The national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday launched a blistering attack on Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC) describing him as an arrogant and rogue elephant who has no respect for anybody, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

In the statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, its National Publicity Secretary, the party said by describing the APC leadership as weak and unprincipled, Sagay is making a veiled reference to President Buhari who is the party’s national leader.

The statement read “Our attention has been brought to an interview published on pages 46-47 of The Nation Newspaper of Sunday, September 24, 2017, granted by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN)”.

“In the said interview, Sagay described the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “the most unprincipled group of people” who are “encouraging and accepting rogues” in the party. He said: “When I say ‘rogues’, I don’t mean stealing. In literature, when you say someone is a rogue elephant, it means people who are running riot and destroying the party.”

“The Webster dictionary defines ‘rogue elephant’ as “one whose behaviour resembles that of a rogue elephant in being aberrant or independent.” Clearly if we have today, anyone in our government or, by extension, the party who feels accountable only to his own ego; who does not feel the need to bridle his tongue for the sake of anything that is higher than himself; who feels independent of everyone and every institution; that person is Professor Sagay”.

“Asked by the interviewer if he would stop speaking if the President asks him to stop speaking, he said: “Yes, he is my employer. If he tells me to stop talking, I’ll stop talking. But I have certain rights too that I can exercise in addition to that, because I’m not going to be in a position where I am impotent.

“So, I must obey him, but I can go beyond that and obey myself too. That’s it.” Framed in another way, what Sagay is saying here is that, no matter what is at stake, he would rather resign than obey the President if the President tries to restrain him. This is the quintessential rogue elephant behaviour”.

“In his sheer arrogance, he forgets that it is impossible for him to call out the leadership of the party as “weak” and “unprincipled” without indicting the President, who is the leader of the party and has the fundamental responsibility to build the party.

http://independent.ng/sagay-referring-president-buhari-weak-unprincipled-apc/

And also clueless

sarrki

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

W.B YEATS 1919.

Sagay ntor

It's only in Nigeria that reference to 'leadership' of a ruling party is taken to automatically include the President or Executive leader of the government of the day. It seems to me that Mr Sagay's attack was aimed at My Oyegun and the Executives of APC, not Mr Buhari. APC appear to want to drag Buhari into it so as to justify their own attack on Mr Sagay.

In the USA, if you attack the leadership of the Republican Party, no one would assume you meant the President of the country.

In the UK, an attack on the leadership of the Conservative Party would be read to mean the Chairman of the party & its Executives, not Theresa May, the Prime Minister.

Oyegun is the leader of APC, the party, while Buhari is the leader of the government.

Sagay must have hit the truth for APC to respond this way. Some APC brass have also alluded to such in the past

The press will always blow things out of proportion.


Sagay said,

The APC adminstration is weak beause it failed to arrest the arrestables and he compromised by saying, maybe they don't want to be labeled a dictator that's why they chose dialogue.

He further said, he knows that the senators are the ones frustrating the anti corruption war of the party...

Now, to me, it appears like a compliment and not a direct affront.

But, wetin concern me?

For garri processing, and how to set up a profitable one, click on www.garriprocessing..com

All of them re weak and useless to us

APC Is just serving as the opposition to itself.
even when PDP is still weak.

Bashliveon:
APC Is just serving as the opposition to itself.

even when PDP is still weak.

i tell you...even atiku's recent utterances are anti-APC, kind of.

Hahahaha!

Wetin him do una naa Apc?
But wen he castigates those you see as enemy and opposition u praise him.

niceprof:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

W.B YEATS 1919.

Humming in baritone ..

'We must not fall apart'
'We must not fall apart'
'Fall apart' 'Fall apart'

..

So what if his message to the party leadership indicts the president? Is he above reproach like some kinda saint?

This attack on Sagay is unnecessary. Bolaji Abdullahi should direct his energy into something more productive than attacking an eminent lawyer who has done more to support this government than all members of APC national executive put together.

APC as a whole is a disaster. Irresponsible set of morons. Useless party with the most useless set of supporters. It shall not be well with this devilish party

⁠⁠⁠SPEECH DELIVERED BY PROF. ILOCHI A. OKAFOR (SAN), FCI.ARB, AT THE NEW LEGAL YEAR CEREMONY HELD ON THE 25TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2017.

