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Tag: second term

  • Lalong: I deserve second term

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has begun his re-election campaign in Jos, the capital. His media aide, Mark Longyen highlights his achievements and justification for his second term bid.

    Plateau State Governor  Simon Bako Lalong has kickeds off his campaign for re-election. Last Friday’s event, which witnessed a huge turnout in the history of electioneering campaigns, attracted dignitaries from all walks of life.  Prominent among them were the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, former Benue State Governor George Akume, and former Plateau State Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen, who represented the First Lady, A’isha Buhari. The Rwang Pam Stadium was filled to capacity.

    The event also witnessed the defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC. The defectors included Ambassador Chris Giwa and Alhaji Abubakar Dashe, who were loyalists of PDP stalwart and former Governor Jonah Jang. With this development, the governor’s deft strategy is a political masterstroke which has paid off and succeeded in depleting the camp of the opposition. Lalong admitted this much when in his remark, saying that he had no opponent for the election since the main opposition candidate was not a man but merely a “Boy”.

    Lalong’s re-election bid is significant in so many ways. Nearly four years down the line since his assumption of office, he has fulfilled the promises he made during the 2014/2015 campaigns. Indeed, the crowd that thronged the stadium, which comprised enthusiastic APC supporters, artisans, the disabled community, civil servants, labor leaders, road transport workers, and other political parties, among others, was no doubt a clear indication of the people’s immense love and massive support for the governor. It is also an indication of what to expect in the forthcoming elections.

    It goes without saying that one good turn deserves another. This, therefore, follows that one good tenure deserves another. There is no denying the fact that Lalong’s scorecard in his first tenure, which cuts across all sectors is impressive. A second term is necessary so as to consolidate on the achievements.

    South African cleric and anti-Apartheid crusader, Bishop Desmond Tutu, had Lalong in mind when he said: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world!” In less than four years, Lalong has done the best that he could for the people of the state. He has paid his political dues to gain the people’s goodwill, as well as warrant and guarantee for him another tenure of office.

    Lalong’s experience as the longest-serving Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly for about seven years from 2000-2006 had, by and large, evidently exposed him to the rudiments of politics and striking the needed balance to manage diverse group interests in the state.  He  brought this to bear on his governance style in the state. Lalongs’s inclusive style of governance that carries along all the ethnic nationalities domiciled within the state’s geographical confines coupled with his courageous deployment of the spirit of give and take, no doubt, paid off as this engendered peace and harmony among them.

    A very meticulous politician who knows his onions, the governor constantly and constructively engages with the federal government on all matters of interest to the people of the state. This culminated in the establishment of a Nigerian Airforce (NAF) 220 Base for Search and Rescue Operations in Kerang, Mangu Local Government Area, as well as the establishment of two Mobile Police Force Barracks at Longvel, Shendam LGA and Gashish, Barkin Ladi LGA to deal with isolated cases of insecurity in the state. This has also helped immensely in the recent return of many Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs spread across different camps in the state back to their ancestral homes, who were displaced as a result of crises.

    Also, disturbed by the litany of crises, which he inherited from the immediate past administration of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party, the governor established the Plateau State Peace Building Agency, PPBA, which provides a proactive platform for constant dialogues amongst the state’s heterogeneous communities and religious groups. The agency holds periodic consultative dialogue with traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, women and youth groups. PPBA can be said to have succeeded to a large extent in dousing tensions and preventing conflicts among ethnic and religious communities, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the near failed state which Lalong inherited.

    Indeed, Lalong’s emergence as his party’s flag bearer in 2014, his subsequent election and ultimate inauguration as the fifth civilian governor of Plateau State on May, 29th 2015 had, no doubt, confounded political bookmakers and consigned the politics of godfatherism in the state to the dustbin of oblivion.

    From the beginning, not many a politician believed he was going to win the general elections of that year especially in Plateau State. This is because political god fatherism had overtime played a key role in elections of this nature. But as a child of destiny, nothing would stop this astute administrator, exemplary leader, goal getter and a peace loving governor from his destined victory.

    An important legacy of the Lalong administration in his first tenure is his exploits in the agricultural sector. Faced with dwindling oil revenue at the onset, and realizing the fact that agriculture is the mainstay of most of Plateau people, as well as the state’s economy, he turned to the sector for succor. The governor embraced the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrowers Scheme, which availed farmers of funds for massive food production and the economic empowerment of farmers. Through the governor’s benevolent efforts, the African Development Bank, AfFB, availed the state of a facility of about N3.38 bn for the massive production of Irish Potatoes under the Potato Value Chain. This would lead to the exportation of its finished products in the not-too-distant future. Also, government procured several tonnes of Fertilizer in the past four years and sold out to farmers at subsidised rates. The Governor also procured about 400 units of tractors in line with Government’s Tractorization Scheme aimed at availing farmers of farming implements so as boost food production in the state. Lalong further resuscitated the half-century old Panyam Fish Farm, Bokkos Fertilizer Blending Plant, accreditation of Garkawa College of Education and the provision of soft loans to farmers, which restored Plateau to its pride of place in agriculture. These were also deliberate efforts in line with his administration’s decision to divert the state’s economy from over dependence on dwindling oil revenue to agriculture as the mainstay of the state’s economy.

    Confronted with the challenges of the near total rot which he inherited in the Education Sector, Governor Lalong took the bull by the horns and in less than four years the result is a superlative turnaround in the sector. The performance of Plateau State at the annual WAEC/NECO examinations, which was hovering around 35th or 36th out of the 36 states in Nigeria, has been reversed with the state now coming 5th or 6th position nationally at the moment. This was made possible through the massive employment and training of teachers, construction of new classrooms, and a massive injection of funds. For instance, three schools, GSS Shendam, Government College Pankshin and GSS Riyom have all been converted to Model Schools with state-of-the-art facilities put in place or are being put in place. Recently over 4000 primary school teachers who were initially recruited on an adhoc basis, had their appointments confirmed and made permanent. The infrastructural deficit in the schools were tackled through construction and renovation of more classrooms. More than 500 classrooms were built and or renovated within his first three years in office alone!  The Plateau State University, Bokkos was given a new lease of life with the reconstitution of the Governing Council under the leadership of ex-INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega as Pro-Chancellor. 17 academic programmes of the institution were accredited, which in turn facilitated the mobilisation of 2 sets of graduands for the NYSC scheme in 2017, the first since its establishment. Other state tertiary institutions also received the desired attention. The regular intervention in the sector has made it to run smoothly without any interruption on grounds of non-payment of salaries, which usually give rise to industrial dispute.

