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Tag: plot

  • It’s a plot to derail democracy, say APC senators

    It’s a plot to derail democracy, say APC senators

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) senators yesterday condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for postponing the February 14 and 28 elections.

    Spokesman for the group, Senator Babafemi Ojudu (Ekiti Central), in a statement in Abuja, described the postponement as a “tele-guided plot” by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to derail democracy.

    Ojudu said: “What we are seeing is a desperate and jittery response to the imminent defeat of the PDP. The postponement has shown the helplessness of INEC in the face of a malicious cabal bent on destroying the fabric of democracy.”

    The APC senators said the decision has raised a big credibility question on INEC and the forthcoming elections.

    He added: “This decision is borne out of fear of defeat and malice against the people of Nigeria in the face of the overwhelming support the APC command across the country.”

    He insisted that the PDP leadership in collaboration with INEC have put Nigeria in extremely bad light among the international community.

    The postponement, according to him, “is a diversionary tactic, which undermines the aspirations of Nigerians and dims the hope for change in a country that in the past has seen bitter upheavals due to similar partisan posture of the electoral umpire.”

    He alleged that the INEC has placed itself above the interest of the people, adding that the action of the electoral body runs contrary to the decision of the Council of State.

  • ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed has raised an alarm about a plot to postpone the general elections. At a press conference in Lagos, the spokesman, who denied the allegation that the APC was hacking into the electoral commission’s database, reiterated the need for men of goodwill to rise in defense of democracy.

    The Department of State Services (DSS), on January 7, released the so-called findings from its investigation, following the gestapo-like raids of our Data Centre at Number 10, Ajibola Street, Ikeja, on November 22, 2014.

    The summary of the ‘findings’ is that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had an ‘articulated plan to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country’’.

    Our immediate response, which was issued on the same day and which got a big play, was to dismiss the ‘findings’ as hogwash, a great disservice to Nigeria and an embarrassment to all intelligence-gathering organizations around the world. Our stand on the ‘findings’ has not changed.

    However, having taken our time to study the ‘findings’, we believe it is necessary for us to respond to the allegations in a more detailed manner that will show that we were even charitable to have described the report as hogwash. That DSS report is bunkum, garbage, and is not worth the paper on which it is written. We will demonstrate that to you shortly

    But first, let us address the motive of the DSS for this report and the timing of its release.

    We will like to tell all Nigerians that the crap called ‘findings’ is part of the ongoing efforts by the Jonathan Administration to postpone next month’s general elections. Having seen the handwriting on the wall vis-a-vis the growing rejection of the PDP by Nigerians, the Jonathan Administration has gone into a panic mode, while embarking on a plan to postpone the elections.

    Apparently, the thinking at the DSS, which is working in cahoots with the PDP, is that its report that the APC plans to hack into the voters’ registration Data Base of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will raise doubts about the integrity of the voter’s register to be used for the forthcoming polls, and subsequently force a postponement of the elections since the existing register cannot be used for the polls.

    Unfortunately for DSS and the PDP, this thinking was based on a wrong premise, as we will show shortly, and it has backfired.

    Before you say our claim is outlandish, remember that some prominent Nigerians have publicly called for the postponement of the election – which can only benefit the Jonathan Administration and delay its impending Waterloo at the polls. Place the calls side by side with the apparently doctored outcome of the DSS investigations and the timing of the report’s release, and you will understand where they are coming from.

     

    The findings

    We make bold to say that those ‘findings’ cannot stand a serious scrutiny by independent investigators.because the DSS worked backwards, from answer to question, in an effort to reach a pre-determined conclusion

     

    Hacking of INEC’s database

    The allegation that the APC planned to hack into INEC’s voters’ registration Data Base is false. The fact that the DSS made the allegation at all shows that the agency does not understand the concept of hacking, which is pathetic for a primary intelligence agency of its stature.

