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  • ‘Political Red Herring’

    ‘Political Red Herring’

    Today’s article in this column is not through the pen of yours sincerely. It is written by a well known Nigerian journalist and front line human rights activist, Richard Akinola, of the Christian faith.

    The article which is originally entitled ‘Pastor Bosun Emmanuel: The Political Red Herring’ was first published in The Sun earlier this week. It is being republished here because of its relevance to the current situation in the country. However, it had to be sub-edited to reduce its length and get it accommodated within the limited space in this column. Thus, the sub-headings in it are as a result of editing. Every other thing is quoted verbatim. Here it goes from the horse’s mouth:

    “In the long term, we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict. But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars”

    Richard Nixon (the 37th American President, January 1969-September 1974)

     

    Preamble

    Richard Nixon was being futuristic when he made this statement several years ago. He apparently never knew that there would come a time in the history of one country called Nigeria, where political actors, buoyed by some of their friends in cassock, would be fanning the embers of religious war.

    I am not by any stretch of imagination, discounting the several human and material losses of Christians in several sectarian crises in the Northern part of the country over the years, accentuated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which unfortunately had been used to misinform people as being programmed against President Jonathan, being a Christian. Boko Haram did not start under President Jonathan. As a matter of fact, late president Umaru Yar’Adua had a running battle with this bunch of demented terrorists. The insurgency actually gained prominence with the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf by security forces in 2009 under the government of Yar’Adua. In 2009, following various assaults in Yobe, Bauchi and Borno states, the security forces killed over 1000 of the insurgents. It would therefore be false, to claim that Boko Haram insurgency is as a result of Nigeria having a Christian president.

    As l have always argued, the Boko Haram variant of Islam is antithetical to the mainstream Islamic teachings, just like Uganda’s terrorist group called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), purporting to be fighting for my Jehovah God, cannot be representative of Christians.

     

    Satanic CD

    There is this CD that is being well-circulated among Christians in various churches. It’s a political message by a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, where he launched into an Islamophobic tirade against Muslims and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he declared as the Islamic Brotherhood of Nigeria.

    The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye had denounced this divisive message and directed his church members to discountenance the message. Unfortunately, the message has gone viral. It was soap-box rhetoric, using the pulpit as a campaign platform for President Goodluck Jonathan, urging Christians to vote for Christian candidates.

    Using the pulpit to campaign for either PDP or APC or any other party for that matter is an abuse of the pulpit. We need to be careful and circumspect, particularly religious leaders in their association with politicians. Religious politics is dangerous, like Roger Ebert once said: “Lebanon was at one time known as a nation that rose above sectarian hatred; Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East.

    All that was blown apart by senseless religious wars, financed and exploited in part by those who sought power and wealth”.

     

    Religion in the Southwest

    Over the years in the South West, religious politics had never been an issue. When Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola was the Governor of Osun State, Erelu Olusola Obada, a fellow Christian was his deputy, in a state that has a preponderance of Muslims. In Edo State, both Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his deputy, Dr Pius Odubu are both Christians in a state where there is a substantial percentage of Muslims, particularly in Edo North. But because religion had never been an issue in electoral contests in Edo State, it was difficult for anyone to make a political capital of a phantom marginalisation of a religious group in the state.

    Due to their cosmopolitan nature and level of political awareness, Lagosians have never really bothered about the religious faiths of their governors, until the politics of 2015 crept in. Yes, in fairness to the proponents of this move, there has been the preponderance of elected Muslim governors in Lagos State. However, my take is that l would rather prefer good governance, bolstered by a didactic leadership, than pander to religious sentiments. And l say this with due respect to the proponents of Christian governor.

    Come to think of it, if we look at it from the time of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, till now, with the exception of the lackluster government of ‘Baba go slow’, Chief Michael Otedola, (a Christian) of blessed memory, the state has witnessed remarkable developments and giant strides. And this has nothing to do with the religious persuasion of Tinubu and Fashola but the product of good leadership.

    The current magnificent edifice of TREM headquarters at Anthony, Lagos, could not have been today if not for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Muslim, who overruled his ministry of environment which had wanted to stop the construction based on the discovery that the property stood in the path of a major drainage.

     

    Use of Hijab

    Interestingly, it’s another Muslim governor, Raji Fashola that banned the use of Hijab in Lagos public schools, a move that irked the Muslim faithful who dragged the governor to court on the issue but the court ruled in favour of the state government. And this is despite the fact that both the Governor and the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji are both Muslims. Of what use is having a Christian governor while it is possible to have a Muslim-dominated House of Assembly which if it wants to push for Islamic-inclined laws can easily do it and the Christian governor would have no choice but to implement? Since the tenure of Tinubu till date, Lagos State’s annual thanksgiving service, organised by the governor every January, has always been anchored by Pastor E.A. Adeboye. Yet, Tinubu and Fashola are Muslims. Pastor Emmanuel uncharitably branded APC as ‘Islamic Brotherhood of Nigeria’. I am not a member of APC. But by using the pulpit to preach hateful politics, he had removed whatever credibility that may be attached to his said message. I would have taken the same position if he had used the pulpit to promote APC and demonise PDP. And his premise for labeling APC an Islamic party was so puerile, disingenuous and downright illogical. He went on to authoritatively state that the chairman and all other officers of APC are Muslims….”

     

    Religious Politics

    “If we assume for the purpose of argument that APC is a Muslim party, are we then to assume that PDP is a Christian party led by an Alhaji Mua’zu, a Muslim. Isn’t that preposterous? I ask because Pastor Emmanuel said that in 2015, Lagos Christians should vote for a Christian candidate for governor but with a caveat that they should not vote for a Christian candidate from an Islamic party!

