The Nation Newspaper

Tag: seat

  • Reps declare seat of deceased members vacant

    Reps declare seat of deceased members vacant

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas yesterday declared vacant the seat of two members who died in the last eight days.

    Tajudeen said it was in compliance with Section 68(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    The deceased lawmakers are Olaide Akinremi (Ibadan North), Oyo State and Ekene Adams (Chikun/Kajuru), Kaduna State.

    Read Also: IGP to policemen: be honest, transparent

    While Akinremi died on July 10, Adams died on.

    With the announcement by the Speaker, contest for the two seats has officially begun.

  • The expensive seat

    The expensive seat

    The sudden resignation of a senior adviser to a South-South governor, no doubt came as a shock to many, but certainly not to individuals who had an inkling of the silent war that had raged within the governor’s cabinet for some time.

    The former top aide had gleefully posted on social media after her resignation that she came, saw and conquered; a declaration that would be easily comprehended by those in the know of the running battle the former official of a global oil and gas company had with some other members of the cabinet.

    She was said to have fallen out with the people that called the shots in the cabinet on a day they had to travel with the governor in an aircraft andshe had taken her seat in Business Class before the arrival of the governor.

    But moments after she had settled into her seat, she was approached by some aides of the governor who told her to vacate the seat she had settled in. With her background in the corporate world, the request made no sense to her. Hence she was adamant and kept her seat.

    Read Also: I made right choice in picking SSG, deputy governor, says Aiyedatiwa

    Unknown to her, the unimaginable, the outlandish and the bizarre are the ingredients that make the political terrain tick. Needless to say that she entered the bad book of those who call the shots in the state government after committing a cardinal offence.

    The consequent witch-hunting and the frustration that attended it eventually compelled her to throw in the towel with the triumphant declaration that she came, saw and conquered. At least, she conquered in the battle for the expensive seat!

  • Obiano’s victory ends battle for Anambra seat

    Obiano’s victory ends battle for Anambra seat

    Governor Willy Obiano’s declaration as winner of the Anambra State election by the Independent National Electoral Commission ((INEC) yesterday ended the battle for the coveted seat in the Southeast state. RAYMOND MORDI and NWANOSIKE ONU write on the factors that shaped the election in which the incumbent trounced 35 challengers. 

    Incumbent Governor Willie Obiano of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) won last Saturday’s governorship election convincingly. He defeated his opponents in all the 21 local government with 234,071 votes, representing 55.42 per cent of the total valid votes cast.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer in the race, Dr. Tony Nwoye trailed him with 98,752 votes. Mr. Oseloka Obaze of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) followed closely with 70,293 votes.

    Obiano had the highest number of votes in his Anambra East Local Government Area. His APC challenger is also from the local government area.

    The governor got 20,510 votes in the local government, while Nwoye trailed behind with 5,248 votes. Obaze garnered 1,132 votes in the council, which has 72, 886 registered voters.

    At the height of polls’ collation, the Chief Returning Officer and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Zana Akpogu, declared that Obiano have satisfied the requirements of the law and “is hereby declared winner.”

    Obiano declared that his triumph at the election is a victory for the people and not for himself or APGA. He said it is the time to build a new world for the people of Anambra, thanking them for having confidence in him, to leading the state to the promise land.

    The United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate, Osita Chidoka, who came fourth in the race, said he lost because he refused to share money like others.

    In his reaction, the political godfather of Anambra, Chief Chris Uba, said his party, the PDP, lost the election because of the impunity and the hijack of the party by former Governor Peter Obi.

    He said the last time the PDP produced a governor in Anambra was in 2003, when he made Dr. Chris Ngige governor. He described Obaze as a foreigner imposed on the party by Obi, noting that was painful for the PDP to come a distant behind APGA and APC in Anambra.

    He, however, warned the PDP to either correct the impunity during the forthcoming national convention of the party on December 9 or remain same. He said Obi should apologise to members of the party on the pages of five newspapers and he (Uba) would know what to do.

    With the landslide victory, the people have shown more confidence in Obiano and APGA as a political platform. The APGA flag bearer defeated his APC counterpart in Senator Chris Ngige’s polling unit in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra Central Senatorial District; in Senator Uche Ekwunife’s unit at Nri, Anaocha Local Government Area, Anambra Central; and Prince Arthur Eze’s polling unit in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area, also Anambra Central.

    The Chairman of the Willie Obiano Campaign Organisation, Chief Victor Umeh, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying the way and manner the commission went about the process accounted for the difference.

    Umeh said that all the ad hoc staff and collation officers that took part in the election were selected by the commission in such a way that their identities were not known until the last minute.

    The returning officer, a former National Chairman of APGA, who said the party feared that the election might be rigged by the APC-controlled Federal Government in favour of its candidate, noted that the electoral umpire  shocked the people with the best election that has ever been held in the state.

    He said: “We already knew that Governor Obiano have won the election yesterday, but there was palpable tension that the result will be changed overnight. But the results declared here today suggest that the process was transparent: nothing was changed.

