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Tag: victory

  • Makarfi: beyond the victory

    hose hitherto worried by the lingering crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must have heaved a heavy sigh of relief at the Supreme Court’s validation of the leadership of the Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee.

    Before now, a dark cloud hung around the future of the main opposition party due to the crisis that erupted at its last national convention in Port Harcourt. Its outcome, pitched the former national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff against the caretaker committee which enjoys the support of the mainstream organs of the party. Efforts to evolve a political solution proved abortive due mainly to the intransigence of Sheriff. He had insisted on certain conditions the Makarfi group and key organs of the party deemed unacceptable.

    Judicial solution seemed preferable especially after the case had run through the Appeal Court, surprisingly in favour of Sheriff and his picked loyalists. Buoyed by his victory at the Appeal Court, Sheriff became something else, defied reason and wriggled to foist himself on the majority without regard to its repercussions on the unity and survival of that party.

    Tempers rose so high especially after the last effort by former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja to evolve a political solution. Sheriff walked out of the meeting and it became obvious that court option remained the only solution even as it goes with uncertainties and certain risks. The court option offered two possibilities with different payoff – Sheriff wins and Makarfi loses and the vice versa.

    But each of these possibilities goes with a different set of consequences for the party. The first option of Sheriff winning at the Supreme Court is loaded with grave danger for the survival of the party. Sheriff does not enjoy the support of any of the organs of the party. He neither has the support of the PDP governors, the Board of Trustees nor the national executive committee. Elected members of the party in the National Assembly and former ministers are against him. He could not even count on the staff of the party. Not only did these organs oppose him publicly, they swore never to work with him again accusing him of being a mole to destabilize the party for self-serving interests.

    It was obvious that even if the court judgment went in favour of Sheriff, the Makarfi group, together with all the key organs of the party would leave him with carcass of the party to inherit. There were even speculations that the group already had a plan B in its kitty, should the worst case scenario play out. In fact, it was rumoured that the group had registered a new political party so as not to be taken unawares especially given the jolt they suffered by the outcome of the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    Though the Makarfi group had serially denied this, but the body language of its officials continues to point to that direction. What this underscores is that victory for Sheriff would have led to the disintegration of the party. That prospect was indeed very high. In an article in this column titled “PDP without the people”, I had ruminated on a scenario where Sheriff came victorious and the likely outcome of events. The main thesis of that presentation was that Sheriff’s victory would amount to a coup against the people and a destruction of the PDP.

    He could cling on to power; commence recruitment of sundry characters to confer contrived legitimacy to his leadership but all that will lead the party only to a predictable path-destruction. That was bound to be the eventual outcome of victory for Sheriff. Yes; the Makarfi group could float another political party, strive to position it for the challenges ahead. But they would have lost much time. Sheriff, in his new position, would rave up the spoiler game making it difficult for the splinter party to have a smooth and quick sail.

    Opposition would have been rendered prostrate because Sheriff’s PDP would not be able to muster enough muscle to mount a serious challenge while the splinter party would battle with organizational challenges. There would be no strong alternative platform in the coming national elections. This country’s democracy with its increasing slide to one party state would have been worse for it.

    The second possibility of Makarfi emerging victorious is the outcome we now contend with. By that victory, the danger of mass exodus through an alternative platform has been clearly foreclosed. The party will continue from where it stopped since all its organs, structures and properties are intact. It enjoys the support of its governors and that will make things a lot easier. It will inherit all there is to the PDP and move fast to reposition for the challenges ahead. But the roadmap is not going to be that smooth.

    Sheriff and his band of supporters are not in short supply of options. They could find accommodation in any party of their choice or float another political party entirely. But they will not be able to make any meaningful impact for lack of numbers. They will not make any difference if they pitch their tent with any of the exiting parties with the exception of the ruling party. Their strength in sustaining the fight lay solely in capturing the PDP brand in a coup fashion and deploying it to whatever end it pleased them. Once that vaulting ambition failed, all their calculations collapsed like a pack of cards.

    Aligning with the ruling party is also fraught with serious danger.  It will lend ample support to the accusation that Sheriff was all along working for the government. That will dent whatever is left of his credibility and cast some slur on the ruling party for attempting to muscle opposition through unwholesome means. Even the ruling party will be reluctant to admit him at this point in time. That is the credibility baggage Sheriff has to contend with at least for now. He had good opportunities for a fair bargain but blew it all.

    But they still have the option of finding accommodation within the PDP. They could now seek reconciliation; an option they serially rebuffed through the obduracy of Sheriff. Good enough, the Makarfi PDP has sent an olive branch to all genuine members for reconciliation with a caveat that such will be based on fairness; equity and values. What these principles would translate to in actual terms is left to conjecture. They have also announced a policy of no victor, no vanquished. But contrary to the avowals of the new PDP leadership, there are winners and losers.

    It is a verity of the two person zero sum game. There are bound to be losers and winners. Sheriff is the loser and has to contend with the outcome of his short-sightedness. For dragging his party to the precipice, it is unlikely he will find favour in that party again. Given that the strength of political parties lies in their membership, the party would definitely need many of those in Sheriff’s camp. But it is likely going to be on the terms it will dictate. It would appear group negotiation with dissenting members does not offer much prospects any longer. The party could go ahead to resolve disagreements within some state chapters but it is unlikely to supplant their executives to accommodate the Sheriff group. That is where the loss actually begins.