    Lalong also addressed the issue of demoralised civil servants headlong on within his first tenure in office. With an inherited debt toll of over 220 billion Naira, and a civil service in dire straits, the Governor assembled an economic team with a clear mandate to think outside the box. The first reward was the first and second tranches of the salary bailout from the Federal Government, which he used to offset the backlog of civil servants’ unpaid salaries, pension/gratuity. This courageous deployment of about 20 billion Naira ignited the local economy and the reverberations were felt all over the state. This set the stage for a highly motivated civil service to key into the administration’s 5-Point Policy Thrust formulated to turn around the state. Thus, the journey for an endearing legacy of service delivery and delivering the dividends of democracy gained traction. The consistent payment of salaries up to date, and the prioritization of the general welfare of the workforce, engendered the multiplier effect of stimulating the local economy, thus endearing the governor to the electorate.

    Lalong further filled the vacant traditional stools in the State based on laid down law and gazettes with a view to strengthening the traditional institution and foster community based leadership. Over fifty communities cutting across all the local government areas benefited from this gesture. These include 1st class status Chiefs to district heads.

    Lalong  embarked on reviving moribund industries such as the Highland Bottling Company and the Jos Main Market. The reacquisition of the BARC Farms and resuscitation of Jos International Breweries, JIB, is being pursued with vigor.

    The Lalong administration also opened a new vista for economic development by unveiling the process to harness and develop the tourism sector. This was done against the backdrop of the state’s tourism rich tourism potential that have yet to be exploited. Government did this by stepping up the process to harness these opportunities with a view to boosting the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which dramatically increased from a paltry monthly N500 million at the inception of the Administration to about N1 billion today.

    Another landmark achievement is women and youth empowerment. As a panacea for addressing this challenge, the governor established the Small, Medium and Micro Finance Enterprises Agency, SMEDAN. Thousands of women and youths have been trained on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and skills acquisition. Starter-packs were distributed to participants to begin their businesses as each is linked to financial institutions in order to achieve an appreciable level of financial inclusion. The Governor’s Midas Touch and resolute commitment to the cause of the youth ensured that the state-owned Plateau United Football Club won the 2016/2017 Nigerian Premier league trophy.

    One cardinal policy of the Lalong administration which has differentiated it from past administrations was his decision to continue and complete all the projects which he inherited. Accordingly, critical infrastructures like roads inherited from the last administration have been completed, while new ones, particularly the Lalong Legacy Projects, were unveiled, ongoing and or completed.

    In spite of the challenge posed by the PDP, the task of stopping Lalong’s second term bid is indeed a Herculean one. With Lalong’s amazing legacies in less than four years in office, it is no surprise that his support base is swelling by the day.

  • Buhari deserves second term, says Ashafa

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Senator Gbenga Ashafa has urged Nigerians to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in next year’s elections.

    He said the president deserved a second term to enable him consolidate on his achievements in the last three and half years.

    Ashafa, who represents Lagos East District in the Upper Chamber, told reporters in Lagos that Nigerians will show appreciation to the president by giving him a second term, contrary to the subject assessment of his achievements by the opposition.

    He said it is gratifying that “the president has the unflinching support of our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,”

    Ashafa said Nigerians will not go back to the pre-2015 Nigeria, which was characterised by disillusionment and lack of hope.

    He said: “Buhari’s achievements cannot be disputed. He has lived up to expectation. Look at the cardinal programmes he is implementing, and look at the income of Nigeria, in terms of our oil proceeds. The price of oil has dropped. Yet, the government is not relenting in fulfilling its promises.

    “Let us look at the rail sub-sector. Buhari came in, he saw the need for an investment-friendly environment and legal framework. He knew that, without that, nobody will come and do business in Nigeria. That law can only come through a bill in the National Assembly. It was sponsored and it came to the committee headed by my humble self.

    “Everything, including lobbying my colleagues, was done to ensure that it passed through the due process. He organised public hearings, called for experts and stakeholders’ meetings. The bill, to call a long story short, has seen the light of the day. Ditto the Regulatory Act of Transportation, and the National Transportation Commission Bill.”

    Ashafa lauded President Buhari for fighting the infrastructure battle across the six regions, challenging the opposition to dispute his achievement in the critical sector.

    He said: “President Buhari saw the need to renew the infrastructure battle.  He renewed the railway paths. Look at the inter-city rail system connecting Abuja to other parts of the country. It may take time before you get to your destination. But, you will get there safely. You are kept busy and safe, enjoying your ride through entertainment. For those carrying cargoes, rail system is very efficient. President Buhari saw the future and decided to swing into action.

    He added: “Look at how the Chinese are now eager to do business with Nigeria. The counterpart founding have been provided and they are ready to supply the rest of the money and training our people in the art of maintaining what is put on ground. This is to boost maintenance culture. Young graduates, through the collaboration by the Nigerian and Chinese governments, were given scholarship to learn the rudiments of rail transportation in a manner that, when they come back, these young Nigerians who would have acquired the expertise can take over from the Chinese.

    “Buhari has done well. He has performed than his predecessors. He inherited many problems. He has been building roads and reconstructing those bad ones previously constructed. He has been generating employment through these activities; seven thousand employments have been generated between Lagos and Ibadan through the construction of the highways. Also, from Lagos to Abeokuta.

    “The governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, is corroborating with the Federal Ministry of Transportation to ensure the success of the rail project. Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State has been removing the buildings from the right of way.”