    “All the results we received from the local government collation centres yesterday were the actual results declared here today. This is what we wish for the country; to have an electoral process where the people will decide who becomes their leader. If we get it right continuously in this regard, this country will always have leaders that will serve them.”

    According to Umeh, last Saturday was not the first time APGA will be securing a landslide victory in a governorship election, recalling that “in 2013, Obiano won in 20 out the 21 local government areas in the state. But he won in all the 21 councils this time around, because of the great work he did in virtually all the communities. So, you can see that the mandate was unanimous: no local government shied away from giving him maximum support.

    “Again, APGA has shown that it is the dominant party here; the people believe in it because it represents their political life. By the time Obiano completes his second term, the party would have governed the state for 16 years.’’

    Umeh said APGA has offered good governance in the last 12 years, thereby making the state secure and stable.

    Confirming his early belief that the people will not gamble, by voting for somebody they do not know, he added: “Good governance is very rare in Nigeria; any place you see it the citizens will grab it. That’s what the people of Anambra haws done.”

     

    Why Obiano won

    One of the biggest factors that aided Governor Will Obiano’s victory is incumbency. Naturally, Obiano exploited it throughout the electioneering campaign period. His billboards and posters were the most visible throughout the major roads in the state. One can hardly find billboards and posters of the other candidates on major roads in the state. Opponents have accused the party of destroying their billboards and posters.

    In terms of performance, Obiano may not have performed to everyone’s expectation, but he exploited the fact that he is in power by embarking on last minute developmental projects to garner votes in areas his opponents are expected to have block votes.

    In his campaign, Obiano tried to whip up the same sentiments that worked for the party in previous elections. One of such is to position APGA as an Igbo party. Owing to this sentiment, APGA has been winning elections since 2003. Though former Governor Peter Obi and the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s son, Emeka Jnr., have refuted the claims of APGA that the former warlord warned the Igbo not to abandon the party, their words have certainly not made impact in the minds of the people of Anambra, who take APGA as their own.

    Besides, the party is well rooted in the state. So, it has its own die-hard supporters, who believe he has done well under the circumstance he finds himself.

    Another factor responsible for Obiano’s re-election is the zoning arrangement. In the spirit of the zoning arrangement, the two other major parties – the APC and the PDP – picked their candidates from Anambra North, which is favoured to occupy the governorship seat in the next four years. But the odds favoured Obiano, who is entitled to only one more term of four years.

    Although both Nwoye and Obaze who are from Anambra North like the incumbent signed an undertaking pledging to do only one term to complete the eight years allotted to the zone, electorates from Anambra South were more favourably disposed to back Obiano as a matter of expediency.

    Observers say the political titans from the zone were more comfortable with Obiano, because his continuation would provide the shortest route for the zone to grab power.

     

    President Buhari

    Despite being the national leader of the ruling party, the President did not interfere in the conduct of the Anambra elections. His father-for-all role was on display when he ordered the reinstatement of the security details of Obiano, who were withdrawn by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris, few days to the election.

     

    INEC

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is one of the major beneficiaries of the Anambra governorship election, having conducted it without the usual hiccups that always characterized the exercise in the country.

    Though there were few complaints of late arrival of materials in some places and malfunction of the card reader machines, but the election has been adjudged the best so far in the land.

     

    Obiano

    He is the incumbent governor of the state, who was pressurised to relinquish his office by the opposition. But his dogged nature, sincerity and straight forwardness paved the way for him during the election on Saturday

    Many people had written him off in the election, but his open mind and politics of anti party by some members of other political parties gave him victory.

     

    Police

    The masses had lost confidence in the Nigeria police especially,  when it comes to issues of conducting elections in the country because of the way they bully,  harass and intimidate innocent souls.

    But the comportment of the police men including rank and file and maturity displayed by them had given  the people a new hope in the police

     

    APGA

    The party has really proved with the Obiano victory that it is no longer a party, but a movement for the voters in Anambra State. The party defeated the PDP, despite the backing of Obi, who dumped APGA for the then ruling PDP after ruling the state for two consecutive terms.

  • When the devil buys a seat

    On Sunday August 6, St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Ozubulu community, Anambra State was the scene of an unspeakable tragedy. Just as the early morning mass was about to start the ‘Prayer of the faithful’, the service was brought to a halt by an attack from gunmen which left 12 worshippers dead and several more wounded. Since then, a number of accounts, both official and hearsay have emerged. There have also been some ‘investigations’ by people familiar with the Ozubulu community and its recent challenges. The narrative that has emerged so far is that the tragedy that took place was instigated by two citizens of Ozubulu who live outside of the country. The tale is one straight out of a Nollywood movie. It is a story about drugs, money, deadly violence, turf, betrayal and power. There is even an ‘exotic’ location thrown in – South Africa. There is a full cast of characters in the story with lead actors, supporting actors, side-kicks, directors and producers, with a Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and no end to the production in sight.