1.1. There is nothing like military democracy. It is democracy, pure and simple – government of the people, by the people and for the people – practicing rule of law, where the security and welfare of citizens are paramount, without discrimination of tribe religion, sex, ethnic origin etc administering justice equally between the rich and poor, the mighty and the low, the educated and the illiterate, man and woman, Muslim, Christian and traditionalists, North and South.

1.2. Armies do not arrest civilians. Police do. Armies are not stationed against a peaceful people, or demonstration. Armies intervene where it is beyond the police, against insurrection, terrorism, and external aggression. Section 271 of the 1999 Constitution. Never against ‘fighting kidnapping’ ‘armed robbery’, ‘killing of priests’ and certainly not in suppressing ‘unarmed agitation’.

1.3. The Ibos are a peaceful people. Demonstrations towards realization of the right to self determination are recognized as fundamental rights in International Law and United Nations Charter. Nigeria is bound by such law. Our people were issued with Civil Notice to leave the North or face very dire consequences. No person has been arrested. The Army has not been stationed in the North. October 1 is the deadline and, is around the corner. Who protects our people presently in the North; who has protected us from Fulani Herdsmen?

1.4. The Ibos have faced and lived down pogroms and threats of exterminations for over 100 years like the Jews. Today, with the creation of Israel, it is NEVER AGAIN. The spirit of Biafra is in the soul of every Ibo man or woman. It is an ideology. It is devoid of geography. Wherever we are or will be, we shall continue to be Ibos, to be Biafrans, for the threats of pogrom enslavement and extermination will never cease.

1.5. Despite the verbal violence and grandiose rhetorics of Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB is not a terrorist Origination. No person has been killed by IPOB. Its rallies have been heavily crowded but it has not been shown that any person carried or discharged weapons during the rallies. Their exuberance proved the wide, aggressive and passion-filled disconnect with Nigeria andthe older generation. This is understandable. I belong to this generation and we have failed our people. For the Ibo self-haters, the enemy within is a bigger threat than the enemy outside.

1.6. The illegality of South East Governors proscribing all activities of IPOB, or the Armed Forces declaring IPOB a terrorist organization is beyond question. We cannot justify the Army, subjecting defenceless youths, who are unarmed to physical torture, denigrating their dignity, ordering them to slap each other and forcing them to drink and eventually drown in muddy waters. It is inhuman, barbaric and senseless. Which other organization has been declared a terrorist organization? Let us however deal with the disease, not the symptom. When no Ibo is a member of the National Security Council; when a Governor is surrounded by personnel of Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Defence, State Security, Police, Immigration, NDLEA, EFCC, Customs etc those alone who are allowed to officially bear arms are under Federal Government Control; what do you expect? And all that, in a supposedly Federal system of government, where the principle of federal character is enshrined in our constitution.

(i) In January 2015 Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court Sokoto invalidated President Jonathan's unilateral deployment of soldiers for the June 2014 Ekiti State gubernatorial election. The judgment restrained Jonathan “from engaging the service of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the security supervision of elections in any manner whatsoever in any part of Nigeria, without an Act of the National Assembly.”
(ii) On appeal, the Court of Appeal, per Justice Abdul Aboki, in a judgment delivered in February 2015, held that “the President of Nigeria has no powers to call on the Nigerian Armed Forces and to unleash them on peaceful citizens".

The court maintained that 'Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution makes the maintenance of internal security, including law and order the exclusive responsibility of the police'.

(iii) Then in March 2015 - the Federal High Court (in Gbajabiamila v. President Jonathan, et al) vide Hon. Justice Buba ruled that deployment of soldiers to civil duties such as elections was a contravention of Section 217(2) (c) of the Constitution and section 1 of the Armed Forces Act, noting particularly that the 'military was not needed for civil duties'. The judge said that 'the law does not make provision for the military to be involved in civil activities'. He also said that 'the appellate court directly interpreted the Constitution when it held that Sections 215 and 217 jointly limit the president’s power to deploy soldiers to the suppression of insurrection and to aid the police to restore order when it has broken down'.