     

  • ‘Buhari deserves second term’

    A group, the ‘Buhari/Osinbajo Re-Election Group(BOREG), has said that the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari would be a catalyst to guarantee his re-election in 2019.

    The group unfolded plans to penetrate every part of the state for mobilisation towards the victory of  Buhari and his deputy,Prof Yemi Osinbajo.

    The group comprises of campaign platforms across the 18 local governments as members.

    It noted the giant infrastructural development and commitment to good governance under President Buhari, which have brought a new lease of life to the people.

    BOREG  urged Nigerians to encourage President Buhari in his effort to consolidate on the gains of the last four years.

    At a meeting held in Akure, the Nigerian Envoy to the Republic of Togo, Sola Iji eulogised the commitment of party leaders towards ensuring the re-election of President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo.

    He urged them to be acquainted with various projects and life changing initiatives of the Federal Government as they embark on the campaign across the state.

    Iji donated 14 giant billboards, 12 cars and four buses for the use of the campaign group.

    The meeting also resolved to have various sub-committees for the smooth take-off of the campaign,while appealing to many members of the party that were  aggrieved to forget the past and forge ahead as they move to the ‘next level’.

    Among APC stalwarts at the forum were  Dr Segun Ayodele, Wale Akintimehin, Dr Jide Owoka, Musa Kareem (MHA) Capt. Oyepata (rtd).  Rahman Rotimi (Board member, UNICAL Teaching Hospital).

    Others are Samson Ojetayo,Chief Idris Elemeje, Peter Omoogun, Chief Demi Osedimbola and Mrs Grace Animola.

  • Coalition adopts Emmanuel for second term

    A coalition of human rights, civil society and community based organisations has adopted Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, as its candidate for the 2019 poll.

    Its chairman, Rev. Hilkia Elithah, told reporters the coalition arrived at the decision at its 15th plenary session.

    Elithah informed that the adoption of the governor was based on his outstanding performance in office.

    In the last three and half years, he stated, Emmanuel has maintained peace in the state as well as sustained the free education policy for indigenes in addition to massive industrialisation drive.

    The coalition added that the governor has also constructed roads, driven employment programmes and revamped the agricultural sector as well as ensured prompt payment of salaries.

    Elithah said: “The coalition reasons these developmental milestones are unique and unprecedented since the creation of the state, and as such deserves kudos and the support of well-meaning citizens of the state.

    “The coalition, being apolitical by nature, gives its total support to His Excellency, Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, for the 2019 general elections as a person, considering his score card so far, not his political party or any party for that matter since we do not support political parties but individual performance.”

    He maintained the coalition, an amalgamation of 25 independent, voluntary NGOs, is aimed at mobilising for promotion and protection of right to lives, transparency, accountability and the rule of rule law.

    He assured that the coalition will soon embark on door-to-door sensitisation of the people to see reasons why Emmanuel should be reelected.

  • My second term plans, by Buhari

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday launched his re election campaign with the presentation of his achievements, and his plans, if reelected.

    On job creation, the campaign with the theme, “The Next Level: Working for the Greatest Number”, announced plans to engage one million N-Power graduates and “skill up” 10 million Nigerians under a voucher system in partnership with the private sector.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer plans to expand the school feeding programme from 9.3 million to 15 million children to create 300,000 extra jobs for vendors and farmers.

    In infrastructure upgrade, it intends to complete the Ibadan/Kano phase of the Lagos/Kano rail link; the Port Harcourt/Maiduguri line, the Itakpa/Warri link to Abuja, through Lokoja; the Second Niger Bridge; and the East West Road connecting Warri, Delta State, to Oron, Akwa Ibom State, through Kaiama and Port Harcourt in Bayelsa and Rivers State respectively.

    President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, his running mate, also indicated the plan will establish a “Peoples Moni Bank” to institutionalize the giving out of soft loans of up to N1 million to small traders, artisans and commercial drivers, including taxi drivers, Keke and motorcycle riders.

    The team intends to consolidate on its Trader Moni, Market Moni and Farmer Moni schemes by increasing the number of beneficiaries from 2.3 million to 10 million.

    The Buhari/Osinbajo team also wants to create more room for inclusion in government, by achieving 35 per cent in female appointments, give more access to youth appointment in boards and agencies, as well as introduce special mentoring programme in governance, with young graduates working with ministers and other senior government appointees.

    In education, it states: “Every child counts is our roadmap to make our primary and secondary school students digitally literate with emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STREAM).

    “We will reinterpret the curriculum, by imparting functional skills such as coding, robotics, animation, design thinking, collaboration, critical thinking and project management. We will also emphasise civic education.

    “All teachers in public primary and secondary schools will be retrained in their primary areas of teaching, as well as to deliver digital literacy.”

    The team also added that at the next level, 10,000 schools per year will be remodeled and equipped, transforming classrooms to labs, workshops and collaboration centres.

  • Akpabio’s kinsmen back Emmanuel for second term

    kinsmen of former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, have thrown their weight behind the second term bid of Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.

    The people of Annang nation, the ancestral home of Akpabio, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), said they will support the governor for second term in the interest of equity and fairness.

    The Itai Afe Annang (IV), Okuku Dr. Pius Effiong Esideh, made this position known on behalf of Annang people at the enlarged Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Independence Hall Abak.

    The first class monarch described Emmanuel as a leader that has touched the lives of citizens of the state in many aspects, including the industrialisation drive, which he said will create employment opportunities for unemployed youths.

    The monarch further commended Emmanuel for the prevalent peace in the state and in particular for resolving the long intractable armed youth violence in Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo local government areas.

    He called on all sons and daughters of Annang to go out and vote for Udom and other candidates of their choice in the 2019 General Elections.

    While affirming the necessity for power shift in the state, Okuku Esideh, therefore, believed support for the governor would be for the overall interest of Annang nation as a minority ethnic group.