    One of the many concerns about the Ozubulu tragedy is the desecration of the sanctity of a place of worship. A church is meant to be a sanctuary, a sacred place where you are safe in the hands of God. For the period of time you are there, you are meant to lay all your worldly worries at the feet of God Almighty. As you step out of the church after the service, you are expected to be full of resolve, refreshed and recommitted to doing God’s work. A church is holy ground and one of the worst things that you could do as a human being is bring blood into the house of God. The same inviolable principle applies to places of worship in other faiths. So why was a holy place drenched in blood at Ozubulu?

    I believe that one of the main reasons why this happened is because the church is no longer considered a holy space, a place immune from violation and safe from desecration. A church is now seen as nothing special, no different from a social club, sporting ground, owambe party, political rally or gathering of shareholders attending an Annual General Meeting.

    A lot has been said and written in Nigeria about the worrying trends in our churches and the huge gap that exists between the elites who own and run the churches, particularly the Pentecostal ones, and the majority of their congregation who are poor but still manage to subsidise the lifestyles of the church leaders. The older orthodox churches have decided to join in on the action; after all, the business of organized religion relies on a very straightforward ‘bums on seats’ strategy. More souls won equals more money to sustain the ministry and spread the word. Every business has to aim for success, whether it is faith based or secular. What is deeply troubling is the lack of caution and of discernment that has created a level operational field for all manner of scoundrels to literally take over the house of God.

    It is not possible for recipients of charitable donations to screen every penny to determine the ‘cleanliness’ of its source just as the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese stated in response to questions about the mysterious nature of the benefactors. However, in light of the recent disturbing trends happening in places of worship, some circumspection is called for in the way and manner in which donations are solicited. Ozubulu is a small community. It is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone’s business. The people there know what their children at home and abroad are up to. Even if they choose to look the other way, they know. And this includes the clergy. Edifices such as churches and cathedrals used to be built over many years, with the clergy and community toiling together to finish the project. Now it seems there is a competition to see how many rich people can build houses for God in their community.

    There is also another trend with the less affluent sector of the church. Last week there was a list that was being circulated online, allegedly from True Vine Power House given to a couple who wanted to get married in the church. The list included specific fees for the officiating ministers, food for the clergy and church workers and – don’t laugh – a suit for the Pastor and his wife! It is customary to give officiating ministers a cash gift, but it is supposed to be voluntary and not mandatory. Providing refreshments is also usually done, but this list was clear about the brand preferences of the church – they wanted Five Alive juice and canned Maltina. The pastor of this church does not have the kind of empire that can enable him buy a private jet. So perhaps we should not begrudge him a new suit every week, depending on how many weddings he conducts. This is what the house of God has been reduced to. A place where people have to pay for services which should be rendered as part of God’s work, a place where modest contributions within the means of parishioners is not enough, a place where congregants are coerced or manipulated into parting with huge sums of money to sustain a lifestyle they do not live themselves. A place where dubious characters make the largest donations and receive the highest honours, over and above the poor and lowly who toil day and night. This is why the church has become just like any other site of social engagement and interaction. And this is why gunmen had the audacity and heartlessness to barge in to the house of God and open fire on defenceless worshippers.

    There was a protest at the Great Faith Ministries International Church in Detroit, Michigan in September 2016, led by a group called New Era Detroit. They were protesting the lack of accountability of wealthy black pastors who own luxurious homes and drive Rolls Royces, yet they have their churches in some of the poorest communities in the country. To add insult to injury, they had the audacity to ask for U$1,000 donations at a church service. If you did not have that much you could give U$300 and there was an ATM machine if you needed cash! This was too much for some of the congregants so there was a protest right there in the church. We have a few of those churches around here too, but we have not heard any loud protests against brazen hustling for church donations. When we ask what happened to the Gospel according to Mathew 6.3, ‘But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth’, we are reminded these are different times. Giving anonymously does not translate into Knighthoods in the church, votes at elections or coveted chieftaincy titles.

    Another thing that I found alarming, reading all the commentaries on the Ozubulu incident, is that most of the analysis focused on the emerging sociology of the Igbo culture where money has become the god that people worship. Any drop-out who manages to make a fortune from any kind of business is received with open arms and the money they throw around is respected with no questions asked. I believe this pathologising of Igbo people and their culture (either by themselves or others) has to stop. The blind worship of money is not unique to the Igbo community. Criminal enterprise is an equal opportunity employer, and even though it might use an ethnic division of labour every now and then, criminals are to be found all across the country – kidnappers, armed robbers, terrorists, ritual killers, fraudsters, looters of treasuries, riggers of elections, sexual predators, drug barons, no community has a monopoly over criminal activity. This is not an Igbo problem; it is not even a uniquely Nigerian one. We all have a role to play and we all have questions to answer when something like this happens. Let the true servants of God step up. Let our security agencies do their job without fear or favour. The devil will always show up wearing Prada and bearing irresistible gifts. We only make it easier when we allow him a customized seat in our places of worship.

     

    • Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer.