    We are not aware that INEC has made a complaint of anyone or group trying to hack into its system. The DSS ‘findings’ are baseless as INEC’S database is a reflection of the registered members with the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Please note that at the time of the DSS’ raids, the PVCs had already been printed. Therefore, of what value would it be to hack into the system and input more names?

    Simply put, it is not possible for the APC to hack into the INEC Data Base for the following reasons:

    INEC’s database is not online, how then is it possible for anyone to hack into it?

    To prevent virus intrusion, there is no Internet service at the APC Data Centre that was raided. Therefore it is not possible to hack into INEC’s database.

    The DSS has claimed that hacking tutorials were discovered on an external hard drive. This is a lie! All the USB ports on the pc systems in the office were disabled to prevent virus intrusion. Therefore, the use of external hard drives is not allowed at the APC Data Centre. If this is so, how is it possible for an external hard drive containing these so-called hacking materials to be found on the premises of the APC Data Office?

    Please note that the work stations at our various data registration centres in the country are manned by unemployed youths with just basic computer knowledge. The question to ask is: Would the party have employed these people if the intent were to hack into INEC’s Data Base or employed gurus in the IT world?

    It is clear that the DSS purchased a hard drive and downloaded the information themselves from the Internet. After all, the DSS, by virtue of its duties, should be the hacking experts, hence hacking tutorials will be part of their staff induction training.

     

    Timing of the DSS raids

    As we have said, the overall motive of the raid of our offices and the so-called findings is to give the impression that the INEC voter’s register has been corrupted, hence, cannot be used for next month’s elections. Now, a more specific question: Why did the DSS break into the APC Data Centre at the time it did?

    It is no coincidence that the DSS raided the APC Data Centre on Nov. 22nd 2014, exactly one week before the start of the PVC distribution exercise on November 28, 2014.

    The reason the DSS came to vandalize our Data Centre is because the Service is working hand-in-hand with the PDP. They carried out the raids to know our party’s strength in terms of membership. Please note that after the raids, many of our registered members could not find their names on the list when they went to collect their PVCs. This is not a mere coincidence.

     

    Alleged multiple registration

     of members

    After the first visit of the DSS, it was clear to all Nigerians that the Service’s claim that we were cloning PVCs could not be sustained. That explains why they could not display a single cloned PVC

    During the second raid carried out by the DSS on the same at the APC Data Centre, the security personnel carted away bags with unused membership registration forms. These are the forms to which they have fraudulently attached pictures of babies and  military personnel in order to implicate the APC.

    Or what on earth was the purpose of the DSS carting away blank APC membership registration forms? Why did it take the DSS almost 50 days to reveal this information? If it were true, won’t they have released the information to the general public immediately? Has the DSS hired any renowned  IT organization to attest to its ‘findings’? Can you be an accuser and a judge at the same time?

     

    Alleged registration of armed forces/paramilitary personnel

    This is a no-brainer. The question to ask the DSS is: Will any member of the armed forces and paramilitary organisations be so daft as to join a political party using a passport photograph of himself or herself in uniform? The DSS must think Nigerians are fools.

     

    Alleged registration of babies

    To the best of our knowledge, a baby cannot vote. So, why would any organisation register a baby as a member? Our application edits date of birth, hence, we will not allow the registration of under-aged persons. The DSS should tell the world where it got the pictures of babies that it affixed to the blank forms that were carted away from our Data Centre. We did not and could not have registered babies as members. This allegation is nitwitted, to say the least.

     

    Alleged confessions by workers arrested from the data centre

    Please recall that in a statement we issued of Dec. 5th 2014, we accused the DSS of resorting to the use of torture to obtain forced confessions from the workers who were arrested during the first raid on our party’s Data Centre.

    In that statement, we called the action of the DSS a contravention of the UN Convention against Torture to which Nigeria is a signatory and a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights.

    The DSS shackled the hands and legs of those arrested and blindfolded them while they were being taken to Abuja; The arrested persons remained in chains even at the dark detention cell where they were made to sleep on the bare floor for the 10 days they were detained illegally.

