and political magic.

    Besides her enchanting beauty, Kafilat displayed depth in her appraisal of Nigerian politics and its intrigues. She also spoke glowingly of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his party, the PDP. She also heaped praises on Governor Ibikunle Amosun for delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Ogun State.

    Already, results have started trickling in for the fair-complexioned politician. A few days ago, maverick businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim, appointed her as the Managing Director of his publishing outfit. It is also being discussed in hush tones that she has been nominated for a board appointment by the Federal Government. The truth in this, however, remains yet unascertained.

  • Gang up against Jonathan, PDP will fail – Orji

    Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State said the current political gang up against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan, ahead of the 2015 general elections would not succeed.

    Orji said this when he interacted with newsmen on the political manoeuvres by some past leaders to stop Jonathan’s second term presidential ambition in Umuahia on Friday.

    “There will be gang up but they will never succeed. The president remained focused,’’ he said.

    He explained that the party was getting stronger and stronger; there was a lot of re-engineering presently going on in the party.

    Orji expressed the hope that defectors from the party would soon return, adding that new members would also join the party.

    The governor commended the resignation of the former National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and described it as patriotic and a sacrifice to move the party forward.

    He also commended the immediate past Chief of Army staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, for serving the nation meritoriously.

    Orji said that the president had the prerogative to re-engineer his service chiefs ahead of 2015.

    “President Jonathan has done the right thing, we are nearing election and he has to put his house in order. The president has the prerogative to appoint whoever he likes,’’ he said.

     

  • PDP : From Solomon Lar to Bamanga Tukur

    PDP : From Solomon Lar to Bamanga Tukur

    Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU revisits the turbulent careers of the past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairmen and the crises that drew the curtains on their tenures.

    When Chief Barnabas Gemade was being frustrated out of the exalted office of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , the Middle Belt politician pronounced a curse on the party, saying that the fate that would befall his successors in office would be worse than his predicament. Later, he bowed out in bewilderment.

    Gemade’s predecessor, the late Chief Solomon Lar, also suffered. After winning victory for the acclaimed largest party in Africa in 1999, his leadership was threatened. He could not be insulated from tremor. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s word had become the law. In a twinkle of an eye, the late Lar was shoved aside. Of the three national chairmen installed by Obasanjo-Gemade, Mr. Audu Ogbeh and Col. Ahmadu Ali (rtd)-only Ali, the ex-soldier who understood the General perfectly, completed his tenure. Gemade, Ogbeh and others-Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, and Tukur – were consumed by crises.

    The late Lar

    The former Plateau State governor was able to weld the fold together. He had taken the baton of leadership from the interim chairman, the late Senator Sunday Awoniyi, the Aro of Mopa.

    When he became the President, Obasanjo, a retired soldier, was battling with adjustment difficulties. The transition from soldering to politics was hard for a man who relished the hierarchical military dictatorial order and command. His first move was to get the title of the ‘National Leader’ of the PDP. Few months after he assumed office, he agitated for the change of baton at the party’s national secretariat. That was necessary to limit the party’s influence and moderation on presidential activities. It was clear that the elder statesman , the late Lar, had to bow out honourably for the relatively younger elements. He spent barely a year in office.

    During his tenure, crises were minimal and the party was supreme. He promoted the culture of crisis management.

    After edging Lar out of the equation, the former President showed interest in his successor.

    Gemade

    After the late Lar’s exit, the position was zoned to the Northcentral geo-political zone. The contestants were the former interim chairman, Awoniyi, and Gemade, former member of the Interim National Government (ING) led by Chief Ernest Shonekan. Awoniyi, a Yoruba, was from Kogi State. Gemade hails from Benue State. Other contestants were Senator Ahmadu Ali, Yahaya Kwande, and Sule Usman from Kogi State.

    Awoniyi, who had often described himself as a Yoruba-Northerner, got the shock of his life when Obasanjo from Ogun State declared that, in the PDP, Yoruba could not produce the President and the National Chairman at the same time. The Aro of Mopa fought back, saying that, by geographical factor, he was a northerner. But there was logic in Obasanjo’s thinking. That reality jolted the minority Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi from the illusion that they were northerners. It also fuelled the subsequent agitations for the a new geographical design that would make them re-unite with their kith and kin in the Southwest.

    Many believed that the former federal Permanent Secretary, who was a former Private Secretary to the late Sardauna of Sokoto and the Premier of the defunct Northern Region, the late Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, was a tough politician who could challenge Obasanjo, if he undermined the party leadership. Awoniyi insisted on his candidature for the national chairmanship, but the Obasanjo forces overwhelmed him. He was harassed out of the party. On his way out, he lamented the collapse of the party’s due process and the derailment of the vision of its founding fathers. Awoniyi said that he was leaving the party of sinners. There was a determined attempt by him to float a new party, along with some aggrieved foes, but without success. In subsequent years, he became a moral voice in the North as the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).