  • When commonsense and logic take back seat

    I think it was in the late 1980s, when a solitary voice of a ‘rogue’ clergy decided to speak truth to power during a national day celebration, that God would punish Nigeria or apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.  It was trenchant and scathing message that lampooned and lacerated the soul of the government of General Ibrahim Babangida.  It was a government that was a bazaar of corruption and waste laced with abuse of human rights and due process.  It was a message to Nigerian leaders to demonstrate responsible leadership that caters for the well being of the people.   Never again has Nigeria gotten such voice like Bishop Ukaegbu from the pulpit and exalted altar of God as what we have today are partisan politicians in cassock.

    Nigerians are unanimous in the knowledge and perception that corruption has brought the nation to its knees and nobody appeared to have the leadership courage and conscience to tackle it because it is defended by the institutional apparatchiks of state. Alas, we found one man with gut and mindset fixated in taking on the monster.  However, rather than offer our support, we have chosen the usual sectarian ethno-religious arguments to whittle the drive to our misfortune.

    Just last week, the National Judicial Council directed some judges who were alleged to have committed some infractions in their line of duties to return to work for lack of evidence or the inability of the anti-graft agencies to press charges against them. While this may have been in the spirit and letter of the law and constitution, it certainly will bring credibility question to the judiciary because it is an institution that should be above board and all appearances of impropriety.  To have people in the temple of justice who themselves are perceived to be in a cloak of filth will be a disservice to the people and a moral burden to the judiciary.  I do not know why Nigerians are lacking in honour and integrity to know when to call it a quit when they no longer possess the moral compass to navigate public office. How will those judges face a litigant who himself may be facing similar charge to which he himself was only cleared as a result of clumsy and lackadaisical investigation by the operatives of the anti graft agencies?

    People have tried to kill the fight against corruption on the altar of sentiment and emotion rather than appeal to common sense and logic and where necessary offer honest suggestion in order to strength the agencies behind the wheel.  My worry is that we are about to lose steam because the fight has been centred on one man, an individual, the President himself, Muhammadu Buhari.  This is sad enough because it is not supposed to be so.  Our major problem appears to be that institutions in our country have been built around individuals who appear to be strong men; whereas, we need strong institution rather than strong men.  The agencies, especially the EFCC is still relatively active today because the President is alive and breathing and may God continue to give him breath but should he be out of the scene – God forbid – it will be good bye to the fight against graft and corruption as the hyenas in the National Assembly and their cahoots would taken us back to the years of the locust.

    We are sitting on a time bomb and the only thing that is certain in our today Nigeria is uncertainty.  There is increasing worry about security even when the security forces appear to be reining in the insurgency in the North-east.  Armed robbery and burglary is a daily experience of Nigerians everywhere including the city centre of Abuja, the seat of government.  Kidnapping and abduction have taken a frightening dimension with no respite in sight as security agencies appear hopelessly clueless or complicit in the entire enterprise.  They would tell relatives of victims not to pay ransom but often times; they are the conveyors of the same ransom.  One wonders how these bandits would haul away the loot from their criminal enterprise without trace.

    How come that the government cannot think out of the box and put security surveillance in pursuit of these criminals through aerial survey using drones, chips and trackers?  Look at the Lagos State Model College, Igbonla incident where six pupils were abducted; it is of course a sad reminder of the Chibok Girls abduction. Now the agonizing parents are left to start raising money for the ransom where we have both the state and the federal government in a matter involving lives of our citizens, innocent children.  Worst still, we are not seeing any action and concrete steps by the state or even civil society organizations to put pressure on a sleeping government to wake up to its responsibility.

    What is becoming apparent is that the men of criminal underworld are carving territory for themselves while the state busy itself in the city centres concerned with raising money through internally generated revenue (IGR) to oil the state bureaucracy to the detriment of the safety of lives and property of citizens.  Have we all lost our common sense and humanity that lives even of children cannot provoke our leaders into action?  Where are the promised democratic deliveries when we do not have food on our tables, no electricity to power our business and above all, there is no security of lives and property?

    This is time for the citizens to hold their heads together when the politicians are losing theirs, scheming for 2019 when we are losing territories criminals, bigots and ethnicists. The dialogue should not be centred on geopolitical, ethno-religious considerations which the ruling class has used to perpetually put unbearable burden on Nigerian masses.  This is time too for our leaders to employ common sense and simple logic.

     

    • Kebonkwu Esq. writes from Abuja.
  • Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu on students’ hot seat

    Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu on students’ hot seat

    Students of the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) have hosted the two leading candidates in the September 28 governorship elections in Edo State. During the interaction, Godwin Obaseki (APC) and Osagie Ize-Iyamu explained how they would engage youths if elected. EVERISTUS ONWUZURIKE (Corps member, NYSC Benin City) reports.

    For hours, the two leading candidates in the September 28 Edo State governorship election literally sat on the hot seat, fielding questions from students and explaining how they would govern the state if elected.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, were hosted to an interactive forum with the theme: “Why me”.

    The event was organised by International Leadership Idea Exchange (ILIX), a non-governmental group at the Benson Idahosa University (BIU) in Benin City.

    The candidates shared their manifestoes, defending why they should be voted as the next Edo governor. The governorship hopefuls answered questions on health, security, human resource development, job creation and industrialisation and education, among others. They also unveiled their programmes for the youth.