    The workers had guns pointed at their heads by DSS personnel who threatened to shoot them

    A pregnant woman among those who were arrested was denied access to her drugs even when she started bleeding due to the torture to which she was subjected by the DSS.

    Gentlemen, we now present to you some of those who were arrested and tortured by the DSS, so they can narrate to you their ordeal in the hands of the DSS – A national institution being maintained by taxpayers’ funds but which has now become the enforcement arm of the PDP to be used by the ruling party to terrorize innocent citizens.

    The DSS said it had charged these workers to court. This is a lie. We were the ones who charged the DSS to court, and the court ordered the security agency to release the arrested workers. Be that as it may, we are expecting them to join us in court, and let the court decide on the crap they called findings. We are confident that the ‘confessions’ extracted from these people, after they were subjected to incredible acts of torture, cannot even stand in any court of law.

  • ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    ‘There‘s a plot to postpone elections’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed has raised an alarm about a plot to postpone the general elections. At a press conference in Lagos, the spokesman, who denied the allegation that the APC was hacking into the electoral commission’s database, reiterated the need for men of goodwill to rise in defense of democracy.

    The Department of State Services (DSS), on January 7, released the so-called findings from its investigation, following the gestapo-like raids of our Data Centre at Number 10, Ajibola Street, Ikeja, on November 22, 2014.

    The summary of the ‘findings’ is that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had an ‘articulated plan to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voters register across the country’’.

    Our immediate response, which was issued on the same day and which got a big play, was to dismiss the ‘findings’ as hogwash, a great disservice to Nigeria and an embarrassment to all intelligence-gathering organizations around the world. Our stand on the ‘findings’ has not changed.

    However, having taken our time to study the ‘findings’, we believe it is necessary for us to respond to the allegations in a more detailed manner that will show that we were even charitable to have described the report as hogwash. That DSS report is bunkum, garbage, and is not worth the paper on which it is written. We will demonstrate that to you shortly

    But first, let us address the motive of the DSS for this report and the timing of its release.

    We will like to tell all Nigerians that the crap called ‘findings’ is part of the ongoing efforts by the Jonathan Administration to postpone next month’s general elections. Having seen the handwriting on the wall vis-a-vis the growing rejection of the PDP by Nigerians, the Jonathan Administration has gone into a panic mode, while embarking on a plan to postpone the elections.

    Apparently, the thinking at the DSS, which is working in cahoots with the PDP, is that its report that the APC plans to hack into the voters’ registration Data Base of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will raise doubts about the integrity of the voter’s register to be used for the forthcoming polls, and subsequently force a postponement of the elections since the existing register cannot be used for the polls.

    Unfortunately for DSS and the PDP, this thinking was based on a wrong premise, as we will show shortly, and it has backfired.

    Before you say our claim is outlandish, remember that some prominent Nigerians have publicly called for the postponement of the election – which can only benefit the Jonathan Administration and delay its impending Waterloo at the polls. Place the calls side by side with the apparently doctored outcome of the DSS investigations and the timing of the report’s release, and you will understand where they are coming from.

    The findings

    We make bold to say that those ‘findings’ cannot stand a serious scrutiny by independent investigators.because the DSS worked backwards, from answer to question, in an effort to reach a pre-determined conclusion

    Hacking of INEC’s database

    The allegation that the APC planned to hack into INEC’s voters’ registration Data Base is false. The fact that the DSS made the allegation at all shows that the agency does not understand the concept of hacking, which is pathetic for a primary intelligence agency of its stature.

    We are not aware that INEC has made a complaint of anyone or group trying to hack into its system. The DSS ‘findings’ are baseless as INEC’S database is a reflection of the registered members with the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Please note that at the time of the DSS’ raids, the PVCs had already been printed. Therefore, of what value would it be to hack into the system and input more names?

    Simply put, it is not possible for the APC to hack into the INEC Data Base for the following reasons:

    INEC’s database is not online, how then is it possible for anyone to hack into it?