    We are playing a very dangerous religious game here. That was how the Hutus and Tutsis pogrom in Rwanda started in 1994, leading to the extermination of over 800,000 Rwandans, to the extent that even the priests became victims- massacred by fellow Christians inside the church….”

     

    Problem of religion

    The problem of Nigeria is not the religious persuasion of our leaders but that of leadership deficit. It is only when you have nothing to offer that you resort to religion and ethnicity. No government has raised the bar of religious politics like the current Jonathan government and some pastors and Christians unfortunately fell for this bait. That is why Pastor Emmanuel can state with temerity in the CD that President Jonathan was not elected to fight corruption or tackle the economy but there to fulfil God’s mandate. Really? What balderdash! No wonder he went on to declare with magisterial candour that the best leader this country ever had was General Sani Abacha because he deposed the Sultan! Can you imagine such gibberish?

    So, as long as you are a Christian by name, we should support you. It doesn’t matter if you had used a seven-day old child as ritual to get into office. Or was it not in this same country that a Southwest governor(now an ex-governor) forced all members of the House of Assembly into a ritual process which was done with all of them naked before a shrine, just to extract oath of loyalty and allegiance from them? And this same governor would always grace the Holy Ghost night at the Redemption Camp with his plastic permanent smile for the cameras to show that he is Christian. If just being a Christian is a yard stick to win election, how do you situate the case of a prominent Christian woman banker, who was convicted by the EFCC for fraud and had to do a plea bargain with the EFCC to return N191 billion to the government coffers?.

     

    Boko Haram Insurgents

    When the demonic Boko Haram insurgents entered Mubi and people were running out of town, nobody asked the drivers if they were Muslims or Christians. All they were after was to get out into safety. Both Muslims and Christians are victims of the scourge. Or how many air travellers, upon entering an aircraft, insist on knowing the religious persuasion of the pilot and the co-pilot, whether Muslim, Christian or Atheist? How many Christians and Muslims have resigned from their jobs because their bosses are of different religious faiths?

    If we stretch the argument further, are we saying Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by a lunatic called Joseph Kony, who had waged over 20-year war of attrition against Uganda, raping, maiming and terrorising people, are fulfilling God’s mandate just because their creed is to rule by the Ten Commandments? These brigands are like the Boko Haram of Nigeria. (Yet, Muslims did not say they were fighting for Christ).

     

     

    Neither Cross nor Crescent

    It is not about the cross or crescent but about leadership qualities.

    The Dubai that many of our Christian brethren go and spend holidays, are they being ruled by Christians? In 1991, Dubai was just bare. But with visionary leaders, it has been turned into a tourist haven. North Korea, China and Russia are advanced technologically but they are not Christians. Many of them don’t even believe in God. Moammar Ghaddafi turned a desert country into a well-irrigated country. After the first Gulf War in 1990 and despite all the massive bombings by the allied forces, there were still street lights working on the streets of Baghdad. Go to Egypt, Morocco and other North African countries, they look like Europe. Yet, they didn’t carry the Bible to build their countries. Please, don’t get me wrong. Being a good Christian with leadership potentials is an added advantage. Core competence should override any religious or tribal consideration.

    Our problem is that we are so religious but not godly. Our values are warped and upside down. We go to churches and mosques but our hearts are very far from God. On December 31 of every year, we fill up the churches for the cross-over night to the New Year but by the 1st of January, we start plotting the downfall of our fellow human beings.

    The fact is that our hearts are very far from God. Most times, we shift our responsibilities to God. I believe so much in prayer. I do pray a lot but there is a time to pray and a time to use your head. To whom brain is given, sense is expected….”

     

    By God and not by Man

    “The truth of the matter is that from being a deputy governor, to governor, to vice president, to acting president, up to being a president, God went ahead of President Jonathan. He didn’t fight anyone before he got there and nobody then talked about him being a Christian or a southerner. But now, out of desperation, his Christian cheer leaders are deceiving him as the anointed, using the religious mantra. But the man himself knows that God is not in this his current agenda, irrespective of what his spiritual consultants tell him; because his current endeavour is all by flesh. That is why just like when God left Saul, he went to seek the witch of Endor when the Philistines came after him. Our dear president too, surrounded by his Philistines, this time the opposition, has resorted to self-help by also seeking from his own variant of witch of Endor- police and other arms of security forces, to fight his opponents through dictatorial tendencies and resorting to religious and ethnic sentiments, which he did not do before he got to the throne….”

    “God is still God. He can use anyone to accomplish His purpose. What

    we need are visionary and competent leaders, and being a good, God-fearing Christian would be an icing on the cake. But insisting on a Christian president or governor, even if he is a cultist and the most corrupt person, would be stretching it too far. And mischievously labeling a party as an Islamic party is pure hogwash.  Fela Anikulapo-Kuti once titled one of his albums, l would tell Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, ‘Teacher, don’t teach me nonsense”.

     

    • Akinnola is of Christians in Politics Initiative.

  • Reduce political appointees to cut cost, says PENGASSAN chief

    Reduce political appointees to cut cost, says PENGASSAN chief

    Rather than impose unnecessary austerity measures on Nigerians, governments at all levels, especially the executive and legislators, should prune the number of their political aides as a means of cutting cost, the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Francis Johnson, gave the advice. He argued that the huge number of political appointees as aides to the Presidency, ministers, governors and their commissioners amount to waste of national resources and putting pressure on the economy.