    For Obaseki, it is time to harness the energy of the youth for irreversible development. He said his administration would engage the youth in productive ventures, promising to create 200,000 jobs through his agricultural programmes.

    Obaseki said his experience as a member of the economic team of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration gave him the privilege to know how best to engage the youth.

    He said: “As a wealth management expert for over 30 years, I promise to create over 200,000 jobs through agriculture and its value chain. Through this, the state would become the driver of the country’s food production if I emerge the governor.

    “Many people would generate wealth by keying into our value chain development of oil palm, cassava, cocoa, grains, rubber, fruits and vegetables.Our plan for the next four years is to create jobs that will be adequate to make the youth dream of better future.”

    If elected, Obaseki, an investment banker, said his administration would ensure smooth running of government, because he already had a blueprint of what the state should look like, saying: “We need to continue to keep Edo State as the hub of quality education.”

    He added that his government would make the state an investment destination by creating an enabling environment for public private partnership (PPP).

    “There is so much we have done and we need someone who understands the terrain to continue,” he said.

    On his own part, Ize-Iyamu said he was in the race because of his deep concerns about happenings in the state. He hailed the university for fostering democratic practice in the state, saying he was more than qualified to govern the state with his wealth of experience.

    He said: “I am not contesting because I am concerned or passionate, but because I also have the experience to change things for better in the state.”

    On job creation, he said investments in industries would create jobs for the youth. He said the administration is not creative in creating jobs for the youth, noting that the state depended on payments of taxes and allocations from Abuja only.

    He assured that how to repair the poor condition of the road that leads to the university would be his priority if elected, promising to complete the road within his first tenure.

    “The more attractive we make Benson Idahosa University, the better it is for the state, and we will make BIU road a priority,” he said

    Ize-Iyamu promised a state that would be different from the present situation, saying he would right the wrongs perpetrated by Oshiomhole’s government.

    The PDP candidate said the state’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) would improve through his strategic investment programme, adding that his administration would discourage multiple and increased taxation.

    He said his administration would invest in a film village and railway station, promising to expand the operation of Benin Airport to make it to be of international standard.

    The BIU President, Bishop Faith Emmanuel Idahosa, who moderated the event, said the forum was to make students politically knowledgeable to think and address issues, rather than casting vote based on sentiment. He said the event would improve democratic practice in the state.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Ernest Izevbigie, hailed the candidates for honoring that university’s invitation and promised to work with them in the future.

    ILIX is a platform established by Bishop Idahosa to bring together thought leaders, industry experts, practitioners, researchers, and young innovators to dialogue and proffer solutions to national and global issues.

  • The race for Ekweremadu’s seat

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State was his usual boisterous self recently, when he boasted in a magisterial audacity, to oust the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. And as the latest political Mr. fix-it, he declared that his man-Friday, Benjamin Uwajimogu would metamorphose from his senatorial debut to replace Ekweremadu. That would, in Okorocha’s self-serving calculation, be a reward for being the only APC Senator from the South-east. Great logic! Power is indeed the greatest aphrodisiac (apologies to Henry Kissinger). Late Gen. Sani Abacha’s despotic obsession notwithstanding, he had to even meander through a subterfuge of leprous fingers of the then five political parties, to white-wash his botched ambition to appear ‘people-driven’.

    The whole plot against Ekweremadu will end up as the historically damaging United States Vietnamese experience. His offence borders on membership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and occupying the number two position in the Senate, at a time when APC is the ruling party. After all, when PDP was in charge, it took everything. They must therefore go for his jugular. But what Ekweremadu’s accusers fail to understand is that APC’s victory came with a slim margin which could alter precedents and throw up hunting spheres for sophisticated politicking. Nigerians are aware that Rochas was merely re-echoing the stale conspiracy of political storm-troopers against Ekweremadu in the national political chessboard. It is what is known in African folklore as the twittering of a sparrow dancing in the middle of the road, to the drumbeats of a deity in a nearby evil forest. I pity Ndigbo! It is appalling that our present crop of leaders fail to appreciate the strategic gains of the principle of ‘Be your brother’s keeper’, which made Igbo race to be revered and dreaded before the Nigerian civil war. My generation is greatly maligned by the tomfoolery, cluelessness, unregulated individualism and a clear absence of strategic thinking of the people who mount the rostrum for us. This sycophantic macabre dance to out-do one another in trying to impress the men of power at Abuja is one of the inherent contradictions of Ndigbo’s corporate personality in the mainstream of national politics.