    Since Lar knew that the so-called restructuring of the party mooted by Obasanjo was targeted at him, he supported Gemade against Awoniyi. That led to a friction between the two politicians and founding chieftains. Obasanjo made Lar “adviser emeritus”, without any role. But when pressure was mounted on him, he made him the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Board. For the former chairman, the journey to irrelevance commenced. But, he was perceived as a man of honour and integrity, until he passed on last year.

    The chairmanship election was not a walk-over for Gemade. A committee of elders from the Northcentral, led by PDP Vice Chairman from the zone, Alhaji Kolo from Niger State, interviewed him and other aspirants at the Agura Hotels. Other members of the committee included former minister, Chief Isaac Shaanu, and former Kogi State Governor Shaaba Lafiagi.

    Gemade inherited a party ruptured by post-presidential primaries. His first move was to pacify the aggrieved presidential aspirants. But the crisis had started brewing in many of the state chapters because of the presidential directive that the pioneer chairmen should hand over to other chieftains. The national chairman went on tour of the troubled chapters. Many of them were polarised. Party men and women looked up to Obasanjo, and not the party chairman for solutions to the intra-party crisis. It was evident that the idea of the national party caucus could not be sustained by the PDP. Suddenly, there was a push for the extension of the tenure of the members of the National Executive Council (NEC) from two to four years. Gemade eventually lost the battle. Today, he is a senator.

    Ogbeh

    Ogbeh rose into prominence in the Second Republic, when he served as the Minister of Communications under the Shagari Administration. He is a man of impeccable character. He hails from Benue State. When he was made the national chairman, he was a nominal member of the party, although in his local area, he was perceived by the chieftains as a father figure. The former minister did not harbour a chairmanship ambition. But when the responsibility was entrusted upon him, he embraced the call to service. All those who wanted to succeed Gemade were edged out by the presidential muscle for him to emerge.

    It was very hard for the chairman to blend with Obasanjo. He felt that the President was elected to run the country and the chairman, in consultation with him, was meant to run the party. Ogbeh became the chairman as the party was preparing for the 2003 elections. The party was in turmoil. The state chapters were crisis-ridden and the divisions had weakened the fold. The crisis in Anambra State chapter drew a wedge between the President and the chairman. Both canvassed opposing solutions.

    However, the parting of ways became imminent between Obasanjo and Ogbeh, when the former national chairman publicly advised the President to pay more attention to the sliding economy and the public cry for improved welfare.

    Ogbeh’s exit was dramatic. He was invited to the Aso Villa by the Commander-In-Chief. He had lunch with the President. Then, Ogbeh was advised to resign. He resigned in 2005 in controversial circumstances and later joined the Action Congress (AC).

    Ali

    He was the only chairman who had a smooth relationship with the former Presiden. Ali, former Federal Commissioner for Education and Third Republic senator, hails from Kogi State. The two soldiers understood themselves perfectly. Of course, Ali had been described as a chairman-in-waiting, since he contested against Gemade.

    Ali stirred controversy when he announced that party members should re-register. To forces opposed to Obasanjo, the move was meant to de-register the perceived foes. The crisis between Obasanjo and Atiku got to a peak under Ali’s leadership. The former Vice President was disrobed. No duty was assigned to his office for him to perform. An administrative panel was set up to investigate his activities in government. It was also clear that the PDP would not organise democratic presidential primaries. Atiku and his supporters left the PDP for the defunct Action Congress (AC), where he emerged as the presidential candidate in 2007. But he lost to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua at the poll.

    Ogbulafor

    Before Ali’s exit, the chairmanship contest between former Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State and former Senate President Pius Ayim polarised the party. It was in the post-Obasanjo era. The pre-national convention rift reflected the struggle for the control of the party by pro and anti-Obasanjo forces. Obasanjo threw his weight behind the former governor. A dark horse, the former Minister of Internal Affairs, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, emerged as the national chairman. Basking in the euphoria of the party’s victory at the 2007 polls, he declared that PDP would rule the country for another 60 years. The statement irked the opposition. They believed that PDP sent a signal to rig for six decades. Also, Ogbulafor’s statement about zoning sparked off crisis. A group, the PDP Reform Forum, called for the dissolution of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC). In 2010, a corruption case against Ogbulafor was exhumed. He was forced to resign from office in controversy. He did not complete his tenure.

    His successor, Okwesilieze Nwodo, also had a turbulent tenure. He had served as the national secretary, but left the party when it was engulfed with crisis. He returned and emerged as the chairman when the pro-and anti-Jonathan forces were at war.

    When Nwodo was shoved aside, his deputy, Dr.Haliru Bello, became the acting chairman. When he was appointed as minister, the national secretary, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, became the acting chairman.

    Tukur

    Since Tukur took over, it has been one crisis after another (See box). During the last convention, some governors and party chieftains walked out. At the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, they set up a parallel NEC. They unanimously called for Tukur’s sack. Later, five PDP governors-Wamakko, Kwankwaso, Nyako, Amaechi and Abdulfatah Ahmed-defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He has not rested since he took over.