    The PENGASSAN president also cautioned the Federal Government, especially the Federal Ministry of Finance against stifling the economy through withholding of funds for human and developmental projects, but to tighten the noose around all avenues of leakages and wastages.  He stated that instead of the government to introduce austerity measures that will further impoverish and inflict more pains on the people, governments should consider reducing to the barest minimum the numbers of senior special advisers, special advisers, advisers and other aides that are attached to the presidency, the ministers, governors as well as members of the National Assembly and state houses of assembly.“The cost of governance in Nigeria is too high and irrational and if we are looking for ways to cut cost, I think the first place to exemplarily focus on is in the direction of reducing the number of political appointees to the barest minimum. The huge amount we spend in paying these aides can be used on developmental projects and boosting of the nation’s economy. The governors, ministers and federal and state legislators should also be made to reduce their aides to a sizeable number that our economy can bear and whatever is gotten from this exercise should be used in supporting and bolstering the economy,” he said.The union leader also called on the Federal Government to develop other sectors along with the extractive and manufacturing industries as a way of  diversifying the national economy from its over dependence on oil revenue. According to him, it is only the development of other minerals, agricultural and the manufacturing sectors that could help Nigeria to escape the vagaries of the challenges pose by the dwindling global oil price, especially as the agrarian potentials are being left under-un-utilised.Comrade Johnson noted that the price of oil is critical to the world economy, given that oil is the largest internationally traded commodity both in volume and value terms, adding that only oil is linked to some extent to the prices of other products.

  • Political prostitutes

    Crossing carpet from one political party in normal democracies is very rare. The last time this happened in the United Kingdom was sometimes in the 1970s when some members of the British Labour Party left to form, along members of the old Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party. They did not cross over to the Conservative party. In the USA the so-called Dixiecrats who were members of the Democratic Party and who were mostly racists holding on to the old slave-holding and racist past in those states south of the Mason – Dixon line, left to join the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln which in modern times has ironically become a racist party against the tradition of its founders. In these democracies nowadays one would rather stand as Independents or quit politics entirely than cross carpet for the purpose of getting elected to any electoral positions.

    But in our clime and in our recent past, it was unusual to witness the current trend in Nigeria where politicians go up and down like a yoyo sleeping one night in one party and waking up the following night in a totally different party. In our recent past, especially during the First Republic, people formed different parties if they disagreed with their old parties. This was the case with Chief S.L Akintola’s party, United Peoples Party when he left the Action Group and KO Mbadiwe’s Democratic Party when in he left the NCNC. Sleep-walking from political party to another as it is the case today started in the Second Republic when the likes of Busari Adelakun, Akin  Omoboriowo and Chief Sunday  Afolabi crossed over from the  UPN unashamedly to the NPN. Of course in my lifetime I have seen strange things happen in Nigerian politics such as Dr. Michael Okpara and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu joining the NPN and even the stalwarts of the old Action Group the trio of G. S. Ikokwu , Anthony Enahoro and J.S Tarka who were opposed to reconciliation in the old Action Group deserting Obafemi Awolowo to join his enemies in the NPN.

    But we have never witnessed the kind of political prostitution going on now in current Nigerian politics where a former presidential flag bearer of one party would unashamedly cross over to attempt to get elected in to office of governor on the platform of a party he ran against flippantly saying that there is not much difference between the two parties! What dishonesty!. If politicians expect to be taken seriously, they must stay the course and show that they are not in politics for their bellies alone. There must be a higher calling than just making money and living well without work as most of our politicians tend to do.

    Recently Tom Ikimi  and  Ali Modu Sheriff the former governor of Borno crossed over to the PDP apparently to enjoy stomach infrastructure while pretending they left because of lofty reasons. For the former governor of Borno  to have been accepted into the PDP speaks volumes about what kind of party it is especially because of the current tragedy that has befallen Borno and the entire North-eastern part of Nigeria where some of us including myself invested part of our youth in helping to build. As for Ikimi, I was surprised when he said he is proud to have been a former foreign minister of Nigeria in a regime that was expelled from the Commonwealth when a national of our country was its Secretary-general, and a regime that defrauded the country of close to $10 billion spirited out of the country and lodged in private accounts some of which will never be found. Instead of boasting of being the regime’s foreign minister, Ikimi should cover his face in shame because he served in a regime that will go down in infamy.  In the history of contemporary Africa, never has so few destroyed the lives of so many in so short a time.

    Perhaps in the interest of our country, our leaders ought to take more seriously the mission of leadership in this benighted country. We cannot afford politics without principles and commitment. Political parties need to be known for where they stand on any issue. We cannot run our country on parties that change principles like taffeta and chameleon. If we are not careful in this country politicians will be totally disconnected from the people that there will be no need for political parties and we may therefore be forced to embrace the Egyptian or Indonesian model of guided democracy in which the military will play a dominant part which will be unfortunate and not in the long term interest of our country. Without their knowing it, politicians are gradually becoming the grave-diggers of democracy.

  • Group mobilises for Omo Agege

    The Urhobo Political Initiative (UPI) has endorsed Ovie Omo Agege for the governorship in Delta State next year.

    It urged the indigenes to support him.

    A statement by the Secretary-General of the group, Comrade Aghogho Igho, said Omo Agege is a tested hand, who has served in positions in the government, “so, he has all it takes to improve the lives of Delta people.”

    The group said: “It is time the Urhobo should come together, form a platform of unity and avoid bickering.”

    It said the Urhobo have all it takes to rule Delta and Omo Agege is the best choice.

    UPI enjoined other Urhobo aspirants to step down for him.

    “He is a man who has served eight years in the Delta State government in capacities. Thus, he knows where the shoe pinches the people,” the body said.

