The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rigging plot

  • ‘Obasanjo lacks morality to accuse Buhari of rigging plot’

    Emmanuel Umohinyang is the Convener, Re – elect Buhari Movement (RBM). He spoke with reporters in Lagos on former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation of plot to rig polls against President Muhammadu Buhari and preparations of the group for next month’s elections. Excerpts:

    What is your reaction to former President Obasanjo’s allegation that President Buhari is planning to rig next month’s elections and that his administration is like that of Abacha?

    As you know, when it comes to the issue of credible election, Obasanjo does not have a say. He does not have the morality to talk about credible election in Nigeria because he is the grand master of election rigging. Under his watch, we had the Maurice Iwu of this world. During his time, election was not won at the ballot, results were written from the comfort of people’s homes. It was during his era that we had the famous “Mr. fix it”. Election was fixed. It is only an exhibition of fear, thinking that we are back to the era we are coming from. I want to assure our former President that the new Sheriff in town is different from what we had during his era. Under President Muhammadu Buhari, elections will not only be free and credible, it will be seen by even the worst critics of his administration. Let us not becloud ourselves with the issue, coming from Otta, asserting that this administration is being run like the Abacha era. I think it is the most unfortunate statement I have had from a former President. By the way, Obasanjo is not the only former President we have had in this country and one expects that as an elder statesman, if he sees anything that the administration  has done that he feel strongly about, he could approach the President and share his views. The late former President Shehu Shagari, and Gen. Yakubu Gowon are examples. We have the Council of State of which he is a member, so trying to portray himself as saint when we have his records is like a slap on our face. It’s quite unfortunate. I think we should give it to this administration that it has saved us the pain and agony of the past, talking about the Obasanjo/Atiku era, when political detainees was the order of the day, politically motivated assassination was the order of the day. I think Ex –President Obasanjo may have run out of ideas and is just trying to seek attention from Nigerians. Unfortunately, he cannot get it. President Buhari is a General of the people’s army. Nigerians love him and appreciate what he is doing. That is basically the reason we are pushing his re – election come February 16, 2019.

    Don’t you think the former President has a point with Gen. T.Y Danjuma toeing the same line?

    I am surprised that you mentioned Gen. Danjuma, so we can say it is a communion of the Generals. Their views does not represent Nigerians view and I think at the last Council of State meeting, the INEC chairman was there to explain the level of preparation. From what we heard, the Council of State endorsed INEC’s preparation. INEC has equally said they have worked independently. There has not been pressure from any quarter. I want to assure you that under President Muhammadu Buhari, election will not be rigged; rather we will have something better than what we had in 2015. I think the President has endeared himself to Nigerians. It is not easy for a man to maintain the position of “Mr. Integrity” for decades. Who among these people can you call ‘Mr. Integrity’ without hearing a boomerang from Nigerians? President Buhari has held on to ‘Mr. Integrity for years. Nobody, not even his worst critics have ever queried that posture. He didn’t earn that over the shelf. It is due to hard work that he has put into the system. He has held several public offices. You can go and check his records. Go and check what he has, and you will realize that we have moved from that era where a sitting President will gather contractors and gather 7 Billion Naira in the name of a Presidential library. What we are saying is that we should have more faith in President Muhammadu Buhari. The integrity of some people is tied to their stomach, not President Buhari. He will never allow the coming election to be rigged in his favour or that of any other candidate.

    How do you react to the removal of CJN by President Buhari?

    I think I need to correct this impression, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen remains the CJN. We must enlighten our people that he has not been removed in the literal word of it. He was only suspended. The provision for the removal of the CJN is provided for in section 291 and 292 of our constitution as amended. Under those provisions, I don’t think the President can unilaterally remove the CJN. No. what the  President has merely done is to carry out an order of the CCT, directing that the President should suspend the CJN, pending the conclusion of  his trial, and that the most senior Justice in the hierarchy of the Supreme Court be appointed  in acting capacity. The suspension simply means if the person is found not guilty after the conclusion of trial, he will be reinstated. People made some funny and ridiculous  comments, prior to his suspension. We had some governors  assemble in Abuja and declared that the CJN ignore the summon of the CCT. If at all, those governors made those statements, I think it is the most ridiculous statement I ever heard because when you tell an ordinary Nigerian on the street who caught stealing yam, that the full weight of the law would be brought on him and you try to turn a blind eye on somebody just because he is from your zone, such is really unfortunate. We cannot make progress as a country. My position  is that irrespective of the who is involved, even if it is my father, the very minute you go against the laws of the land, you must face the consequences, pure and simple. What becomes of our country when people begin to disobey the order of the courts? If we go tribal, it means the Northern governors could also say El Zaky Zaky and Dasuki are from our zone. The next thing will be anarchy. We should all rise against sectional interests and begin to deal with issues on its merits.