    Last night, there was confusion over whether Gemade’s curse had finally swept Tukur away. He denied this. But from the look of things, his days are numbered.

  • Kwara PDP, APC clash over secretariat

    Kwara PDP, APC clash over secretariat

    There was tension in Ilorin, Kwara State, yesterday, when supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in a clash.

    Members of the PDP caretaker committee planned to hold their inaugural meeting at the secretariat of the defunct nPDP, but the APC members would not allow it.

    This happened barely 24 hours after the state command banned political rallies.

    The secretariat, located on Nupe Road, has been a subject of controversy between the old PDP and ex-nPDP members shortly after the latter’s merger with the APC.

    The ownership of the secretariat complex is now a subject of litigation in the court.

    Both APC and PDP supporters converged on the Community Mess and Kingstone Hotel ends of Nupe Road at 9am. Scores of regular and riot policemen barricaded both entrances.

    It was said some members of the PDP committee got clearance to take possession of the secretariat.

    Sources said some PDP members, who claimed to be ‘stakeholders’, were secretly allowed entry by the police.

    Both supporters eventually entered the premises but were prevented from entering the complex.

    Attempts by the PDP members to hoist PDP flag were resisted by the APC supporters.

    Commissioner of Police Agboola Oshodi-Glover later arrived at the scene.

    An APC chieftain, Yemi Afolayan, said the PDP’s action was lawless and a disregard to the rule of law.

    Afolayan, a former PDP secretary, said: “Yesterday, the PDP in Kwara State made another futile attempt to take over our property at the GRA in Ilorin.

    “This should not have come as a surprise because the party has become a haven of lawlessness with flagrant disregard to the rule of law.

    “Kwara has known political peace and harmony and we appeal to our people not to allow a few disgruntled political elements take advantage of this peace.”

    A member of the PDP caretaker committee, Rex Olawoye, said: “As you have seen today we had our inaugural meeting and we decided at that meeting that we should occupy our secretariat.

    “We know that some of our members have migrated to another party but those left feel we should coordinate and see how we can put ourselves together to face any election and the first step is to have a place to interact and plan.

    “So we decided to have an inroad into our secretariat, more so we know that when you belong to a particular party and you decide to remove your membership of that party I don’t think that entitles you to holding on to the secretariat of that party.”

     

  • Senate probes Abe’s shooting

    Senate probes Abe’s shooting

    A senate panel was in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday to launch a probe into Sunday’s shooting of Senator Magnus Abe at a planned rally venue.

    Members of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, led by Senator Igwe Paulinus Wagwu, promised not to witch-hunt anybody.

    Wagwu (Ebonyi Central), with whom was Senator Hadi Sirika (Katsina North), met with Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Rivers Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu.

    Members also met with leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and leaders of the pro-Amaechi Save Rivers Movement (SRM), whose Sunday rally was disrupted by the police with teargas and gunshots.

    The panel met with Mbu at the police headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt. Amaechi received them at the Government House.

    Mbu took the committee members to the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, where Abe was shot by the police with rubber bullets.

    Mbu insisted that the policemen did not expend any ammunition at the rally, let alone shooting rubber bullets. He admitted directing his men to disperse the members of the SRM with teargas, claiming not to have given them permit for the inauguration.

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was accused by Chief of Staff Government House, Tony Okocha and many allies of the NGF chairman as being behind the police’s action. He denied it.

    The Ogoni Leaders of Thought at a news conference in Port Harcourt called for the immediate removal of Mbu – in line with the separate resolutions of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    The Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), which has Wike as the grand patron, while briefing reporters yesterday, raised the alarm over what it called a plan by Amaechi’s supporters to set ablaze the Obio/Akpor Local Government council secretariat. Okocha denied the claim as baseless.

    The Obio/Akpor Local Government chapter of the GDI, co-ordinated by Collins Onunwo, declared that members of the group would resist any attempt by enemies of President Goodluck Jonathan and Wike, an indigene of Rumueprikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government, to cause the breakdown of law and order in Rivers state.

    The committee’s chairman said his report would be presented for proper deliberation and resolution.

    Wagwu said: “We are here in Rivers State to carry out fact-finding on the incident that happened last Sunday, where it was alleged that the police shot teargas and rubber bullets, which, incidentally, also affected Senator Magnus Abe.

    “We have not concluded our investigation; when we finish, we will submit our report to the National Assembly for deliberation and resolution on the matter.”

    Asked why the delay in the redeployment of Mbu, Wagwu said that the National Assembly had stated its position on the immediate deployment of the police commissioner, but expressed regrets that the matter involving Mbu was still in court and prayed that justice be done.

    The Chief of Staff in the Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, told the Senate panel that the SRM, while on a sensitisation and mobilisation mission, wrote the police on its intention to organise a rally in support of the APC for the Obio-Akpor Local Government chapter.

    He said: “On Saturday evening, being 11th January, 2014, I was at the premises of Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, where the stage for the rally was set up and we expected that the following morning, being Sunday, the rally would hold, as planned by the SRM.