  • 2015: Ebonyi political landscape gathers steam

    2015: Ebonyi political landscape gathers steam

    Sam Egburonu reports that the recent impeachment of the former  Speaker of House of Assembly and the battle for the successor of Governor Martin Elechi have added pep to the politics of Ebonyi State 

    In the past three weeks, since July 21, when 18 members of the state House of Assembly impeached the former Speaker, Hon. Chukwuma Nwazurunku, and replaced him with Hon. (Mrs.) Helen Nwaobashi, the political developments in Ebonyi State have been both interesting and intriguing.

    In fact, the political scene, which has remained calm and peaceful for a very long time, suddenly recorded high-wired violence that involved lawmakers.

    For example, within two days after the impeachment, two lawmakers were attacked, leading to tense political atmosphere that has left supporters of both the former Speaker and that of the new Speaker suspicious of one another.

    It began on Tuesday of the week, when a lawmaker, Hon. Nnenna Nweme, described by insiders as one of the strong supporters of the new Speaker, was attacked by some elements described as thugs.

    The next day, Wednesday, the Majority Leader of Ebony State House of Assembly, Hon. Samuel Nwali, was that afternoon abducted by unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.

    Nwali, who is believed to be a strong supporter of the new Speaker, Hon. Helen Nwobasi, was kidnapped at his residence at Watchman Street in Abakaliki.

    Reports said that the kidnap of the House member, who represents Ikwo South State Constituency, may not be unconnected with the crisis rocking the House of Assembly over the impeachment of the former Speaker, Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku.

    He was rescued by security operatives on Thursday morning “within the boundaries between Ikwo Local Government Area and Cross River State.”

    Ebonyi State Governor, Martin Elechi, as well as members of the State House of Assembly who are loyal to the Speaker-elect, was at the premises of the Ebonyi Directorate of State Services, DSS, to see the victim.

    In her maiden formal interaction with journalists Nwaobashi admitted that she never anticipated that the political landscape would swing around so much that she would emerge the Speaker at this point. “I never dreamed of becoming Speaker because we were only four women in the House. Even in the previous House of Assembly of which I was a member, there were only two of us with the other person, Hon. Dorothy Obasi, serving as Deputy Speaker. So my election as speaker came to me as a surprise but it provides hope to women in politics that the future is bright. Also my election as Speaker in an Assembly dominated by men, shows that the campaigns by the wife of President, Dame Patience Jonathan and Chief Josephine Elechi; for women participation in politics is bearing fruits. I think the men are beginning to see that women are not coming to compete but to complement their efforts in nation building. That is how I see my election as Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly,” she said.

    By insiders say the political development in the state is beyond the men in the House simply deciding to give the leadership to the current Speaker.

    “This current development is not by chance. No. It has to do with calculations for the 2015 elections. To achieve the expectation of some powerful political elements in the state, some officers and political forces considered as stumbling blocs have to be pushed aside. There would be a lot of changes in the political texture of this state before 2015. We all want obvious change,” said a top government official who pleaded not to be named.

    Nwaobashi herself, offering explanation on the process that threw her up has these to say: “The beauty of democracy is that it gives room for change. We were all elected in the first place to represent various constituencies in the State. That is to mean that all members are equal. The election of one person among us to serve as speaker or leader is just an administrative necessity for moderation and direction of debates and discussions in the plenary. The point I want to make is that the position of Speaker is by the grace and judgment of all members. Therefore if for any reason the members feel that the speaker or their leader is not behaving according to their expectations or begins to act as Lord, they exercise the right to change him or her. This is what happened. People should not forget this fact that it is the responsibility of members of the House of Assembly to choose who represents them as Speaker. You must have read the resolution of the House for the impeachment of the former Speaker. May be I should take your mind back to some of the reasons that prompted the removal of Hon Chukwuma Nwazunku from office as Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. Majority of the members resolved that the former Speaker was conducting himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the constitution by not ensuring that sittings were as frequent as to satisfy the demands of the Constitution. You can see with me that this is a grievous issue. The members saw this error and felt that the speaker was leading us into temptation such that at the end of the day we may be invited to sign for sittings we never had. The impeachment of Nwazunku therefore was the best way for the members to avoid a situation where we may be compelled by him to fill the sitting Attendance Register so as to escape the censure of the constitution and the wrath of those who elected us. So you can see that if after seven months of the year we were able to sit for just seventeen times, there was no way we could fulfill the 181 days stipulated in section 104 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So the members studied the situation and felt that the former Speaker was being distracted by his estate business and decided to change him. His impeachment followed the laid down procedures. The other reasons including incompetence, corrupt enrichment and violation of the code of conduct as spelt out in the constitution are also very weighty allegations. I think that is the much I can say for the process that brought about my election as Speaker.”

    Besides the impeachment saga, another issue that has added some pep to the politics of Ebonyi State is the issue of who would succeed Governor Martin Elechi. While the quest for a young governor after Elechi has dominated the demands of the youths, there is also the battle between the North and the South.

    It would be recalled that former governor Sam Egwu (North) handed over power to the incumbent, Governor Martin Elechi (Central). So, the calculation is that in 2015, power would move to the South, according to the principles of charter of equity. But some insiders say the camp even the governor’s family is divided over the candidate to hand over PDP ticket.

    Mazi Ukoma Udo, a community leader in Ebony South however told The Nation on Thursday that “Governor Elechi assured us that it was the turn of the old Afikpo bloc to produce his successor.  Since the proclamation, the Izzi clan has tightened her belts to ensure a twist, so that the southern agenda does not materialise. But we will not allow such a game plan.”

    Given these intrigues, Ebonyi political landscape has suddenly gathered steam ahead 2015.

