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  • Wike: I never betrayed Amaechi

    Wike: I never betrayed Amaechi

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, spoke with reporters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on the protracted feud between him and Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis and his 2015 governorship ambition. BISI OLANIYI was there.

    You and Governor Amaechi were very good friends. What went wrong?

    The Rivers State governor and I were not good friends. We worked together. Working together does not make you to be friends. I worked for him seriously.

    I cannot leave my party (the PDP). It is not done anywhere. If I quarreled with the governor, would that have been enough to make him to leave the same party that produced him? The Supreme Court said on October 25, 2007 that it was the party that won the election.

    I am not the issue. Am I trying to be President of Nigeria? Am I trying to be the Vice-President?

    What of your 2015 governorship ambition?

    So what? Who told you I would not want to be the President of Nigeria? You are a Christian and you want to go to heaven. Does it mean that you will go to heaven? If I say I want to be the Secretary-General of the United Nations, does it mean that I will be?

    When has ambition become a criminal offence? Assuming I want to be Rivers governor in 2015, so what? Is it because I want to be governor, that is why Amaechi is quarrelling with President Goodluck Jonathan? Governorship is an ambition.

    If you are working hard, people will suspect you. You are working hard because you want to be somewhere. If you do not want to work hard, they will say he is not intelligent. Is there anybody that was born to be governor? Are we running emirate system, where when the emir dies, they know who will be the next emir?

    Governor Amaechi and you are from Ikwerre. He wants his successor to come from another ethnic group or senatorial district. Don’t you believe in the zoning agreement?

    Zoning in which of the political parties? Amaechi ran on the PDP platform, while Dr. Abiye Sekibo, the former Transport Minister, ran on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). So, the PDP zoned it to where? The ACN zoned it to where? If it was the turn of Ikwerre people to run, why did the ACN produce a governorship candidate outside Ikwerre?

    Since Amaechi’s friend wants to be governor, then it is Ogoni turn. If I want to be the governor, it is Ikwerre turn. If Okrika person wants to be governor, it is Okrika turn. If you are from Opobo, it is Opobo turn. Such things do not intimidate me. If I want to run for the governorship of Rivers state, nothing will stop me.

     

    The situation is tense in Rivers State. Can the House of Assembly resume now?

    The police is also in a dilemma. Who presides between Bipi and Amachree/Kwanee? Is it for the police to decide who will preside? If the police envisage that there will be breakdown of law and order, they know what to do. The business of the police is to ensure that there is law and order.

    I watched on television, where Dakuku Peterside, a member of the House of Representatives from Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Constituency, decided to join the so-called lawmakers to sit on bare ground at the centre of Moscow Road (opposite the Rivers House of Assembly) in Port Harcourt. It is clear that he has taken sides and you want the members of the National Assembly to again take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    If Bipi says he is the speaker, you will challenge him in court. All they are doing now by sitting on the road is to go back to the National Assembly and say they are unable to sit, for their functions to still be taken over. Rivers people will resist it. We have resisted it before and we will continue to resist it.

    Amaechi has defected from the PDP to the APC. Are you not worried?

    For you to survive in life, you must take risk and overcome fear. I will never disappoint my supporters. Let nobody worry about what is happening. The PDP is one. Let us keep ourselves together. We will achieve what we intend to achieve.

    In the House of Assembly, there are pro and anti-Amaechi lawmakers. What do you have to say about the face-off?

    The truth of the matter is that the Federal High Court, Abuja, on December 11, gave a judgment. Prior to the judgment, there were issues in contention. Those who went to court, why did they go to court? What issues were raised?

    Those who went to court sued the National Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation. The National Assembly took over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly and they went to court to challenge it. I do know that, even when the members of the House of Representatives met on July 10, after the July 9 fracas, there was already a pending matter at the Federal High Court, even before the National Assembly took the decision.

    Nobody can stop the members of the National Assembly from performing their functions, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, but the way and manner the members of the National Assembly took over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly, were they right?

    The Rivers State Government and the Rivers State House of Assembly were never sued. While the matter was going on, the Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice (Worgu Boms) filed and joined. The so-called Speaker (Otelemaba Dan Amachree) and lawmakers supporting him, filed to join in the suit, led by Mr. Ahmed Raji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). They were never sued. The Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly were sued.

    When they joined, what did they do? For the first time in the history of this country, that the Attorney-General of a state said it was proper for the National Assembly to take over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The so-called Speaker said the National Assembly should take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly.

    The same people who said they were unable to sit passed the supplementary budget that same day. If they passed the supplementary budget on July 9, how were they unable to sit?

    The House of Representatives immediately took over. The court said the way and manner you took over the functions were not in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. We know the National Assembly members have the right to take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly, but there are processes or procedures to follow, which they did not follow.

    What the Rivers governor wants to achieve now is that even if it means to sit at the gate of the House of Assembly, the lawmakers supporting him must sit and pass the budget.

    Is it not true that your group wants to impeach Amaechi at all costs?

