The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • 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.

  • Why we’re slow in rescuing Chibok Girls — Presidency

    Why we’re slow in rescuing Chibok Girls — Presidency

    The Presidency says its slow approach to the rescue of the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno State, three months ago is to avoid a repeat of the 2004 incident in experience in the North Caucasus region of Russia when 300 children were killed in an attempt by Russians to free hostages held by Chechens.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said in London on Thursday that the situation should not be misinterpreted as inaction on the part of government.

    “The need to avoid a repeat of the 2004 experience when 300 children were killed in an attempt by Russians to free hostages held by Chechens in the North Caucasus region of Russia was responsible for the seemingly slow process of freeing the Chibok girls,” Dr.Okupe said at Chatham House lecture series held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.

    Speaking on ‘Priorities and Progress in Nigeria: Imperatives for Stability and Growth’, the Presidential spokesman said the war against insurgency is a major priority of the Federal Government.

    He decried the slowing down of the economy by the insurgency, saying, ”We are taking advantage of the offers from our international military and intelligence allies to get a greater understanding of the landscape and identify key locations.

    “We are working with our neighbours to secure the borders and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.

    He spoke of government’s plan to block domestic and international sources of funds for the group.

     

  • Presidency: Don’t politicise attack on Buhari

    Presidency: Don’t politicise attack on Buhari

    The Presidency yesterday urged caution  by the political class  in appraising Wednesday’s bomb attack targeted at former Head of State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari.

    Speaking in Abuja on Friday, the Political Adviser to the President, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali said resorting to blame game could be counter productive to the war against terrorism.

    Alkali sympathised with Buhari over the attack, saying it was by providence that the nation was saved the trauma of having the former Head of State and Sheik Dahiru Bauchi come to harm.

    Alkali said: “I want to also state that in a season like this, the usual thing is what has become the popular culture of blame game. I don’t think anybody in this country would be associated with such thing in any way or form.

    “Therefore, those who want to trivialise or personalise these issues by attributing it to this government or the leadership of this government in any form, directly or indirectly, should desist from that.

    “This government is committed to the security of this nation, it is committed to lasting peace in this country and Mr. President is deeply committed to bringing stability in our political environment.

    “We should not over dramatise these issues. All of us must come together, we have a collective responsibility to protect and defend our country. This is not a time for politicising issues.

    “Security matters are not for politicians. There are people who have been trained and who are responsible for security. We cannot do their job for them; they should be allowed to do their job.”

  • Don’t politicise attack on Buhari – Presidency

    The Presidency has cautioned the political class against politicising Wednesday’s bomb attacks targeted at former Head of State, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari.

    Speaking in Abuja on Friday, the Political Adviser to the President, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, said resorting to blame game could be counter productive to the war against terrorism.

    Alkali sympathised with Buhari over the attack, saying it was by providence that the nation was saved the trauma of having the former head of state come to harm.

    Alkali said: “I want to express my sincere concern over what happened to our former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. You all recall two or three days ago there was an attempted attack on his life and that of another senior citizen, Sheik Dahiru Bauchi in Kaduna.

    “It is by the grace of God that today the lives of these two senior citizens were spared. We want to thank God for saving them and for saving this country from the trauma of what could have happened if the people behind it had achieved their objective.

    “I want to also state that in a season like this, the usual thing is what has become the popular culture of blame game. I don’t think anybody in this country would be associated with such thing in any way or form.

    “Therefore, those who want to trivialise or personalise these issues by attributing it to this government or the leadership of this government in any form, directly or indirectly, should desist from that.

    “This government is committed to the security of this nation, it is committed to lasting peace in this country and Mr. President is deeply committed to bringing stability in our political environment.

    “We should not over dramatise these issues. All of us must come together, we have a collective responsibility to protect and defend our country. This is not a time for politicising issues.

    “Security matters are not for politicians. There are people who have been trained and who are responsible for security. We cannot do their job for them; they should be allowed to do their job.

    “We should also desist from any attempt that will weaken the institutions of government, especially security agencies who are doing very well in containing the situation.”

     

  • Why I ran for NBA presidency, by Adekoya

    Why I ran for NBA presidency, by Adekoya

    One of the contestants in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) has explained why she ran for the presidency.

