₦airaland Forum

Jamila Abubakar



As the nation raised its voice against run-away banditry, kidnappings and rustling decimating lives and livelihood in rural north and caging the northern branch of the national elite, President Muhammadu Buhari boarded his plane last week for an economic summit in Jordan. From there he was to visit Dubai for a number of days. His deputy meanwhile boarded his own plane to Rwanda to participate in remembrance ceremonies for a horrific genocide. Senate President Saraki also jetted out to Qatar to attend some international parliamentary event. In this globalized world, their audiences must know that in Nigeria villages are being abandoned; highways are being deserted; dozens are kidnapped every day and the nation they lead is waking up to security threats that could dwarf Boko Haram. Yet, there they were, requesting foreigners to invest in a nation where foreign highway construction engineers have to be protected by armed soldiers and policemen, where human life has virtually no value, from a nation aping democracy when its elections provide the most fertile ground for crimes and fraud. Diplomatic etiquette will discourage pointed questions around relationships between violent crimes, the economy and Nigerian democracy, but there must have been a few who thought these three leaders either have the thickest skins or the highest levels of insensitivity.


President Buhari will travel out whether the nation is having its worst or best moments, but he does have the discretion to choose when it is the more sensible thing to do not to leave the nation for days on end. He chose the worst possible moment to attend an event that will not make a drop of a difference to the Nigerian economy or his false image as a tough, crime-fighting President. President Jonathan did not earn the popular tag ‘clueless’ for nothing. His legendary insistence that Boko Haram was a northern conspiracy against him, the manner he consistently devalued its danger, his initial denial that Chibok girls were abducted, his trademark mien that things are always better than they actually were, combined to create the image of a President that had no idea what was going on in the nation he led.


President Buhari took over from him, pushed Boko Haram into distant enclaves where it adjusted appropriately, removed road blocks from highways, sent tons of money to the insurgency in the Niger Delta to appease it and then…nothing. He sat in charge of a nation where doing very little about everything was the new normal. Decision-making was patchy, laboured and rare. Declines in the efficacy of public, security and law and order institutions began to register in lives of citizens. High-level corruption found new, cosier neighborhoods to flourish, and emerging crimes began to straddle huge parts of the nation. Tentatively at first, armed gangs created by an earlier wave of crime of rustling which uprooted entire communities and cultural systems began to probe at the heart of rural northern communities for weaknesses. It found many. Thousands of Fulani had lost their cattle and livelihood, and had discovered how easy it was to acquire firearms, become rustlers themselves, fight peasants who resisted them and establish control and presence in largely-unpoliced rural areas and extensive forests.


Poor governance and corruption created further distances between the citizen and the state, and this became more pronounced under Buhari, a president ironically elected to improve the security of the citizen. Dangerous official denial of weak will and incompetence and the crude cultivation of the perception among the poor that Buhari could not do wrong allowed gaping holes in the security infrastructure to widen, as armed crime pitched communities against each other and made many others hostage. Agriculture suffered as farmlands became abandoned. Rustling increased, creating new recruits for armed criminal activities. Kidnapping blossomed into the only growing economy in the north, making overnight millionaires and creating its own elaborate systems to survive and expand. Policing, already severely stressed by a weakening state and corruption, retreated. Millions of citizens were increasingly abandoned particularly in areas that provided Buhari’s political lifeline throughout his political career.


Jonathan lost an election because he failed to protect citizens and curb corruption. Buhari won a second term because peasants and the urban poor in the north thought he could still fix their rapidly deteriorating lives. Bandits and kidnappers saw an opportunity to dig in. They know what Buhari’s voters do not: his capacity or willingness to stand up for the poor who stood by him is severely limited. They may not have the sophistication to read security maps very well, but they know about abandoned populations, vulnerable highways, frightened relations of victims who prefer to pay millions in ransom than go to the police, and a government that does little more than lament and condemn. Today the bulk of Buhari’s voters are threatened by both Boko Haram and gangs that routinely take over entire villages for pillage or for the hell of it. Because they can. Those who did not vote for him to return as president taunt those who did for their current plight, but they do so from barricades. No one is safe in Buhari’s Nigeria today. You would think you are in Jonathan’s Nigeria. Only it is worse.


Nothing captures the routine, pathetic lamentation of Buhari’s leadership than the statement released by his aide while he wined and dined with world leaders in faraway Jordan last weekend. “How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killings of my fellow citizens by bandits?” he asks. ”I am human and I understand the pains of the victims and their families who have been traumatized and impoverished by constant ransom demands by bandits….I constantly listen to our security personnel in order to understand their problems and needs…It is therefore ridiculous to suggest that I am indifferent to these killings”, he pleads. What is ridiculous is that President Buhari expects that a nation that is bleeding from neglect is going to believe that he is doing enough. If, all considered, President Buhari is concerned about security and is not indifferent to the killings particularly in the regions that just gave him a new mandate, then the nation is in even worse trouble that it realizes. If he survives the legal challenge to his re-election, the next four years will be tough for the nation. A president who cannot understand that he is seriously under-performing in managing security is a major liability for any nation.

Jamila Abubakar wrote this piece from Abuja

https://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NIGERIAN-BORN-FEMALE-BOXER-HELEN-JOSEPH-WITH-NIGERIAN-CONSUL-GENERAL-IN-NEW-YORK-BENAYAOGHA-OKOYEN.jpg
Helen Joseph




Nigerian-born female boxer, Helen Joseph, popularly known as “The Iron Lady” has challenged her counterparts in the United States to a fight, saying she is ready to knock out her competition.