    If you want to impeach, where is the Chief Judge? Will you not serve the governor a notice? Will the governor not reply you? If they raise allegations against the governor, he will respond within a specified time. If he responds and you feel that the response is not enough, the Chief Judge must set up a panel. Where is the Chief Judge to set up a panel? People are telling lies.

    Don’t you know how ex-Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye was impeached?

    In the case of Dariye, there was a chief judge. When the impeachment notice is served, a panel will be set up by the chief judge. If there is no chief judge, who will set up the panel? In Dariye’s case, the day the House of Assembly members met, was it the day he was impeached?

    We must face the reality. The court judgment was given on December 11. Have you seen the order? On December 12, they said they wanted to sit, but police did not allow them to sit. On December 12, were police served with the order? So, police would hear on radio or television.

    Even if police receive the order, there are contending factions. Evans Bipi (who represents Ogu/Bolo constituency) is the speaker. Amachree, who was impeached on July 9, following due process, is still claiming to be the speaker. Amachree is overseas, but his deputy (Leyii Kwanee) is saying he is the acting speaker and he and the so called lawmakers want to sit. What do you want the police to do? What is the business of the police to interpret the law on impeachment of a House officer?

    Is it possible for anybody to have sat? Bipi is speaker. Amaechree and Kwanee are saying they are the Speaker. What do you want police to do? What Amaechi wants is for the 2014 budget to be passed today and that is the end of the matter. He needs the money to spend by 2014.

    You and the six anti-Amaechi lawmakers, how do you intend to stop Governor Amaechi?

    Who tells you that Amaechi has 25 lawmakers on his side? We are talking about politics. Some people do not know how politics works. Who tells you that everybody who appears with you is with you? It is clear that what Amaechi wants is for the so-called lawmakers to pass the budget for him. That is why he asked them to go and sit inside Government House, Port Harcourt.

    How can the crisis in the Obio/Akpor Council be resolved?

    The Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikanra, declared the Chikordi Dike-led Caretaker Committee illegal and that nothing should be done again. That will affect the tenure of the Timothy Nsirim-led executive. Amaechi declared a one week holiday, claiming they were for Port Harcourt City Centenary Celebration, just to prevent the Obio/Akpor judgment from being delivered.

    Nigeria will do well, if we stand by the truth. Amaechi is a tyrant and he can be likened to Adolf Hitler. Amaechi is the worst tyrant I have ever known. If you do not know, know it now. I worked there at the Government House, Port Harcourt, as Chief of Staff. So, I can tell you. Amaechi is the only one that God wants to have an ambition. No other person can have an ambition. It is a criminal offence for you to have an ambition, but it is constitutional for Amaechi to have an ambition.

    The man the Supreme Court brought to power has refused to obey the court judgment.

    Let Amaechi go and remove Nsirim. What he is doing is because he wants to seize the money. They are signing Obio/Akpor cheques outside the council secretariat. Those who are doing that should be ready to sew their prison uniforms. Where are they sitting to work to sign cheques? They will go somewhere to sign cheques and say that the governor told them. No problem, go ahead, because that same governor will not be there.

    Amaechi feels he can buy over everybody. He has seen it now.

    You have just said that Governor Amaechi is a tyrant. But people say you have betrayed the governor who recommended you to President Goodluck Jonathan for a ministerial appointment. Can you be trusted?

    When Amaechi was in Ghana, I had everything in my hands to betray him. Go and ask Celestine Omehia what he offered me. How many commissioners I was asked to bring? I said no.

    Go and ask Amaechi what he said at the St. Peters Anglican Church, Rumueprikom, Port Harcourt, when he said Nyesom Wike is a man of character; you can go home and sleep, if he is with you. When did betrayal come in? My local government got the highest votes. What vote did he get in during governorship poll? Everybody, including Magnus Abe, also a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, was always in my house, asking me how it would be. It is not in my character to betray people.

    There is nobody who is working with Amaechi that I do not know. There is none of them that can talk face to face with me. Tony Okocha was the Obio/Akpor LG chairman. He was in the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD), when I became the chairman. Because he is from my ethnic clan, I decided to play politics of inclusion and I brought everybody together to work as a team after my election. Okocha worked with the late Eric Asoh.

    That Amaechi made me the Chief of Staff, no. I had choice, to choose where and what. I was the man whom God used. I will not take the glory of God. Amaechi was in Ghana. I had the choice to be the commissioner of finance. I said I would not take. All those who are now talking as commissioners were coming around me and asking of what to do to be made commissioners.

    When Amaechi was in Ghana, ask him what he was calling me. I was taking final decisions. When he won the case, he felt he had become God, no problem. How did Amaechi make me minister? Which recommendation? Your Chief of Staff and Director-General of your campaign organisation was made a minister of state. People forget that there is tomorrow. The problem is that Amaechi underrated me. That is what he is suffering now.

    Amaechi is the former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). He has power. If Amaechi had the party structure, would he have run away from the PDP? Let us go to the field for elections.

    Since I left their government, what has happened? Who is the person who is thinking now? If I was there, would anybody have challenged Amaechi? Will he be having this type of problem? He is now asking lawmakers to go and sit on the road.