    What is your reaction to the backlash that followed the suspension?

    Look, we are in a political era. The Presidential election is a few meters away. It is expected. We are in era where the politicians, lawyers, Doctors etc all have interest to protect, but I think we should look at the larger picture regarding whose interest the President should protect. That of his political party? The answer s no. His personal interest? The answer is no. That of the constitution? I think the answer is yes. The President is acting based on the powers given to him by our constitution, to obey orders that comes from courts. You must also understand that it is a simple principle of law that orders of courts must be obeyed, no matter how bad. It was Lord Denning who said in his famous quote that no matter how tall a man is, the law is taller than him. That is why I subscribe to the removal of immunity against criminal prosecution for all categories of office holders, so that any occupier of  even the office of President can be tried for criminal infractions. It will be an aberration to smuggle immunity that was not conferred on the CJN. I think Nigerians, should rise up and be counted if we want to move Nigeria from where we met it to where we want it to be. Don’t forget fighting corruption is one of the cardinal programmes of this administration. The present happenings in our country today reminds me of the famous poem by Prof. Niyi Osundare titled “My Lord, where do I keep your bribe?” As members in the temple of justice, we must ensure that corruption is eradicated from our Judiciary.

     

  • Ekiti 2018: Fayose, FUOYE VC trade words over alleged ‘rigging’ plot

    EKITI State governor, Ayo Fayose, and the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Kayode Soremekun, on Friday, traded words over alleged plot to rig the July 14 governorship election.

    Fayose alleged that Soremekun has lent himself to be used by the ruling party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by recruiting students of his institution to serve as ad hoc staff at the poll rather than youth corps members.

    The governor alleged that Soremekun is a card-carrying member of the APC and a close ally of the party’s governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, Kayode Fayemi.

    He alleged that the VC had rigged elections for the APC in the past. Fayose who spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, alleged that over 2,000 FUOYE students had been registered as ad hoc staff under Soremekun’s watch.

    He claimed they have been ordered to supply bank details of their close relations, so that payments would not be directly linked to them.

    Fayose said: “The idea behind this plot is to recruit APC members from neighbouring States, arm them with FUOYE student identity cards and use them as INEC Presiding and Returning Officers to perfect the planned rigging of the election.

    This will fail.” “Today, we are beginning to receive signals to the effect that clandestine moves are being made to subvert the will of Ekiti people. With the failure of their “Ondo Option”, other evil means are now being devised.

    “Despite that we have over 9,000 Youth Corps members in Ekiti State and it has been the general practice to engage the NYSC members in elections across the country, the APC in collusion with INEC have asked that students of FUOYE be recruited as INEC ad-hoc staff for the election, instead of youth corps members.

    “We are in possession of an Internal Memorandum from the office of the Dean of Students Affairs, FUOYE seeking registration of students of the University as INEC Presiding and Returning Officers for the Election.

    But Soremekun who denied the governor’s allegation, described it as “blatant falsehood” stressing that INEC is the agency in charge of recruiting ad hoc staff for the elections.

    The Ogun State born university administrator who also denied being an APC card-carrying member said this would not be the first time that Fayose had attempted to blackmail him.

    Soremekun said the Ekiti governor had attacked him over his refusal to assist his (Fayose’s) party (PDP) at the September 2016 Edo State governorship election, where he (Soremekun) served as the chief returning officer.

  • Ekiti people will resist APC’s ‘rigging’ plot, says PDP chair

    Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Gboyega Oguntuase has said the people will resist the alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the July 14 governorship poll.

    Oguntuase said the use of federal might and instruments of coercion would not save the APC from defeat in the election.

    Declaring Ekiti as a “no-go area for APC,” the PDP chairman boasted that the opposition would not win the poll, even “if President Muhammad Buhari is brought down to serve as the Returning Officer”.

    Oguntuase was reacting to the declaration by APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, that the governorship contest is a “must-win” for his party.

    The APC national chairman spoke on Monday during the kick-off of his party’s membership mobilisation and a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Reacting to the statement yesterday, Oguntuase urged the international community to focus on the Ekiti poll and prevent it from being manipulated by the APC.

    The PDP chairman also urged civil society organisations (CSOs) to monitor the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of the poll to reflect the true wish of the Ekiti electorate.

    He said: “Every single APC member here in Ekiti knows that the party is nowhere near any chance of winning just one out of the 16 local government areas.

    “The only thing they have been saying is that Governor Ayodele Fayose has been giving President Muhammadu Buhari problems and he (Buhari) has vowed to go to any length to take Ekiti from the governor to serve as a payback for his persistent criticism of the President.