The former IBF champion in the featherweight division said during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Consul General in New York, Mr Benayaogha Okoyen, that she wanted to put Nigeria on the world female boxing map.

Joseph, also nicknamed “The Princess of Africa” in her boxing world, had three different boxing titles: the WBF, IBF, GBU but she confessed her opponents were afraid to come out to fight her.

She ranks among the top in the world of female boxing and has five weight classes – flyweight 115, bantamweight 118, superbantam 112, featherweight 116 and any other super featherweight 129.

“In these categories, all these female boxers are running, they don’t want to fight me. When I was back in Africa, they were reigning all over the U.S. and they were unbeatable.

“But ‘The Iron Lady’ has arrived and everybody has run away, nobody wants to fight. I mean I’m knocking on their doors and they don’t want to come out. What’s wrong with you girls?

“So all these while you have been fighting cheap opponents, now that I have arrived, nobody wants to show face,” Joseph said.

“But I will bring them out because they have what I need, they have all the titles that I desire.

“I will keep collecting those titles from them and pack them because I know they will not take it from me.

“I want that message to go out there and let them to know that I remain the ‘Iron Lady’, the ‘Princess of Africa’ and I fear nobody,” Joseph taunted her competition.

Joseph awards are: the best fighter of the year 2015, the best fighter of the year 2012 and the best knockout of the year 2017.

According to her, however, there is the need to fight a world title on the Nigerian soil so as to put the name of her country on the world’s boxing map.

“There is no world title in Nigeria right now in boxing. If they say all world titles should line up now, Nigeria is not among because there is no world title in Nigeria now.

The Rivers State-born boxer said in the history of female boxing in West Africa, she was the first woman who had travelled to different countries and won three world titles.

“I also won two awards in boxing and I have fought for two world titles in two countries that I’m sure I won because I knocked down all my opponents but they robbed me because I travelled to their countries.”

Joseph shared her ultimate dream: “One support I want from my government is to promote my world title fight in Nigeria. I want to go back home. I want to fight in my own country.

“I want my country to watch the kind of action and power God has given me. The fight I want Nigeria to sponsor for me is the World Boxing Organisation.

“If I have a sponsorship, I’m supposed to fight on June 10 in New York City. Then I will go back to Nigeria to defend the title.

“So that’s why I want my country to support me so I can fight my opponents on the Nigerian soil and take back what belongs to me.

“I am proud of Nigeria and I love my country. Even when I was in Ghana, I used the Nigerian Passport and everyone asked me to change my passport to Ghana’s passport but I refused.

“I know Ghana loves me and supported me a lot; Ghana is my second country,” she said

The All Progressives Congress (APC)’s legal team in Kano has expressed readiness to defend the victory of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje before the election tribunal.

The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano state, Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf is challengijg the victory of the incumbent governor of the state in the 23rd March supplementary election.

A member of the team Barrister Abbas Haladu told journalists on Wednesday that although the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate had no substance to pose any threat to the victory of Ganduje, the APC’s legal team had confidence in defeating Yusuf at the tribunal.

Another member of the legal team, Barrister Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa expressed reservation over PDP’s request to access INEC election materials few days before the expiration of 21 days within which they have to file their petition.

Barrister Bassarawa said it would be difficult for INEC to meet up with PDP’s demands before the expiration of 21 days.

The Justice Halima Shamaki-led election Tribunal in Kano, on Tuesday, ordered INEC to allow PDP to inspect the election document.

By Temidayo Akinsuyi



Lagos – The statement made by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) declaring Senator Ahmad Lawan as the next President of the Senate is the major cause of crisis in the race for the leadership of the National Assembly, Daily Independent has gathered.

Sources in the National Assembly told our correspondent that before Oshiomhole’s declaration, Lawan was already running almost unopposed, though some ranking senators in the APC were interested in the position.

Speaking further, our source said while the APC lawmakers had an axe to grind with Oshiomhole for attempting to impose his will on them without consultation, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators are determined to prove to him that “they can still upturn the plans of the APC despite being in the minority”.

The source said: “Before now, Lawan was having a smooth ride until Oshiomhole publicly declared that the party has chosen him as the Senate President and that the decision is final.

“This infuriated a lot of APC senators who felt that while the party can zone to a particular region, it has no power to determine the candidate without consultation with the lawmakers, especially others who are interested in the position.

“That is why Senators Danjuma Goje and Ali Ndume are hell-bent on contesting despite series of interventions by key stakeholders in the presidency and even party leaders like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

“They felt Oshiomhole’s dictatorial attitudes cannot be allowed to stand since they are an independent arm of government.”

It would be recalled that the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Isa-Onilu, at a press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja few days ago, had said the decision on Lawan was final and binding on the senators.

He said: “We have decided who will be the next Senate President, according to what democratic principles allow, and that person is Senator Ahmed Lawan.

“That has been done and announced, it is left for the party to cross the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s to get that sorted out,” Isa-Onilu had said.

Reacting to the statement by APC, Ali Ndume, one of the top contenders representing Borno South, had said: “Let me say that the decision by the party to settle for an individual instead of zoning the position to a particular geo-political zone, and consult or allow the senators from that zone to decide who among them they prefer as Senate President, is a surprise.

“We were surprised on Monday when the national chairman of our party told us a decision had been taken to adopt Ahmad Lawan as candidate from the North East for the position of the President of the Senate.