    Amaechi will say he has built roads for N100 billion and that the Federal Government has not paid him. Ask Amaechi, if you oppose him in Rivers state, does he pay your money? All those who are opposing Amaechi, ask them, if he has paid them their monies. He said he would not pay them stating that they would use the funds to fight him. After Amaechi abuses President Jonathan from morning till night, he should now sign for you. Nobody has even audited what he (Amaechi) claimed to have spent on the Federal Government projects in Rivers State.

    What you are seeing in Rivers State is that Amaechi has lost touch. APC cannot win Rivers state.

    In 2015, let us go for elections. Let Amaechi perform his magic. Whether they like it or not, Rivers will be a PDP state.

  • Amaechi: APC’ll protect Rivers people’s interests

    Amaechi: APC’ll protect Rivers people’s interests

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has assured that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will protect the interests of the people.

    Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), spoke at the inauguration of the Eleme Local Government chapter of a pressure group, the Save Rivers Movement (SRM), at the playground of the Community Secondary School, Alode-Eleme.

    The event was also used for the defection of teeming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the area to the APC.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Tele Ikuru, noted that his defection to the main opposition party was to protest the refusal of the leadership of the PDP to protect the interests of Rivers people.

    Amaechi said: “We will continue to move Rivers State forward. The people of Rivers State have a responsibility to protect themselves from outsiders and the vehicle to protect ourselves is the APC.

    “As long as all of you are behind us, we will continue to do things that will bring prosperity to the state and make the people happy.”

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Magnus Ngei Abe, blamed the Presidency for the violation of the Constitution, especially the refusal of the Rivers Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu to take lawful directives from the governor, as stipulated in the constitution.

    Abe said: “If you look at the Constitution of Nigeria, Section 215 says the commissioner of police of a state shall obey all lawful directives of the governor of the state. The problem in Rivers State is that, that section of the constitution is being perverted, subverted and violated by the people who are supposed to uphold it.

    “Nobody should be calling the name of any minister, because no minister is seconded to Rivers State. No minister, even the Minister of Police Affairs, is on oath to upturn the Constitution of Nigeria.

    “We know those who are upturning the Constitution of this country. We know those who are saying the Constitution should not be respected and should not be obeyed. They are the ones causing trouble in Rivers State.”

    The senator also decried the refusal of the police to allow members of the Rivers House of Assembly to enter their offices.

    He urged Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar to direct Mbu to obey the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the matter and to also take lawful directives from the governor.

    Abe, who represents Rivers Southeast in the National Assembly, said: “As we speak, 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have been trying to go to the House, but the police, without any authorisation from the governor, are refusing them entry and access to the Assembly.

    “They (police) are saying they have not received a copy of the court judgment that said the Rivers State House of Assembly should be opened. Did they receive any court order before locking the Assembly complex?”

    Abe, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, also urged the IGP to end the Rivers political crisis and allow the Assembly to resume, in the interest of the Rivers people.

    The senator advised the IGP to direct Mbu to take lawful directives from the governor to ensure peace.

    The Interim Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, assured that the party would recover all the oil wells belonging to the state, which were ceded to neighbouring states, when it assumes power in 2015.

    The event was also attended by some members of House of Representatives supporting Amaechi. They included Chief Andrew Uchendu, Asita O. Asita; a former member of House of Representatives, Igo Aguma and the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Oji Ngofa.

  • PDP to Tukur’s aides: Stop comments on party crisis

    From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned aides to the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur against commenting on the crisis rocking the party.

    In a statement issued on Monday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party said the aides should desist from commenting on the crisis as it affects the party chairman.

    The warning is coming on the heels of a statement credited to Tukur’s Political Adviser, Senator Umar Gada, to the effect that President Goodluck Jonathan would be rendered vulnerable if Tukur is removed as chairman.

    Distancing the party from the comments, Metuh stated that Gada’s comments did not represent the true state of affairs in the party.

    “The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has distanced itself from a statement credited to Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, Special Adviser to PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamangu Tukur, suggesting that the National Chairman and some PDP governors are at loggerheads over some political issues.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the NWC enjoys a harmonious relationship with our governors, Board of Trustee members, elders of the party and other key stakeholders with the National Chairman piloting all in supporting President Goodluck Jonathan to deliver the Transformation Agenda for the good of all Nigerians,” the statement said.

    The party said it would continue to uphold the manifesto and constitution of the PDP in the overall interest of all Nigerians in line with the principles of service, justice and equity.

    It added that the party remained on the same page with the governors and other elected or appointed officials of the PDP in that regard.

     

  • Jonathan, product of Obasanjo School

    SIR: I am not holding brief for President Goodluck Jonathan, but the truth must be told. Even though most of the observations made by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his 18 page letter may be true, it doesn’t exonerate him for his own actions while he was in power. He is also guilty of most of the acts he accused the Goodluck administration of. History will not forget how he chased d founding fathers away from PDP and hijacked the party structures and machineries.

    In 2007 election, Obasanjo also supported the opposition candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) Ikedi Ohakim in the Imo gubernatorial election against Ifeanyi Araraume of his own PDP – the same thing he claimed Jonathan did. History will not forget his proposed constitutional amendment mission which he embarked upon solely to realise his third term agenda.