    Beyond this victory, the PDP still has to contend with all the issues that brought about the current pass. Chief among them is impunity resulting in the imposition of candidates and inability to allow internal democracy to reign supreme. Apparently blinded by its hold on power, it had behaved as if it was above the people who at any rate remained the ultimate sovereign.

    The party must also come to terms with the reality that it lost elections and things are no longer the same again. It has to contend with the campaign mounted by the ruling party against it in the fight against corruption irrespective of the selectivity of that crusade. Its current challenges (though self-inflicted) provide a good opportunity for serious introspection.

    To make real progress and command the confidence of the people, it must strive to prove to Nigerians that it is no longer business as usual. The tea party is over. Nigerians are more than ever before eager to hold the government accountable. The Supreme Court verdict makes meaning only if it re-awakens the party to the primacy of the people as the fulcrum for democratic action.

  • Osun PDP’ senatorial seat victory

    I saw it coming and I predicted it to my friends that the leadership of the APC in Osun State was disconnected from the people. Governor Rauf Aregbesola has my support because he has done well for the people of Osun particularly in the education sector. He has built first class schools at primary and secondary levels, the two levels that are usually neglected in Nigeria. His school feeding programme has been embraced by the federal government and commended by foreign institutions and embassies in Nigeria. Whenever I travel to Southern Africa, I am always ashamed about the ramshackle buildings called schools all over Nigeria but Aregbesola’s schools have put a smile on my face. These schools are not just in the state capital of Oshogbo but they are all over the place. I had discussions with teachers in some of these schools in the last two years praising the governor for his revolutionary facilities for schools and the retort was always that salaries were not being paid to teachers in full. What does anyone say to people who say they cannot satisfy the needs of their families from their vastly reduced pay packets?

    Governor Aregbesola’s infrastructural programme was also revolutionary. He had plans to build good roads all over the state. He has also changed the face of the rather traditional and rustic town of Oshogbo in the last six years. He was also trying to link Oshogbo with the now dilapidated Ilesha-Ibadan expressway but he has not been able to fully execute the plan. He was also building an expressway to link Oshogbo with Offa on a road that is a federal road and like all the other magnificent plans, it seems the state bit more than it can chew. The federal government has not always been helpful. The federal roads linking the state with neighbouring states have been abandoned. The old federal road linking Ilesha, the biggest city in the state with Oshogbo the state capital is now largely unmotorable. The local people who do not know which road is state or federal blame Aregbesola’s government. The problem Aregbesola’s government has is that it is overcommitted. I wish this governor had all the money he needed so that he could have turned Osun State into the best state in the federation. He has plans to build a road that would have bypassed Ibadan to link Osun apparently through Ijebu-Igbo with Lagos-Benin expressway.

    In hindsight it seems Aregbesola could not cure himself of the Lagos mega infrastructural projects syndrome which he got used to when in the words of his biographer Professor Ayo Olukoju he was the “First Commissar of works” whatever that means! Because of these megalomaniac projects, the government of Osun State is over-borrowed and the debts are being paid monthly from federal financial allocation before whatever is left gets to Oshogbo. Public servants including teachers and judicial officers are being doled out money to in proportion to their earnings with junior workers getting most of their salaries. When Aregbesola’s first came to power, the first thing he did was to slash fees of tertiary institutions in the state.  This unwise enthusiasm was not limited to Osun it was something the APC governments in the South-west were guilty of. Some of the states quietly had to eat their vomit when they realized they had no resources to fill the financial gaps. I sympathize with these governors because the welfarist policies of the old Action Group and Unity Party of Nigeria have become so ingrained in our people that even the PDP governors in the South-west dare not depart from this state dependency culture.

    These preambular paragraphs are to explain the loss of the seat vacated by Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke following his unfortunate demise a few months ago. Isiaka Adeleke was a former governor of Osun State and popularly and affectionately called “Serubawon”. I do not know the origin of the name but the rough translation of Serubawon is “frighten them”. Isiaka Adeleke’s father was a senator and trade unionist in the First Republic. The Adelekes in Ede cannot reasonably be ignored. Isiaka’s younger brother, Dr Deji Adeleke is a successful businessman and founder and proprietor of Adeleke University in Ede.  This is one of the most resource endowed universities in Nigeria. It’s buildings are first world type buildings. This is a university employing hundreds of Osun particularly Ede indigenes in the junior ranks of the university staff. I do not know if there are other Adeleke family businesses apart from shopping complexes in Ede. The point I am making is that in a money-starved state like Osun, one cannot ignore providers of paid, emphasis on “paid” employment.

    When Isiaka Adeleke died suddenly, I nearly lost my life coming to Ede that Sunday evening following the sudden outpouring of grief leading to rioting and violence by the village underclass and urban proletariat. I have lived in Ede for the past two years to drive on the cratered and potholed roads of Ede city and Osun State in general.