    He stated: “Realising equality is equity and there being no justifiable reason given to us as to why Governor Udom Emmanuel should not be supported to go for a second term and being aware that the Annang people may be destroying the foundation we have helped to lay, thereby closing the possibility of another Annang son/daughter being allowed to occupy the office of the Governor in Akwa Ibom State if we allow personal interest of individual to overshadow the general interest of Annang people.

    “We thought it right and proper to support the second term bid of Governor Udom Emmanuel.”

    He pleaded with the governor to site some of the industries in Annang land.

  • Emmanuel deserves second term, says aide

    The Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Marketing and Brand Management, Mr. Louis Udom, has begun grassroots campaign for the reelection of his principal in 2019.

    Udom, who took his campaign to Unit 2, Ikot Ibritam Ward one in Oruk Anam Local Government Area, urged all electorate in his area, urging the people to vote for candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Emmanuel.

    He said Emmanuel should continue in office till 2023 to enable him consolidate on his achievements in the areas of infrastructure and industrialisation.

    The governor’s aide mentioned the Ikot Ibritam-Ikot Ekpuk- Inen Ekeffe road as one of the projects which has been fixed by the current administration after years of neglect by past administrations.

    Udom assured the people that they would gain more in terms of facilities, human capital development and employment opportunities through aggressive industrialisation drive of the government, if they can give Emmanuel second term in office.

    He recalled that Akwa Ibom had accepted PDP from 1999, urging the people to sustain the cordiality. He said no political party has anything on ground to show in the state, except PDP which has remained in heart of the people from the inception of the democratic dispensation.

    The supervisor for Youths in Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Mr. Kufre Ndarake Sam, expressed gratitude to the governors’ aide for his initiative.

    Ndarake urged other public office holders to emulate the example to make the campaign easier for  Emmanuel next month in line with directives of Independent National Electoral commission (INEC).

     

  • Governors seeking second term

    Some first term governors will be seeking re-election next year. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines their chances of winning their party’s primary and the election.

    Bello (Niger)

    Governor Sani Bello does not relish publicity. He hardly meets with the media. Thus, his government has been under reported. During the last Democracy Day Celebrations, however, he hosted a media parley, where he made a profound statement that, during the 2015 electioneering campaign, he never promised the people anything. Observers have tried to rationalise the governor’s statement by saying that it was strange that a person seeking to hold office as governor of a state had no programmes to persuade voters and yet, he was elected. But, they acknowledged that he only honestly stated the truth. As a result, no one can accuse him of non-performance, as there was a zero yardstick for assessing him. It can be therefore, concluded that he could be re-elected in 2019, if the electorate behave as they did in 2015.

    When he assumed office in 2015, he was unable to determine which of his supporters should be appointed commissioners. When he eventually did, he directed each commissioner at the inaugural meeting of the state executive council to submit his or her vision statement to enable the deputy governor work out the vision of the government. It appears Bello did not prepare a blueprint on how he would govern the state.

    Nevertheless, Bello has been applauded for reversing the old order of abandoned projects in the state. For instance, he has rehabilitated many schools with perimeter fencing, well-furnished dormitories, new classrooms, laboratories, workshops, libraries and staff quarters. The schools had not been touched since they were built in the last 40 years. The governor had also outlined plans to tackle the issue of lead poisoning for which Niger State was the second state to be affected in the country. There is also plan to establish a mining city in the state.

    He has formally declared his intention to run for a second term. There is no challenger within the APC for now. But, the major threat to his re-election bid is the defection of Ambassador Ahmed Ibeto from the APC to the PDP. The former ambassador to South Africa was deputy to former Governor Babangida Aliyu on the platform of the PDP. He joined the APC in 2015, after he failed to secure the party’s governorship ticket. It was gathered that Ibeto would likely emerge the PDP governorship candidate this time around. It was chieftains of the party, it was said, that put pressure on him to resign his appointment and renounce his APC membership, so that he could be the PDP governorship flag bearer in 2019.

    The former ambassador was a member of the PDP until the primary election in November 2014; he lost the governorship ticket to Umar Nasko, a former Chief of Staff to Aliyu. He resigned his membership of the PDP along with thousands of his supporters after complaining about the injustice meted to him by the PDP. Ibeto was the vehicle on which the incumbent APC governor rode to victory in 2015 leading his campaign to all the 274 wards in the state.

    Ambode (Lagos)

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s first term would lapse on May 29, 2019. He has the right to seek for second term in line with the 1999 Constitution, which prescribes a maximum of two terms for governors. Ambode is a tested administrator with a clear vision to make Lagos State the envy of all. The clamour by various interest groups for his re-election bears eloquent testimony to his excellent performance.

    Immediately he assumed office in 2015, he hit the ground running. In his effort to make Lagos work for everybody, he adopted an all-inclusive governance approach, realising the peculiar needs of a complex state.

    He rejuvenated the town hall meetings, where individuals are free to express their minds during the question and answers sessions. Such meetings allow the governor to feel the pulse of the people and respond appropriately; taking decisions on the spot and proffering solutions to problems and challenges facing the people. With this approach, projects are demand-driven and with the regular interactions from zone to zone no community or local government is left out.

    The governor came up with a blueprint to solve the problem of traffic gridlocks that had defied solutions in the past. He embarked on construction of intra-city roads, fly-overs pedestrian bridges and lay-bys. During the recent state visit by President Muhammadu Buhari, Ambode commissioned 21 border roads that link Lagos and Ogun States. This is in addition to 114 roads he constructed in the 56 local governments and local council development areas last year. He has awarded contracts for the construction of additional 181 intra-city roads to ease transportation in the state.  Most of these roads were selected by the Community Development Associations (CDAs). The Oshodi transport inter-change equipped with pedestrian bridges, shopping malls and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras is nearing completion. With this, Oshodi will be elevated to a first class business district. The Agege Pen Cinema fly-over is scheduled for completion in nine months.

    Ortom (Benue)

    The chances of Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom clinching the ticket of the PDP to realise his second term ambition are hanging in the balance. One of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the party, Tehemen Tarzoor, said he would vehemently resist any move to give preferential treatment to the incumbent governor who recently defected to the PDP from the APC.