    History will not forget how 16 billion US dollars was spent cumulatively on power throughout his eight years rule with no result achieved. The EFCC was used as an attack dog to go after perceived enemies who refuse to dance to the tune of the government while other corrupt officials who were in good books were allowed to walk free.

    Court judgments were influenced by the powers that be. Human Rights were violated; worthy of note is the Odi and Zaki Biam saga. Corruption also existed.

    In summary, most of what he pointed out also existed in his government only that it is in an improved form in this present government. Besides Jonathan has always referred to Obasanjo as his mentor. This may have prompted him to act like his master.

    •Halilu Hassan,

    haliluhassan@yahoo.com

  • Obasanjo, Jonathan and PDP crisis

    Obasanjo, Jonathan and PDP crisis

    Those who nurse the feeling that recent defection of five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to the All Progressives Congress APC is a fait accompli may have to tarry a while. Emerging signals from the political turf do not seem to give comfort that all is well with the much dramatized movement.

    The way things stand, it does appear we are yet to hear the last on which side of the political divide some of the defecting governors really stand. The impression one increasingly gets is that of a people waiting for some concessions from their erstwhile party before dashing back to base.

    President Jonathan gave an indication of this seeming confusion and ambivalence on the part of some of the governors in an interview in Paris, France. He had stated very emphatically that he is sure of two of the defectors whose hearts and souls are irredeemably in the APC while the other three are yet undecided.

    He further said even in the case of those who have made up their minds, some of the deputy governors do not share their ideas and are unlikely to move along with them.

    But these are the views of Jonathan whose party is entangled in the current pass. There is the temptation to regard these claims as some of those usual antics of politicians to shore up confidence when confronted with daunting challenges. There is therefore the lure to dismiss the claims as a desperate attempt by the PDP to save its face given the unmitigated embarrassment the defections have become.

    As this was not enough cause for worry, the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Jonathan in which he accused him of sundry misdeeds also gave clear indications that the PDP is not comfortable with the defections and many of its key promoters are bent on doing all within their powers not only to return its defecting members to the fold, but also maintain the leading role of the party in the country. Though Obasanjo touched on a number of allegations some of them very sweeping and intemperate, the main thesis of his presentation is on the current crisis in the PDP leading to disaffection and defection of five governors among others. Obasanjo is miffed by this development which he sees as not only capable of destroying the party but the entire country. He equates the PDP to Nigeria arguing that an inability to manage the crisis in the party would spell doom for the entire country. Obasanjo’s diatribe and smear campaign is rooted in the speculated ambition of Jonathan to run for the presidency in 2015 and its touted prospects of destroying the PDP. For him, that ambition has placed the country on the precipice and unless Jonathan retraces his steps, the country is heading for the rocks.

    These views do not seem to ascribe any value to the opposition APC since without PDP the country is finished. And to drive this point home, Obasanjo still believes that these disagreements could still be ‘turned to an opportunity for unity, mutual understanding and respect with the party emerging with enhanced strength and victory’. He then appealed to ‘defected, dissatisfied disgruntled and displeased PDP governors, legislators, party officials and party members to respond positively if the President seriously takes the initiative to find mutually agreeable solutions to the c u r r e n t problems’.

    What these underscore is the indubitable fact that the true intentions of the defecting governors and their party members are yet to be clear. At best, they are still sitting on the fence waiting for whatever concessions that could come from the president. This is more so with the reported attendance of the PDP governors’ meeting summoned by Jonathan at the villa by the duo of Rabiu Kwankwanso and Wammako of Kano and Sokoto states respectively.

    Before this article is published, Jonathan might have acceded to the demands of the governors to relieve Tukur of his position to make way for eventual reconciliation. This is a clear possibility. If this happens, he would have met a very key demand of the defectors as it would have taken care of mounting complaints of lack of internal democracy and high-handedness on the part of Tukur. The other demand of reigning in officials of the anti-graft agencies from harassing them and restoring party structures would have cued in appropriately. They will only be left with Jonathan’s second term ambition which Obasanjo has now confirmed there was no written agreement between Jonathan and anybody that he (Jonathan) will not run in 2015 but a statement of intent. Obasanjo claimed Jonathan confirmed to him in 2011 that if he adds the two years he inherited from Yar’Adua to another four years, he would have been done. He would therefore want him to keep to this promise to avoid the burden of moral overhang. But can we say in all sincerity that Jonathan has been allowed to concentrate on governance given the current distractions by the likes of Obasanjo and the challenge of Boko Haram insurgency which we have been told has its roots in opposition to his presidency? These are the issues to ponder when we consider the moral propriety of Jonathan going for another constitutional term. But then, what is all this hue and cry about Jonathan’s ambition destroying the country? Why must the inability of a section of the country to corner the presidency in 2015 culminate in its destruction? There is an indecent haste in the way and manner Jonathan is being intimidated to chicken out of the presidential race. There is also everything wrong with the impression Obasanjo sought to convey that unless power reverts to the north in 2015, hell will let loose. That has been the position coming from a section of the north. Many other states in the north are firmly behind Jonathan. Curiously Obasanjo has bought into that position and it is really very unfortunate. Given this, it is inherently ridiculous and insincere of him to accuse Jonathan of dividing the country along ethnic and religious lines. Nothing can be farther from the truth than this. Is it Jonathan that created Boko Haram that has not only expelled southerners from the north but also threatened to annihilate Christians in the north as if there are no northern Christians? What of the years of festering religious riots in that part of the country?