    If there was any intelligence outfit in the state, the leadership of the APC should have known the sense of loss by the people of the state by the death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke. The proper thing for the governing party to have done the moment Ademola Adeleke indicated interest in serving out his brother’s term, was to have simply conceded it to Ademola Adeleke. First the party first disqualified Alhaji Hussein, who is a serving commissioner in the lately assembled cabinet after a  one man riot squad of the governor himself alone running the state. Then the party came back to call for  a new selection which now said Ademola Adeleke was no longer the APC candidate. This created a lot of confusion and Adeleke pitched his tent with the rival PDP. With the resources at their command and the sympathy of the general public and the piled up frustration with Aregbesola’s style of administration, it did not come to me as a surprise that Adeleke won a personal battle and victory for his family which felt the government of Osun showed little sympathy to them after the death of their iconic head of the family and a former state governor of Osun State.  The government may have been legally correct in setting up a coroner’s inquest to find out the cause of the death of Isiaka Adeleke, but this was against the wish of the departed senator’s family. The government’s argument that it accommodated Isiaka Adeleke in the APC after being forced out of the PDP, and persuaded Husain to stand down for him in 2015 is not convincing because the political weight of Adeleke is much heavier than that of Hussein. I hope reconciliation with the new PDP senator, Ademola Adeleke can be arranged so that he can come back to the APC.

    The government, immediately the rains stop, or even before that time, must find money to repair municipal roads in Osun State starting with the deplorable roads in Ede. The governor must go to Abuja to plead with the presidency for help. The defeat of the APC is a warning shot to the party. It must not ignore this. It must immediately react before it is too late or this will be a sad signal to what may happen in 2019. Many of us will be sad to see the corrupt regime of the past come back to finally finish off Nigeria.

  • Macron’s victory and lessons for Africa

    SIR: Emmanuel Macron is the man of the moment. The man is making rounds on the social media not just because he is the president of one of the most popular countries in the world, but also because at 39, he is the youngest to be so.

    However, he is popular not just because of the dynamics of his position and age. His personal life is intriguing. Macron is married to 63-year-old Brigitte (24-year-older) whose second child was Macron’s mate in high school. What is even more intriguing is that his sweetheart was his French and drama teacher in school and at 15, he professed his love for her and promised to marry her when he gets older. Macron’s parents frowned at this with a condition – that he reaches 18 first. Of course, the young man was not one to break his promises. He whisked his sweetheart off to marriage in 2007.

    If the emergence of this “mysterious” man to the highest office in France is jaw-dropping to the world, it would leave the jaws of Africans hanging lower. We Africans are acutely dogmatic. We revere tradition, uphold it with all sacredness. We fear to even think about change. The unfamiliar path, we let it be as though we are always sure of disasters along those untoured paths. In Africa, individualism and liberalism are flipped down to the exposure of collectivism and traditionalism. Indeed this is our culture and we have to respect it. But if culture is made by humans and for humans, it is apt to deliberate alternatives.

    Collectivism propagates the suppression of self-expression. If there is just one reason why the world is not filled up with clones; there is a good reason why self-expression such be maximally permitted. The society is made of a group of people. But this group of people are made up of individuals – you and I – each with his/her own uniqueness and abilities. The society is a microcosm of the human body – a perfectly made system in which every part has its functions and yet all contribute to the functionality of the whole. As the human system is, so also is the society, made up of individuals with different talents, careers, occupations, etc all relying on one another for continuity and progress. So by the moment we suppress individual expression, we are suppressing the functionality of the whole system. Thus, as long as it doesn’t go as far as causing harm, individuals should be allowed self-expression.

    Liberalism and individual self-expression are lessons Africa has to learn from France’s presidential elections. France penetrated the lenses of their new president’s marital decisions to allow for sight of the quality of his personality. They were tolerant enough to accommodate his “weird” marital decisions. By electing him in spite of this and his age, France has not just given Africa lessons on individualism but on priorities also.

     

    • Clifford Msughter Ortese,

    cliffortese@gmail.com

     

  • Ikpeazu dedicates victory to Abians

    Ikpeazu dedicates victory to Abians

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has dedicated his victory over Uche Ogah at the Supreme Court to the people of Abia state, who, he said, stood by him during the period of litigations.
    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos, Ikpeazu said the victory was a re-affirmation of the mandate given to him by the people, and now twice confirmed by the Supreme Court.
    He said only God will take glory for the victory. He commended the judiciary for standing firm on the side of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
    Ikpeazu called on Abians to join hands with him to ensure accelerated growth and development of the state.
    He said: “The time for politics is long over, and I have forgiven all those that were bent on distracting me. Let all well meaning Abians, including my opponents, come and join us to grow and develop our state without distractions as we ultimately have stakes in the growth and development of our state and people.”
    “Today, there is the work of Abia to do and history will judge us by how much of that work we do, not by how much politics we play. My doors are open to all, my ears are open to hear and my eyes are strong enough to read suggestions on how we can best deliver greater dividends to those who really matter: the great people of Abia State.”

  • 2015 election: Beyond Buhari’s victory

    2015 election: Beyond Buhari’s victory

    A book on the last presidential election, written by former presidential spokesman and Chairman of Editorial Board, ThisDay, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, has been generating attention in the media in the last two weeks. At the launch of the book, Adeniyi explained what spurred him into writing it. Eminent Nigerians at the event poured encomiums on the journalist, describing him as a pacesetter. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI was there.  

    Against the background of the excitement generated by Against the Run of Play: How an incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria, a new book by former presidential spokesman and the Chairman of Editorial Board, ThisDay, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, friends, associates, professional colleagues, politicians and Nigerians from all walks of life gathered for the launch of the book in Lagos last weekend, with a lot of expectations.