    To prevent virus intrusion, there is no Internet service at the APC Data Centre that was raided. Therefore it is not possible to hack into INEC’s database.

    The DSS has claimed that hacking tutorials were discovered on an external hard drive. This is a lie! All the USB ports on the pc systems in the office were disabled to prevent virus intrusion. Therefore, the use of external hard drives is not allowed at the APC Data Centre. If this is so, how is it possible for an external hard drive containing these so-called hacking materials to be found on the premises of the APC Data Office?

    Please note that the work stations at our various data registration centres in the country are manned by unemployed youths with just basic computer knowledge. The question to ask is: Would the party have employed these people if the intent were to hack into INEC’s Data Base or employed gurus in the IT world?

    It is clear that the DSS purchased a hard drive and downloaded the information themselves from the Internet. After all, the DSS, by virtue of its duties, should be the hacking experts, hence hacking tutorials will be part of their staff induction training.

    Timing of the DSS raids

    As we have said, the overall motive of the raid of our offices and the so-called findings is to give the impression that the INEC voter’s register has been corrupted, hence, cannot be used for next month’s elections. Now, a more specific question: Why did the DSS break into the APC Data Centre at the time it did?

    It is no coincidence that the DSS raided the APC Data Centre on Nov. 22nd 2014, exactly one week before the start of the PVC distribution exercise on November 28, 2014.

    The reason the DSS came to vandalize our Data Centre is because the Service is working hand-in-hand with the PDP. They carried out the raids to know our party’s strength in terms of membership. Please note that after the raids, many of our registered members could not find their names on the list when they went to collect their PVCs. This is not a mere coincidence.

    Alleged multiple registration of members

    After the first visit of the DSS, it was clear to all Nigerians that the Service’s claim that we were cloning PVCs could not be sustained. That explains why they could not display a single cloned PVC

    During the second raid carried out by the DSS on the same at the APC Data Centre, the security personnel carted away bags with unused membership registration forms. These are the forms to which they have fraudulently attached pictures of babies and  military personnel in order to implicate the APC.

    Or what on earth was the purpose of the DSS carting away blank APC membership registration forms? Why did it take the DSS almost 50 days to reveal this information? If it were true, won’t they have released the information to the general public immediately? Has the DSS hired any renowned  IT organization to attest to its ‘findings’? Can you be an accuser and a judge at the same time?

    Alleged registration of armed forces/paramilitary personnel

    This is a no-brainer. The question to ask the DSS is: Will any member of the armed forces and paramilitary organisations be so daft as to join a political party using a passport photograph of himself or herself in uniform? The DSS must think Nigerians are fools.

    Alleged registration of babies

    To the best of our knowledge, a baby cannot vote. So, why would any organisation register a baby as a member? Our application edits date of birth, hence, we will not allow the registration of under-aged persons. The DSS should tell the world where it got the pictures of babies that it affixed to the blank forms that were carted away from our Data Centre. We did not and could not have registered babies as members. This allegation is nitwitted, to say the least.

    Alleged confessions by workers arrested from the data centre

    Please recall that in a statement we issued of Dec. 5th 2014, we accused the DSS of resorting to the use of torture to obtain forced confessions from the workers who were arrested during the first raid on our party’s Data Centre.

    In that statement, we called the action of the DSS a contravention of the UN Convention against Torture to which Nigeria is a signatory and a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights.

    The DSS shackled the hands and legs of those arrested and blindfolded them while they were being taken to Abuja; The arrested persons remained in chains even at the dark detention cell where they were made to sleep on the bare floor for the 10 days they were detained illegally.

    The workers had guns pointed at their heads by DSS personnel who threatened to shoot them

    A pregnant woman among those who were arrested was denied access to her drugs even when she started bleeding due to the torture to which she was subjected by the DSS.