    Those fanning embers of discord are the people who promised to make the country ungovernable for Jonathan and have since made good their threat through all manner of contrived subterfuge.

    Obasanjo is guilty of falsifying extant realities and to that extent his recent letter is meant to get even having lost grip of power in the PDP. Is there anything the north kept in Aso Rock that if they do not enter there in 2015 that part of the country will no longer survive? Or put differently, are they seeking power for the north or the entire country? And if they seek power for the good of the entire country, six years thereon may not make much difference in the history of this nation to warrant the unnecessary heating up of the polity.

    Even then, the possibility cannot be ruled out that Jonathan may eventually not run. But if the gang up is to intimidate him to chicken out, instead of going through due process, it may boomerang. Its outcome may end up swelling public sympathy in his favor. If eventually he opts out of the race, there is everything to suggest that the defected governors and party members may hurry back to the PDP in droves. Then, everything would have been perfect with the party. What a huge contradiction!

    This will only go to reinforce the view that these defections are neither based on parity in ideological leaning nor shared values on how best to conduct the affairs of governance.

    It is therefore, a political risk for the APC to trust the defectors given their current posturing. They could be moles in the new arrangement.

  • ‘PDP, LP can’t dislodge APC in Ekiti’

    ‘PDP, LP can’t dislodge APC in Ekiti’

    Former Ekiti State Governor Adeniyi Adebayo is the All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim National Vice Chairman (Southwest). He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU and MUSA  ODOSHIMOKHE on the challenges confronting the mega party, preparation for Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections, Jonathan Administration, single term tenure, national security and other issues.

    Why was it difficult to resolve the rift between Governor Kayode Fayemi and House of Representatives member Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele?

    We did everything possible to bring about rapprochement. We tried to pacify all the parties, but I really don’t know why it did not yield the desired results.

    As a big brother, people thought your influence would have robbed off and brought about peace…

    But unfortunately, this did not make the impact and, like I said, I did my best to ensure that the parties involved resolve their differences.

    What do you think is the bone of contention?

    The reality is that Opeyemi Bamidele don’t want to step down for Kayode Fayemi. He has made up his mind to go to another party to contest. All I can say is that I wish him the best of luck.

    It has been speculated that his departure will have adverse effect on the party….

    Sincerely speaking, I don’t see how that will happen in Ekiti State. I don’t see how our members will leave a winning party and join a party that is not yet tested in Ekiti. I do not think that people will move from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Labour Party (LP). It will not have any adverse effect on our party.

    Some people said that Bamidele has grievances, which you elders failed to address…

    Frankly speaking, Opeyemi Bamideles is a non-issue with me for now. He has left my party. So, I wish him all the best in his future endeavour.

    Why is it difficult for the progressives to resolve their differences?

    Your question is hypothetical. I am a progressive and I don’t think I have problem with anybody.

    People are of the opinion that you don’t have crisis resolution mechanism in your party

    You will always have aggrieved people in any political party, whether progressives or conservatives. That is because sometimes, reasons do not prevail where a man has an ambition. And I don’t think this happens only among progressives. We have it in the conservative fold.

    A month ago, the APC only had an adversary, the PDP. But now, it has the PDP and Labour Party to contend with…

    Add both together; they cannot pose a threat to the APC in Ekiti State. I keep saying it and I will say it again ,until we hold election in Ekiti. The APC will win not less than 70 percent of the votes.

    What is responsible this over confidence?

    It is not over confidence. It is confidence borne out of the reality on ground. The governor has done a fantastic job. He has done fantastic a job, in term of developing the state and that is what gives me the confidence. Any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission to rig the election will be resisted. As a politician, I go round the state. I see what is on the ground and I feel the pulse of the people. The feeling is that the governor has performed. Everybody in Ekiti is desirous of having continuity in government. The problem of Ekiti is non-continuity in government. After I left office in 2003, I think we have had about five or six governors in the state. This has created a lot of disruption within the system.

    So, all we are saying is that we admire places like Lagos as a result of continuity of government. When there is a continuity of government, there will be continuity of policy of development. And many people are saying that, with the kind of job Governor Kayemi has done, if allowed to continue in another four years, he will continue to do the same job by making Ekiti greater.

    And whoever comes after him, the developmental stride will continue. That is what people want to see. All they are interested in is to ensure that there is continuity, in term of development. Now, they have somebody who is doing a good job. So, he will continue.

    Between now and 2014, what do you think should be the pre-occupation of Fayemi Administration?

    I think by the time the detail of Governor Fayemi’s budget is out, it will be the continuation of what he is already doing. He will be involved in bringing more development to Ekiti State. He will continue with the development and construction of roads in Ekiti State. He will continue with the development of infrastructure for school, hospitals. I know there is plan to expand the social security for the elderly people. He will put more money in agriculture togenerate employment. He plans to do a lot and he should be given the opportunity to carry this out in another four years.