  • Senegal: Wade says he is a ‘political prisoner’

    The flamboyant son of Senegal’s ex-President Abdoulaye Wade has called himself a “political prisoner” during his first appearance at a special court trying him on corruption charges.  Karim Wade is accused of embezzling about $238m (£140m), which he denies.

    Senegal’s League of Human Rights (LHR) said the trial would not be fair as it required him to prove his innocence, rather than the prosecution his guilt.  He was arrested in April 2013, a year after his father’s defeat in elections.  ‘Minister of earth and sky’

    Karim Wade was influential in the former government, holding several ministerial posts simultaneously, including minister for infrastructure and air transportation.

    His large portfolio led to him being dubbed “the minister of the earth and the sky” and he was alleged to have acquired several foreign firms by illicit means.

     

  • Lagos 2015: Ambode’s unending political battles

    Lagos 2015: Ambode’s unending political battles

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on the political battles currently being fought by Akin Ambode, one of the major aspirants for Lagos State governorship seat in 2015 

    The political camp of Akin Ambode, a leading governorship aspirant in Lagos State, remains agog with activities as his handlers battle criticism and opposition to his bid to succeed Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of the state in 2015. Following the wave of endorsements that trailed his declaration for the plum job, the former Accountant-General’s ambition has been generating discussions across the state.

    In spite of his growing popularity within and outside his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ambode’s candidacy continues to receive serious knocks from some quarters within and outside his party as the 2015 governorship election draws nearer. Consequently, his handlers left with no breathing space in their bid to position him as the man for the job.

    “In spite of funny attempts by a few persons to tar his aspiration with the brush of needless controversies, various groups, individuals and the youths are daily declaring their support for the young man’s aspiration, with the strong conviction that his quest to be governor is beyond just another ambition, but a selfless desire to serve.

    “Ambode is the right man to take over the mantle of leadership of the state from Governor Babatunde Fashola come 2015. He is the best man for the job at a time like this. We are convinced that his is not just another ambition, but a selfless desire to serve the people of Lagos State,” Adeola Mejuyipin, one of the leaders of Team Forthright Lagos (TFL), said in Ikorodu at the weekend.

    But Mejuyinpin and his co-travelers in TFL may not be speaking the minds of all Lagosians as some people have constantly argued that Ambode’s ambition is against the interests of known party men and women who have been nursing similar aspirations for years.

    “His ambition is like a jolt from the blues. We have people who have been around in the party for years. It is not good to leave such people and follow a new entrant who just left public service not quite long,” Chief Adebari Saula, a chieftain of the ruling party in Kosofe Local Government posited.

    Aside his not being a politician, how prepared is he for the herculean job of governing Lagos? He should allow those who have been planning for this for a long time to take the saddle,” Saula added.

    Saula’s position is a reference to the fact that until two years ago, Ambode was buried in bureaucratic obscurity;  hard to be seen, as he was just another civil servant earning his pay by serving the government. Analysts say not many people would have confidently pinned the toga of a “budding politician” on him back then.

    But Mejuyinpin, who argued that Ambode has become a household name in the state and unarguably one of the leading aspirants in the 2015 gubernatorial race, disagreed vehemently with the APC chieftain’s position.

    The young man, an entrepreneur who said he and many of his colleagues are grateful for the kind of leadership provided by Fashola since 2007, warned Lagosians against voting for “someone with just an ambition” as the next governor.

    “Fashola had no ambition in 2003, so they say, but he had the genuine will to serve the people of Lagos selflessly. That will thrust him forward and today we can see the result of voting for a man with more than just an ambition,” argued Mejuyinpin.

    Continuing, he said “Yes, he was a civil servant until recently but all the trappings of leadership were trailing him very early in life. Although he might not have set his mind on any particular political ambition, I have no doubt that even Ambode himself knew all along he was cut out for leadership. While all he wanted to do was put in his best as a civil servant and be remembered for good afterwards, fate had more in stock for him.

    “So, against any personal ambition of his, as early as when he was in his mid- thirties, against all odds, he became the youngest Accountant-General of the state at the age of 37. And given his position as the chief custodian of the treasury, it was not long before his path crossed that of the then leaders of the state.

    “This happened at a time the state government was bothered about the finances of the state on account of the political war he was waging against the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who through legal technicalities impounded the funds earmarked for the state’s local government councils following the controversy that trailed the creation of additional local councils in the state.

    “Ambode became a quiet star in the eyes of those in government when he invented the financial system that helped the state survive those challenging times. It was as such inevitable that Ambode would be noticed and appreciated by leaders of the ruling party.

    “So, it is easy to conclude that fate prepared Ambode for leadership. More so because after the enviable feat he performed with the finance of the state in those troubled days, he went ahead to perform other miracles within and outside his purview as the Accountant-General of the state.”

    But it is not only the issue of being a new entrant that is standing on the way of   the Epe-born politician. There have also been talks about his not having what it takes to govern a state like Lagos. According to those opposed to him, Lagos needs a man in the mould of Fashola to keep the state on the path of development.

    “Lagos cannot afford anything short of another performer. With what Fashola has done in Lagos, it will be disastrous to elect an untested hand to take over from him,” Comrade Fola Ajayi of the Voters’ Vanguard, told The Nation.

    Responding, an aide of the politician, Seni Abimbolu, said Ambode is the most tested of all those jostling to succeed Fashola today. According to him, this became evident in the submission of Governor Fashola about his ability, when it was time for him to bow out of active civil service.

    Explaining further, Seeni said with lots of accolades for the retiring Ambode, Governor Fashola wrote: “I write on behalf of the people of Lagos to commend your high sense of dedication, selflessness and integrity which you brought to bear on the civil service. I wish to specifically remark that working closely with you has been of tremendous mutual benefit, particularly in the present administration.