    She said: “I sought to restore this profession to its revered and respected status as the voice of the voiceless Nigerians and the defender of the interests of legal practitioners. But it was not to be. Our members have spoken and we now have a president-elect.

    “In this race, I have had the privilege of meeting colleagues from all over our great nation and cultivating life-long friendships. Let me, therefore, thank all my many supporters who stood by me and what I stand for, who remained true to their conscience, and who stood up to be counted when it mattered most.

    “I appreciate your tireless efforts, sacrifices, encouragement and prayers. The unprecedented support in various forms that I have received in the last two months has renewed my faith in humanity and in our innate nobility as lawyers.

    “I recall that an ardent supporter and colleague sent me five recharge cards in support of my campaign, with an apology that she could not afford more.

    “To all of you who keyed into our vision, I can only sincerely thank you and pray that the Almighty God will honour you in due season. You all are the true winners.”

  • Onaiyekan to Presidency: stop linking opposition with Boko Haram

    Onaiyekan to Presidency: stop linking opposition with Boko Haram

    The Catholic Bishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has urged the Presidency to stop labelling critics of his administration, particularly opposition politicians, as enemies and supporters of the Boko Haram sect.

    Speaking on a radio programme “Face the Nation”, on Rockcity 101.9 FM Abeokuta, Ogun State, the frontline cleric advised those in positions of authority to be tolerant of the opposition.

    He said: “The issue of the politicisation is very serious and dangerous, where the party in government sees anybody who doesn’t agree with them as the Boko Haramist that are out to destroy the nation. What this means is that, if you do not agree with me, or if you are not in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), you don’t love Nigeria… That we disagree in politics doesn’t mean we don’t love our nation. And until we get that out of our heads, not much will move forward.

    “By the way, before I’m misquoted, it’s the same thing from the part of the opposition, who think they are the only ones who love Nigeria and those in the party in government don’t like this country and are destroying our nation. That kind of attitude cannot help us.”

    The former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) president also said the insecurity in the land is disturbing.

    The cleric expressed disappointment at the Presidency’s information managers.

    He said: “When things are not going well, and if there is anything on which Nigerians are agreed, irrespective of political parties, it is that things are not going well. The only time I’ve heard that everything is perfect was recently on television, on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), when Okupe was telling HARDTALK that ‘everything in Nigeria is perfect’.

    “He is the only one I’ve heard saying that kind of thing, that the government has done everything perfectly. When he was asked about the girls in the bush, he said: ‘Oh, don’t worry, they will soon come back.’ Who is he deceiving? We all agree that things must change. I’m hoping that the more and more Nigerians will realise that we can’t just sit down and wait for things to change. Worse still, we don’t sit down and say, ‘Only God will save Nigeria’.”

  • Jonathan plotting life presidency, says Kwankwaso

    Jonathan plotting life presidency, says Kwankwaso

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has said the convocation of the National Conference by President Goodluck Jonathan was designed to perpetuate the President in power.

    Kwankwaso addressed reporters in his office at the Government House.

    The governor accused Jonathan of smuggling a new constitution into the conference and using divide-and-rule tactics to balkanise interest groups to make himself a life President.

    He stressed that if Jonathan’s agenda scaled through, he would get another eight-year mandate in 2015, in the bid to perpetrate himself in power and achieve his life ambition.

    Kwankwaso said: “These people are desperate. They want to continue by all means. That is the idea of divide-and-rule. They want to rule forever. I think he (Jonathan) wants to be a life President.”

    The governor expressed misgiving about most of the issued so far debated at the National Conference.

    He said: “You have seen recently that he (Jonathan) took a bill to the National Assembly, wanting the National Assembly to approve a six-year one term. The implication is that he wanted to lift himself. He got two years after the death of (Umaru Musa) Yar’Adua. Now, he is spending four years. And he wants another six years of one term, making 12 years, at least, for now. That seems not to be working. Now, we are hearing that they smuggled a new Constitution through the Conference.