    Tarzoor said he would resist imposition of Ortom. He said: “The issue of bringing a sitting governor and imposing him on us will not work. Let the governor come and struggle with other governorship aspirants. But, if you say go and adopt him, we will go to court. If we are treated as commoners, then we will show our nuisance value to the party; then we will see how it goes.”

    An elder statesman in Benue State and retired Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, has said that nothing and nobody can save Governor Ortom from losing re-election in 2019, because of the magnitude of his failure in the last three and half years that he has been in office. He said: “Head or tail, Ortom is bound to lose re-election, considering his abysmal performance and silly arrogance.”

    Tsav does not believe that jumping ship from APC to the PDP will make Ortom win his re-election. He added: “Within three years of his administration, Governor Ortom has not been able to pay full salaries and pensions, despite several interventions by the Federal Government and bank loans. He has not initiated, completed nor commissioned any project. His several visits to China have not impacted on the development and advancement of Benue State. Rather, his private businesses and farms are expanding and developing astronomically.”

    The retired police officer said Ortom’s conflict with Senator George Akume, his godfather that made him governor in 2015, was a divine intervention to ease the governor out of power. His words: “His clash with his godfather was ordained by God to get Benue State out of the clutches of deceit and evil and we welcome this.

    “In 2014, when Senator Akume transferred Emmanuel Jime’s mandate to Ortom, he saw Akume as a good and caring leader. Now, Akume is appalled by Ortom’s performance and wants to correct his mistakes by returning Jime’s mandate to him. But, Ortom now sees Akume as a villain. To us, Akume is not a villain, but a good, fair and just leader.

    “Ortom should stop running from pillar to post, but should be prepared to be an inmate to a federal VIP house to join his anti-social, cum deviant colleagues.”

    Lalong (Plateau)

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has bowed to pressure by his supporters to seek a second term mandate. His bid followed a motion by Edward Pwajok to compel the governor to seek a second term at a meeting of the APC stakeholders held in Jos, the state capital.  Since then, senior party members have been expressing solidarity for the governor.

    At the said meeting, various speakers, including a former Deputy Governor Dame Pauline Tallen, former governorship aspirant, Mr Pam Gyang; former Chairman National Population Commission (NPC), Samaila Makama, paid tribute to Governor Lalong for successfully steering the party away from crisis, following his committee report which gave an amicable solution to the crisis at the national level.

    Makama observed that Lalong’s integrity and character has endeared him to the leadership at the national level as a credible leader, stressing that “Governor Lalong represents humility, openness, simplicity and character to demonstrate honesty at all times which has endeared him to Mr President”.

    A youth activist, Mr Chikas Kumle, justified Lalong’s second term bid, “because Lalong is responding to the popular demands of Plateau people”. He described Lalong as a listening governor who is passionate about the youths. He commended the governor for sustaining the relative peace in the state, and for employment of teachers, improved infrastructure and promotion of agriculture. He said Lalong’s second term would make the state to fully return to the path of development.

    He said: “We the youth leaders from all the ethnic groups in Plateau have come out to unanimously endorse Governor Simon Lalong for another term of four years. This endorsement is premised on 10 key areas of education, welfare, peace and security, youth development, human capital development, agriculture, tourism, health and infrastructure. The governor has demonstrated good leadership qualities, if given another term in office, Plateau will fully return to the state where peace, justice, equity and development will be the order of the day.”

    However, leaders of the PDP are said to be putting its house in order to avoid the division that led to the defeat of the party by the APC in 2015.  The party is shopping for a strong candidate that could match Governor Lalong in 2019 either from Plateau Central or South.

    Okowa (Delta)

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is the first governor from Delta North Senatorial District since the state was created about three decades ago. He rode to power on the crest of the political influence of the former Governor James Ibori’s. Ibori who hails from the central senatorial district has built a political empire code-named Odidigborigbo, a political dynasty with membership across ethnic, political and regional divide in Delta State. In fact membership of this political group is pre-requisite for those seeking to hold political office in the state. Okowa, his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, and many political big wigs in Delta are said to be members of the dynasty.

    Analysts believe that Okowa’s re-election bid will put to test the popularity and political influence of Ibori after his sentence by a court in United Kingdom for money laundering. Against the backdrop that the Delta State chapter of the PDP had lost many party chieftains to opposition parties. The threat to Okowa’s re-election is not within but from outside. There is no doubt that the governor would scale the primaries but the governorship election is in contention.

    A group known as Indomitable Youth Ambassadors for Delta (IYAD) have assured that Okowa would get second term in office. The group’s chairman, who is also the Special Assistant to the governor on youth mobilisation, Mr Kennedy Ochei said: “From all visible analysis and works which the governor has done in his first tenure as the governor of Delta State, it is a thing of pleasure to declare that he is the best man for the office”.

    Ochei listed Okowa’s achievements to include public schools renovations, free healthcare, provision of power supply in most local governments in the state, road construction, empowerment programme and financial mobilisation for the youth. He said all these achievements just in a few years in office, has given IYAD a driving force and a positive hope for the future of all Deltans.

    Similarly, the Delta State chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has thrown its weight behind behind the second term bid of Governor Okowa. ALGON’s Chairman, Mr Itiako Ikpokpo said the decision to endorse Okowa was informed by his track records since he took over the leadership of the state in the last three years.

    He said Okowa has displayed immeasurable magnanimity and sufficient fatherly disposition towards the plight of the local government workers through constant augmentation of local government allocation to enable them pay staff salaries.

    However, it may not be an easy ride for Governor Okowa in 2019 because of notable politicians that have left the PDP for the APC in the state, the recent being Uduagha, the immediate past governor of Delta State. The combination of Uduaghan from Delta South and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Great Ogboru from Delta Central would enhance the performance of the APC at the polls.

    A former spokesman to ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Ima Niboro, predicted the fall of PDP in Delta State. He said APC would pull off a major upset in the state, where he said millions were yearning for genuine change and were increasingly finding the APC a realistic alternative platform to effect that change.