    “To us in the PDP, we can begin to draw correlation between yesterday’s ‘we must win the Ekiti election by fire by force’ comment of Chief  Odigie-Oyegun with the way APC members and leaders have been boasting of using federal might to take Ekiti.

    “However, we are sure that even if President Buhari is brought to Ekiti as the INEC Returning Officer for the election, APC will still fail.

    “The international community and CSOs in Nigeria should, therefore, begin to focus their attention on the election from now and beam their searchlights on INEC and other agencies of the Federal Government that will be involved in the election.

    “This is because the election will be an indicator to the readiness and willingness of INEC to conduct free, fair and credible presidential election in 2019.”

     

  • Revealed: PDP’s plan to drag military into rigging plot

    ‘Insurgency may surface in Northwest’

    Another polls shift likely

    he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  appears determined to ensure the  military does its bidding during the March 28 and April 11 elections despite the condemnation of the Presidency and the military high command for the ignoble roles of soldiers in the June 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State.

    The caucus of the party, The Nation learnt last night, met on February 9 in Abuja and agreed on how the military will either be used to intimidate voters and key opposition figures or get the rescheduled polls postponed again.

    The election would have been held on February 14 and 28. They were shifted because the Service Chiefs said they could not gurantee security – a stance that drew the criticisms of the Armed Forces.

    The only agenda of the meeting was a review of recent developments in the polity and the need to re-strategise, it was learnt.

    A source at the meeting said one of the sensitive issues discussed was how to use the military to create the impression that the security situation in the Northeast is still precarious and, therefore, not conducive for elections.

    The source said the meeting zeroed in on the Northwest , seen as the strongest base of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, and resolved that the zone be made unsafe for the elections .

    “What they plan to do here is to target markets,football viewing centres and motor parks for attacks , “ the source said.

    The idea, according to him, is to give the nation the impression that Boko Haram has relocated to the Northwest from the Northeast where the insurgents are being fought by a coalition of troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun and Niger.

    With the Northwest now target of attacks, the military will be prevailed upon to ask for another postponement of the election, citing as excuse the contrived security challenge in the zone.

    The Nation could, however, not confirm if the military has agreed to the plot. The source, who pleaded not to be named because of what he described as the sensitivity of the matter, however, said that President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP are determined to have their way and are not bothered about the consequences of their actions.

    Should this strategy fail and elections become imperative, soldiers will be deployed in the Northwest to arrest leading members of the APC as was the case in Ekiti State in the last governorship election. The meeting, attended  by PDP governors and other caucus members, resolved to compile the names of key APC members to be placed under security watch from now till the elections.

    The Nation learnt that the meeting also discussed how to discredit the chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.  INEC  and Jega , the meeting resolved, must be presented as incapable of conducting free and fair elections . To do this, the party must not relent on its opposition to the use of the Permanent Voter Card and card readers for the election, it was resolved.

    The meeting also resolved that the PDP must sustain its campaign against Gen. Buhari, “who must be discredited and all means used to douse his popularity”.

    In the Northeast, voters must be scared from voting so as to “ depopulate the APC.

    “This strategy has been criticised by APC’s spokesman Lai Mohammed who accused the PDP of dropping leaflets in strategic places in Gombe, warning voters not to show up for the elections.

    It was learnt that the meeting, blamed the party’s Presidential Campaign Committee( PCC) , headed by Dr. Ahmad’s Ali , for the low turnout at many of the rallies.

    “It was clear from the discussion that the main concern of those present is the votes of  Northwest which they believe the APC candidate will sweep in a free and fair contest, “ the source said . “  They are determined to deny him this block vote, “ he added.

    The Northwest, Northcentral and Northeast have a combined voters’ strengthe of 37,120,011. The Northwest alone accounts for 18,616,499 voters.  This is more than the Northeast’s figure of 10,447,510. The Northcentral has 8,056,002. The APC and its candidate enjoy huge support in the Northwest. This, said a source, is disturbing to the PDP which is ready to decinate the APC’s hold in the geopolitical zone.

    The defection of Governor Aliyu Wammako, who is a “grassroots politician and games master”, and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to APC has made a mess of the electoral fortunes of PDP in the caliphate. The dilemma of the ruling party heightened with the persistent crisis in the PDP over the choice of a governorship candidate. Sokoto State Deputy Governor Mukhtar Shehu Shagari, who has been the unifying factor of the party, was denied the ticket, leaving room for protest votes. Vice-President Namadi Sambo has gone to Sokoto for reconciliation but the warring factions remain adamant.  Sokoto is a natural political habitat of Gen. Buhari, who scored 540, 769 to Jonathan’s 309, 057 when PDP was intact.

    To shore up its image, the PDP wooed ex-Governor Attahiru Bafarawa to its side but he is yet to add value to the party till date. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), is also under pressure to return his state to the ruling party. Though not a politician, Col. Dasuki could wield influence in the ruling party.