    But, rather than dwelling on revelations about the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, the event was a celebration of the author, who was variously described as a pacesetter, a passionate and patriotic writer and journalist, who displays a lot of diligence in his work.

    Chairman of the occasion and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) set the ball rolling when he described Adeniyi as a journalist who has displayed an abiding faith in the Nigerian project. He said the former presidential spokesman has proved that journalists can do more about the events they report daily in the course of their job. The former Head of State said it is the responsibility of journalists to stimulate robust and unbiased debate to bring about change and that that is what Adeniyi has done with his latest book.

    Abdulsalami said beyond the current effort, what the former presidential spokesman has been doing through his column and books are to chart a new path. His words: “He has proved and quite successfully too that our journalists do not have to limit their scope to covering the news and writing of weekly columns; they can do more, by giving us the back stories of some of the momentous events that help to shape our history.”

    The retired General said the book is not just a chronicle of the fall of one president and the rise of another. He said: “It is a typical journalistic history-in-a-hurry about what happened; what could have happened and what is currently happening in our country, so that we can all learn important lessons. We need journalists to write books about critical aspects of our national life, not just politics, which seems to be Segun’s fort. We need books to explain some of the issues that are treated perfunctorily, so that we can understand ourselves better.”

    He said there are serious developments in Nigeria that ought to be documented, such as the Boko Haram saga. He said fortunately the only book published on the subject is by a Nigerian journalist. However, he added: “But, it tells a different dimension of the story. Indeed, the issue of insecurity in the Northeast and other parts of the country has not been fully told; so we need Nigerian journalists to dig deeper into the issue of Boko Haram.”

    Abdulsalami implored journalists to exercise caution, especially when reporting crisis, adding that they should emulate Adeniyi’s style, by being “factual, engaging and capable of providing answers to hard questions”.

    He said the book, Against the Run of Play, is coming at the right time to further deepen peoples’ understanding of what actually happened in Nigeria during the March 2015 presidential election, which many believe is the most defining moment of the country’s political history. He added that the book may have taken the author two years to write, but given the information it contains, that it is worth the time spent. “I must therefore commend Segun, who has consistently demonstrated through his writings an abundant faith in the Nigerian project,” he said.

    Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, said Adeniyi’s treatment of his subjects is deeply perceptive and well thought-out. Anyaoku said he reads some opinion columns in Nigerian newspapers and that Adeniyi’s column in ThisDay newspaper is one of his favourites. He said though he has not read the book, but the revelations of the author, the book reviewer and others suggest that Against the Run of Play is an example of his thoroughness and diligence.

    Spokesman to former President Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati, described Adeniyi as a pacesetter in the inky profession. He said: “Many of us in this business do not take our time to reflect. He has set an example that many who occupy that office would follow.”

    The current presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, also commended Adeniyi for writing a book that has generated a lot of comment in the media. He said he learned from the author, who found himself in a difficult position when his principal, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua became ill and incapacitated in 2009.

    Adesina said he tried to make himself available to the media and the public generally when President Muhammadu Buhari was in the United Kingdom recently on vacation and had to be hospitalised.

    The Managing Director of Leaders and Company Ltd, publishers of ThisDay, Mr. Eniola Bello, equally poured encomiums on Adeniyi. He said: “I must confess that writing is not an easy project, particularly with the problems of frequent light outage, bad roads and surviving in our country. I’ve been playing with an idea for a book for years.”

    It was former First Lady of Cross River State, Mrs. Onari Duke that alluded to Adeniyi’s patriotic zeal, by providing Nigerians with a lot of useful information to correct the mistakes of the past. Mrs. Duke who stood in for her husband, Mr. Donald Duke, as the Chief Launcher of the book, said Adeniyi’s “patriotic zeal is almost like a flame”.

    Mr. Tunde Rahman, who represented the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the event, said the account of Tinubu as provided in the book is not about him losing the vice presidency, adding that his principal was quoted out of context in some of the reports. The media aide to Tinubu said: “The account of what transpired as told by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the book and as presented in some newspapers is not about him losing the vice presidency and the eventual vice president emerging, as the reviewer has put it.

    “Asiwaju spoke in greater context in that book, and when people are making comments, they should speak within the context in which he spoke. If they are saying that Asiwaju lost the vice presidency and that a vice president emerged, where did he emerge from? Who nominated the vice president?

    “I’d like to say that even the Vice President has said on some occasions that a certain political leader from the Southwest nominated him for the job, and we all know who that is. That nomination has been a very good choice from all the wonderful things the Vice President has been doing.”

    Rahman also said Tinubu is “working on his own book to tell his account of what transpired”.

    The book reviewer, Dr. Okey Ikechukwu, who is a member of ThisDay Editorial Board, said the book is compulsory for anyone who wants to understand, grab and exercise political power.

    Adeniyi confessed that he did anticipate that the book would generate the kind of excitement it is generating today. He said: “For instance, I woke up yesterday morning to discover that people were already buying the book on Kindle, having announced in my column that it would only be on sale from today. And it has been trending ever since.”