    Gentlemen, we now present to you some of those who were arrested and tortured by the DSS, so they can narrate to you their ordeal in the hands of the DSS – A national institution being maintained by taxpayers’ funds but which has now become the enforcement arm of the PDP to be used by the ruling party to terrorize innocent citizens.

    The DSS said it had charged these workers to court. This is a lie. We were the ones who charged the DSS to court, and the court ordered the security agency to release the arrested workers. Be that as it may, we are expecting them to join us in court, and let the court decide on the crap they called findings. We are confident that the ‘confessions’ extracted from these people, after they were subjected to incredible acts of torture, cannot even stand in any court of law.

  • Plot to disrupt Ekiti Assembly uncovered

    Plot to disrupt Ekiti Assembly uncovered

    All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the Ekiti State House of Assembly have uncovered a plot by seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to storm the Assembly and install a new speaker.

    They said this is to create a crisis in the House and give Governor Ayodele Fayose control of the House.

    The Speaker, Dr Adewale Omirin, said this was a betrayal of Ekiti people by those who should champion the cause of stability and peace to grow the economy.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi, Omirin said the plot was hatched at Spotless Hotel, owned by Fayose last Thursday.

    “At the hotel, a grand plan was hatched to forcibly take over the House leadership and install the governor’s crony as speaker.

    “Present at the meeting were the APC members who defected to PDP two weeks ago.

    “This followed a similar plot to storm the House a few weeks ago before the plan leaked.

    “One of the defected lawmakers reportedly insisted at the meeting that he had the capacity to carry out the plot provided that funds are made available to mobilise for the execution of the plot.

    “We call the attention of security agents to this diabolical and distabilising act to set the state on fire. Our state witnessed four years of interrupted peace and progress under former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

    “Just two weeks into the new administration, the state is in the news again for bad reasons as was the case between 2003 and 2006 when Fayose was governor.”

    Omirin said APC lawmakers would remain focused in their legislative duties to deliver good governance to Ekiti people and advised the PDP-led government to concentrate on good governance instead of causing chaos in the state.

  • APC, PDP in row over ‘plot’ to rig, incite residents

    APC, PDP in row over ‘plot’ to rig, incite residents

    Who is plotting to rig the August 9 election?

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has uncovered another plot by the Peoples Democratic Congress (PDP) to rig the poll.

    APC’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, made the claim yesterday in a statement.

    But the PDP insisted that it had no such plans.

    The APC alleged that the PDP had penetrated the ranks of the youth corps members to be used as electoral officers by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    It claimed that 70 of the corps members had been compromised to look the other way when the PDP agents use other people’s voter cards.

    “It should not be forgotten that our party, the APC, had brought to public knowledge, the criminal intention of the PDP to buy up voter cards  for rigging purposes during the election on August 9.

    “According to credible information reaching the APC, 96 of the youth corps members were invited to a closed-door meeting with the PDP officials last week, but only 74 attended. During the meeting, the corps members were told to disregard the difference in facial appearance between the voter and the picture on the computer record and allow the mercenary voter to cast his or her vote.

    “Sensing that this could be dangerously problematic, one of the corps members allegedly asked: ‘Suppose party agents discovered and raised alarm?’ The PDP officials were reported to have replied; ‘don’t worry about that. The security people will deal decisively with any troublesome agent,’” the APC said.

    It added that after the meeting, the PDP distributed N20,000 each to the corps members and promised N30,000 more when the next meeting holds. “We learnt that the next meeting will hold in few days in Ile Ife,” the statement claimed.

    The reason why the PDP decided to embark on the method, according to the APC, was because the INEC in Abuja told the opposition party that snatching ballot boxes and stuffing them with already thumb-printed ballot-papers would not be permitted.

    The APC said the INEC had insisted that the PDP should look for the voters and make them vote.

    “With this secret let out of the bag, youth corps members acting as electoral officers will now come under closer scrutiny during the election and party agents and observers will be further armed with this information to prevent the PDP’s fraud at the polls,” the party said.