    To the Delta State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Oke Idenwe, Okowa is a failure; he has not executed major projects since he assumed office in the past three years. He said “if you compare Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Anambra and Rivers, we have no governor in Delta State because the governor has not performed.

    “When he came to office in 2015, the first thing he did was to increase the contract limit which Ibori and Uduaghan maintained during their tenures. Under Ibori and Uduaghan, any project above N50 million must be approved by the state executive council but when Okowa came he increased it from N50 million to N250 million.

    “Okowa is running Delta not as an elected governor but as a monarch. The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state is shrouded in secrecy. Nobody knows how much is generated in the state. I thought he came to lead but he came to rule. We are part of the people that brought him to power. I regret and apologise to all Deltans for supporting him.

    Wike (Rivers)

    Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has been overwhelmed by the gale of endorsements for his re-election by different political groups and ethnic nationalities in the state. He is now addressed as “Mr Project” in acknowledge of numerous projects he had embarked on across the state in the past three years.

    The leader of Rivers State ex-legislators,Senator Adawari Pepple said the governor deserved second term based on the massive infrastructural development being witnessed by the people of the state. He said “we are convinced by the Governor’s excellent performance and that he should continue to lead Rivers State beyond 2019.

    “As a forum, we call on the governor to re-present himself to contest the 2019 governorship election. We believe, he deserves a second term”, Pepple said.

    Similarly, the Ijaws in Rivers State have endorsed Wike for a second term in office in line with his pro-Ijaw disposition. A spokesperson of the Ijaw people, Madam Ankio Briggs said Wike deserves another term in office to consolidate on the gains of his first term.

    But, the former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has described as superfluous the popularity claim of Wike in the state. He said PDP won in Rivers in 2015 because they rigged everywhere wrote results and brought army and police to chase APC supporters away. He accused Wike of masterminding election mal-practices under Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.

    Amaechi said:  “We are sure of winning Rivers State in 2019 because President Buhari will not allow that happen. He will not allow any police man to stop any one from voting.”

    Ugwuanyi (Enugu)

    He was elected governor in 2015 on the platform of PDP.  The people of Enugu State have unanimously  endorsed  him for 2019 governorship poll based on his performance. All the traditional rulers of the 450 autonomous communities in Enugu State have endorsed him. The royal fathers said their decision was in line with their peoples assessment and endorsement of the governor’s re-election in 2019.

    The monarchs said “without a dissenting voice, all especially the religious and members of ecclesiastical orders; the elders; the political class; the professionals; the academic; the self-employed; the pensioners; the working class; the traders; artisans and the youths have continued to extol Ugwuanyi’s virtues and performance in the discharge of his duties.

    “All groups of people in Enugu State across political divides have separately approved the performance of Governor Ugwuanyi and have declared him their candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial election.”

    In spite of Ugwuanyi’s endorsement,  the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Mr Sullivan Chime has said that the APC would win the 2019 elections in the state. Chime boasted that his former party, PDP will be part of history in Enugu State. He said the once vibrant PDP was now dead following the national leadership crisis that engulfed it.

    He expressed satisfaction over the defection of notable politicians like former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Senators Jim Nwobodo and Ayogu Eze to APC.  He insists that APC is the party to beat in Enugu State in 2019.

    Bagudu (Kebbi)

    The Kebbi State chapter of APC has endorsed Governor Atiku Bagudu for a second term in office. The state chairman of the party, Alhaji Sani Zauro has re-affirmed the commitment of party members to re-election bid of the governor.

    According to Zauro, the endorsement was based on the fact that Atiku has fulfilled his campaign promises to the people of Kebbi State. He vowed that nothing would stop them from re-electing Governor Atiku  for second term in office, adding that his achievements speak volume to warrant his re-election.

    “I speak on behalf of all the party leaders in the state. We have four emirate council in the state and Governor Atiku  has touched all emirates in terms of developmental projects. He constructed roads in Yauri, Argungu, Zuru and Gwandu emirates; he renovated schools and health institutions; he created job opportunities through the rice anchor borrower for the teeming unemployed youths.”

    Observers noted that the PDP is very weak in Kebbi state following the defection of the former Governor Sa’idu Dakingari and other leaders to the APC.  PDP has been in coma in Kebbi.

    Umahi (Ebonyi)

    Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has boasted that he would be re-elected in 2019. He said 29 political parties have adopted him as their sole candidate for the 2019 polls. He said: “Anyone who tries us would be injured because if the person falls on us, he will be grinded into granite and if we fall on him, he will be grinded into ashes. I and my deputy have accepted to continue this divine work and anyone who tries to terminate it would face God’s anger and might not be there during my swearing-in ceremony.

    “No party would take Ebonyi because God has taken it for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Ebonyi would record more than one million votes during the elections as I challenge our opponents to even organise rallies and stop deceiving the people.”

    Umahi’s chances have been consolidated by the endorsement of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator  Anyim Pius Anyim. The endorsement has laid to rest the rumours making the rounds that the duo had fallen apart which could threaten Umahi’s chances of re-election in 2019.

    At a point, it was rumoured that Anyim had concluded plans with the leaders of the PDP to snatch the governorship ticket from Umahi while in some quarters, it was said that the former Senate President would sponsor another candidate from the opposition party for a total showdown with the governor.

    Anyim insisted that Umahi has done well and his second tenure was already guaranteed, noting that the other two zones from the state have taken their turn of eight years each which meant that Ebonyi South would complete their remaining four years.

    Analysts say that contrary to Umahi’s pronouncement that there is no strong opposition in the state, his second term bid may face tough opposition from the APC.

  • Akwa Ibom 2019: Second term is no birthright

    In this piece, former House of Representatives member Dr. Emaeyak Ukpong examines the battle for power in Akwa Ibom State and the factors that may guarantee or thrawt the second term bid of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

    These are strange times, when some selfish individuals, in fact a tiny clique, insist that the past does not matter—a couple of them even swear that the past never existed. They want to reinvent time and create a parallel world where there will be no reference to human experience, which offers us all the collective wisdom to navigate the present and a compass to the future.