“The reason why I am shocked, and I am sure that is the feeling of my colleagues, is that the constitutional provision for the emergence of the leadership of the Senate is clearly spelt out.”

Also speaking, a member of the PDP’s national working committee (NWC) said that senators elected on the platform of the PDP would prove to Oshiomhole that they were not pushovers and would have a major say in who becomes the number three man in the next dispensation.

“I think senators elected under our party are keeping their fingers crossed for now, but when the time comes, they will prove to Oshiomhole that they are not pushovers or minors in the determination of the leadership positions, especially the Senate Presidency and Speaker of the House.”

Seun:
And no, I do not have a girlfriend.

MORE details emerged, on Saturday on how 19 members of a vigilance group died and 38 others seriously injured in a fatal auto crash along Daudawa-Funtua road in Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, on Friday.

Members of the vigilance group from Rafi Local Government, Niger State, were said to have embarked on the journey to obtain a ‘bulletproof’ charm from a boy in Tsaunni village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

A survivor of the tragedy, Buhari Usman, who spoke to newsmen on Saturday, claimed the accident occurred while the victims were returning from Tsauni village.

According to him, they went to the village following information that a boy was in possession of a potent charm against bullets.

“We were told his charm is good. People have used the charm and they claimed it has worked for them.

“As members of the vigilante, we felt we need it to protect ourselves against incessant cases of banditry, kidnapping and rustling.”

He said it was when they were coming back that the accident occurred when the driver of the vehicle dozed off and they suddenly found themselves inside a big ditch.

The Chairman of Funtua Local Government Area, Malam Lawal Sani has said the 19 vigilante members who died on along Funtua/ Daudawa road on their way back from Zamfara State will be convey to their local government area of Niger state for burial.

This was even as he said the council will equally foot the medical bills of all the 38 injured now receiving treatment in Funtua General hospital.

Usman, who is responding to treatment at the hospital, thanked the local government chairman for his kind gesture, praying to God to reward him and his team abundantly.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the death of 19 persons, while 38 persons others were injured in the accident along Daudawa-Funtua road.

The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr Godwin Ngeuku, who confirmed the figure while speaking with newsmen in Katsina on Friday, explained that the crash occurred on Friday morning at Daudawa village, a few kilometres to Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State involving a Mitsubishi vehicle.

The sector commander disclosed that the driver of the Mitsubishi bus conveying the victims lost control while on top speed resulting in the vehicle somersaulting several times.

By FELIX NWANERI




The test of might between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shifts to Kogi and Bayelsa states, where governorship elections will hold later this year after both parties settled for 15 and 14 states, respectively, in the 29 states, where governorship polls held in the just concluded general elections, FELIX NWANERI reports



The battle of supremacy between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the general elections has come and gone, following last week’s conclusion of collation of results of the Rivers State governorship poll and declaration of the winner. Conclusion of the Rivers State election was after weeks of intrigues, following the March 10 suspension of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the oil-rich state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The commission, which premised its action on some factors, including widespread disruption of elections and violence in polling units and collation centres, consequently set up a fact-finding committee to assess the situation and report back within 48 hours. Collation of the result, however, resumed last Tuesday after the committee submitted its report, which revealed that while election could not hold in a few areas, it was successfully concluded in others with the declaration of winners in 21 state constituencies. Governor Nyesom Wike, who was declared winner of the governorship contest, polled 886,264 votes to defeat his closest rival, Biokpomabo Awara of the African Action Congress (AAC), who had 173,859 votes.



Wike contested the poll on the platform of the PDP, whereas the AAC candidate was backed by the Minister of Transportation and APC leader in the state as the ruling party at the centre was barred by the court from fielding a candidate for the poll over issues concerning its congress. When collation resumed on Tuesday, INEC announced results from 15 local government areas, with Wike polling 426,369 votes against Awara’s 129,855.

This lead was further extended, when the commission announced results from four more local governments the next day. In Degema Local Government Area, Wike polled 12,133 votes against Awara’s 5,071 votes. In the 12 wards of Asari-Toru Local Government, the governor had 32,172 votes, while Awara polled 18,945. In the 12 wards of Ogo/Bolo Local Government Area, Wike polled 11,855 votes to Awara’s 814.

The governor capped his outstanding performance in the 17 wards of Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area, where he polled 281,164 votes to Awara’s 7,495. These results took Wike’s votes from 426,369 to 763,603, while that of Awara rose to 162,180 from 129,855. But, the lead further increased, when results of the four outstanding local governments were announced in the evening.Wike’s total votes jumped to 886,264, while Awara trailed by 173,859 votes. Wike’s victory gave PDP 14 out of the 29 states, where governorship elections, where held, while the ruling APC won in 15 – a difference of one state.

The states won by PDP in the general elections are Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu, Taraba, Abia, Imo, Oyo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Sokoto and Rivers. Those won by APC are Lagos, Ogun, Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, Plateau, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Yobe, Nasarawa and Kano, Kwara and Gombe. Governorship elections did not hold in seven states – Kogi, Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Osun and Ekiti as a result of the interregnum by the courts. Of these seven states, APC is in charge in six – Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti. The PDP holds sway in Bayelsa, while Anambra is controlled by APGA.

To many analysts, the 2019 elections was a good outing for the Uche Secondus-led PDP despite the party’s loss of the presidential election. Its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, lost to President Buhari of the APC in the February 23 poll. Buhari polled 15.1 million votes to defeat Atiku, who garnered 11.2 million votes.