    “On Sunday morning, as early as 6 am, my phone rang and the call said, the police, about five troopers, had besieged the premises and dismantled the canopies, chairs and tables arranged for the event while teargas was shot to disperse the crowd that morning.

    “When I got to the venue, I saw a crowd of policemen, including three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), and also saw how the venue was upturned by the police. It was not too long I met Senator Magnus Abe and the police continued the shooting of teargas and rubber bullets.

    “One of the rubber bullets hit me on the left side of my leg and also touched Senator Abe. Right now, I cannot walk properly. Despite the police invasion, we were armless. When we saw that Senator Magnus Abe had been injured, we managed to put him into a vehicle that took him to the hospital for medical treatment before he was flown abroad.”

    The Ogoni leaders condemned “in very strong terms” the assassination attempt on the life of one of their sons (Abe), which they said provoked a bitter reminder of the events of the recent past that led to the killing of their first generation leaders by the Nigerian state.

    Ogoni leaders, from the four Ogoni local governments of the state, represented by Justice Peter Akere (rtd., Gokana Local Government), Dr. Eddie Wikina (Khana), Dr. Peter Medee (Tai) and Marcus Nle Eji (Eleme), said: “Ogoni people will not stand by and watch a repeat of such dastardly actions that threaten the life of an Ogoni person.

    “We remind the Nigerian nation and indeed the wider world that the occupation of the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by a Niger Deltan is the product of the Ogoni struggle and blood for which we have no benefit, not even the implementation of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) report on Ogoniland.

    “In the event of continued acts of impunity, the Ogoni people will not hesitate to demand the vacation of the Nigeria Police from its territory. We demand an immediate investigation into the events leading to the near assassination of Distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe.”

  • APC and challenge of reconciliation in Kano

    APC and challenge of reconciliation in Kano

    Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the rivalry between Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and his predecessor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, and how the All Progressives Congress (APC) Reconciliation Committee led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is brokering truce between the two gladiators.

    The defection of Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to generate ripples in the PDP. Many observers agree that his exit is a loss to the party in its quest to retain power in the state in 2015.

    But, his defection to the APC has also imposed on the party leadership the challenge of reconciliation between him and his predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. Both of them have been locked in a supremacy battle in the Northwest state for over 10 years.

    Before Kwankwaso’s defection, Shekarau had emerged as the leader of the APC in Kano, following the consumation of the merger of the progressive parties. He was the undisputed leader of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), which merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) to form the APC. However, with Kwankwaso’s defection, the power equation changed. The governor instantly displaced his predecessor as the leader of the mega party.

    Shekarau’s supporters are irked by the turn of events. They complained that their leader was not consulted during the negotiation with the governor. They also pointed out that Shekarau may now play a second fiddle under Kwankwaso’s leadership. Since the defection, the two camps have been exchanging tirades in the media.

    It was the carry-over of the 2011 battle. Shekarau had defeated Kwankwanso in the 2003 governorship poll. The election was bitterly contested. He ruled for eight years. However, Kwankwaso bounced back in 2011 as Shekarau’s successor. Thus, the two players perceive themselves as political foes.

    A major event that aggravated the rivalry was the visit to Kwankwaso at the Government House by the APC leaders, when they were wooing him into the party. Although, the APC leaders later apologised to Shekarau for not carrying him along, the former governor felt that he was sidelined. The former governor said it was an attempt to cut his influence.

    Former Edo State Governor John Odigie-Oyegun, who led the party’s delegation to Shekarau, said: “Under no circumstances shall we turn our back on Shekarau, the APC and its leadership in Kano State because the state is critical to the APC. Shekarau is one of the architects of merger negotiations because when there was difficulty in the merger talks, he came up with a solution. Shekarau is very important to the party as he was among those who played a key role in the merger negotiations”.

    According to observers, there was the Buhari angle to the political rivalry between the strong men of Kano politics. They recalled that the frosty relationship between the retired General and Shekarau dated back to his tenure as governor. It was said that in the eight years that Shekarau was in office, Buhari did not pay him a visit, although he visited Kwankwaso, who was elected on the platform of the PDP.

    Party sources disclosed that Shekarau was not happy that Buhari did not protest when his name was not included on the list of chieftains that visited Kwankwaso.

    Thus, his supporters feel that, since Buhari has thrown his weight behind the governor, he had, through his body language, abandoned an old ally.

    Analysts are of the view that the Oyegun Reconciliation Committee has a lot to do in Kano State. The committee has been mandated to broker peace between the two gladiators.

    The rivalry started in 2003. It was the build up to the 2003 elections and the reintroduction of the Sharia legal system. Shekarau, who was a Permanent Secretary, was attending meetings for the resuscitation of the Shari’a law. Kwankwaso objected, saying that the meetings had political undertones. Shekarau maintained that he had a fundamental right to attend the meetings. Consequently, he was removed as a Permanent Secretary and posted to a public school as a teacher.