    Who will not remember the way northerners in the House of Representatives (irrespective of political parties) rallied around the former Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba and saved him from the plundering presidential power that wanted to unseat him at all costs? Is it not shameful that Ndigbo must always strive to pull down one another in any position given to them at the national level? The familiar fingerprints played out when the senate presidency was zoned to the South-east. The same ghost pervaded the office of national chairman of PDP when it was zoned to the South-east. The unceremonious exit of Okwesilieze Nwodo, after Prince Vincent Ogbulafor was ousted, coupled with the unwillingness of the then governors to field a replacement from the zone, made Ndigbo to lose that slot, and unfortunately, that vacuum created is at the root of the intractable leadership crisis bedevilling PDP today. Why must it be Governor Rochas Okorocha that had the unenviable assignment to announce the manhunt for his brother’s seat? For sure, it is a fact in dialectics that the most effective weapon in destroying an endangered group by the ruling class is to engage the service of a willing pawn among them. In any case, political mercantilism is like the adventures of the sorcerer’s apprentice. Would Rochas be taking on this wild goose chase gambling if Ekweremadu did not exploit his ranking status and legislative dexterity to get elected in the only position, which gives a resemblance of belongingness for Ndigbo in the Nigerian tripod arrangement?  It is only a gate-crasher with ‘notice me’ mentality that would jubilate over a town-crier role in a setting of jackboot scorched earth policy against fellow kinsmen. Our people should learn from the warm relationships that existed between David Mark as the Senate President and Gabriel Suswan as Governor of Benue State as well as the cordiality between former Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and then Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji  Wammako.  I hope Governor Rochas knows that Ndigbo need a voice to speak truth to power in the face of greatest form of marginalization in the post-civil war Nigeria. Ndigbo will like Owelle to explain the rationale for the absence of any Igbo man in the leadership of major security formations in Nigeria. What about the 2016 capital expenditure in the federal budget of Lagos State which is geometrically far above what is allocated to the entire five states in the South-east? We need to know what caused the ethnic cleansing in the military in which over 75% of persons affected by the recent sack were officers from the South-east and South-south.  Ndigbo would be interested to know the justification for the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB while Fulani herdsmen that brandished AK-47 assault rifles are walking the streets free? What about the broad day light killings of Igbo youngsters that were exercising their inalienable rights of peaceful protest by the Nigerian soldiers?  Can Rochas remind the powers-that-be that since the 250 members of civilian JTF in Borno State were good for absorption into the military, it would also be good to restore the guarding of onshore pipelines to the Niger Delta ex-militants in preparation for their absorption into the Nigerian Navy, instead of raining bullets in the beleaguered communities. My take is that Rochas is playing a script that he kept to his chest. Any possible presidential material from the South-east is a threat, and therefore should be warded off or be decimated politically. That is why Owelle is very critical of any kite flown in the media by any political party especially PDP, of a possible zoning of vice presidential or presidential slot to the South-east.  Who does not know that common sense demands that in a land where the ruling class (through utterances and dispositions) declared to reduce a certain people to second class citizens, the last man standing should be guarded with livid jealousy, like an only son in a family in need of perpetuity. What Ndigbo need now is a broad-based inter-party collaboration driven by enlightened self-interest in order moderate the smouldering tension and flak of mass anger at home, accentuated by feelings of alienation and deprivations in the national political economy. The former governor of old Imo State, Dee Sam Mbakwe, though elected under the opposition NPP, was legendary and earned the status of a weeping governor because of his dexterous civilized approach and engagement with the NPN-led Federal Government, which paid off in leapfrogging development efforts in the war-torn Igboland. Let Rochas sheathe his sword and allow Ekweremadu be. At least, Ekweremadu’s recent magnanimity and timely distribution of largesse of over N40 million to his constituents at a time when many Nigerians go to bed without food, will keep the heavenly angels of the beneficiaries awake to fight for him.

     

    • Dr. Uche can be reached on freshhope4me@yahoo.com
  • Mounting the hot seat

    Mounting the hot seat

    Prof Muhammad Sani Abdulkadir has resumed as the Vice-Chancellor of the Kogi State University (KSU) in Anyigba. As he basks in the euphoria of his appointment, MOHAMMED YABAGI (300-Level Mass Communication) writes on the challenges he must address.

    Public Administration seems to be the toughest job in the country. To effectively run a large organisation, an administrator needs to combine sagacity and diplomacy to survive the intricacy of public office.

    These attributes, perhaps, came handy to Prof Hassan Isah, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Kogi State University (KSU) in Anyigba. Isah left with a record as the institution’s longest serving VC. He spent seven years in office.

    Prof Isah saw the good, the bad and the ugly. He was, sometimes, frightened by the enormity of challenges of the university and fought several battles to stay afloat. He won some; he lost some.

    Prof Muhammad Sani Abdulkadir has succeeded him.

    Beyond the euphoria of his appointment and congratulatory messages, the new helmsman must know that he has a herculean task of sustaining the successes of his predecessor and bringing out new ideas on how to solve the multi-faceted challenges facing the school.

    The Isah-led management was faced with several challenges- both academic and non-academic. But, he mapped out strategy to tackle the challenges head-on. The notable achievements recorded by his administration include provision of key facilities, which led to the full accreditation of many academic programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    This led to an increase in students’ enrolment, which in turn boosted the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) of the institution. Prof Isah-led management also introduced electronic examination by upgrading the computer centre.

    Despite the feats, some berated the former VC on his handling of internal strikes by the lecturers. The local chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was at loggerheads with the government over the non-remittance of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), which amounted to over N1 billion.