The President won in 19 states, while Atiku won in 17 states. Those, who believe that 2019 general elections was a good outing for the PDP, described the overall performance of the former ruling party as one that has re-launched itself after the dismal performance in the 2015 elections. The PDP had until its defeat then won four consecutive presidential elections in the current dispensation – 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.It equally controlled more than two third of elective positions at the federal, state and local governments levels within the period. At the state level, the party won 21 out of the 36 governorship elections in the 1999 elections. After the 2003 elections, the number of states jumped to 28 but Anambra was lost to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) three years after to bring the figure down to 27.

The standing was retained in the 2007 elections, but later dropped to 23 as the party later lost Edo, Ekiti and Osun states to the then Action Congress (AC) as well as Ondo State to the Labour Party (LP) through the courts. By 2011, the number states under the PDP’s fold stood at 23, but internal wrangling cost it five of the states – Rivers, Adamawa, Kwara, Sokoto and Kano in 2013, to reduce its controlled states to 18. The party later regained Ondo and Adamawa states from LP and APC through defection. Ekiti State also joined the league of PDP controlled states in 2014, following the party’s defeat of the APC in the governorship poll to take the number to 21.

The National Assembly, comprising of the Senate and House of Representatives was equally not left out PDP’s domination within the period. In the 4th Assembly (1999), the party had 59 out of the 109 senators. The number jumped to 76 in 2003; 87 in 2007 and 71 in 2011. In the House of Representatives that has 360 members, it was 206 members in 1999, 223 in 2003, 263 in 2007 and 203 in 2011.

The leadership of the party at a time, perhaps, got carried away by the success and boasted through its then National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, that PDP will rule Nigeria for 60 years before any other party can unseat it. That dream was cut short in 2015. This was occasioned by infighting, which resulted to several members leaving the party and the merger of main opposition parties then – Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of APGA which gave birth to the APC. Against expectations, the APC defeated the PDP in the presidential poll by 15.4 million to 12.8 million votes. It was the first time in Nigeria’s political history that an incumbent president will lose an election.

Besides winning the presidency, the APC also won in 20 out of the 29 states, where governorship elections held. The states were Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Bauchi, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Katsina, Yobe, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kano and Imo. The PDP won only in nine states – Rivers, AkwaIbom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu, Taraba, Gombe, and Abia.



The PDP lost in its traditional strongholds – Niger, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Adamawa and Katsina states. It also lost its control of the National Assembly to the APC. The PDP’s senatorial seats dropped from 71 in 2011 to 49 against APC’s 60, while that of House of Representatives also dropped from 203 to 140 against APC’s 212. At the end of the 2015 elections, states controlled by the various parties stood as follows: APC (22) PDP (13) and APGA (one). However, political developments, particularly as a result of defection of some APC governors ahead of the 2019 elections and APC’s victory in Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections altered the equation.

As it stands, the Adams Oshiomhole- led APC has 20 states, PDP (15) and APGA (one). For the PDP, it added more states to its kitty. Remarkably, the main opposition party took-over four APC controlled states – Adamawa, Imo, Oyo and Bauchi in the 2019 polls. APC, on its part, won two PDP controlled states – Gombe and Kwara. While the victors in the respective elections have been handed their certificates of return by INEC and are awaiting the May 29 and June inauguration of the executive and legislative arms of government, there is no doubt that the 2019 battle between the APC and PDP is yet to be over. Most candidates on both sides of the divide, who lost during the polls, have headed to the various election petition tribunals to “reclaim their mandates.” But as Nigerians patiently await the outcome of petitions, including Atiku’s suit, challenging President Buhari’s victory, the battleground between the two parties have shifted to Kogi and Bayelsa states, which are next in line for governorship elections.

In Kogi, it would be battle royale as Governor Yahaya Bello, who had been in the eyes of the storm since he assumed office on January 27, 2016, seeks a second term. Bayelsa, also promises to be interesting as former political allies, who are now foes, square against themselves. Interestingly, the governorship polls in both states, in November and December 2015, were the first test of might between the PDP and APC after the 2015 general elections.

While the parties shared the spoils then, with APC taking over Kogi from PDP, and PDP retaining Bayelsa, that of Kogi nearly threw Nigeria into a constitutional crisis, following the death of APC’s initial candidate, Abubakar Audu, at a time he was coasting to victory as the 1999 Constitution (as amended) did not envisage such situation. The impasse over Audu’s death was however resolved, when INEC directed APC to nominate another candidate as Audu’s substitution for the supplementary poll in 91 polling units, where elections were cancelled. INEC had declared the election inconclusive following the cancellation of results in the affected polling units due to incidences of violence, ballot boxes snatching, over voting, among others.

Late Audu was at the time leading his closest rival and incumbent governor, Capt. Idris Wada, by 41,000 votes, whereas the total number of registered voters in the 91 polling units was 49,953, which the commission explained was higher than the margin between the top contenders. The opportunity granted the APC to substitute Audu, rather than serve as a relief to the party, sparked off another round of crisis as the deputy governorship candidate, Hon. James Faleke wrote to INEC that he be declared winner on the ground that the supplementary poll was needless as the number of eligible voters in the affected areas stood at 25, 000 and so will not make any impact in the overall result.