    “The arithmetic of the handlers there is saying that they want to throw away the six years, have a new Constitution and, by 2015, start another eight years. This is because we have seen it during the first term of the governors of Yobe, Taraba, Ogun, Kogi. These were friends who were governors during the aborted Third Republic and people took them to court so that they regained their first term. The courts said: ‘No, no, no, this is a new Constitution.’ Now, there is a new Constitution on the ground to start another eight years by 2015.”

    Kwankwaso said Nigeria needs a change, adding that the nation would continue to pray for the President to sail the ship to safe shores in 2015.

    The governor also prayed that there would be no crisis that would degenerate into a religious war.

    Kwankwaso maintained that he had always opposed the National Conference because it was a waste of resources.

    The governor said Nigeria needs an equitable distribution of its vast resources to its impoverished people.

    He noted that the Conference would be harmful to the country because it was designed to extend the President’s tenure from the proposed single term to eight years by 2015.

    Kwankwaso said if the new constitution is endorsed, it would empower Jonathan to extend his tenure.

    The governor said Jonathan’s reason for convoking the National Conference was to transform into a life President.

    He said the President had concentrated his prosecutions on the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the aim to destabilise it to achieve his ambition of becoming a life President.

    Kwankwaso decried the constant interference “from above”, particularly in Rivers, Adamawa and, lately, in Kano.

    The governor recalled how the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced its candidate as the Emir of Kano without waiting for the announcement of the approved Emir, Alhaji Mohammad Sanusi, who was among those shortlisted.

    He said Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako was not as bad as he was being portrayed.

    According to him, the ruling party is always jittery about APC and will blame the party’s leadership for anything.

    Kwankwaso said he supported state police, a position he earlier opposed when his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, was calling for same.

    The governor urged Nigerians to be their brother’s keeper, adding that they should help their compatriots instead of debating resource control and derivation.

    He said: “I do not see anything wrong in the revenue sharing formula of the country, rather than agitating for an upward review from 13 per cent to 18 per cent, which is the contentious issue tearing the house apart.”

    On Boko Haram activities in the Northeast, Kwankwaso was worried that Jonathan had failed to assert himself as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to halt killings and destruction of property.

    The governor suggested that the President should either negotiate with the sect or use force to stop the incessant killings.

    He said: “This stoppage should either be by negotiation of by the use of force on any of them. I tell you that most of the confusion is coming from Mr President’s handlers, the people around him, just to cause more problems.”

  • ‘Presidency is politicising insecurity’

    ‘Presidency is politicising insecurity’

    Bamidele  Faparusi, representing Ekiti South Federal Constituency II at the House of Representatives, speaks with Adetutu Audu on the outcome of the last gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, the task before the incoming governor and the state of security in the country. Excerpts

    I cannot say categorically if INEC is ready. The Ekiti June 24th election to me was over militarised. The military were used to victimise APC leaders. I was also a victim of such victimisation because on several occasions I had to leave my house. A lot of my colleagues were humiliated, some were arrested. In my local government, a lot of APC leaders were arrested and were released immediately the election was over. The fact that people were saying that the election was free and fair has come to questioning because the environment was not conducive for a free and fair election because it was over militarised, and the military was operating based on an instruction from above to destabilise the party structure and arrest the party hierarchy so that there would not be proper co-ordination of activities on the day of election. This may also account for the outcome of that election. I want to ask Nigerians, if we are having election concurrently across Nigeria, how it will be possible to militarise all the states across Nigeria the way Ekiti was militarised. It has shown that if care is not taken, 2015 election will not come out pleasant. If Fayemi is not acceptable to the people, people will not be defecting to the APC. During the administration of ex-governor Otunba Niyi Adebayo, people left AD for the PDP and the former governor still won in 13 local government areas. So, the results of the last guber election in Ekiti should be queried.

    The outgoing governor, Fayemi, just created Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Ekiti State. The opposition party and the governor-elect, Ayo Fayose, are of the view that he shouldn’t have done that. What is your take?