    Some lecturers accused the former VC of frustrating the ASUU’s efforts to have audience with Governor Idris Wada on the matter, which remains unresolved. Expectations are high on how the new VC would resolve this knotty issue.

  • Furore over Akwa Ibom Senate seat

    •Group seeks Ikot Ekpene poll’s cancellation

    The Re-claim Essien Udim Group has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the National Assembly election into the Senate for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.

    The group described the election as a “sham and a cocktail of electoral irregularities”.

    According to the group, in a transparent democracy, both the process and procedure are as important as the final outcome.

    They said: “Regrettable, the elections into the Senate as well as the Presidential and House of Representatives elections in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district was characterized by massive rigging of unimaginable proportion before, during and after the elections which ended up rendering the ballot process a barren exercise.

    “All this happened under the watchful eyes of officers and men of the police who accompanied the Commissioner. The impunity did not end there. INEC officials were not given the election result sheets. Rather they were ordered to the Commissioners House where fraudulent election results were written.”

    Also the group said in Abak Local Government Area , there was no election material for the polls, a deliberate conspiracy to disenfranchise the electorate and rig the polls.

    In Essien Udim LGA, the hometown of Governor Akpabio, the group said it was an open secret that the Governor had diverted election materials to his private residence where he had camped both electoral officers and NYSC ad hoc staffs.

    The stakeholders also said in Odoro Ikot clan, results were falsified.

    They alleged that results were also falsified in Obot Akara ,Ini, Ikono, Ikot Ekpene, Ika , Ukanafun , Oruk Anam Local Governments.

    The stakeholders thanked the APC teaming supporters across the senatorial district for maintaining the peace despite the action of the PDP and Governor Akpabio which was highly provocative.

  • Ganduje, Takai battle for Kwankwaso’s seat

    Ganduje, Takai battle for Kwankwaso’s seat

    The road to the governorship election in Kano State has been rough. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Alhaji Salihu Takai, are warming up for the poll. KOLADE ADEYEMI examines the fierce battle for power and the chances of the two candidates. 

    Ahead of the April 11 governorship election in Kano State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the two major parties with strong candidates, are poised for a fierce battle. The campaign for the election has taken Alhaji Salihu Takai of the PDP and Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje of the APC to the 44 local governments. The die is now cast; there is a stiff contest to capture the attention of the electorates.

    The battle has been taken to the airwaves.  Supporters of the two candidates are now engaged in a war-of-words at local radio stations. Using blackmail and propaganda, they are castigating one another and selling their candidates to the public. Though the two candidates have consistently urged their supporters to eschew violence, political thugs loyal to them continue to flout this non-violent stance, especially during rallies and road shows. The Kano State Police Command, however, are not taking it cool, as the police have been arresting and prosecuting party supporters who engage in thuggery and violence.

    Last week, police paraded 23 suspected political thugs, including a female, alleged to have sponsored the killing of one of the victims during a political clash. The State Commissioner of Police Idris Ibrahim told reporters that a clash between two political rivals in Ladi Makole, Warawa Local Government Area, resulted in the killing of one person and  wanton destruction of properties. He said the police and other security agencies are prepared to provide security during the elections, by ensuring that enough men are deployed to the nooks and crannies of the state.

    The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Zone, Alhaji Muhammadu Tambari Yabo, has read the riot act to politicians, saying police were ready to arrest and prosecute anybody engaged in electoral violence, no matter how highly placed. He said: “We have not forgotten the 2011 elections and the violence that followed it. That was a sad experience that no one would want a repeat. So, we should be prepared to have elections that will be free, fair, peaceful and rancour-free. We should make sure that our activities are within the ambits of the law. Let me give the Ghana example where electoral officers and returning officers move freely with electoral materials (on their bicycles) after elections without molestation or harassment from anybody. We should not be seen to be carrying offensive weapons while on political rallies. Don’t carry anything you can use to take advantage of your brother in a way of inflicting injury on him. Our wish is that what happened in 2011 will not repeat itself again and as the custodians of law and order, we will do our best as police men to make sure that we will not record election violence this time round.”

    Tambari drew attention to Section 94 (2) of the Electoral Act which prescribed  a fine of N2 million or two-year imprisonment or both to persons convicted for being in possession of offensive weapons during political rallies or on the election day. He said he has directed all Commissioners of Police under him to bring the law to full bear no matter, whose ox is gored. Yabo added: “I wish to strongly warn at this juncture that the police and other law enforcement agencies will bring into bear the full weight of the law on all violators of electoral and other national laws. These laws are very categorical in guiding your conduct during electioneering campaigns,” he added.

    Ganduje said the APC will record 100 per cent victory in the  most populous state. Ganduje who spoke to reporters during an interactive session in his office, also declared that the victory of the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, in the 2015 general elections is sure, citing calamitous leadership allegedly run by the PDP at the centre. From Ganduje’s calculations, the APC is ready to sweep the 40 House of Assembly seats, 24 House of Representatives seats, three Senatorial seats and the governorship seat in Kano. He added that Buhari’s victory in Kano would be 100 per cent.