The PDP, on its part urged the electoral body to declare its candidate – Wada – winner as the votes garnered by Audu were not transferable. The party argued that Audu’s votes died with him. Amidst the arguments, INEC insisted on going ahead with the supplementary poll, and the APC nominated the first runner up in the governorship primaries, Yahaya Bello as Audu’s substitution. As expected, Bello was declared winner of the poll after the supplementary election. The APC garnered 6,885 votes in the supplementary poll to bring its total votes to 247,752, having polled 240,857 during the first balloting. The PDP scored 5,363 to take its total votes to 204,877 votes.

The party had earlier garnered 199,514 votes. The case of Bayelsa was entirely different. The December 5, 2015 poll was characterised by violence. Lives were lost and voting had to be shifted to the next day (December 6) as armed thugs disrupted the process in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

The rescheduled poll did not hold as armed thugs prevented the commission’s officials from deploying officials and materials. INEC, against this backdrop declared the poll inconclusive as votes from the council was expected to be the decider, being the largest of the eight local government areas of the state.

The council then had 120,827 registered voters. Governor Seriake Dickson of the PDP led in six of the seven local government areas initially declared. He polled 105,748 votes, while the candidate of the APC and a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva won in only one and had 72,594 votes, a margin of 30,154 votes.

The impasse was resolved after a week, when both candidates returned to the poll and it was the PDP that had the day. In what could be described as the stiffest governorship contest since the creation of the state in 1996, Dickson secured a second term by polling a total of 134,998 votes to defeat Sylva, who garnered 86,852 votes. While the 2015 and even 2019 polls seems to be history, it will amount to political gamble for any of the parties to rely on the variables that shaped both elections going into the forthcoming governorship contests given that politics remains dynamic.

For instance, the APC seized the opportunity of the 2019 polls to make inroad into Bayelsa State that was hitherto under PDP’s grip. The ruling party was able to win a senatorial seat as well as pockets of national and state assembly seats. Again, the fact that whichever way the pendulum swings in both states will further strengthen the confidence of the parties ahead of the 2023 general elections, will see both sides deploying all they could to either consolidate on what they have or extend frontiers. Governor Dickson, who recently reasoned along this line, while speaking at a forum in Yenagoa, the state capital, acknowledged that the battle for his successor is going to be a defining moment for the state.



His words: “The last governorship election in 2016 is still fresh in the memories of Bayelsans. It was more than an election, it was a war. The 2019 governorship may not be any different. The stakes are high as some persons are desperate to capture the state regardless of how unpopular they are among the people. “In their desperate bid to launch a deadly come back, they have begun to gradually disrupt security architecture in the state. This they have done by using their privileged positions against the people. In 2019, they are expected to be more daring but as always, Bayelsans know them and in line with true Ijaw spirit, the people are ready to repel every attempt to circumvent their will.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja



The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said its defeat in the March 9 governorship elections in Imo and Oyo States was largely due to the people’s disenchantment in the performance of the governors.

The party’s position came just as its governorship candidate in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, petitioned the state governorship Election Petition Tribunal, asking it to nullify the declaration of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emeka Ihedioha, as the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, in an interview with journalists at the weekend, said the party had ensured a level playground for people to face the electorate and for the electorate to pass judgement on the candidate put forward for elections.

Speaking with particular reference to the losses suffered by the APC in Imo and Oyo States, Onilu said the party lost due to its principled stand that impunity must no longer reign.

“You could see that we lost the presidential election in Oyo and Ondo State where we have sitting governors.

“But because we didn’t want to condone impunity, we did all we did in Imo State in a way to undermine ourselves, and the choice we had was to accept what would have amounted to the impunity so that we could win Imo State, but we said no, we would rather do what is decent,” he said.

While assessing the performance of APC in the last general election, Onilu said contrary to expectations that the party would mobilise all the resources of coercion at its disposal to ensure victory for its candidates, the reverse was the case as everyone was allowed to face the electorate without hindrance.

He also talked about the slim margin loss the party suffered in the hands of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State as well as the defeat of its candidates in other states, saying APC should be commended for not deploying incumbency to its advantage.

According to him, “But the important thing to note is that, being a journalist myself, I began to ask what has happened to us “The media should also report that a ruling party that is supposed to mobilise all the resources of coercion to get what you want, but didn’t do that, and you have now reported that we lost some major states.

“I will tell you that the only reason that happened was because this party has provided a platform for people to go and face the electorate and for the electorate to pass judgement on the people that had been put forward without anybody doing anything against it.”

Onilu said what happened in Rivers State, where APC was excluded from the election would have been different if it were during the time PDP was in power at the centre.

He said Rivers State would have been locked down for the PDP to have its way.

“We have witnessed it in this country during PDP reign that a state would be locked down. Their own method is ‘win by all means, let others go to tribunal’. We didn’t apply such principle,” said Onilu.

The APC spokesman further said the 2019 general election has recorded impressive milestones that should be commended.

According to Onilu, the last election has seen major politicians in this country losing elections even in APC.

He said: “You saw a serving governor in Oyo State who couldn’t win one-third of the state to get to the Senate.

“You saw a man of Godswill Akpabio calibre even though we know there are issues to that, and it would be corrected, but at the same time, we should have deployed the federal might in such a way that we would want to arm-twist anybody or the system or manipulate the system.”

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of APC in Imo State, Uzodinma has petitioned the election tribunal, urging it to declare him winner of the election, having polled majority of the lawful votes cast at the election and satisfied the mandatory constitutional spread across the state and “ought to be declared the winner.”

