₦airaland Forum

THE APC in Ondo State has picked holes in the visit of the governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to President Muhamadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, confirmed Jimoh Ibrahim as the party’s governorship candidate.

In a statement by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, the party said “the mission of Governor Mimiko to Mr. President, on the crisis rocking the Ondo PDP over the party’s governorship candidature, “Has Governor Mimiko gone to complain to President Buhari as the leader of PDP? Now, if he has gone to complain to the President what does he(Mimiko) want the President to do against the (INEC) and the Courts that ordered INEC to recognize Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim as the authentic PDP governorship candidate in the 2016 November 26th election?
“Is Governor Mimiko portraying that the President is the one directing and controlling INEC and Courts by going to report to him?
“When has the President become the appellate Court to the High Court, that he (Mimiko) has to report to him, on a matter already ruled-on and decided by court of competent jurisdiction?.
“If, Governor Mimiko, as the Chief Security Officer of the State, has gone to the President on security matters, is he (Mimiko) saying the entire Ondo State Police Command, Department of State Security (DSS), National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and the Military Command in the State cannot curtail the crisis?
“Is it not shameful, Mr. Governor that, you being the leader of PDP in Ondo State, and the Chairman PDP Governors’ Forum in Nigeria, cannot abate little misunderstanding in the State chapter of his party? We advice you take a queue and learn from Ondo APC in party management.
Meanwhile, the party said that President Muhammadu Buhari would on November 3, launch the campaign rally of its governorship candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN.

The party added that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, National Chairman of the party, John Oyegun; a National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu; the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as APC state governors, would be present.

Adesanya said that a 30-man Local Organizing Committee for the campaign has been inaugurated and is chaired by the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Agboola Ajayi.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, paid a solidarity visit to four key officials of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP., who are being detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged graft running into billions of Naira.

The four men-Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Senator Bala Mohammed, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and Dr. Reuben Abati, were taken into custody by EFCC at different times but were united in the cell by the common platform of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Reuben Abati served as President Goodluck Jonathan’s Media Adviser, while Fani-Kayode worked towards the end of Jonathan’s tenure as the Spokesman for his Presidential Campaign Organisation.

On the other hand, Obanikoro and Bala Mohammed served as Minister of State for Defence and Federal Capital Territory respectively and ended their tenure about two years ago.

But they were hauled to the EFCC on various allegations bordering on mismanagement of public funds, particularly the $2.1 billion cash for the purchase of arms to fight insurgency in the North East.

Obanikoro is linked with the N4.7 billion allegedly traced to firms close to him but he has already spoken out on how he paid the money out to Governor Ayo Fayose and former Osun Deputy Governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore, but it is not clear why the EFCC is still keeping him.

On the other hand, Mohammed is alleged to have awarded contracts worth N8 billion to fronts and also abused a major land swap deal valued at about N1 trillion.

Fani-Kayode and Abati are linked with collecting funds from the ONSA for undisclosed reasons.
But the EFCC confirmed last night that it has granted what it called ‘Administrative Bail” to Abati on conditions that he drops his International Passport and produces a surety of not below the rank of deputy director in the civil service.

A top source in the commission who confirmed the development, however said that the former presidential aide was yet to meet the bail conditions.

“We will continue to keep Abati until he meets the bail terms,” the source told Vanguard.
It was also learnt that while Abati was preparing to meet his bail conditions and return home, the commission had earlier in the day secured a court warrant to further detain Mr. Mohammed for undisclosed number of days.

The source hinted that since his arrival, Mohammed had not given sufficient information relating to the issues he is being accused of and that the commission needed more time to interact with him.

“We have obtained a new warrant to keep Bala Mohammed because we are not yet through with investigating the issues related to him,” the source hinted.

Before then, at around 5 pm yesterday, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, one of the highest elected PDP leaders in the country, visited the four men at the EFCC headquarters to identify with them.

Findings by Vanguard showed that the DSP was received on arrival at the EFCC premises by the EFCC’s Deputy Director, Operations, Umar Abbasm who also took him round.

According to sources close to the visit, Ekweremadu enjoined the four detainees to be of good cheer and to take their ordeal as a leadership challenge that would embolden them as servants of the people.

“I urge you all to be of good cheer and to keep your spirit high because what is happening to you today happened to our great leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and other top Nigerians who stood for the good of the people of Nigeria,” Ekweremadu told the four men.

The Nigerian Army is holding two officers – a major and a captain – in connection with alleged sabotage of the ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the North-East.

A military source said on Wednesday that the Army authorities were intensifying efforts to rid the service of saboteurs in the ongoing counter-terrorism operations.


It was gathered that the Army commenced a painstaking but discreet investigations into the activities of some of its personnel following the Boko Haram attack on troops’ location in Gashigar, on October 22, 2016.



The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, had said in a statement on Saturday that 13 soldiers were wounded during a surprise Boko Haram attack on troops at Gashigar in the north of Borno State.

Usman had stated that some soldiers were missing after the attack.

The statement did not give the exact number of those missing during the Gashigar attack.

It was learnt that both President Mohammadu Buhari and the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, were alarmed by the Gashigar attack, which involved an entire unit.

It was gathered that the Army authorities decided to conduct a discreet investigation into the telephone conversation of some of the security personnel and their civilian counterparts and uncovered some suspicious activities through the screening.

A military source said on Wednesday that the Army was intensifying investigation to unravel two established cases against the arrested suspects, which were the leakage of information on troops’ movement to the insurgents and the raising of funds to finance Boko Haram operations through cattle rustling.

The source added, “The President was furious and discussed the matter with the COAS when some of the heads of that units were ambushed by the Boko Haram.

“The Army leadership took out time to screen the communications lines of the officers for several days without making it known.

“The suspicion was that they have links with some civilians and the links were traced. They are giving them vital information concerning the movement of soldiers.

“How come that the Borno State Governor and other officials have not been attacked, yet they ambushed the Chief of Army Staff. They have not attacked civilians but they attacked the COAS.”

When our correspondent contacted the Acting Army spokesman, he said investigation into the matter was ongoing.

He added that the Army would not release information on the matter in view of the fact that there was an ongoing planned rescue operation in the area.

He said, “Investigation is ongoing and once we conclude, the suspects would be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.”

Usman, who denied reports that 83 soldiers were missing in action, said the military did not lose any soldier to the Gashigar attack.

He, however, stated that the military suspects would be subject to military laws in accordance with the law.

Usman had said in a statement on Tuesday that a total of 32 persons, comprising two military officers, two soldiers, two policemen and 26 civilians were in custody for allegedly sabotaging the ongoing operations.

EazyMoh:
Yeah, because you don't know history.

EazyMoh:
So you call slave acquisition outpost civilization? Mind you around that time we had schools, courts and police in Northern Nigeria.

myners007:
Does this mean that Ghana is far more advanced than Nigeria?

myners007:
Does this mean that Ghana is far more advanced than Nigeria?

Patience Faka Jonathan (born 25 October 1957) is a former First Lady of Nigeria and the wife of former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. She has served as a permanent secretary in her native Bayelsa State.