Ten years previously, the Court of Appeal in Yussuf v Obasanjo (2005) 18 NWLR (PT 956) 96, held that “It is up to the police to protect our nascent democracy and not the military, otherwise democracy might be wittingly or unwittingly militarized. This is not what the citizenry bargained for in wrestling power from the military in 1999. Conscious step or steps should be taken to civilianize the polity to ensure the survival and sustenance of democracy.”

In Buhari v Obasanjo (2005) 2 NWLR (Pt. 910) 24, at 520 – 521, this was the judicial wisdom of Nsofor, JCA

“I believe in spite of the non tolerant nature and behavior of our political class in this country, we should by all means try to keep armed personnel of whatever status or nature from being part and parcel of our electoral processes. The civilian authorities should be left to conduct and carry out fully the electoral processes at all levels”.

1.7. Let it be clear therefore, that if the Courts did not find, as in the foregoing precedents, that ‘electoral violence’ is sufficient cause to deploy soldiers to Police/civil duties, unarmed agitation cannot, in any sane clime pass for a situation where the deployment of the army is necessary and/or justifiable.

1.8. I am reminded that “First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Socialist. Then, they came for the Trade Unions and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – And there was no one left to speak for me. If our Governors, lawmakers and political class sit by and keep silent, elders should not.

1.9. I am 73. If I do not speak out, when will I ever speak out? Is it when I am in the grave? But speak out, I must. Our Bar is not all about holding dinners, attending weddings, funerals, where we wine and eat. Nor is it about holding conferences devoted to endless speeches and pontification. Not at all. As Lawyers, we are all about the Rule of Law and fostering, defending, protecting, if you like, pontificating about democracy – these fundamental rights, the right to free speech, expression of thought and to worship according to our conscience, to receive equal protection of the law, devoid of discrimination on account of sex, religion, tribe or ethnic origin.

1.10. I know as a student of Constitutional law, no people with the diversities and conflicts that exist within us, have ever survived as a nation, unless in a very loose federation or confederation. Suppressing violently the self determination groups is unlikely to kill the agitation for re-structuring. It is clear to me that Nigeria is doomed as a nation sooner or later, unless we re-structure and return to loose federation of regions. We must listen to our youths. Their dissatisfaction is real, profound and deep. The political class that sit in the comforts of their mansions in Abuja, Lagos, Europe and USA, that have dual, sometimes triple citizenships, that visit us only on week-ends, and come elections, return home and buy their elections – you all must listen to the youths. NOW or NEVER.

1.11. To Biafrans, I say that you must continue to agitate peacefully. The world is listening to you. Your cries against our marginalization and threats to annihilate us must never be drowned. Never before has any group in Nigeria brought to the fore, the imperativeness and urgency of re-structuring Nigeria. It is an achievement of historic proportions. But as the Ohas of Ohaneze, you must find accommodation with the Ezes of Ohaneze and other groups in Nigeria clamouring for Nigeria existing on the principles of Justice, equity, fairness and integrity and free of corruption, hatred and zealotry.

THANK You all for listening.

You didn't need to attack the man. The more you engage him the more he talks. You don't expect him at his age to keep quiet while things go wrong.

PDP is not even doing any opposition role in Nigeria. It's APC that's constituting opposition to itself. This government spends more time constructing and firing rebuttals than showing working for the masses to see.

APC is all about Buhari for now.

Did they pay Sagay his salary?

A hungry man is an angry man.

Now he goes for the canopy that covers Buhari and the hacks are rattled!

Hahahah... I'm laughing becos I didn't bother to read d epistle. First the Lion King went out and Hyenas and Jackals started running around. By d tym he came back rats had taken over and chased him away. He decided to take his anger out on d Pigs while d dogs applauded. Now there's an elephant in d room

Sir-gay says the plain truth of describing buhari as a failed leader.

again, sir-gay talks too much

Be dey are a confused party na, even Sagay eyes dn finally open useless party faithfuls I blame dey Oduduwa cat like faces for dis mesd

Idiot1c Sagay with watering mouth who now speaks with both sides of the mouth like Femi Falana just because of incompetent and useless man called Muhammadu Buhari.

I pray the Hausa/Fulani deal and disgrace him

Hahahah... I'm laughing becos I didn't bother to read d epistle. When d dog who's been barking at ur Neigbhours suddenly turn around to start pursuing U lol.. D

To those who voted for this confusion ...


Take a gun with only one bullet in it , decide on what to do with it.