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday by Uzodinma, the petition alleged that the INEC fraudulently excluded votes for the APC at the polling units across the state which gave the PDP candidate advantage, adding however that after tabulating the valid votes at the polling units, the APC candidate defeated the PDP candidate with a large margin.

The petition opined that “it was at the course of collation of the results at the ward, local government and state levels, that the third respondent (INEC) incorrectly stated the votes of the first respondent (Ihedioha) and thus reduced the votes of the petitioners by excluding the results from the polling units where the petitioners scored overwhelming majority of the votes cast.

Uzodinma further argued that the INEC did not comply with the Electoral Act 2010 and INEC guidelines for 2019 general election when it recruited relatives of the PDP candidate as Collation and Returning Officers in most of the local government areas in the state during the election.”

There is a crack in the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress over endorsement of Governor Godwin Obaseki for second term by leaders of the party in Oredo local government area.

The Oredo APC leaders had endorsed Governor Obaseki as the party’s sole candidate for next year’s governorship election.

General Charles Airhiavbere, a former governorship aspirant of both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, has indicated interest to contest for the APC gubernatorial ticket.

Some APC leaders who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity said the action of the Oredo leaders was received with shock.

They said it was wrong for the Oredo leaders to shut out other aspirants.

An APC chieftain in Edo North said it was laughable that the leaders that orchestrated the endorsement could not win their units and wards during the presidential election.

The leader said some Oredo APC orchestrated the endorsement because they could not account for N40m of the money released to mobilise for the Presidential and National Assembly election.

According to him, “How could they be talking about endorsement when they did not win election? The Oredo leaders did not consult even with Ward and Unit leaders of the party.

“What they did is undemocratic and capable of giving victory to the PDP. It is a surprise that people that could not deliver their units are running to endorse a candidate when election is not near.”

Another APC chieftain from Ikpoba-Okha local government said the individuals that diverted election money would be made to account for it whether they endorse Obaseki or not.

State Secretary of the party, Mr. Lawrence Okah, who hails from Oredo said the endorsement was done by confirmed leaders of the party.

Okah said those complaining were disgruntled members of the party.

He denied allegations that the endorsement was to pacify Obaseki over diversion of N40m.

By Olalekan Osiade, Chukwu David and Muhammad Kabir




Indications are rife that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to wield the big stick against Senators Ali Ndume and Danjuma Goje as well as other erring members, who flout it’s directives on the election of the National Assembly leadership. This is coming as a result of intrigues and horse-trading that have recently characterised the position of the Senate President, in which some members had publicly spoken against the decision of the party.

The party had earlier taken a position on the matter, zoning the Senate Presidency to the North East and endorsing Senator Ahmed Lawan as its preferred choice. But some senators are said to be against the choice of the party, leading to dissenting tunes among the federal lawmakers. While Ndume has consistently insisted on running for the senate presidency, Goje has yet to make his position public but being thronged on by his supporters, who want him to run for the exalted office. Saturday Telegraph investigations however revealed that the leadership of the party, headed by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is not ready to go into any form of negotiation, with a view to pacifying those rebelling against the party’s decision. Sources close to the APC leadership informed our correspondent that the “anti-party activities” currently being displayed by some key members of the party, will result in suspension or outright expulsion of some chieftains of the APC within and outside the National Assembly.

This, one of the sources said, is because of the recalcitrant attitude of some members of the party bigwigs, who are said to be supporting the rebellious cause of some of the lawmakers. A source that is close to the top echelon of the party told Saturday Telegraph that “any matter concerning the emergence of the leadership of the ninth assembly is strictly a decision to be made by the party’s leadership”. When probed further on the stance of the party and the purported disagreement within the ranks, the new House of Representatives member-elect, said; “Anybody, who defiantly violates the party’s zoning arrangement for the emergence of the leadership of the ninth assembly in June this year, would be made to face the penalty”.

He noted that Oshiomhole and the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had warned the newly elected members not to toe the line of some ranking members, who are set to disobey the party. “Some key people including the national leader and the chairman had warned us not to go contrary to the publicly announced party’s zoning arrangement.

Those going against them are likely going to be indefinitely suspended, if not expelled. “If you will recall, the leader had last week said that anyone that is not in agreement with the party’s decision should quietly leave our fold. They have been advised to go to another party, but since they have refused to go on their own, the party will have to wield the big stick”, he said. Another source, who is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defector noted that the APC leaders were particularly angered by the steps being taken by some members of the opposition, who are positioning themselves to take advantage of the division within the APC lawmakers.

“Just like what happened earlier, members of the opposition PDP in the Senate are planning to take advantage of the cracks in the ruling party to field a candidate to produce the next President of the ninth Senate”, he said, adding that Ndume is risking expulsion from the party if he fails to drop his ambition to contest for the senate presidency.


The PDP interest

Checks by Saturday Telegraph further revealed that there are three possible candidates from the PDP jostling for the position of the Senate President. They are Senators Ike Ekweremadu, who is the current Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South) and James Manager (PDP, Delta South).

The PDP trio, sources said, would have a fierce contest among themselves, noting however that Abaribe is the preferred choice of the PDP among these three. Analysing the chances of the PDP candidates, a member of the opposition within the Senate said those against Ekweremadu are those that feel he had been too long in the saddle and there is need to have a fresh blood in the leadership. “The number one reason which favours Abaribe over the other two, is that other senators who have been in the Assembly since 2007 will be having a sense of monotony to continue to have Ekweremadu presiding over them.