    Shekarau’s predicament brought him into the limelight. Many people had sympathy for him. They believed that he was unjustly demoted. Many rights groups chided Kwankwaso for the victimisation. Following his redeployment to the classroom, Skekarau retired from the civil service. He joined the ANPP and emerged as its governorship candidatte. Although he lost the primaries to Alhaji Aminu Little, the party insisted on his candidature.

    Shekarau defeated Kwankwaso at the poll because of what analysts referred to as the ‘Buhari factor’. When he assumed office, Shekarau instituted a probe into the Kwankwaso’s tenure.The commission, in its report, indicted Kwankwaso for embezzlement. A White Paper was released to that effect. The probe truncated the ambition of Kwankwaso to re-contest the 2007 governorship election. But, he fielded one of his close associates, Alhaji Garba Bichi, who was defeated by Shekarau. But, in 2011, Kwankwaso defeated Shekarau’s anointed candidate, Sagir Takai.

    Between 2003 and the defection of Kwankwaso to theAPC, it was fashionable for both leaders to accuse one another at public functions. That is why some people feel that political cohabitation may be difficult for the duo, unless there is reconciliation.

    An indication that all is not well with the Kano APC manifested recently when Shekarau and his supporters stormed the party’s national secretariat in Abuja to register their displeasure over the powers conferred on the five PDP governors, who have defected to the party.

    Shekarau complained that the labours of the old APC chieftains were being ignored by the party leadership. He said that the old and new members deserved equal treatment.

    The former governor said: “If a governor comes into the APC today and wants the structure of the party in his state to be handed over to him, we may have to critically look at it. This is because there are structures on grounds in the state before such a governor came in. It is not possible to ignore this reality when you are discussing the terms under which a new person is coming into the party, else there could be confusion”

    But, not all the associates of Shekarau are with him in his battle to maintain the status quo. There is a crack in his camp. Some leaders of the defunct ANPP, including a former presidential candidate of National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa, and Senator Kabir Gaya, have visited Kwankwaso and pledged their support to his leadership.

    But, another associate of Shekarau and former Chairman of the ANPP in Kano State, Alhaji Sani Hotoro, dismissed the delegation to the governor, saying that Tofa and his crew visited the governor in their individual capacities, and not on behalf of the defunct ANPP.

    According to Hotoro, members of the defunct ANPP had written a letter to the APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, about their grievances.

    “It is in the public knowledge that members of the APC coming from the defunct ANPP, Kano State, have on December 18, 2013 under the leadership of our 2011 presidential candidate and former Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau , delivered a letter to the APC interim leadership in Abuja conveying our concern and the way forward.

    “In it, we requested for clarification on the rumour going round that the five aggrieved new PDP governors who decided to decamp to the APC did so as a result of an alleged agreement they reached with a section of the APC leadership that they will be given special privileges that are clearly against all fairness and democratic norms. These included the state leadership of the party, automatic tickets for all their members of the state and national assemblies and also the handling the registration of members.”

    Hotoro said that, as far as “the ANPP section of the APC in Kano State” was concerned, Shekarau remained the leader of the party in the state.

    Will Shekarau group dump theAPC, if the party is adamant on its constitutional provision that confers the leadership of the party on the governors? Hotoro said Shekarau and the other aggrieved members had no plan to defect to other parties.

    It was also learnt that the bickering is rampant among those currently eyeing the Government House in Shekarau’s camp in 2015. Prominent among them are Malam Sagir Takai and Hon Kawu Idris Sumaila, a member of the House of Representatives.

    Kwankwaso has pledged to treat every member of the party with fairness. He also promised to carry everyone along in the decision making. He has urged them to join hands with him for the progress and success of the party.

    The party elders are not relenting in their bid to reconcile the two leaders. A source said that truce is possible, but added that confidence building may take some time.

    Already, party sources said that Shekarau has reconciled with Buhari. The reconciliation, according to sources, was facilitated by former Minister of Agriculture Alhaji Sani Zango Daura. A deal was struck that Shekarau should drop his presidential ambition for Buhari, the source added.

    Currently, Odigie-Oyegun and his team are in Kano. The former Edo State governor has said that both leaders will work together for the party in an atmosphere of oneness. The APC interim Publicity Secretay, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, also said that the APC will not neglect crisis resolution.

    “To take care of some of the grumblings and protests that may come up in the affected states, we have set up some committees that will take care of the concerns of our leaders in those states and ensure a seamless integration of the new members. The committee will take care of whatever crisis that may ensue in the on-going process of integration,” he said

  • I have not resigned, says Tukur

    I have not resigned, says Tukur

    National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has denied reports of his purported resignation as the crisis in the ruling party escalates.

    In a statement yesterday, Tukur expressed shock on the report, which he said was being sponsored by those he described as hawks within and outside the party desperate to pull down the party.

    He said he found it incomprehensible that certain members of the party could go to the extent of concocting lies against his person to actualise their ambitions ahead of the 2015 polls.