    The state government has also alerted the residents to  plans  by “some unscrupulous people” to mark some buildings for demolition in major cities.

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, in a statement yesterday, said their intention was to incite the populace against the government.

    He advised residents to question anyone that inscribes any mark of demolition on their buildings and report such person to the police for proper action.

    Akere also denied claims by members of the opposition party, particularly the PDP, that the state government has concluded plans to introduce a new tax regime if re-elected into office.

    He said the government is  not in any way thinking of introducing any tax regime or intend to increase its tax levy as claimed by the PDP.

    The spokesperson for the PDP and the Omisore Campaign Organisation, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said: “We are tired of their unfounded allegations. It is one allegation for each day. Their plan was to use the allegations to distract us from doing serious and issue-based campaign.”

    Odeyemi advised the APC to report any criminal finding to the security agents, rather than taking serious issues meant to be investigated and prosecuted in the court of law to the media.

    “It is the constitutional role of the police to investigate and prosecute accordingly any criminal issues that the APC might have. Reporting it on the pages of the newspapers amounts to propaganda,” he said.

  • 2015: Presidency, PDP plot against Lamido

    2015: Presidency, PDP plot against Lamido

    Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, appears determined to have a go at the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) come next year, but the Presidency is bent on cutting him to size, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    The postulation that the Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, has an ace up his sleeves after declining to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year now looks real after all.

    For some time now, Lamido’s alleged ambition to have a go at the presidential ticket of the PDP has become a huge dilemma for the Presidency and national leaders of the party.

    To infer that a palpable sense of unease currently reigns in the top echelon of the PDP over Lamido’s widely suspected presidential ambition would be an understatement.

    Though the governor is yet to publicly declare his interest in the presidential contest, his body language hints at his positive disposition towards the idea.

    In an interview with a national daily recently, Lamido, while not categorically stating his interest in the race, however declared that no law forbids him from taking a shot at the exalted seat on the platform of his party.

    “I don’t see any crime being committed by people saying that I want to be the President of Nigeria, because it is not a personal office,” he had said, adding, “Every Nigerian should be able to aspire to that position, provided it is not based on the criteria of tribe, religion or culture. Anybody elected to that position should be a Nigerian president. Every Nigerian has the right to aspire to be the president of this country. Every Nigerian is a presidential material.

    “You see, they tend to personalise the Presidency and therefore anybody who aspires to become the president is like committing a crime. That office is a national office for all Nigerians and, therefore, should not be appropriated. Anybody can be there.”

    Speaking further on his political plans, Lamido declared, “By my political culture and belief as a Muslim, I would always allow God to be my guide; He has been there for you and me.”

    This statement, as diplomatic as it was, is however being taken seriously by President Goodluck Jonathan’s strategists as the clearest indication that Lamido is set to challenge the President for the PDP’s 2015 presidential ticket.

    Though Lamido’s aspiration looks dead on arrival, as Jonathan is, undoubtedly, the man to beat for the ticket, sources in the party believe that the governor’s aspiration will likely upset the party’s game plan of returning Jonathan unopposed or, in a worse-case scenario, run without any serious contender for the presidential ticket.

    Indeed, there are palpable fears within the party that Lamido is acting out a script of a broader agenda to achieve a number of objectives, a few of which include to cause another round of crisis in the party close to the 2015 elections and most significantly to reinforce the undisguised plot to return power to the North next year.

    As a source puts it, “It is no longer a hidden fact that the North wants the Presidency in 2015. And the only way to realise this plan is to cause maximum damage to the PDP, which is not looking back in presenting Jonathan as its presidential candidate.

    “While President Jonathan is a sure bet for the PDP ticket, however, Sule Lamido’s failure in the primaries will cause a split within the party and this is what we want to avoid by all means. Any post-primary crisis will surely prove a huge distraction for the party before the general elections.

    “Some northern elites will surely allege manipulation of the primary in favour of Jonathan and before you know it, the party will have a big crisis on its hands. Lamido’s decision to challenge the President appears to be the final phase to decimate the PDP.”