    He said the idea for the book germinated when he was doing a fellowship programme at Harvard University, during the 2010/2011 academic session. He said: “I decided to research into why it is difficult for incumbent presidents to lose elections in Africa. In the process, I discovered that competitive presidential elections held in sub-Saharan Africa in the preceding two decades resulted only in four per cent defeat and 96 per cent victory for the incumbents.

    “As it would happen, when I applied the same principle to the rest of the world, I found out that it is a global trend, as incumbents were defeated at the polls only seven per cent of the time and winning 93 per cent of the time.”

    This, he said, led him to conclude that there was not much difference between Africa and the rest of the world, with respect to incumbency factor. He added: “Having eliminated that as the main factor why elections are usually skewed against the opposition whenever incumbents were on the ballot, I tried other variables. Eventually, I was able to locate fractionalised opposition as the main factor.

    “As at the time I was working on the paper, which I eventually titled: Divided Opposition as Boom to African incumbents, Nigeria was going through the 2011 presidential election that had President Goodluck Jonathan standing against Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). At that period, there were feeble attempts at forming an opposition platform around Buhari and the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, but it turned out to be too little too late. From my findings, the only opposition coalition that can defeat an incumbent is one built over years and not one cobbled together weeks to the election.

    “When the election eventually held and Buhari lost, I adapted my research paper for a newspaper article which I titled: Divided They Run, United They Lose: How Fractionalised Opposition Strengthens African Incumbents. It was widely circulated in the media at home even though I was still then in the United States. The idea was to state clearly that Buhari should locate his defeat not on rigging or the factor of incumbency, but rather in the fact that he could not build a credible coalition.”

    The article, Adeniyi said, had admonished the opposition to close ranks, by building a formidable coalition well ahead of future elections; rather than go into the contest divided. He said: “The perennial narrative that they are rigged out by the ruling party is becoming hollow. In a milieu where political parties are not only weak, but lack financial wherewithal, while there is no ideology binding members together, forging an electoral alliance is a long and arduous task. Waiting till weeks or days to the election to begin the process for such an alliance is therefore no more than an open invitation to a sure defeat.”

    After the defeat of former President Jonathan in the last presidential election, Adeniyi said it was clear to him, as a keen follower of events that culminated in the election, “that while a credible opposition platform that the All Progressives Congress (APC) represented helped, it was not the main reason why the election went the way it did”. This, he said, spurred him to begin to interrogate the factors that led to that unprecedented electoral outcome. “The result is what we are presenting today,” he concluded.

    Adeniyi said none of the key characters of the last general elections that he interviewed in the course of researching for the work can complain that he was misquoted, because he spoke to a number of them at least twice to ensure that he got it right.

    The event was graced by a lot of eminent Nigerians, including former Minister of Communications and an uncle of the author, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Chairman of Etisalat, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Ambassador Joe Keshi, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Dr. Chidi Amuta, Akin Osuntokun, Kayode Komolafe, Ayo Arowolo, Soji Omotunde, Gbenga Omotoso, Eric Osagie, Yinka Odumakin, Emeka Opara, Dele Momodu, Tokunbo Afikunyomi, Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah, Opeyemi Agbaje and Hon. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma who represented the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.

  • Jubilation in Edo as tribunal affirms Obaseki’s electoral victory

    Jubilation in Edo as tribunal affirms Obaseki’s electoral victory

    Youths and elderly people joined hundreds of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State on the streets of Benin City yesterday to celebrate the ruling of the Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal which affirmed the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    The party members, who had previously gathered in groups at strategic locations close to the court, started dancing and singing victory songs at about 11:30 am, following the declaration of APC as the legitimate winner of the 2015 governorship election in the state.

    Joined by Governor Obaseki in a victory walk that also featured music, they waved the party’s flags and trekked from Ringroad to different parts of the city, causing heavy traffic jam in some parts of the city for about two and a half hours.

    Residents and passers-by did not only join the party train, they also expressed joy over the development.

    An APC member, Alhaja Maimunat Muhomodu, expressed joy and advised the people of Edo state to support and be patient with the state governor.

    She said: “I feel so glad and thank Almighty God for this victory.

    “Even before the governor was declared winner by the tribunal, he had been working.

    “I know that he will now work more for the people.

    “My advice to the residents of Edo State is that they should be patient with the governor and support him in order for him to take us to the next level.”

    A resident, Mr. Julius Udeh, who commended the governor for his achievements so far, also urged him to improve on his work.

    He said: “I am very happy about today’s victory. I am very proud of APC. I know they won the election and nobody can change it.

    “Governor Obaseki is really working for the progress of the state and everybody can testify to that.

    “My advice to the governor is that he should step up his work now and continue to work like his predecessor.”

    The Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led tribunal had dismissed the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as lacking merit.

    Badamasi held that the petitioners failed on all fronts to prove the allegations pleaded in their petitions.

    “The petitioners have failed to prove their case with credible evidence and the petition is therefore dismissed,” he said.

    The tribunal held that while the petitioners abandoned some of their pleadings, “witnesses’ evidences were controverted under cross examination.”

    “The much-talked-about ticking and over-voting have not been specifically proved beyond reasonable doubt, and not calling witnesses to prove their allegations of corrupt practices and over-voting was fatal to their case as it is deemed that they have abandoned their pleadings,” he explained.

    Justice Badamasi therefore held that the petitioners had failed to prove their case with credible evidence to show that they were entitled to their pleadings before dismissing the petition.