    The party chair said he had done everything practicable to put the PDP on track, as well as to keep the agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan to transform Nigeria away from distraction, the reason he said he was undergoing tribulations.

    Tukur maintained that he never planned to resign nor told anyone about his resolve to do so.

    According to him, with his position as national chairman of the ruling PDP, he would never subject his resignation to newspapers’ speculation.

    Tukur, who received a group of party leaders at his Abuja residence yesterday, said he was shocked to be told that some on-line media were making speculations about his resignation.

    Said he: “You all met me here talking to you as the PDP Chairman, yet, some enemies of the party went to the media to say I had resigned. It is unbelievable that some party members could be mean, vile, treacherous and vindictive while playing such stunt.

    “This is not the first time they would do this. They had sponsored media reports severally to say I had resigned. Yet, the Almighty God has continued to shame them because they were not the ones who kept me on this seat.

    “They went further to sponsor media reports that I was to confront our President over an issue they could not expatiate on. The agents of darkness have taken over the place. Nigerians and members of our party should beware.

    “I am in good terms with Mr President, the leader of our party. We met often and take strategic decisions together. No one, not even the devil, can make me be in needless confrontation with the President. We are one in the spirit and the enemies would be shocked to see PDP back on stream.”

    Tukur expressed dismay over another report that he had dared President

    Jonathan over the plot to remove him from office.

    He said there was no reason for such a confrontation because the President was never part of the plot to oust him, adding that “besides, the President has been a jolly good fellow to me; a brother, a leader of the party and my greatest confidant”.

    The party chair vowed to keep his head above the raging tide, stressing that those behind the plot to oust him would sooner or later discover that they were pursuing a wrong cause.

    Tukur warned his detractors against the law of retributive justice, saying that God has continued to vindicate him despite the conspiracy against him.

    “If I did nothing to wrong a soul, if I try my best all the time to make our party become stronger and great; and when some people plot to fight me on my stand point to be just, I say today that the Almighty Allah will vindicate me,” he said.

    The leadership of the PDP has told a lawyer, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, acting on behalf of the embattled party chairman Bamanga Tukur, to steer clear of the party’s affairs.

    A statement yesterday by PDP National Legal Adviser Victor Kwom, said Oluyede is not in any position to speak on the legal implications of the move by stakeholders to remove Tukur from office.

    Oluyede had, in a newspaper advertorial, adduced reasons why Tukur cannot be removed from office in such a way as to truncate his four-year tenure. The lawyer added that Tukur can only be removed by a properly conducted national convention of the party.

    The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to a media advertorial in which one Mr. Ajibola Oluyede adduced certain opinions claiming such to be the position of the PDP constitution on some recent developments in our party.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the National Working Committee of the PDP wishes to state that Mr. Ajibola Oluyede has no mandate or authority to issue the said advertorial.

    “That the position adduced in the advertorial does not in anyway represent or correspond with the position of the Constitution of the PDP.

    “That the PDP has a National Legal Adviser whose duties under the party’s constitution include advising the party on all legal matters, conducting all litigation; prosecuting and defending actions on behalf of the party, including its organs and officials in so far as the subject of the litigation affects the interest of the party; and interpreting the laws, regulations and constitution of the party in the event of any ambiguities.

    “We therefore warn all such characters to desist from making public statements and sponsoring publications in any manner whatsoever that distort the provisions of our constitution and the position of our party on any issue”.

  • ‘I am still reflecting on 2015’

    ‘I am still reflecting on 2015’

    Former High Commissioner to Ghana and Chairman of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Senator Musiliu Obanikoro spoke with reporters in Lagos on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crises and the future of the party in Lagos State. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    Why did you not contest for the governorship of Lagos in 2011?

    I was on a national assignment at that time. I was the country’s representative in Ghana. There is no way I can abandon the responsibilities given to me by the Federal Government and come home only to be chasing a political office at the state level. Now that I am home, I am strongly reflecting on the last 15 years of civil governance. I will not sit down here and tell you that we don’t have few things to celebrate in the state. But,, by and large, there are still many holes to fill up.

    We need to do more in education so that more people can send their children to public schools.

    We need to revatalise the health sector. Everybody that is somebody now goes overseas for ordinary medical check–up. Even, the governor does his medical check–up abroad. We need to look at the environment. We need to do something about the Olusosun dumpsite at Ojota and the level of pollution. The dumpsite is surrounded by residential communities. I was one of the beneficiaries of Alhaji Lateef Jakande’s housing policy. We need to build houses for the low and middle income earners.

    What is your ambition now?

    As I have said, this is a time for reflection and I am still reflecting. I do believe that Lagos state, with its potentials and the kind of IGR they got every month, can be managed better than it is now. The business of government can be done more transparently.

    The best investment the state government would have made is to invest in education. Instead, the government increased tuition fee from N25, 000 at the LASU to N250, 000.

    Why did you leave the AD for the PDP?