    He said: “The die has been cast, we are ready for the race and, Insha Allah, and we shall succeed. For our President-in-waiting, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, we are working very hard to give him the maximum votes here in Kano. If possible, all those who registered, even those who are not in the APC, we are begging them, we are soliciting for their support, we are appealing for them to vote for our president because of the different shortcomings, different man-made calamities, we require somebody who is upright, somebody has the political will, somebody who is strong, somebody who can fight injustice — no matter what will happen to him and to any other person. So, we shall continue to do that to ensure that we contribute our quota being the most populous state. We want to lead in giving him (Buhari) the maximum vote, may God help us.

    “We are also working very hard to ensure that all our candidates will be able to make it in the forthcoming elections. For the governorship, Insha Allah, we shall celebrate, we shall rejoice together, but we have to work hard before that time. Here in Kano, the issue is continuity, the issue is consolidation — consolidation with new innovations, consolidation with ideas and consolidation with a lot of planning and calculations. Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso has done an excellent job. Hence, there is a need to consolidate and complete those projects that we may not be able to complete within the period of this administration. But, beyond that, we need to introduce new innovations in critical infrastructure in Kano State.”

    On his agenda for the state, he said: “We have done a lot in education. My administration, Insha Allah, will consolidate and lay emphasis on qualitative education; because looking at the quality of education all over the country, I am sure you’ll agree with me that it is appalling. Look at WAEC and NECO results, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. So, we shall ensure that there is quality in the system; and of course in terms of quantity, we shall continue to improve. We are even attacking it from so many fronts—even those who are beyond school age are included. We shall introduce adult education, so that we capture all those that cannot read and write.”

    He added that his administration will concentrate on the provision of stable power supply under Independent Power Project (IPP), road construction, transforming Kano to a mega-city, integrated rural development, boosting the agricultural sector and increasing Internally Generated Revenue (IGR.)

    The Director-General of Kano State Hisbah Board, Alhaji Abba Sa’ad Sufi, said:  “Dr. Ganduje has all it takes to succeed our leader, Governor Kwankwaso. As the Deputy Governor and Second-in-Command of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, he is part and parcel of the development we are witnessing in Kano. He was there as the Deputy to Governor Kwankwaso between 1999 and 2003. He is also here now; and he knows how Governor Kwankwaso manages the economy. He has been part of all the decision-making and as a leader with a great mind and great ambition for Kano, Governor Kwankwaso would not have entrusted such an important mantle to somebody who has not been tested and trusted. Everybody in Kano and those who have been visiting the state recently are aware that a revolution is going on; and it will take only a fool to say that these good tidings that are flowing in Kano should not continue. So, Dr. Ganduje is there for continuity. He is there to build on the legacies of his boss and also introduce innovations that will take Kano State to greater heights.

    Ganduje is not a small fry in Kano politics. He has been there for over four decades and he is one of the bulldozers in the political landscape. A foundation member of the PDP, he gave up his ambition to govern Kano in 1999, after he was pressured by stakeholders to step down and support Kwankwaso, who eventually picked the ticket and chose him as the running-mate. Ganduje was Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport between 1994 and 1998. He was Kwankwaso’s deputy between 1999 and 2003. Before then, he served as Administrative Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA); Development Secretary of Kwalli Development Area; Sole Administrator of Abaji Area Council; Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council; Special Adviser (Political) to Kwankwaso when he was Defence Minister; Executive Secretary of Lake Chad Basin Commission and Assistant Secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic. Many believe that Ganduje’s wealth of experience in politics and civil service put him at a vintage position to win.

    Takai, the PDP candidate, is also not a novice in Kano politics. He has the full backing of the former governor, who is now Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. Takai is also believed to be in the good books of the Ulamas and some traditional rulers. In 2011, he challenged Kwankwaso under the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), but was defeated with just 60,000 votes.  His supporters believe that, this time round, Takai would make it to Government House. He has been campaigning all over the state. But, he may face challenges in some places because of the emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the APC presidential candidate. Though Buhari is not from Kano, he has a big following in the state; he is loved and cherished by the Talakawas.

    Takai was former Commissioner of Local Government Affairs during the Shekarau administration. According to Farouk Iya, the white-beaded Malam remains the only candidate that can defeat the APC in Kano.  Iya is a close associate of the PDP candidate. He had to resign as Commissioner of Education when Kwankwaso dumped the PDP because he was not ready to jump ship. Today, he is the Director-General of Takai Campaign Organization.

    Takai said that his ambition was not a do-or-die affair, but an art of God and a sincere intention to rescue Kano from “the mercy of a very harsh government that is making life unbearable for all.” He added: “It is a pity that the state government has distanced itself from the population and has been involved in destructive activities, rather than being constructive. They do not seem to have concrete plans to develop the state, but are needlessly engaged in unnecessary waste of public funds.”

    Takai said his government would concentrate more on agriculture, education, security, health, commerce and industry, human development, as well as infrastructural development.

    The Kano governorship race promises to be an interesting one. The two candidates are popular and with the capricious nature of Kano politics, pundits believe that it would be difficult to make a clear-cut prediction on who will emerge the winner on April 11.