    These are the people who are saying that Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa Ibom State, does not have to account for his time at the Hilltop Mansion; that he should just be allowed to complete the eight years meant for Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, popularly known as Eket Senatorial District (ESD). They justify their stand by saying that other governors before Emmanuel had done eight years each, for Uyo Senatorial District and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.

    I don’t know who is the author of this strange theory of eight years for each sitting governor, but some weeks ago Gov. Emmanuel asked a meeting of his political foot soldiers to help him “defend his birthright” by making sure that he gets a second term as others before him. He then cried, “Am I not also from Akwa Ibom?” So, is the chorus of a second term as a given for a sitting governor feeding off the plaintive but uninformed cry of the governor, or is the governor being encouraged by gold diggers to ask for what he has not earned?

    Other governors before Udom Emmanuel earned their second term by dint of hard work. It was their track record in the first term that spoke for them and paved the way for their second term victories.

    By the time Obong Victor Attah’s first term was up, he had chalked up solid physical achievements in spite of the fact that the geo-political environment was hostile to his administration. Attah had started or completed work on the following: Ibom Power, Ibom Hotel, Ibom Airport, Akwa Ibom State University, Edet Akpan Avenue, Nsikak Eduok Road, Nwaniba Road, the entire network of roads in the Bank Layout in Uyo, Abak Road, Atiku Abubakar Avenue, Uyo Village Road, and Shelter Afrique Estate.

    Similarly, by the time Senator Godswill Akpabio completed his first term, he could point to the following completed state assets: the new Governor’s Lodge, Ibom Airport (which Attah initiated), the e-Library, the state university (whose take-off he made possible), Use Ikot Amama Road, Abak Ikot Ekpene Road, Ekom Iman Road, Ekim Itam Road, four flyovers in Uyo, numerous intra-city roads in Ikot Ekpene, Oron axis, Eket and Ikot Abasi.

    Enter Deacon Udom Emmanuel. It has been nearly three and a half years since Udom Emmanuel assumed duty at the Hilltop Mansion as the governor of Akwa Ibom State. This means that the governor is in the twilight of his first term, and can therefore be evaluated on his job performance, more so as he has formally asked Akwa Ibom people to re-elect him. What is his record in office; what has he done for the state that will make Akwa Ibom people to renew the mandate given to him by the Supreme Court in 2015?

    In recent times Mr Emmanuel has spoken glowingly of his achievements as governor at various forums. On 1 September 2018, he boasted of his ‘achievements’ to The Punch in a two-page interview; but when pressed for concrete evidence of what he has done with N1 trillion he has received from all sources since he became governor, Mr Emmanuel retracted into his comfort zone of excuses.

    “In all sectors of the economy,” Emmanuel boasted to The Punch journalist at the interview, “the question is who could have done it better?” His quintessential arrogance! I swear many in the state would have outclassed Udom a million times over. The ‘superlative performance’ he was referring to is about “a governor who could pull numerous projects through, and despite the challenges in the country, a governor was able to commit investors to bring money into the same economy going through recession.” The governor would later explain that these ‘record’ achievements consisted in the regular payment of salaries and pensions, “when many other states are not able to pay their workers;” employment of 1500 primary school teachers, payment of N600 million WAEC exam fees for school kids and the building or attraction of nine industries to the state during his tenure. Not persuaded, the interviewer pressed the governor for some achievement he might have forgotten. Our man reached for his well-worn excuses. He blamed high exchange rate and inflation for his lackluster performance, adding the clincher that “it would only take a magician to do more than we have done.”

    This is Udom Emmanuel’s record from his own mouth. Again, check The Punch of 1 September 2018. Now, let’s peel off the boast and look at the bare facts in the governor’s claims. Payment of salaries is a routine obligation of government. That the governor would list it as achievement shows the tragedy that has befallen my state; it underscores the point that the governor has not the foggiest idea of what he was rail-loaded into office for. The pension bit is not true. The state owes a backlog of pensions. As you read this, a task force of sorts is in the works to clear the backlog as a way of appeasing angry workers ahead of the coming elections.

    The part about bringing investments is gut-wrenching. This is faction, a mixture of facts and fiction, but more of fiction. On a closer look, it’s worse. It’s comical. First, the fiction.  The governor has preened himself to no end that he has established nine industries. One of these claims is the infamous toothpick factory. This is fiction. The government has not built any toothpick factory and has produced no toothpick for the state. Yes, it imported equipment that was not fit to purpose, but this has not been installed because it had no factory facility for the unsuitable equipment. The same thing goes for the so-called Akwa Ibom Pencil, which is Akwa Ibom only in the packaging while the pencil itself reads made in China. The fertilizer blending plant he bragged about in the interview is a bagging operation, not a blending factory.

    The truly comical are the governor’s coconut refinery in Ikot Abasi, dairy farm in Uruan, armored car plant in Itu. From the word go these were academic propositions from a business school veteran. They were never realizable ideas. They have remained at the ideation level. If the coconut refinery idea was to kick off agriculture-led industrialisation, why did Emmanuel not think of cassava, oil palm, and citrus which Akwa Ibom has in abundance? The state has no coconut, which is why Udom is starting his hare-brained refinery idea with a coconut nursery that would be grown into a plantation to feed his dream refinery. A coconut seedling needs seven to eight years to become a fruit-bearing tree. Have you seen the comical side of Udom’s industrialization plan?

    The governor also made a false claim that he reactivated the state-owned Peacock Paint. No one has seen products from the Peacock Paint factory on the market. He merely repainted the factory building and is falsely advertising it as reactivation.

    He equally advertises a syringe factory and electric metering firm sited in Onna as part of his “nine industries.” These are small budget cottage operations, the plan for one of which even predates his government. None of these two factories has the turnaround potential that deserves all the celebratory noise from a government that has earned N1 trillion in three years plus. This government is averse to big dreams. It is majoring in minor.