    Options to stop Lamido

    A few options are being considered by the President’s handlers to handle the Lamido challenge.

    First, plans have been set afoot to prevail on the Jigawa governor to drop his ambition in the overall interest of the party.

    Sources disclosed that influential traditional rulers in the North, who have the ears of the governor and prominent opinion leaders will be contracted to talk Lamido out of his presidential ambition.

    But the major snag to this plan, say a source, is on who to enlist for this task, as there are strong suspicions on the disposition of most major Northern stakeholders to the President’s alleged second term ambition.

    The likely threats of Lamido’s challenge to the Jonathan 2015 project, The Nation gathered, perhaps explained why some close advisers of the President supported the idea of picking the governor as Jonathan’s running mate for next year’s election.

    The argument of this school of thought is that Lamido has more to bring to the table than the incumbent vice president, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, who despite his loyalty to his boss and also recording some successes in the recent poaching of some Northern APC leaders to the PDP, is still largely seen as lacking the requisite political stature to mobilise a broad-based support for the President in the northern region.

    While chances are high that the President may retain Sambo in 2015, sources revealed that those opposed to his retention are not giving up in getting Jonathan to have a change of mind on the issue.

    But Sambo also has its staunch backers in the President’s inner circle. This group, it is alleged, aver that dropping Sambo for Lamido, who is known for his fierce independent mindedness and loyalty to certain individuals known to be antagonistic of the President will be too much of a risk to take.

    The Nation gathered that if the plan to pressure Lamido out of the presidential contest fails, the Option B will be to re-open the money laundering case involving the governor’s sons, Aminu and Mustapha.

    About two years ago, Aminu was arrested at the Aminu Kano International Airport on his way to Cairo, Egypt, while allegedly in possession of about $50, 000, which he failed to declare to appropriate authorities.

    Aminu was quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but was released a few days later. The two young men’s predicament was linked to their father’s political differences with the President, a charge that was dismissed by the Presidency.

    “Don’t be surprised if this case involving Aminu and Mustapha is re-opened later this year to distract their father from his presidential campaign,” quips a source.

    Lamido is however said to be unperturbed about the plot against him, but how far he can go to upset the apple cart in the PDP presidential contest remains to be seen.

  • APC: impeachment plot against Amaechi will fail

    APC: impeachment plot against Amaechi will fail

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has said any impeachment plot against Governor Rotimi Amaechi will fail.

    It said God who has been protecting him all these years, will “surely” see him to the end of his tenure on May 29, next year.

    The party lauded the governor’s commitment to serve the people.

    The APC, through its state Chairman, Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said the defection of 24 members of the House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC was a step in the right direction.

    The Felix Obuah-led Rivers PDP, on April 29 last year, suspended all the pro-Amaechi lawmakers from the party.

    The party said:”We are confident that God will not allow the evil machinations of the PDP to materialise. One thing going for Amaechi is that having spent eight years as Speaker of the House of Assembly and four years as the Leader of the Speakers’ Forum in Nigeria, he is in a better position to understand legislative power games.

    “We should also appreciate the fact that apart from politics, most of the lawmakers are his colleagues and political associates, who are too principled to sell out at this crucial time.

    “ Amaechi and the lawmakers have come a long way. These lawmakers and the governor share the same political fate. They were all members of the PDP and were all suspended from the party.

    “The lawmakers are all victims of PDP’s brutality and high-handedness. Governor Amaechi and the G-25 lawmakers detest evil, greed and politics without principle.

    “We make bold to say that Rivers APC lawmakers are not only progressives and God-fearing democrats, but most importantly, true sons of Rivers State, who will not join our enemies to cause any confusion in the state.

    “These enemies of democracy have demonstrated their hatred for our governor and Rivers State. It is our duty to ensure that they do not come here to scuttle everything that Amaechi has achieved for the state and its people.