    I see no reason why they are crying foul because the tenure of Fayemi will be ending in October and nothing has happened. He is still the governor of Ekiti State and he can decide anything between now and when he leaves office.  Let the whole world know that the process of creating local council has been on for a year now and he did not just wake up today and decide to do that. This administration wants to make sure that it does not leave any unfinished business for the incoming administration and so everything has been timed to end at the expiration of the administration’s tenure. I want to commend him for keeping up with what he promised the Ekiti people that he would do, because it takes a lion heart to do that and if Fayose is afraid already to govern Ekiiti State, it is not too late to throw in the towel because governing Ekiti State is not a tea party and he should be ready to do the work. The creation of LCDAs is to bring development closer to the people and I think any good thinking politician should embrace it and so I wonder why Mr. Fayose is jittery about the issue.

    You said earlier that Ekiti was over militarised. What is your take on state police now that the on-going National Conference has recommended it?

    On the floor of the house, when the issue came up, I made it categorically clear that if we get it now, sometime in the future it will be embraced. State police will give balance of power between the federal and the states. What we have now is federal controlling power. Although people are arguing that if state police is created the state government will use it to intimidate opposition, what we have now is federal government using federal forces to intimidate opposition states and so if states should have their own forces, it will balance up the power between the federal and the states and we will have normalcy. I think the awareness is growing and then someday, in the nearest future, the parliament will agree to the fact that there is state police. It is because it is coming from the progressives; the conservatives are seeing no reason why we should have it because they want to have control of the centre and as long as they are controlling the centre, they want to have that force to intimidate opposition at the state level. But a time is coming when some of the people who think they can control the centre will be at the state and cannot control the centre. We should look at this state police not on partisan basis or regional basis; we should look at it as an issue and we see that objectively we need to have state police because we are closer to the people, we understand our culture and it is very easy to cub crimes rather than get anybody from the federal who knows little about the environment where he has come to work.

    Recently, you did some things described as empowerment for your constituency and you said then that APC is the only party that can banish poverty. With the empowerment programme, do you think you have done enough already?

    We have not done enough and I don’t think I will be able to do enough because the demand to uplift the standard of our people will always be there and we can always do our best and leave the rest and as far as I am concerned, I am doing my best for my people. The empowerment I did last month was the second of its kind and it is just to give back to the people and to alleviate their poverty and provide equipment for them to be able to earn a living. I think this should continue and I am telling my constituents that we will continue with this as part of my initiative to intervene in various areas. I have done a lot in the education system, job creation, entrepreneurial development and training, and giving out equipment now is one of my plans to fight poverty in the constituency and I will continue to do this.

    It is almost four years since you were elected to represent Gbonyin/Ekiti East/Emure Federal Constituency. How would you describe the journey so far?

    The journey has been pleasant, challenging, educative, informative and I have a better perspective of the state called Nigeria and also a better perspective of a Nigerian politician. Expectation of the people from your constituency are so high; some  expect that overnight you should turn them to multi millionaires, people expect you to buy houses for them, to buy cars for them, pay their school fees, pay their hospital bills and just to take care of them as if you are government beyond being a parliamentarian.  They expect you to take care of all their needs and we are trying our best within the limited resources God has provided us with. But most importantly is the need to help to shape the direction of the country because what will affect the people is what is more important to me than what will benefit individuals. And policy formulation runs in forms of bills, in form of motions are the responsibility of legislators that will definitely impact positively on the lives of the people and unfortunately people are not even looking at that. Even if you move a thousand bills or pass a thousand motions, all they are expecting is for you to come from Abuja with the Ghana-must-go and begin to share the money. Unfortunately, there is no money to share and we hope that our people will understand that we are limited as parliamentarians and not executives and so our responsibility is to make laws for the benefit of the people.

    What striking law or motions can you say you have moved?

    I have moved several motions I cannot begin to count for the past four years, but at least let me name three motions; one on the increase in tariff by the then PHCN. When we came in, PHCN then wanted to increase the tariff and we realised that there was no proper metering before such increment can be allowed all houses must take  pre-paid metres so that you can pay for what you are using, not what you don’t use and so that was one motion that generated a lot of attention. Another motion was on education. The quality of education in Nigeria is of great concern to me and I want the parliament to look at it and in that motion I did say that if it is possible to compel public office holders to send their children to public schools because it is then that more attention will be drawn to develop the public schools rather than sending their wards to private schools. The two motions are the key motions that I moved out of many others.