    The APC has been protesting the outcome of the governorship election in Anambra State. You are going to elections in Ekiti State and Osun states. What are your fears?

    We have learnt a lot from what happened in Anambra State. We have studied the situation and we are going to ensure that we guard against what happened. We are not going to allow that to play out in Ekiti and Osun states.

    The defection of Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye from the Ogun State APC to the PDP has been described as a minus. What happened?

    I have to ask you why he decided to leave. Sometimes we engage ourselves too much on personalities. It is not the personality that is the issue; it is the followership. For instance, in Ekiti, my deputy decided to go to the PDP, but his followers did not go with him. At a time 14 members of the ACN left and they thought it was going to weaken the ACN, but this did not happen because, when they left, their followers did not go with them. And that is the situation in Ogun State as well. Though Ogunleye has left, many of the followers did not go with him. Many in the APC believe in our party. No party is perfect; there will always be differences. Even within families, there is difference. You are not going to say because you have differences with your children or relatives, you are no long a member of that family. It should not be that way. And incidentally, when these people leave and believe that they are going to move with their followers, they get disappointed. If you want to go, you can do that, f am not happy with what is going on. But I prefer to stay within my own house and fight for my right than abandon the ship.

    Is there no lesson that we can learn from their defection?

    If you say the grass is greener onthe other side, it is when you get to the other side that you discover that it not so. I don’t understand how you profess to be a progressive and you now leave it to the conservative camp. That I don’t understand.

    The PDP is targeting the Southwest for liquidation…

    That has always been their ambition, even when they used might and everything that they have to overrun us in the Southwest. Later, the Southwest liberated itself. They have always dreamt. Let them continue to dream.

    But, how are you prepared to curtail them?

    They did it once. We made the mistake that we tried to support a Yoruba man for the Presidency, but he used everything at his disposal to get us out of office. Now, we are smarter. Our eyes are opened and you can be rest assured that nobody can deceive us. We know what they are planning to do. we are tiding up and prepared to stop any attempt by them to do thingss we considered inimical to democracy.

    You have been celebrating the expansion of your party. How will those who are coming be able flow together with you ideologically?

    If we look at those who have come to join us so far, you find out they have progressive tendencies. And, if you remember, the PDP was formed by progressive politicians. It was unfortunately that they allowed it to be taken over by the conservatives. At the time the PDP was formed and, if you look at the founding fathers of the PDP, majority of them were progressives. Unfortunately, there was an influx of conservatives and, as at today, the party has been taken over by them. And you will find out that it is the progressives among them that have said enough is enough and have moved back to their traditional abode. If you want to get progressives together, people of like minds, you will find out that there is always accommodation.

    There are diasagreements on whether the new governors will have overriding influence in their states…

    We believe strongly in internal democracy. For now, what we are going to face is the registration of our members. Anybody that is interested in our party will be registered and, from then, we will hold our congress. The congress will hold from the ward level, local government to the state level. It is at that point we will know who is in control and who is not in control. What I am saying in essence is that it is the party that will be in control of the party machinery. The leadership of the party will be decided by the people themselves, as supposed to anybody being foisted on anybody. We are not a party where you will say, come ,you are going to be the leader of the party. There is theparty constitution and the leadership will emerge by the will of the people.

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar defected to the Action Congress (AC) 2007 and, after the election he went back to the PDP. What is the assurance that those who defected now will not go back to the PDP?

    I cannot predict the future because I am not a soothsayer. From what they are saying and their body language, I feel comfortable with them. I think they have chosen to come back to their natural abode.

    It has been said that you are eyeing the Senate…

    I always laugh when I heard such comments. I have never nursed any ambition in this direction. I had the opportunity to contest for the Senate and I refused such opportunities. I am not interested in the Senate; my interest is building the party. My ambition, when I was young, was to be a governor. Ekiti State was created and I got into politics and I was elected the first executive governor of Ekiti State. Ever since, I have not shown any interest in an elective office. I still have no such plans and, ever since I left office, I have been involved in the process of building the party from the AC to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now the APC. I have been involved in building a national political party. We have now got to the state that we have to do something to achieve a national party. This will be done such that, by the time we hold our national convention, we will have on ground a national party that will be the envy of everybody and that, for now, is my ambition. I want to state categorically that, either now or the future, I doubt very much that I have such intention. I can tell you categorically that, in the immediate future, I have no interest.

    What is your position on the proposed national conference?

    I have been around long enough. Many people use these conferences for tenure elongation. During the time of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and now President Goodluck Jonathan, I believe that, in this country, we should have a national conference. If we are serious about having a national conference, this is not the time to have it. If President Jonathan was serious about it, we should have had that earlier. This is the same President that had stated categorically that he does not believe in it. And, all of a sudden, it is coming to election time and he has changed. He wants to use it as an opportunity to try and convince some people to get their support. The Yoruba people voted for Jonathan for him to become the President of the country, but the Yoruba have not been treated well under the administration.