“But others are of the opinion that, though Manager is well experienced and also qualifies to hold the office, Abaribe is perceived to have more public acceptance among his colleagues, especially with the high level of carriage and articulation with which he has operated in the Red Chamber in the last 12 years”. He however argued that, with 41 members, it would be difficult for his party to win the race, except the PDP could get the support of about 14 members from the ruling APC. “It will be difficult for us in the opposition to produce the President of the Senate. Unless we are able to woo not less 14 APC senators, we can’t pull any magic. We need simple majority of 55 out of 109 senators to give us victory” he said.


Shekarau, Kano senators-elect endorse Lawan

As the battle rages, a former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and some newly-elected senators from the state have endorsed the ambition of Lawan. Throwing their weight behind Lawan, the trio of Shekarau, senators Barau Jubrin and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, described their candidate as eminently qualified to occupy the exalted seat going by international parliamentary best practices.

Jubrin, who is the secretary of Ahmed Lawan Campaign Organisation, led other members of the campaign train to the residence of Shekarau, where Lawan was endorsed. Among those who visited Kano with the Senate Leader include Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), chairman, Ahmed Lawan Campaign Organisation; Senator Danladi Sankara, who is the new Senator-elect for Jigawa North-West Senatorial District; Senator Bello Maudiya (Katsina South); Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan (Lagos West); Senator Degi-Eremienyo (Bayelsa East); and Senator Lekan Mustapha (Ogun East). Speaking after the endorsement, Jubrin said: “The National Assembly leadership is elected based on international parliamentary best practices. In every parliament, leaders are elected based on ranking, experience and once a parliament goes by election, the party that gets the majority in that election produces the leader, and in this case, the Majority Leader in such a parliament automatically becomes the Senate President or Speaker as the case may be.

“Now, Ahmed Lawan is the current leader and he will be the oldest Senator, the most ranked Senator. He was a two-time members of House of Representatives and four-time member of the Senate. So, he is the most experienced and most ripe for the job going by intentional parliamentary best practices.” On his part, Shekarau said: “I am so highly honoured to be visited by this high-powered delegation led by the leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan. I am now a Senator-elect and I pray the ninth National Assembly will be a very peaceful and smooth one, where we will all join hands together to move Nigeria forward. “I also congratulate you for aspiring to lead the National Assembly.

It is one thing to be there, it is another thing to be identified as a leader. It is a challenge and we are all proud of the fact the it is one of those that we have known before that is aspiring to lead the National Assembly.” However, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, could not be reached for comments on what his party would do to its members who may stage a rebellion by supporting any candidate other than Sen. Ahmad Lawan for the leadership struggle of the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.

The spokesman of the ruling party neither picked his calls not respond to a text message sent to his mobile phone. Similarly attempt to reach Ndume, one of the major challengers of Lawan for the Senate Presidency was unsuccessful. Several calls made to his mobile phone did not go through as the network provider said he was unavailable. Ndume had last week publicly declared his ambition,stressing that he would contest the position. The declaration came after the APC had announced Lawan as the choice of the party.

Olalekan Adetayo, Sunday Aborisade and Leke Baiyewu



Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress have started reaching out to some senators and leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in a bid to stop the PDP members in the Senate from either contesting or supporting other senators to occupy leadership positions in the 9th National Assembly.

Specifically, the APC chiefs are lobbying the PDP leaders and lawmakers to support their move to make Ahmed Lawan the next Senate President.


APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, had said the party did not need the opposition party’s votes to clinch the presiding and principal offices of the 9th Assembly.

However, sources within the APC told one of our correspondents on Friday that the APC leaders who had earlier called the opposition senators’ bluff, over the leadership of the Senate changed their tactics when they discovered that the division among their party members in the Senate was real.

Apart from Lawan, two other APC senators, namely Danjuma Goje and Ali Ndume, have indicated their interest in becoming the President of the Senate in the 9th Assembly.

Subsequently, the senators have been moving round to gain the support of the opposition senators for their ambition.

An APC senator-elect told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity in Abuja that the party leaders had tried to convince Goje and Ndume to drop their ambitions without success.

The source said the party leaders’ decision to ‘anoint’ Lawan as Senate President without wide consultations had caused a great division within the party and among the senators-elect.

One of our correspondents learnt that both Goje, who was a two-term governor of Gombe State, and Ndume had been working behind the scenes to outsmart Lawan by secretly forming alliances with the PDP.

A source close to Goje confided in one of our correspondents that the senator was playing his cards close to his chest.

The APC senator-elect, said, “Goje is a very experienced and tactical politician.

“He understands the politics of the chamber better and he knows that making noises on the pages of the newspapers would not help any of the aspirants.

“He is not disobeying the leadership of the party by making up his mind to contest against Lawan. He is only exercising his rights as a ranking senator whose geopolitical zone has been asked to produce the Senate President.”

Asked if Goje was targeting the 41 bulk votes of the PDP in the Senate, the source said, “Anything is a possibility.”

He, however, ruled out the possibility of the Gombe State-born lawmaker picking a PDP senator as his deputy.

Efforts made by Saturday PUNCH to speak with Goje to confirm or deny his interest in the Senate presidency and his alleged pact with the PDP failed as of the time of filing this report.

He did not answer calls to his mobile line or respond to the text message sent to him.

However, Ndume, who has already constituted various committees to realise his dream, confirmed to one of our correspondents on Thursday that he was still in the race.