    The state of security in Nigeria is of utmost concern, it is over 78 days that the Chibok girls were kidnapped and it is said that the president seems not to be really bothered. Some say that soldiers deployed to Ekiti for the election are enough to bring those girls back from Sambisa forest.  What is your take on the state of insecurity in Nigeria?

    The state of security in Nigeria is worrisome. Especially the fact that the presidency has politicised it and lives are being lost every day and our economy is suffering greatly because of this. Despite the fact that it is over 78 days that the Chibok girls have been kidnapped, the presidency did not believe that the girls were kidnapped until it became an international issue. That is to tell you the sensitivity of the presidency to the plight of Nigerians because his number one responsibility is to protect lives of the citizens even if he does not do any other thing. The government has failed the people on this. What baffles me is that everything is going as if nothing has happened. I cannot say that nothing is being done, but we are not seeing result, what Nigerians need is result. Not that we are doing something about it, we have made arrests. Nigerians are tired of stories and rhetoric, they need result. I am also making this demand that the federal government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, should ‘bring back our girls’. What is most disturbing is the arrest of the people campaigning for the return of the girls. Are they saying that these girls have gone and we should forget about them? And if the president does not bring these girls back, posterity will judge him.

    Some people have accused your party, APC, as being a sponsor of Boko Haram. How true is this?

    As I said earlier, the presidency is politicising insecurity. You will recall that the late Army Chief, Owoye Azazi, specifically said the problem of Boko Haram was PDP; he was relieved of his office and was subsequently killed. If we want to tag anybody, we know whom. Our party does not believe in politicising security, from all indications, PDP is perfect in this.

     

  • President had no plan to visit Chibok—Presidency

    President had no plan to visit Chibok—Presidency

    Both the Special Adviser to the President of Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and his counterpart on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, yesterday declared that the reported failed trip of President Goodluck Jonathan to Chibok was nothing more than a fiction.

    They blamed mischief makers for spreading the news of an aborted trip the President never planned to make.

    Speaking on CNN, Dr. Okupe said that if the President had truly planned to visit Chibok, a statement to that effect would have been duly issued by Dr. Abati, but nothing of the sort was done in this instance.

    Asked why the President had not visited Chibok, he retorted: “Which is more important; the President going to Chibok or getting the children released from their abductors?

    Remember that we are in the middle of a war war.”

    According to the Twitter account of Dr. Abati yesterday, the President was not scheduled to visit Chibok as widely reported by the news media.

    He described the reports as mere rumours, adding that it was wrong and malicious to allege that a “non-existent trip has been cancelled.”

    He said: “Every trip by the President is usually pre-announced. The Presidency did not at any time announce a trip to Chibok today (Friday). Ignore rumours.”

    He explained that “the statement issued by my office on Thursday only indicated that the President was scheduled to travel to Paris yesterday.

    “It is therefore wrong and malicious to allege that a non-existent trip has been cancelled.”

  • NBA presidency: Agbakoba clarifies position on zoning

    NBA presidency: Agbakoba clarifies position on zoning

    Midwest is yet to be formally approved as part of the West in the zoning arrangement of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidency, former NBA President Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has said.

    In a May 9 letter to NBA President Okey Wali (SAN), Agbakoba said his first letter was misrepresented, with some lawyers claiming that he is aware that the Midwest is part of the West.

    According to him, while it is true that discussions on how to incorporate the Midwest into the West had reached advanced stage, no final decision was taken.

    The letter reads: “I agree that the Midwest is entitled to present a candidate for President. But I also feel bound to preserve our zoning arrangements. My credentials will show that I have always supported our zoning arrangements.

    “In 2008, when the presidency was zoned to the West, I supported the candidate of the West. In 2010 when it was zoned to the North, I supported the candidate of the North. In 2012 when it was zoned to the East I supported the candidate of the East. I have given this support without prejudice to my preferred candidates which indeed I had.

    “You recall that in 2006, when I ran for President and was endorsed by the Eastern Bar, the Western Bar failed to endorse me. The Western Bar even failed to dissuade a candidate from their zone from running. Now that it is turn of the Western Bar, it would have been easy not to support them. But my commitment to our zoning arrangements has not changed.