    I left before they formed the ACN. With the benefit of hindsight, I did the right thing by pulling out of the AD. There is no internal democracy in the AD in those days.

    Lagos PDP is not united. How can the party fight for power in an atmosphere of disharmony?

    Well, they are not united either. What you are looking in their party as unity is a peace of the graveyard. An honest member of their party will tell you that all is not well in that party either.

    Do you think that the PDP can defeat the APC in Lagos State?

    I am convinced beyond any doubt that our party, the PDP, is winning Lagos State in 2015. The people in the state will vote en masse for our party because they need change. The indices of rejection of the ruling party in Lagos are there for people that care to see. For example, if you observe clearly, you will realise that the present government has become unnecessarily arrogant. They are running the state as if it is their personal business venture. We are serious; we have what it takes to dismantle this government in the state.

    When last did you meet to discuss party affairs with the likes of Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Chief Bode George and other chieftains? Recently, we had a meeting at the party secretariat in Ikeja. Our leader as you know is not in the country for now. I spoke with him for about an hour yesterday. We are all united now. As I speak with you, Lagos PDP is one big family.

    Have you all agreed to work together for the same purpose?

    I don’t know why you are particular about our party’s internal affairs.

    Members of the party here in Lagos used to fight one another all the time and that does not show any sign of seriousness.

    That is democracy for you. Democracy is about us dealing with our convictions. We don’t have to see things from the same point of view all the time. But, I think we are more united now than ever before and we are coming out to say enough is enough. Right now, as I speak with you, we are united.

    If you’re still reflecting whether to contest 2015 governorship election in 2015, then it means there is problem somehow

    No. You get it wrong. Let me tell you that I am eight years older than I am when I contested in 2007. A Yoruba proverb says that an elderly person doesn’t act like a child. I have focus. Don’t forget that I have also done other things since 2007. I’ve served my country meritoriously as an Ambassador. May be, the diplomatic part of me is having greater share of me this morning. I want to let people know that we the Lagos PDP is serious about 2015 and we have what it takes to dismantle this elitist government in Lagos State.

    What has the Federal Government done to assist the people of Lagos and the government?

    Federal Government has done a lot to assist Lagos. For instance, our government at the centre ensures that the Third Mainland Bridge does not collapse. We have done that continuously in the last five years. Yar ‘Adua did it, Jonathan has done it. There is the expansion the federal government is doing along Apapa-Oshodi expressway to ensure access in and out of the harbor. There is also the massive renovation done at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at Ikeja. The arrival and departure section have been expanded. And the interesting thing about all these is that, if you goggle the Ministry in-charge of these works to get how much was expended on each of the project, you will get them stated clearly. Whatever question on cost that anyone asks the state government officials on any project, their reply used to be, it is provided for in the budget.

    The APC is saying PDP is corrupt. You’re also saying Lagos state government being run by APC is corrupt. One finds it difficult to believe both sides?

    They will say anything they want because they are seeking what doesn’t belong to them. We are telling the people and we have demonstrated to the people that we have the capacity to deal with erring members. For instance, during Yar’Adua administration, the Minister of Health, Mrs. Grange erred and President Yar’Adua fired her immediately. During Obasanjo’s tenure, the then Minister of Education, Dr. Fabian Osuji was also fired. We forced Senator Nwabara to step down as President of the Senate. This is a progressive action from our party.

    Under President Goodluck Jonathan, with all kinds of corrupt practices by top members of his cabinet, nobody has been fired, in spite of people’s condemnation of actions taken by some of the cabinet members?

    It will be very unfair to ask such question because we are looking at an un interrupted 15 years governance by two political parties. It will be very unfair of you to reduce focus on only Jonathan’s administration. We are saying we have history of dealing with corruption. Do they even have any history at all in their party?

    What about the current Oduah scandal in the Aviation sector?

    Oh yes! Accusation has been made in the open. Panel have been set up to look into the matter, the president have received the report. I am sure in good time; he would come out with a position. Be that as it may, nobody can sweep under the carpet what PDP had done to tackle corruption. Their party has not done anything; that is what we are saying. Everything they have accused us of doing, they are worse off. They accused Stella Oduah of buying two armoured cars for N255 million. The one which the Lagos state governor is riding up and down in Lagos is more expensive than Oduah’s car. He is a public officer too who draws his salary from tax payer’s money. It is the same standard, it doesn’t matter. It is even more damning for the governor because he is elected by the people and he is supposed to uphold the trust and confidence of the people of Lagos. So, their own is even worst in that case, but it is unfortunate the media refuses to look at that area.

     

  • ‘Yewa/Awori should produce next Ogun governor’

    ‘Yewa/Awori should produce next Ogun governor’

    Prince Segun Adewale is a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) and a senatorial aspirant in Ogun West District. In this interview with Jeremiah Oke, he speaks on the Yewa/Awori agitation for power shift in 2015.

    What is the political situation in Ogun State?