    There are complaints in Yorubaland and I think honestly, he must have been advised that the Yorubas are not happy with him and what you can do now to make them happy is to tell them that he will hold a national conference. For someone who for many years opposed the national conference and toward the end of his tenure now decides to hold a national conference is a smack of deceit. I for one do not believe that it is feasible. I do not believe it will work and I believe it was something somebody suggested to him.

    They believe he can use this one to keep people quiet for sometimes and get support from the Southwest. President Obasanjo tried it, which was the beginning of his tenure elongation. The Deputy Senate President has even told us that there should be tenure elongation. He has suggested that people should stay in office for another two years. It is the same script. They are reading the same book, the same attempt that was used by Obasanjo. They have now brought the same script again and the way it failed during President Obasanjo time, that is how it will fail again.

    Does that mean that the proposal will not work?

    Even if we are going to have it, it is not the way he put it to us. Not by saying that the present elected officers should stay for another two years. If we are going to have that, let us sit down and do a proper national conference. We should have proper resolution made; have everything properly put in a constitution. And not that the present people who have been elected to stay in office for four years should now come and extend their tenure. No way. We did not vote for them to stay for six years; we voted for four years.

    What are the factors and issues that will shape 2015 general electionn?

    Number one, it is corruption. There is massive corruption at the federal level. In fact, I am happy that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo Iweala, made a comment yesterday that corruption is a major problem they are unable to tackle. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, said categorically that corruption is being encouraged by the executive. Nigerians are sick and tired of it. That is one issue that we will put on the front burner.

    The mood in the APC tends to suggest that its presidential slot may be zoned to the North…

    Even, if it is so, there will still be primaries. Whoever is going to emerge will be chosen by the people through a democratic process as provided for in the constitution.

    Will the primary be guided or open?

    We have different procedures. Which ever that is decided upon will be used.

    Most of you who are leaders of Afenifere are not prepared for reconciliation in the fold again…

    I believe that, one day, we will all come back together again. Efforts are being made in that direction. At the end of the day, really what is Afenifere all about? It is the wellbeing of Yoruba people. Many of us are in different political parties today, but we still have the wellbeing of the Yoruba at heart. The most important thing is that, as long as we are fighting for the progress of the Yoruba people, irrespective of political parties, then, we are still on course.

    Are you not worried that local government election has not been held in Ekiti?

    The election has not held because of the case in court. The PDP took the government to court and that is what is holding us. It is not something that we are happy about.

  • Jonathan, PDP govs shop for Tukur’s successor

    Jonathan, PDP govs shop for Tukur’s successor

    •Abba Gana, Hassan Adamu, Boni Haruna on the list

    •Embattled chairman to be fired to prevent more defections.

    The Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) governors are having a fresh go at the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamabga Tukur.

    The governors want him out at all costs even with the exit, from the party, of five of their colleagues who initiated the ‘Tukur Must Go Campaign’.

    Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), left the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently following the reluctance of the PDP hierarchy to sack Tukur.

    The exit of the five governors is causing ripples in the PDP and the remaining governors resolved at a meeting in Abuja on Friday night that only Tukur’s removal could restore sanity to the party.

    They also backed repositioning of the party and reconciliation of the aggrieved governors and members to put PDP in good stead for the 2015 poll.

    The governors were scheduled to go into another round of meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan last night on Tukur’s exit and other issues bothering the party.

    The PDP governors, sources told The Nation, met at the Akwa Ibom Lodge in Abuja preparatory to their audience with the president last night.

    It was gathered that the crisis which led to the defection of five governors and the fate of Tukur dominated discussions.

    Some of the governors suggested a soft-landing for Tukur with a choice ambassadorial appointment.

    A source said: “The governors admitted that a change of party leadership is crucial to any reconciliation in PDP. They also said they have realised that with Tukur still in charge, some governors are just managing to stay in PDP.

    “They called for pre-emptive steps to prevent more defections from PDP to the main opposition coalition, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “They also agreed that PDP cannot afford to be in tatters if it wants to win the 2015 poll. So, they have opted for far-reaching reforms in the party where all members and organs will play their roles without inhibitions.”

    But the governors were unable to agree on where Tukur’s successor should come from.

    While some suggested the retention of the office in Adamawa State, others were of the opinion that the new chairman should come from any of Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba or Borno states.

    The governors of Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states were said to be opposed to their states producing the next National Chairman of the party because of likely interference by such a chairman in the affairs of the local PDP. They recalled the incessant disagreements between Tukur and Nyako and between Dr. Okwesilize Nwodo and Governor Sullivan Chime in Enugu State.

    Those being speculated include a former acting National Secretary of PDP, Alhaji Musa Babayo; former Governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu; former Ambassador to the United States, who is also the Wakilin Adamawa, Alhaji Hassan Adamu, (Adamawa); Mr. Boni Haruna, former governor of Adamawa State; Political Adviser to the President, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak; Senator John Wampana and a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Abba Gana.

    A source said former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, who is a strategist for the president, and some party leaders were backing Abba Gana to give PDP a leverage in Borno and Yobe states.