    “You have displayed high sense of professionalism and have been a good team player, guided by the philosophy of a true public officer, who must place himself last while rendering service to the public. We are convinced that your brilliance and zeal will make you excel in your future endeavours.”

    “With Fashola virtually confirming his ability and preparedness through statements like the ones above, what more does Ambode need to convince the good people of Lagos that he possesses the leadership qualities to continue the great works embarked upon by Fashola?

    “His vast experience in the civil service and long period spent in crucial positions would stand him in good stead in the prudent and efficient management of the state’s resources. The immense exposure and connections he garnered while in those positions, analysts argued will be of immense benefit to the people of the state if he is allowed to steer the ship of the state.

    “I have also heard some people saying Ambode has the reach and capacity to attract new interests to the state with that critical paradigm shift in additional ideas to deepen our democracy and development aspirations as a state. And I willingly agree that he has the capacity to further reposition the state with prudent management of scarce resources,” the politician said.

    On the rumour surrounding the authenticity of Ambode as an indigene of Epe, a sleepy town in the outskirt of Lagos, his aides said Lagosians should critically read between the lines by pondering on the following confirmation of the politician’s origin by no other person but the Olu-Ilara of Ilara, Oba Okunola Adesanya, one of the paramount rulers of Epe.

    The Oba who said he has been on the throne for 54 years said; “The Ambode family had always been part and parcel of Epe. The Epes have always been looking for a Messiah and that indeed Akinwunmi Ambode fits it so perfectly to actualising this age long dream. He is the jewel of the people of Epe land and as an illustrious son of the land, who used his position as the Accountant- General of Lagos State to better the lot of the people of Epe.”

  • Delta 2015 and spectre of political violence

    Delta 2015 and spectre of political violence

    As the Delta governorship aspirants intensify strategies in the 2015 elections, OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE writes that the recent violent exchanges between political interests within the ruling PDP may be a foreboding of events.

    As the 2015 Delta governorship election draws near, recent untoward events in the political arena have raised the spectre of violence as the fight to wrest political power within the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) intensifies.

    The unfolding drama, undoubtedly, prompted Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to warn against any breach of the peace in the run-up to the 2015 Delta governorship election.

    He appealed to aspiring politicians not to over-heat the system, adding that the state has remained peaceful and that he will ensure that it remained so.

    He warned that it is his responsibility to “guide the 2015 electoral process in the state to a logical conclusion and in a peaceful manner.”

    His words: “The race has started and I continue to appeal to the gladiators and those interested, we are not against any ambition .What we are against is over -heating the system as a result of personal ambition. This state has remained peaceful and we intend to ensure that it remains peaceful. My responsibility is to guide the 2015 process to a logical conclusion in a very peaceful manner.”

    Delta State has a history of political violence.  For instance, the 2011 Delta State legislative elections  into Patani Constituency, involving ex-Commissioner of Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Mr. Raymos Guanah, of the Fresh Democratic Party and current Deputy Speaker, Basil Ganagana, of the PDP were marred by violence.

    The violence consumed Sixtus Ganagana, 31, a brother and aide to Basil Ganagana. Sixtus Ganagana was assassinated at Ughelli metropolis in the presence of his wife and children.

    Earlier in January 2011, a former Transition Committee Chairman of Patani Local Council, Mr. Paul Atie, was shot dead by some unidentified assailants.

    Atie, who was the Director of Campaign for Raymos Guanah was gunned down a few metres away from a petrol retail outlet in Ughelli town by suspected assassins.

    Speculation is rife that the two murders may have been politically motivated.

    Mr. Basil Ganagana and Raymos Guanah, his opponent in the House of Assembly election had accused each other of assassination plots. Mr. Raymos Guanah was briefly arrested by the police.

    Also on September 7, 2013, Delta State Commissioner for Education, (Basic and Secondary Education), Prof Patrick Muoboghare, was brutally attacked by irate youths from Uwheru community, Ughelli North during the inauguration of Uwheru Ward PDP executive members at the PDP secretariat.

    He was accused by the youths of manipulating the executive list of the ward congress held in 2012.

    Muoboghare was stabbed in his right arm and upper abdomen and left for dead in a pool of blood.

    With local polls set for October 25th, Deltans are apprehensive of election violence, judging from the succession of violent confrontation within the ruling PDP in the state.

    Analysts believe the local polls will provide ample opportunities for the two parties, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to test their strategies ahead of 2015 governorship race, as any political party that gains the upper hand stands a good chance at the gubernatorial polls.

    Another incident last year foreboding violence, involved ex-Speaker Victor Ochei, who while on a familiarisation visit in his constituency reportedly escaped unhurt after a botched assassination attempt at Obomkpa community in Aniocha North Local Government Area.

    The Nation gathered that an Improvised Explosive Devices (I.E.D.) exploded, critically injuring a female aide to one of the Speaker’s associates who is an indigene of the town (Obomkpa).

    It was gathered that the canon exploded behind the seat reserved for Victor Ochei, while he was busy exchanging pleasantries with well wishers at the village square.

    Senator Arthur Okowa’s campaign train also appears mired in controversy over shooting allegations in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area after his billboard was pulled down.

    However, the victim, Sunny Okonye, after initially claiming that he was shot by persons associated with the Okowa Campaign Organisation repudiated his earlier claim.

    Dogging the earlier allegation is the murder of Mr. Arthur Agbe in 2003 over a property in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area.

    But Senator Okowa’s counsel, Peter Mrakpor, at a press briefing in Asaba recently, raised the alarm that the respected legislator’s life was in danger, adding that the allegations against Okowa were politically motivated by persons scared of his popularity.