    However one looks, the record shows that Udom Emmanuel has not added to the stock of pivotal assets bequeathed to the state by his predecessors. He has also failed to put to use and maintain state assets he inherited. Under his watch Ibom Hotel has become an embarrassment; the state specialist hospital has been shut, reopened, and is now in a state of suspended animation. Uyo is a sea of potholes. Biblical floods are virtually washing the city away with Udom looking on as in a trance. The physical state of Eket is shameful. Primary and secondary education in the state is in shambles. So is health.

    In spite of this embarrassing record amidst fabled wealth, there is this din of second term as though a second term was an entitlement. A second term is earned; it is not automatic. Other governors in the country had served for only one term because their people rejected their second term bid on account of poor performance. It’s key to let Udom know that previous governors in the state had had to face fierce reelection battles, even though they had performed where he has recorded dramatic failure. Idongesit Nkanga, who is perhaps one of those misleading Udom on this birthright delusion, challenged Attah in his 2003 re-election bid. The late Ime Umana was also in the race against Attah. Akpabio faced an unyielding challenge from Frank Okon and Senator Akpanudoedehe. Attah and Akpabio, both sitting governors, took the challenge on the chin, and fought off the opposition with the record of their achievements on the job. They didn’t cry birthright and never summoned their ethnic nationalities to come out and fight off non-existing alien invasions. It’s time the whining stopped. This job is for adults.

    Udom Emmanuel has failed to meet the minimum governance standard and should join the list of single termers. He must be called out on his blatant cronyism: everything—appointments, patronage, the few village roads he has started—must go to Awa, his village, not even the greater ESD! He and his ever changing stories should be rejected. His claim that he should do two terms because he is Ibibio is hollow. The governorship of the state is not about ethnic representation. Besides, the great Ibibio nation has able and proven leaders that can step in and save the state from the slide triggered by Udom Emmanuel’s uncommon incompetence. In another breath, Udom hides under the untenable excuse of lack of resources. But the record of resource inflow to the coffers of government under him puts a lie to this claim.

    The governor has run out of excuses for his failure. He must be rejected at the poll. Akwa Ibom people must take back their state from this spectacular failure.

  • Parties, second term and zoning dynamics

    NIGERIAN politicians have not given any indication that they are prepared to grapple with the problem of how zoning and second term struggles skew both political development and the entrenchment of democracy. It requires enormous courage to grapple with these issues. Most states have factored the governorship seat to rotate between their senatorial districts in order to, as they imagine, engender inclusive politics. On the surface, this means every district will not feel left out. This artificiality, it has turned out, is executed right down the line, even to state legislative seats. Of course, despite its many embarrassing lacunas, including its presumptive and encapsulating opening declaration, the constitution is smart enough not to attempt to enthrone rotation or zoning as a principle of power sharing.

    But because of the aggressive and often bitter competition for office between Nigeria’s major ethnic groups, or the now more convenient geopolitical zones, political parties have instituted an informal, extra-constitutional arrangement for rotating power. Both the informality of the rotation and the zoning arrangement itself do not indicate depth of thinking, but zoning has seemed to serve the country somewhat gingerly well. It is short-sighted; yet this device has now been taken as a political constant, a given with which the political class appears to be at peace. That such an offensive device has further complicated and subverted the intention behind the principle of zoning is severely ignored by politicians hungry for office.

    Take, for example, the office of the president. It does not matter whether at a given time a geopolitical zone has produced a very competent and charismatic aspirant; once his zone is not expected to produce the president, none of the major parties would give him a hearing, let alone a chance. Worse, even after the ‘right’ zone has produced a president, his zone and his supporters would still insist he must serve a second term regardless of his demonstrable lack of capacity, and lack of judgement and charisma. The same disease afflicts the governorship position, and to some extent other legislative positions. No one has successfully argued why a president or governor must be given a second term simply because it is the turn of his zone. Why not limit the irrational formula to only one term, with the second term plausible only because that elected person had shown proof of incomparability?

    In 2019, notwithstanding the accolades heaped on him by his fanatical supporters, or his demonstrable lack of capacity as ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo put it, President Buhari of the APC will be presented by his party both because they see him as the man to beat and because every zone that produces a president is expected willy-nilly to complete two terms. This farrago of nonsense is now hardening the arteries of Nigerian politics, and the country may have to contend with that sclerosis for a long time to come.

    The saner issue of a polity amply and foresightedly restructured to endure for centuries, and to help unleash the potential of the people in an atmosphere of healthy competition and peace, is completely subordinated to the cause of maintaining artificial and untenable balance. It does not matter to the people that a second term should be earned only to the extent that a more energetic and endowed visionary from another zone could not be found. In fact, the country, and particularly the APC, seems eager to sacrifice the pruning fork of presidential debate necessary to help the electorate assess the ideas and capacity of a candidate. But they must be compelled to debate and showcase their talents.

    No thought has been paid to the frustrating fact that Nigeria is running out of time to reinvent itself. Nigerian leaders and politicians seemed to have embraced the unhistorical argument that the country will endure forever because God, not the British, put it together, and that no amount of incompetence and elite indolence could cause it to unravel. If their celestial logic is right, perhaps they should tell the country who put the Roman Empire, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, British Empire, and other great empires, together. Engrossed in such nonsensical logic, Nigerian leaders have abdicated their responsibility to the nation, a responsibility that should see them genuinely searching for political and economic formulae to cobble together a fairly perfect union, a union not run along intolerably expensive lines and superfluous number of elected officials.

    The zoning perversion and all its attendant support organs will predominate in 2019. But this atrociousness will only guarantee, both in the states and at the centre, that mostly the wrong people will be elected or re-elected into office. They will rule like monarchs, scoff at democracy and the rule of law, waffle over the concept of restructuring which they have imbued with dozens of facile interpretations, and fiddle with jaded developmental paradigms that are neither original and coherent nor sustainable without foreign loans and foreign dictation and goodwill.