    “We are pleased to congratulate the 24 lawmakers, who declared for the APC. By so doing, they have demonstrated that they are true progressives, who are resolutely committed to an egalitarian, virile and vibrant Rivers State.”

  • Tornadoes plot bounce back against Plateau Utd

    Tornadoes plot bounce back against Plateau Utd

    Only victory will be good enough for Tornadoes when they host visiting Plateau United today at the Bako Kontogora Stadium, Minna, Niger State.

    The Technical Adviser of the side, Godwin Uwua, who gave this hint, was optimistic that the Minna Landlords are still on track depite a lone goal defeat away to Adamawa United on Wednesday in Yola.

    The former BCC lions of Gboko sweat merchant admitted that the defeat was painful but said the team had learnt to forge ahead whenever there was temporary setback.

    ”The defeat is painful, but we can’t dwell on that. We are now focused on our next match and we will ensure that we earn the three maximum points at stake.

    ”We played good football and a mis-judgement caused our defeat, but we can’t change the outcome,” he said.

    Uwua told SportingLife that with about 10 matches to go, anything could happen and that Tornadoes had ample chance to finish atop the log considering the quality and determination of the players in his team.  ‘We came with a game plan to win, but we lost through a bizarre penalty in the 52nd minute.

    “I don’t complain about referees, they are humans and can also make mistakes. The battle is still on and I’m optimistic that Tornadoes will finish top,” he said.

    Tornadoes’ spirited efforts to equalise met a brick wall in a rugged Adamawa United defence

  • PDP governors plot how to win Ekiti, Osun

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors gathered at the weekend in Minna, the Niger State capital, to discuss how to seize Ekiti and Osun states from the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the coming governorship elections.

    Discussions on the elections took the better party of the over four hours meeting held at the conference room of the Niger State Government House.

    A source said: “At the meeting, the forum resolved that no stone should be left unturned at ensuring victory at the polls in the two states. The governors agreed that the elections are crucial to the 2015 general elections.

    “The forum resolved that its leadership should prevail on the party to present credible standard bearers for both states and ensure that the elections are well monitored.”

    It was learnt that the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, told his colleagues that the PDP’s victory in the two states will not only increase the ranks of the forum but put the party on a good stead for the 2015 general elections.

    According to the source, Akpabio said: “These states were PDP states when some of us came on board in 2007, but something happened. I do not want to know what happened; all I know is that the people in these states are ready to vote for the PDP in June and August. We will discuss the strategies on how to get the confidence of the people of Ekiti and Osun states.”

    At the end of the meeting, the forum condemned the killings by the Boko Haram sect and sympathised with the familes of the victims.

    The forum, in a six-point statement read by its chairman, urged security agencies to come up with new strategies to tackle the insurgents, adding: “We appreciate the efforts of security agencies in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents and appeal to them to step up the fight and bring this insurgency to an end.”

    The governors endorsed the convocation of a national conference by President Goodluck Jonathan and urged delegates to put national interest above every other interest.

    The governors of Enugu and Delta states were absent. Taraba State acting governor and the deputy governors of Delta and Kebbi, Sokoto, Adamawa and Nasarawa states were present.

  • PDP alleges plot by Obi, INEC to rig poll

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that it has uncovered a plot by Governor Peter Obi to conspire with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig Saturday’s poll through the data capture done recently.

    Obi had urged Anambra residents to go for registration at designated centres, to know the population of indigenes and non- indigenes.

    But PDP members alleged that the exercise was a plot by the governor and INEC to disenfranchise people, to favour the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    The party also alleged that INEC was working in tandem with the APGA administration to use the voter register of 2010, which was used to facilitate victory for APGA during the election.

    Reacting yesterday to the allegation, INEC’s spokesman Mr. Frank Egbo described it as false and unfounded.

    He said: “Why are some people behaving like illiterates? What they are trying to do is to heat up the polity.”

    Egbo said the commission does not relate with Obi on such issues, neither does it take orders from him.

    He urged people to be careful on the statements they make.