    His words: “Senator Okowa’s life is in danger because from the series of events that have been happening and the orchestrated newspaper attacks on him, there is a conspiracy to frame him for murder.”

    Continuing, he said, “Senator Okowa’s life is in danger because there is conspiracy from the series of events that have been happening and the orchestrated newspaper attacks on him. This is not the first time, for

    John Agbe, his son was killed 11 years ago over a piece of land in Agbor. The question we want to ask is whose building is on that lands.

    It does not belong to Senator Okowa. Why do you now accuse him of fighting over a piece of land that does not belong to him? Ten years ago you accused him, the matter was investigated, and the Director of Public Prosecution came out with a report that it was a false allegation. He (Okowa) ran for the senatorial election, and there was no allegation. Then all of a sudden someone comes with an allegation of murder of his son ten years ago. This is orchestrated. The claimant is a driver in Ika South Local Government Council. So, we are saying let us inform the whole world that there is a conspiracy to not only defame him (Okowa) but to frame him. We are appealing to the press to take our message to Nigerians and let the police also swing into action that if nothing is done, an innocent man will be framed.”

    Mr Akpor said his client has instituted legal action against one John Agbe , a driver working in Ika South Local Council  in the sum of N20 billion for allegedly making libelous claims in a national newspaper linking his son’s death to his client.

    In a writ of summons made available to The Nation,  Peter Mrakpor said, Okowa is claiming “damages for libel in the issue of the Leadership Sunday Newspaper on 29th June 2014 in the sum of N20 billion”.

    Okowa is also praying for a retraction of the publication and public apology. Senator Okowa is further asking for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant whether by himself and/or through his agent, proxies and privies  from further writing, printing or circulating or causing to be written, printed or circulated or otherwise publishing of the claimant…”.

    Akpor declaimed allegation that his client keeps a killer squad to further his political ambition, “as it is our client’s firm belief, that power is at the discretion of the Almighty God and He gives it to whomever He wishes”. He said his client “does not know the Agbe family, the location of the land at Ikpeazue Avenue/Upper Okobi Street in Boji-Boji, Owa, Delta State.”

    But a more troubling event occurred July 11th when the wife of former PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Alli, and Delta State PDP Chairman, Peter Nwaboshi, threw caution to the winds and engaged each other in physical combat.

    The incident which occurred at the PDP Secretariat in Asaba at the formal hand -over ceremony of vehicles to PDP chairmen in the 25 local government areas in the state is not unconnected with the senatorial ambition of both political gladiators. Peter Nwaboshi and Mrs. Marian Alli are reportedly vying for the ticket on the platform of the PDP to represent Delta North Senatorial District at the upper legislative chambers.

    But the question agitating the minds of many Deltans is whether the recent violent exchanges between political gladiators  is not an omen that portends grave danger as  the 2015 gubernatorial election looms?

     

  • Osun: The new political prognosis

    The tone for this piece was set last Wednesday as an old school mate of mine from Anambra State sought my views on the Osun State governorship election “in the light of what happened in Ekiti”. He nearly provoked me as he asked for my “honest opinion”. I retorted, “Had I ever given you a dishonest opinion.” He merely smiled in response, fixing his gaze on me nonetheless, prodding for an analysis of the chances of the two parties.

    As I told quite a number of others who asked me a similar question, no two political situations are ever the same. The Ekiti election was mainly between Ayo Fayose and Kayode Fayemi. Osun’s will be fought by Rauf Aregbesola and Iyiola Omisore. It is my view that the days of strong adherence to political parties are gone. It was so with the parties of the First and Second Republic and, at least in the West, with the Alliance for Democracy in 1999. The situation has since changed for reasons beyond the scope of this space.

    Although Ekiti and Osun are neighbouring states, the sociological make-up are quite different. Osun is certainly more diverse than Ekiti and it is therefore easier to mobilise the Ekiti with one slogan than it would be in Osun.

    Then, the candidates. Omisore is not quite a Fayose. Attempting to ape the Ekiti political warlord merely made the Ife man look pathetic. It was so  unnatural. It would be more difficult for any man to mount the soap box in Ilesa hoping to win over the Ijesa with two ears of roast corn in his hands than it was for Fayose. There are issues, too. Who killed Bola Ige is an issue in Ijesa land that shares the same senatorial district with Ile-Ife.

    Mr. Omisore flaunts some credentials. He had been a deputy governor in the state. It does not matter if it remains a subject of dispute whether he was impeached or resigned. He later went to the Senate and could claim some “distinguished” representation on account of serving as chairman of the Appropriation Committee.

    Like Fayose, he has access to the hugely important federal might and budget. The federal government controls the security apparatus and the electoral commission itself is a federal executive body. Money cannot be a problem. The federal government and the party in control are desperate to root out the opposition from the West with a view to boosting its chances at the polls next year.

    However, Aregbesola is an unconventional politician, a doughty fighter and a a tested tactician. In the short period of his involvement in Osun’s political milieu, he has shown such dexterity that is uncommon. In 2011, he was the only governor who could rouse his people to vote for a weak Action Congress of Nigeria presidential platform, in addition to winning all the federal and state legislative seats. The scheme had failed even in Lagos State. He is a politician and has campaigned so vigorously that nothing was left to chance.

    In terms of campaign style, he stood head and shoulders above the PDP candidate. In performance, he has enough to show and, in terms of perception, he is believed to have provided the now famous or infamous stomach infrastructure. The emergence of Mr. Omisore hurt even his party. Other aspirants are either out or are reluctantly trudging along. It could be asked, where are former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his deputy, Erelu Olusola Obada today? Are they with Omisore? Has a new political factor emerged in Ede to rival pioneer Governor Adeleke? In Okuku, could the Oyinlola influence be dismissed? In Igbomina land, is Chief Akande no longer relevant?