    “The real issue for me is how we can resolve the Midwest issue so they are adequately accommodated in the NBA zoning arrangements.”

    A former NBA Legal Adviser and an Aba Branch leader, Mr Victor Nwaugo, has faulted a former NBA President Onueze C.J Okocha (SAN) on his position on the zoning.

    Okocha, in his reaction to Agbakoba’s letter to Wali, said the Midwest is part of the West in the zoning arrangement, a position shared by Midwest Bar Forum’s chairman Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), who stated that “both parties have already agreed that they belong to the West.”

    Nwaugo said: “First, Okocha stated clearly that Midwest Bar Forum is part of Western Bar Forum but my question to him is: When was this marriage foisted or consummated? Going by his own statement, he claimed that during Joseph Daudu’s presidency, it was agreed that Midwest was part of the West; he did not tell us at what meeting the agreement was reached.”

    The lawyer said the Midwest Bar Forum, in a communiqué issued on February 11, 2012, signed by R.O Isenalumhe (Acting Chairman) and Edward Aibangbe (Secretary), stated that the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC) had set up an elders’ committee to look into Midwest’s agitation to be part of the zoning.

    “Has the so acclaimed elders committee submitted its report, and to whom? Has NEC deliberated on their report? Please, may we be referred to the NEC meeting in question as I can find none having kept all the NEC meetings from 2010 till date.

    “If the Midwest Bar Forum is part of the West, what did they go to do as a group on July 11, 2012 at Chief Bandele Aiku’s residence?

    “Are Okocha and Orbih telling us that the Midwest Bar did not go to Aiku’s residence as stated by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) with a request to be considered as part of the Western Bar Forum? The Midwest Bar cannot foist their wish on existing and established fora like Eastern Bar Forum, Arewa Lawyers Forum and Western Bar Forum.

    “Chief Orbih in his misunderstanding of what transpired in 2012 presidential election with regard to the Eastern Bar Forum wrongfully believed that Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) contested the election  because the presidency was zoned to East to which he belongs. Let me properly educate Chief Orbih that Ngige ran as an independent candidate against the wish, desire, advice and decision of Eastern Bar Forum.

    “In 2006, Funke Adekoya (SAN) was advised not to run against the zoning formula, but she defied the advice. In 2008 Western Bar Forum and Eastern Bar Forum advised Dele Adesina (SAN) not to run against Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and he listened. We owe him a return.

    “If Midwest Bar feel that 2020 as promised them by their brothers in the Western Bar forum is eternity, let them field that their candidate. A recalcitrant fly is often interred with the corpse,” Nwaugo concluded.

    A member of the Middlebelt Bar Forum, Chief John Ochoga said he has no sympathies for the West “because they are now caught in the web of their own intrigues.”

    “They refused to release the Midwest long ago; they refused to give them independence long ago. If they had released the Midwest, if the inclusion principle is being implemented, we would have told the Midwest to forget it, but for now, we still remain in the old arrangement and Midwest is part of the West.

    “I remember what happened at Warri NEC when the inclusion issue was being discussed. Adekoya resisted it. She said that it would breed mediocrity at the Bar. How can mediocrity be enthroned at the Bar?

    “The Yorubas shot themselves in the foot and they will keep suffering for it. In NBA 2010 election, only one or two Yorubas were elected and in 2012, none of them was elected at all. That is the price for their inconsistency.

    “What happened at Maiduguri NEC is still fresh in my memory. Agbakoba set up a committee to set out the modalities for inclusion at the Bar. The Southwest, which never liked inclusion, frustrated the whole thing.”

    On the way out, Ochoga said: “I sympathise with Adesina because he would have defeated Akeredolu hands down if he had contested the election in 2008. I expect the entire Yoruba race to rally round him now, but true to their type, I learnt that they are not supporting him now.

    “Their total support for him would have made the race easier for him and this present situation wouldn’t have risen at all.

    “My view is that Midwest is part of the West in the current tripod zoning. If the West had embraced the Inclusion Report of the six zones today, Midwest would be resting in the Southsouth. However, of all the candidates, may be the best win.”