    The petitioners, Pastor Ize-Iyamu Osagie and PDP had listed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Godwin Obaseki and APC as first, second and third respondents respectively.

    They had asked the tribunal to nullify the election of Obaseki and declare Ize-Iyamu as the winner instead, having scored majority of the lawful votes cast, among other reliefs.

    They averred that INEC was wrong to declare Obaseki the winner of the Sept 28 gubernatorial election, adding that the election was fraught with corrupt practices and over-voting.

    The petitioners asked the tribunal to rule that Governor Obaseki was not duly elected by lawful votes cast and declare Pastor Ize-Iyamu winner for scoring the highest number of lawful votes cast.

    In the alternative, the petitioners sought an order that the governorship election of September 28 be nullified and a fresh election ordered.

    Reacting to the judgment yesterday, Governor Obaseki described it as victory for Edo people and an act that would spur him to do more.

    In his own reaction, former Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, described the petition as a busy body petition.

    His words: “The PDP has no case, Pastor Ize-Iyamu has no case.

    “The reason we have people going to court for no reason is because there is no cost.

    “I think the Electoral Act should be amended so that if you bring such a frivolous case and didn’t make sufficient efforts to show that you were cheated, you just do it out of fun, there should be sufficient cost to applicant who tried to abuse the court processes.

    “This was just as mama akara looking for trouble.

    “In other jurisdictions, when you go to court on a non-issue, you pay the cost of litigation and that serves as a deterrent.

    “I know that our people will not vote PDP and they can never vote PDP.

    “People can say whatever they say about the judiciary; the judiciary has shown it has men and women of courage and character.

    “This was a busy body petition and we thank God that justice had been done.”

    The Speaker of Edo State House of Assemby, Hon Justin Okonobor, urged the opposition parties to learn to accept defeat and congratulate the winner of an election.

    Former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Osagie, congratulated the governor and the APC for the legal victory.

    Osagie urged all party supporters to join hands with the governor and the party to drive development in the state.

    His words: “This victory should serve as cushion to all frail nerves and a catalyst for the administration to embark on the continuation of its well thought out development agenda for Edo State.

    “It is time to work together in the interest of the State irrespective of political or ideological differences. After all a better Edo State is for the benefit of all.”

  • Sheriff’s victory temporary, says Fayose

    Sheriff’s victory temporary, says Fayose

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday declared that Friday’s Court of Appeal judgment which affirmed Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not last.

    He said all the organs of the PDP would not allow Sheriff to inherit the party legally as they have thrown their weight behind the sacked Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led  National Caretaker Committee.

    Speaking during his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, aired on the radio and television channels of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) on Saturday, Fayose expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would do justice on the leadership crisis.

    Fayose also warned politicians visiting President Muhammadu Buhari to allow him rest, adding that the nation’s number one citizen needs prayers.

    He said: “I believe the President needs enough privacy and time to rest. People should allow him to rest. Many people are going there to convince us that he is okay. He needs to rest and we don’t need eye service at this point.

    “I have not been criticising him because he is sick; when he gets back I will. And my criticisms are to put the government on its toes. His handlers are only not helping matters by saying one thing now and another thing tomorrow. The sickness could be out of fatigue or due to old age.”

    Fayose, who is also the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, expressed confidence that the lingering crisis would not affect the chances of the party and its eventual candidate in the 2018 governorship poll in Ekiti.

    The governor warned some individuals planning to invade the party secretariat consequent upon the Appeal Court verdict to shelve the plan or face the full wrath of the law.

    He said: “Sheriff and his gang are only day-dreaming. On our side are the governors, members of the Board of Trustees, the National Assembly caucus, former public office holders, party supporters in the grassroots.

    “If they think they can inherit the party illegally, that is a pipe dream.  Those planning to invade the PDP secretariat here should be warned. They must not toy with fire.

    “I  received a lot of calls from people over Friday’s judgment and the possibility of the development affecting our candidate here in 2018 poll. I want to assure you all that what they did in Edo and Ondo states cannot happen here.

    “We are still under the leadership of the Senator Ahmed Markafi-led National Caretaker Committee and we are taking the matter to the Supreme Court.

    “Remember that when we got a judgment from the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt declaring Sheriff’s claim to the leadership of the party illegal, null and void, Sheriff and his group were still going about parading themselves as leaders of the party.

    “This is because they know that the judgment of the High Court is not the last on the matter. So also the appellate court judgment of Friday is not the final on the issue. The Supreme Court is there and it’s the apex court in the country and we are taking the matter there.

    “ As for the chances of our candidate in next year’s poll, God is giving us an expected end and that is victory over the All Progressives Congress and their cohorts. Three things are critical to winning election, namely, the people, the party and the candidate.

    “Of these three, the people are the most important and those that are with us are more than those that are with our opponents.”

  • Council poll: secretary predicts victory

    Acting Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State Hakeem Bamgbola, has said the party will win in all the Local Governments (LGAs) and the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the forthcoming council elections.

    Bamgbola, a two-time Chairman of Itire-Ikate LCDA, said the achievements of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would make people vote for the party.

    In an interview, he said: “The administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has achieved a lot in infrastructure development, security and general welfare of the people. The performance of the present administration in Lagos State has positively lifted the ratings of our party and we continue to welcome defectors into APC from other parties daily. Nobody wants throw away a performing government and Lagosians are happy with us because the APC government is performing.