    The Borno-Yobe axis is also said to be under-represented in appointments at the federal level.

    Although some leaders are rooting for Babayo, it was learnt that he may prefer running for governorship to the National Chairman post.

    One of the governors said: “I will not say we have abandoned or ditched anyone, but we have suggestions on the way forward. We will present these recommendations to the president who is the National Leader of the party. It is left to him to accept or not.

    “By the time we meet, we will be able to chart a new course for the party. But there will be no winner or loser in the end.

    “Note it: we are in a period where we must sacrifice to move the party forward.”

  • We’ll not falter in the crusade to rescue Nigeria, says Tinubu

    We’ll not falter in the crusade to rescue Nigeria, says Tinubu

    FORMER Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday said the party would not falter in its legitimate struggle to “rescue Nigeria” from the “rudderless and clueless” Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)-led government at the centre.

    Tinubu, who spoke in Imoru-Ijebu, Ogun State, during the installation of the APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, as the Baba-Oba of Imoru by Oba Munirudeen Bashorun, said the progressives would provide the country with “purposeful and quality leadership” needed to pull it away from the brink.

    According him, the struggle to salvage Nigeria and place her on the path of genuine development and transformation by the progressives had been on for a long time.

    The APC National Leader, who is the Agbaakin of Imoru-Ijebu, expressed gladness that about 16 progressive governors cutting across the country are currently joining hands with him and others in the “crusade for a better Nigeria.”

    Tinubu said, “We will provide Nigerians with good leadership; once upon a time, Ogun State was on the wrong political corner of this country. Now, we have a purposeful and people-oriented government in Ogun State.

    “There was a time I was alone, but today we have 16 governors on a rescue boat. We shall rescue Nigeria as a whole. We shall succeed in this crusade to save Nigeria. As Moses crossed the Red Sea, no going back to Pharaoh again.

    “The PDP-led administration at the centre is demolishing democratic structures without any plan to rebuild it.”

    While commending APC governors in the South west and other parts of the country for their determination to make things better for citizens of their respective states, Tinubu expressed satisfaction at the massive infrastructural development in Ogun State, which he described as second to none in the annals of the Gateway State.

    He said, “Ijebu-Ode is already a giant construction site with the dualisation of roads going on, the overhead bridge, thank you Governor Amosun for your dedication and commitment to duty which made the transformation possible.”

    In his acceptance speech, Akande lauded Oba Bashorun, his chiefs and Imoru people for finding him fit to be bestowed the title of Baba Oba, pledging to always work for the growth and development of the town.

    Akande noted that the traditional institutions remain the custodian of the people’s culture, history and tradition and rued that it is now being bastardised by government’s interference.

    The former Governor of Osun State warned traditional rulers in the country, particularly those in the Southwest region not to be part of the touted National Council of Obas, which he said may not be in their best interest and the institution they represent.

  • Osun commissioner cautions opposition on state finance

    OSUN State Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, has cautioned the former Minister of Youth Development, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, from misleading the people about the position of the state’s finance.

    Speaking in Osogbo, the state capital, Bolorunduro urged Akinlabi, who is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to desist from misleading the citizens of the state for selfish and political reasons.

    He said, “We are not ready to join issues with the opposition party and mischievous elements known for their characteristic rumour mongering and political allusions. But I consider it pertinent to clarify issues and put the records straight, particularly on matters that border on my portfolio as the state’s Chief Finance Adviser.

    “Of course, considering the state’s very little statutory allocation, there can never be any meaningful transformation of the state without the extraordinary financial courage and strong desire to excel by all means. This is also true for many states that need to hedge against inflation to have meaningful development.

    “The massive infrastructural transformation across the state such as enormous road projects, dredging of streams and rivers, schools reconstruction, renovation of hospitals and courts, as well as some other social projects including provision of school uniforms, urban renewal, among others, may not be possible without some level of financial leveraging.”

    Speaking further, the commissioner disclosed, “It is true Osun raised N30 billion and N11.4billion from the capital market through issuance of bond and Sukuk in 2012 and 2013 respectively. These are deliberate transparent approaches to raising funds from capital market. It is, however, scandalous to read from the referenced publication that the state took N17.8 billion from an Infrastructure Bank.”

    “This is not true and we hereby challenge Senator Akinlabi to substantiate his claim on this by producing documentary evidence and further details on this for the interest of the good citizens of the state.”

    Bolirunduro noted that the external debt the Senator Akinlabi was referring to was part of the liabilities the current government inherited from the previous PDP-led administration.

    He maintained that the Aregbesola administration had not taken any external debt since it came to power three years ago.

     

  • Osun former deputy speaker joins governorship race

    A former Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Barrister Niyi Owolade, has joined the 2014 governorship race in the state on the platform of the Labour Party.

    Owolade, who was also the Commissioner for Works under Chief Bisi Akande-led administration from 1999 to 2003, yesterday declared his intention for the governorship seat at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital.

    The governorship aspirant served as deputy speaker from 1992 to 1993 during the Isiaka Adeleke-led administration and Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun State during the immediate past administration of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

    He said he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Labour Party (LP) because his former party was not serving the interest of the people.