    The imposition of a former Coordinator of the Counter Terrorism Centre in the Presidency, Maj-Gen Sarki Yaki Bello (Kebbi Central) as the party’s governorship candidate has become an albatross for PDP in the state. Governor Saidu Dakingari cannot deliver the state to Jonathan, going by the gale of defections from the PDP to the APC. Although the state voted for Gen. Buhari by 501,453 to Jonathan’s 369, 198 in 2011, PDP’s rating has fallen drastically.

    The APC has the sympathy of the likes of the political godfather of the state, ex-Governor Adamu Aliero; ex-Secretary to the State Government Ahmed Samma; Dr. Yahaya Aliyu; Malam Bukhari Bello; Dr. Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi, Abubakar Atiku Bunu, Abubakar Chika Malami, Ahmed Mohammed Sama, Salihu Isah Nataro, Bala Musa Sakaba, Mohammed Nasir Sala Koko, Sadeeq Sule Iko-Sami, Suleiman Mohammed Argungu, ex-Military Administrator Col. Inuwa Bawa and Sadiq Yelwa, among others.

    Complacency and intra-party wranglings were the lot of the defunct CPC in Katsina State in 2011. But, even at that, Gen. Buhari earned 1, 163, 919 votes to beat Jonathan with 428, 392. If PDP has anything to salvage its image, it is the record performance of Governor Ibrahim Shema. Yet, with the cult following of Gen. Buhari, he will still defeat the President again without blinking an eye. The people of Katsina are desirous of returning power to the state following the death of ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua in May 2010. Gen. Buhari’s luck is brightened by the support from the Yar’Aduas and their loyalists in the state.

    Kaduna is a familiar battleground where Vice-President Namadi Sambo is spiritedly struggling to deliver to prove critics wrong that he is a paperweight politician. Without Permanent Voter Cards in 2011, Jonathan-Sambo secured 1,190, 179 votes to lose the state to Gen. Buhari, who polled 1,334, 244.  The defections of Suleiman Hunkuyi and some die-hard supporters of ex-Governor Ahmed Makarfi may deplete the votes of PDP. The emergence of ex-Minister of FCT Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and the anger of the people of Southern Kaduna against Governor Ramalan Yero over the incessant killings in their area by gunmen have created electoral obstacles for PDP in the state. Most supporters of the late Governor Patrick Yakowa are unhappy with Yero’s style for allegedly not creating a sense of belonging for all. The removal of the former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Andrew Yakubu (a Southerner from Kaduna) has fuelled the anger against PDP.

    With the political sagacity and organisational ability of Governor Sule Lamido, Buhari still defeated Jonathan  in 2011 with 663,994 to 419, 252. The 2015 scenario is more interesting in Jigawa State as the governor is only keen on how to retain PDP’s control of all elective offices, except the presidency. It is also difficult to place Lamido who also recently abused Buhari and other key opposition leaders.

    A few weeks ago, Lamido rejected his appointment as the Northwest Coordinator for Jonathan’s campaign because he was not consulted before the appointment was made public. Apart from being angry about the arrest of his son for money laundering, Lamido is also unhappy with the ongoing public spat between President Jonathan and his political godfather, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Given the choice any day, Lamido will pitch his tent with Obasanjo. He has consistently said Jonathan is yet to redeem the promises he made to the people of the state in 2011.  Jigawa is an open electoral mine for Jonathan and Buhari to explore. But Buhari has mass followership in the state. He is likely to gain more votes.

    Kano is another Northwest electoral enclave of Gen. Buhari who got 1,624, 543 votes in 2011 to Jonathan’s 440,000. The defection of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso to APC and his growing political popularity (having come second to Gen. Buhari at the APC presidential primaries) have weakened the PDP further. Expectedly, the PDP played a fast one to draw ex-Governor of Kano State Ibrahim Shekarau to its side to curtail the influence of the APC.

    But nothing has changed as Kwankwassiyya (the nickname for Kwankwaso’s political ideology) is the rave of the moment. Shekarau cannot confront Buhari and Kwankwaso at the same time and win. He was a beneficiary of Buhari’s mass support base in 2003 and 2007. INEC records confirmed that Shekarau got 917, 012 votes (2.40%) as a presidential candidate in 2011 of the 38, 209, 978 votes cast. Other factors against Jonathan in Kano are the Boko Haram insurgency, which is the state, the Presidency’s face-off with ex-CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the gang-up of Kano elites against PDP.

    A source added that the plan to use the military to cut APC to size in the Northwest will take the same format as was used in Ekiti State, where the commander of an army division was detailed to work with PDP agents to ensure the emergence of Mr. Ayo Fayose as governor. It will involve the arrest and intimidation of key APC chiefs in various parts of the country.