    In Ikire, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade would probably have been a factor had he won the ticket of a contending party. But, in Osun, the Labour Party is not any stronger than it is in Ekiti. The party would be lucky to rake in as many votes as Hon. Bamidele.

    The outlook appears bright for Aregbesola. The man knows that he carries a heavy burden- on his lean shoulders is laid the fortunes of the All Progressives Party in the march to 2015. If he wins, he brings the party back into reckoning and inflates an ego deflated by the results from Ekiti. But, should he lose, the PDP would once again have shown that its control of the national political machinery cannot be matched by any other party.

    In a way, therefore, the Osun election is about the destiny of Nigeria. Those who believe that the PDP has failed Nigeria would be looking in the direction of APC to show that an alliance between the mainstream political forces of the far North and the West could save the country. Others would believe that a failure of the opposition in the region, following the installation of Labour PDP in Ondo and Fayose PDP in Ekiti signals a new national political equation.

    If I were permitted a vote, my heart and head are agreed that Aregbesola is the true way to success and progress.

  • Impeachment as political whiplash

    Last week, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, finally got the boot from the state house of assembly. According to reports, the former Governor and his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) instead of being despondent, remain defiant, and have vowed to challenge the governor’s impeachment in court. Their argument is that the process was fraught with irregularities, and had failed to meet the requirement of section 188 of the 1999 constitution, as amended. The party also contends that President Goodluck Jonathan has turned the scepter of impeachment, into a political arsenal, to destroy his political opponents, and that Adamawa is just the first of the several minefields that the PDP led federal government has planted.

    Without doubt, the Governor and his party are entitled to challenge the alleged infractions in court. That will be in tandem with the pronouncement of Chukwuma-Eneh JCA (as he then was),       in Adeleke vs Oyo State House of Assembly, when he held: “The court is empowered by section 1(3) of the constitution to pronounce null and void any acts of the executive or legislature including any purported legislative acts done under section 188 … where the acts are inconsistent with the constitution as the supreme law”. According to the learned Justice, “A legislative act done in the process of removing of governor or deputy governor is legally passed where it has complied strictly with the procedure prescribe under section 188”.

    The inviolable integrity of the constitution was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Attorney General, Abia State vs Attorney General, Federation, by Tobi JSC when he averred: “ The constitution of a nation is the fons et origo, not only of the jurisprudence but also of the legal system of the nation. It is the beginning and the end of the legal system…. In line with this kingly position of the constitution, all the three arms of government are slaves of the constitution, not in the sense of undergoing servitude or bondage, but in the sense of total obeisance and loyalty to it.” So it is the duty of the courts to critically examine the impeachment process in Adamawa state with respect to the provisions of section 188; and where there is any irregularity, the court should not hesitate to shoot down the impeachment, after as Akaahs JCA heldin Dapianlong vs Dariye (No. 1) “The impeachment of a Governor is a serious business and must not be reduced to child’s play.”

    Further down Adamawa, closer to Abuja, the seat of the federal government, controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is enjoying a sudden risorgemento, the Governor of Nasarawa state, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, another APC state, has been served impeachment notice by the PDP controlled house of assembly. Again, according to the national chairman of the national opposition party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the PDP led federal government has also primed its impeachment arsenal against the governors of Edo, Borno and Rivers state. If the PDP as alleged succeeds in this unconstitutional gambit, then by what may be described as a sleight of hand, the party would have a clear national majority going into the fearful 2015 ‘do or die’ general elections.

    Commentators across the country have been distraught that the present national political odyssey have followed similar trajectory as the previously doomed democratic experiments in the 1960’s and 1980’s. Recall that the Northern Peoples Congress controlling the national legislature in the post-independence parliamentary democracy, increasingly became obsessed with retaining their majority as the 1964 general elections approached, and in their desperation, short-cuts, under-cuts and upper-cuts were employed. Similar tactics were also employed by the National Party of Nigeria, the national ruling party in the second republic, and while the party was able to capture quite a number of states from the opposition parties in the 1983 general ‘landslide’ election, the resultant seismic tremor took decades to settle.

    So, should we carelessly ride on that road again? My contention is that President Jonathan and his party must in the interest of our tottering democracy examine the allegations of the opposition, and if they are responsible for this gale of impeachments, should immediately apply the brakes. While the impeachment of a political office holder is a legitimate political weapon to deal with recalcitrant public officials within a polity, it becomes an undemocratic invasion, when forces beyound the precincts of a polity, induces and enforces impeachment as a means to settle political differences. Indeed President Jonathan, who is from a minority political sub-group, must be careful not to employ any underhand tactics in his political gamesmanship, to avoid the majority learning from him, and resorting to the same game against him in the future.

    Even more pressing is that the resort to impeachment as a political whiplash may so unsettle the polity as to lead to major national crisis. Just as I pen this piece, it was reported that the civil society in Nasarawa state and the leaders of APC across the country were mobilizing to challenge the threat of impeachment against governor Al-Makura. If history is any guide, the crisis that culminated in the Nigerian civil war started with the undisguised attempt of the then majority party, the Northern Peoples Congress, to forcefully expand their political horizon across the country, particularly in the south-west. It will be foolhardy to pretend that the national fault-lines have substantially changed from that of the 1960’s.

    I therefore urge President Jonathan and his party apparatchik not to be cajoled, by the hawks amongst them, into falsely believing that all is well with an obtrusive interference with the political fortunes of any part of the country, in a manner that could trigger national crisis. As former President Obasanjo learnt, Nigeria has its way of dealing with political chicanery.