    Ogun State is a state where we have intellectuals, educationists and prominent people like the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and other notable politicians. You should know that it is an important state. The political situation in Ogun State is that we have the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a member of the ruling party People Democratic Party (PDP) and the state is controlled by the opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). The people of Ogun State have experienced the PDP leadership for eight years and the AD/APC for close to seven years now and the people are still yearning for another political party to give them a change. That is why the Labour Party is being recognised in the state to give them the change they are clamouring for. Today, the Labour Party has become a force in Ogun State politics and that is the political situation in Ogun State as we speak now.

    Moreover, Ogun State is not a kind of state you will say because a political party is a national party that has ruled them for eight years, it will use a veto power to influence anything for them. But, it is a dynamic state where a credible political party is welcomed and no other party can give them the deserved dividends of democracy than the Labour Party.

    Since your party is just coming up in Ogun State, don’t you think the party might be lost in the struggle for power?

    Before the PDP came on board as a ruling party in Ogun State, there was no party, except that the President came from Ogun State. The President himself lost in his ward. What that is telling us is that, regardless of the number of years a political party has existed in a state, a new party can defeat it. It is possible for a new party to record a landmark victory in an election. People know what they want and they how to get it. So, the issue of our party coming up in less than a year has nothing to do with our success in the proposed election. It is not about how long, but it is about how well we can harmonise and mobilise the people.

    Do you think the Yewa/Awori will unanimously adopt the Labour Party in 2015?

    Yes, they have adopted the Labour Party already. The dynamism of politics differs from state to state and from region to region. What is happening in Akwa Ibom today may not necessarily reflect what is happening in Lagos and Ekiti states. This is because there is a peculiar agitation in the state and that is what happened in Anambra State where we heard that the APGA swept the poll just because there was the agitation from the Anambra North to present the governorship candidate for a very long time. That is why it is very easy for the APGA to clear the poll. the same thing also applies to Ogun State where the Yewa/Awori has never produced a governor in the last 38 years of existence. The Labour Party now said that, because of equity and fairness, the state should maintain balance in governance. Therefore, Yewa/Awori should produce the next governor.

    Do you think the antecedents of the people in the Labour Party can give the anticipated victory in 2015?

    What antecedents are you talking about? The people in other political parties are not better, in terms of the antecedents. What was the antecedents of Otunba Gbenga Daniel in 2003 before he became the governor? We are not selling names in the Labour Party. But, we are parading the grassroots politicians who know the problems of our people. So, it is not about big names, but what we are able to achieve individually. I can tell you that, come 2015, it is the people that will win elections and not the big names.

    In 2011, Gboyega Isiaka, who is from Yewa/Awori, was unable to make any impact as the People Party of Nigeria (PPN) governorship candidate. Don’t you think the same thing will repeat itself in 2015?

    The question you ask could be titled “so near, yet so far in 2011”. But today, I want to tell you that the Yewa/Awori have learned their lesson by speaking in one voice and we are ready to correct our mistakes. We have done a lot of re-orientation within Ogun West. I have been in the forefront of doing that and I am sure it is going to be a productive effort. Some of our people coming from the Labour Party have even agree to have a gentleman agreement with the other regions of the state to ensure that the Ogun West Senatorial District produce the next governor for the first time in the history of Ogun State. I am sure they will actualise their dreams.

    As the aspirant of the Labour Party in the Ogun West district, what have you done for your people that will make them vote for you?

    I am a grassroots politician who understand the plight and aspiration of our people and I am ready to assist them. In the history of a nation, there is always a move to rescue at a critical point and that is why we have agreed in Ogun State never to play politics with the warfare of the people, but to play politics the way it should be played. I saw the challenges of our people and that is why I rise up to rescue them and give them the dividend of democracy. In the last eight years, I have been associated with the people of Yewa/Awori and I know their challenges. I have several on-going projects in 52 wards of the region. I have been able to construct 10 schools across my senatorial district. I have inaugurated many transformers for our people. I have created many job opportunities for our children in Yewa/Awori. I have empowered many people mentally and financially, which is the most important thing we need in Ogun West. In the past one and the half years, I always spend an average of N250,000 every week to provide free medical care for the people in the grassroots and the medical personnel are always on ground to attend to our people whenever need be. Go round the Ogun west and ask of all these things I have mentioned.

    After Otunba Gbenga Daniel was expelled by the state chapter of the party, the national secretariat return him as the grand patron of the party. Do you think his past record will not affect your party in 2015?

    What past record are you talking about? We need all sort of people in a particular party regardless of their antecedents and what they must have done in the past. Our party is the only party that has ideology and tolerance because we have records. The party was formed as a result of the agitation of the people for good governance, so therefore, we are welcoming people from anywhere they may be coming from. it is not about OGD antecedents and what he has done in the past but it is about what he will do in the future. His coming to the party will even strengthen the party the more. OGD has ruled the state for eight years, also unseat a seating governor, and a governor unseated him, I think we need a lot to learn from him. So what I am saying in essence is that LP is a party for everybody in the state regardless of their past and antecedents.