    “Look at the 114 roads recently constructed and inaugurated in all the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs in the state. Another 181 roads will soon be embarked upon. No other state in the country can boost of this giant stride. Lagosians are happy that they are reaping dividends of democracy from the present government in the state hence their continued support for us.”

    According to him, a lot of reconciliations have taken place since the set back recorded during the last elections.

    “I think we have realised our mistakes that was why we had a lot of reconciliations. Gaining control of the grassroots is very important for any government. It is only when we regain the local governments we lost during the last election in the coming council elections that we can talk of winning back the House of Assembly and House of Representatives seats lost in the last election,” he said.

    The party, he said, was waiting for the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to roll out its programmes for the election.

    “That’s why we must look at those that will be coming in to run the affairs of the local governments. We want people that would replicate the efforts of Governor Ambode at the council level. We are prepared and set for the election. We are just waiting for the LASIEC to come out with its guidelines so that we can set the ball rolling. I’m very sure we are going to win in all the local governments and the local council development areas. We have a government that’s performing,” he said.

  • APGA hails Buhari for victory over insurgency

    APGA hails Buhari for victory over insurgency

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government for winning the war against Boko Haram insurgency.

    The party, however, called on the government to use practical approaches that are less confrontational to resolve the Niger Delta crisis and kidnapping.

    A statement by the National Director of Publicity, Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, said: “The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) wishes its members, supporters and Nigerians a pleasant and remarkable New Year, as well as a hopeful and glorious 2017.

    “The party urges Nigerians to learn to show care and love to one another by being their brothers and sister’s keeper. And to always engage in things that will promote peace, common good and general interest of the country.

    “APGA implores politicians, especially the elected officials at all levels of governance, to be altruistic in their services and sensitive to the suffering and needs of the people, in order to extenuate the man-made and unacceptable harsh economic cum social conditions Nigerians are subjected to at present.

    “Though the party resolved, at the inception of this administration, not to criticise the APC-led government without any justifiable reason, later events have, however, given the party cause for concern.

    “Thus, APGA is worried, for example, that the Federal Government is treating it’s anti-corruption war as a replacement for the normal government function of governance. This approach has to be really changed if the APC government is to turn round the faltering and depressing economy. While there is improvement in the war against Boko Haram, new theatres are opening in the Southeast and Southsouth, mostly because of the government’s poor handling of the hitherto minor agitation.

    “The party calls on the government to use practical approaches that are less confrontational to resolve the issues. The development in the Niger Delta calls for concern; the Federal Government must find constructive ways of engagement and resolution of the issues that gave rise to the recent upsurge in militancy.

    “If disruption of oil supplies continues in this 2017, the economy will be crippled and Nigerians, especially the less privileged, will be the worse for it than it experienced in the preceding year.”

  • Ondo 2016: Factors that aided Akeredolu’s victory

    Ondo 2016: Factors that aided Akeredolu’s victory

    It is no longer news that All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Oluroritmi Akeredolu is Ondo State governor-elect. What is news is how the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) proved bookmakers wrong to spring surprise in the Sunshine State. Deputy News Editor BUNMI OGUNMODEDE writes on the forces that paved the way for the one-time Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president.

    Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State has been won and lost. Strangely, the results proved all bookmakers wrong. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Olurotimi Akeredolu (SAN), beat two other major contenders, Mr Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

    Akeredolu, who ==analysts described as the  political underdog, sprang a surprise, winning in 14 out of the 18 local government areas with 244, 842 votes to beat PDP’s Jegede to the second position with 150, 380 and Oke with 126, 889 votes.

    The APC flag bearer did not win all the six council areas in his North Senatorial District but took the battle to Jegede in his Central Senatorial base and won in five of the seven local government areas. In Oke’s South Senatorial District, Akeredolu won in three of the five council areas.

    The results have shown that certain undercurrents guided the election to prove bookmakers wrong and assert the supremacy of the electorate. Some of the forces that aided the victory of the APC candidate are:

     

    The party platforms 

    PDP crisis

    The ruling party was crisis-ridden in the run-up to the poll. Jegede, who eventually flew its ticket at the election, was restored on the ballot two days to the election. He was in the limbo for more than a month after a Federal High Court ruling gave the ticket to Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim of the Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the party. Jegede, a preferred candidate of incumbent Governor Olusegun Mimiko, is of the Ahmed Markafi faction. Since Ibrahim is of the other faction, the governor, who has a hold on the PDP structure and resources in the state stayed away for as long as Ibrahim was on the ballot.

    In Rivers State when a similar scenario played out in 2007, the party supported Celestine Omehia during the campaigns. Omehia won the election but lost the seat to Rotimi Amaechi who approached the court for what he called illegal substitution by the PDP leadership as the candidate. That was not the case in the Sunshine State. The mainstream PDP distanced itself from the Ibrahim campaigns.

    The former PDD candidate’s involvement was to stop Mimiko from relinquishing office to a lackey in Jegede. According to him, Jegede’s victory would mean a third term for the incumbent who will complete a two-term in office next February.

    Those who accused Ibrahim of playing a spoiler’s role may be right after all. He was alleged to have congratulated Akeredolu immediately after voting closed in the polling units across the state on Saturday and even when INEC was yet to collate and compute the results from the local government areas. Ibrahim’s accusers said the results have foreclosed his plan to appeal his removal as the PDP’s candidate last week Thursday.

    “He has succeeded in removing Mimiko from office. He was never a serious candidate. Let’s wait and see if he will still push his appeal. You remember that even on the eve of the election, he told his supporters that he remained the party’s candidate,” an analyst said yesterday.

     

    AD

    The AD, the platform on which Oke contested, was moribund before its flag bearer defected from the APC in the aftermath of the controversial shadow poll. Although Oke succeeded in reactivating the platform, time was definitely not on his side to establish structures that could have been formidable enough to win a statewide election. Many lauded Oke’s performance on the AD platform, which they say he borrowed to cotest the election. They attribute Oke’s performance to experience.

     

    The APC

    Despite the controversial governorship primary, the APC has become a formidable party and an alternative to the ruling PDP in the state. Ahead of the poll, the APC was the nest of every aggrieved PDP member. Former Deputy Governor Alhaji Olanusi Ali joined the APC after he parted ways with Mimiko.

    It was believed that whoever got the APC ticket would likely dislodge the ruling party from the Alagbaka Government House.

     

    The Mimiko factor

    Not a few believe that the people voted against Mimiko in protest and to stop what they claim to be the extension of his eight-year administration. The governor, they say, squandered the goodwill freely given to him in 2007 and 2012 on the platform of the Labour Party.

    The people, it was learnt, are not happy with the governor in his handling of state affairs.

    “Mimiko rode to power because the civil servants and organised labour supported him in 2007 and 2012. But, he has not reciprocated the goodwill. The workers have not been paid for six months. He was playing on the intelligent of the workers by urging them to vote for his preferred candidate, promising to clear the arrears of their salaries this week”, a stakeholder in the state said.

    Like Ibrahim, the stakeholder said a victory for Jegede would have been tenure elongation for Mimiko.

     

    Jegede not independent

    The PDP flag bearer is seen as a politician tied to his godfather’s apron string. Critics see him a man who lacks the right political initiative to lead a state as sophisticated as Ondo.

    According to investigations, Jegede has no structure outside of Mimiko’s. He allegedly went to sleep for more than a month only to be pushing for a postponement of the election when his name was restored on the ballot by INEC on the orders of a Court of Appeal.

    “It was political suicide for Jegede to have relied solely on Mimiko’s incumbency,” an analyst said. The analyst alluded to the late Chuba Okadigbo’s description of incumbency as a double-edged sword which could either be an asset or a liability. “In the case of the Ondo governorship election, Mimiko’s incumbency has turned out as liability for Jegede”, the analyst said.

     

    Cash-for-votes

    This factor has been dismissed as a non-issue in the Ondo election as all the parties freely deployed money to woo voters. Besides, elections in the country have always been heavily monetised. So, it is wrong of any party to accuse the other of buying votes. They all used money,” a source told The Nation.

     

    Federal might

    This factor cannot be ruled out. An analyst said: “It would be miscalculation for people to think that President Muhammadu Buhari would be indifferent to political developments in any part of the country. You remember he was in Akure personally to campaign. Besides, his aides issued a statement in Abuja a day to the election urging the people to vote the APC.

    “Even if the President was neutral, the APC as the ruling party at the central cannot afford to sit on the fence. Mimiko was a beneficiary of federal power in 2012 when he was returned to office on the Labour Party (LP) platform.

    The administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan backed him against Oke, who was then the PDP flag bearer. The deal was that Mimiko would defect to the PDP after winning the election. In Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi was the first to lose election under the APC ticket in 2014 because the PDP candidate, Ayodele Fayose, enjoyed federal backing.”

    Those defending the deployment of federal might, said a loss for Akeredolu in last Saturday’s poll would have been a vote of no confidence on the President and the APC. Besides, it would also have created problem for the 2019 project of the ruling party.

     

    Sophistication of the electorate

    By pitching their tent with Akeredolu, the voters in Ondo State showed their political sophistication. The people are unhappy that Ondo, an oil-producing state, has been finding it difficult to fulfil its statury obligations to workers.

    According to them, using the dwindling allocations from the Federation Account as reason for not paying worker’s salaries was not enough, more so, when neighbouring Edo State was meeting its obligations under former Governor Adams Oshiohmole.

     

    The Smart Card Reader

    The use of the Smart Card Reader (SCR) for electronic accreditation of voters by INEC frustrated any plan to manipulate the electoral process. As predicted in an analysis in The Nation of last Friday, voter turnout was low when compared with the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) distributed by the electoral umpire. Ordinarily, the introduction of voting immediately after accreditation should have encouraged voter accreditation. But one thing that the INEC has achieved with the new system is the elimination of multiple voting.

     

    A break from the old order

    The election of Akeredolu has opened a new chapter in the Sunshine State. The electorate have shown that they need a break from politicians who have links with the Alagbaka establishment.

    Though Akeredolu once served as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, it was under a military setting. The gate to the Alagbaka Government House has been shot against those with tainted relationship with power since the country returned to participatory democracy 17 years ago.

    As the governor-elect, all eyes would now be on Akeredolu and the expectation of the electorate who overwhelmingly voted for him is no doubt high. Having contested four years ago on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and lost, he is expected to hit the ground running when he formally takes the driver’s seat in February next year.