The Borno State-born lawmaker also said nobody had so far discouraged him from exercising his rights.

However, Ndume, who said he had the backing of many people within his party, said he would congratulate Lawan if he defeats him.

He said, “It is within my constitutional rights to contest the election. It is not as if I’m disrespecting the party, but people should be allowed to elect their leaders.

“I’m in the race till the end. If Lawan wins this election, I will be the first person to congratulate him.”

Saturday PUNCH learnt that some of the APC senators-elect who were loyal to Lawan held separate meetings with the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Oshiomhole on the tension in the upper chamber.

They were said to have told both leaders that the best way to ensure victory for Lawan was to reach out to influential members of the PDP within the upper and lower chambers.

One of the sources said, “I can confirm to you that all of us are involved in the lobbying. We know that Goje and Ndume will contest against Lawan but we are not taking chances. We need PDP senators to win and we are already talking to them.”

Lawan told journalists during the week that he needed PDP votes and that he had started reaching out to them.

It was on the strength of this, one of our correspondents learnt, that APC leaders began holding meetings with their ‘friends’ in the PDP.

A senator-elect from Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, however, told one of our correspondents in an interview that it would be against global parliamentary norms and practices if any PDP senator decides to contest the Senate presidency on inauguration day.

He said, “Nigerians have given the APC the majority of the seats in the Senate and they expect the party to control the Senate.

“Nobody should therefore try to subvert the will of the people by trying to play any game or create a division, even among the majority party, such that the will of the people, freely expressed at the polls, could be subverted.

“I do not expect any PDP member to contest the leadership positions meant for the party with the majority seats during the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly.”


PDP senators weigh offers from Goje, Ndume, Lawan

Following intense politicking, consultations and meetings, PDP senators have started weighing the offers from the camps of Lawan, Goje and Ndume.

It was learnt that the PDP leaders and senators had yet to conclude on whether they would endorse one of the three APC candidates or field their own candidates for the Senate presidency and other presiding offices.

But party insiders said that there were indications that some PDP leaders and senators, especially those from the North, favoured Goje.

A PDP ranking senator told Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity on Friday that his colleagues were studying the offers.

The lawmaker said no definite decision had been taken on who the opposition members would support.

He said, “We have four options at the moment. We have three offers to support one of the three aspirants. The fourth offer is to bring out a candidate among the PDP ranking senators.

“We are still studying them. We had yet to ‘anoint’ any of them.”


Ndume, others have two months to step down –APC

But the national leadership of the APC on Friday said members of the National Assembly elected on the party’s platform contemplating moving against their decision on the National Assembly leadership had two months to step down.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this in an interview with one of our correspondents.

Issa-Onilu was responding to questions from Saturday PUNCH on what the APC would do to lawmakers who refused to drop their ambitions.

He reminded such federal lawmakers that since they belong to the party, they had no choice but to obey the party’s constitution and regulations.

The spokesperson said, “We do not want to pre-empt any member because we still have about two months to the day they are expected to elect the new leaders of the National Assembly.

“It will be unhelpful if we begin to pre-empt and pass judgment, two months away from that day.

“We understand that our members know that the country’s constitution does not recognise independent candidates. If they are elected on the platform of a particular party, it means that they are ready to abide by the position and the constitution of that party.

“We are confident that by the time we are ready to have new leaders in the National Assembly, the members who are doing things that appear contrary to the position of the party would have seen reasons to step down and abide by the party’s position.”

Issa-Onilu said the party would ensure that the leaders of the National Assembly emerge with the consensus of the party.

He said it was because of the party leaders’ desire to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2015 that they decided to start the process early.

He said, “The consensus arrangement is what you see us doing. You will remember that there was nothing like this in 2015.

“We are starting over two months to the day, you can see that we are taking steps that we need to take. The steps are on, it is not everything that is in public domain.

“What is important is that the APC is showing the way democracy should be practised. Party supremacy is what you get in best of democracies and we want to be one of such.”

On the remaining zoning arrangement the party promised to release, Issa-Onilu said consultations were on.

He said it was not necessary for the party’s National Working Committee to hold a formal meeting on the matter.

He added, “On a daily basis consultations are on. It is the outcome of all of these that we are going to bring to the public.

“We have to build a consensus around the decisions we are making. It is not just that the NWC will sit down and decree.

“No, there are stakeholders that must be carried along. Those consultations are ongoing at all levels.


NWC shifts House of Reps zoning formula meeting to next week

Meanwhile, the APC NWC has shifted its meeting over the zoning of the presiding and principal offices for the House of Representatives to next week.

The NWC was scheduled to meet this week but a top member of the committee told Saturday PUNCH that the meeting could not hold because Oshiomhole was out of the country.

“We could not meet this week, apparently because the chairman is out of the country. We will meet next week,” the NWC member said.

Responding however, Issa-Onilu said Oshiomhole’s trip was not in any away delaying the zoning arrangement.

He said, “If we are saying that consultations are going on, then there is really no list to be released yet.

“So, there is no way we can link his trip to the delay in the release of a list that is not available.”

The 21-member NWC has reportedly concluded a tentative zoning formula for the presiding and principal offices for the Senate.

In the tentative zoning formula, the ruling party zoned the positions of the Deputy Senate President and Senate Majority Leader to the South-South and North-Central respectively.

It also zoned the Deputy Majority Leader post to the South-East while the Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip positions were zoned to the North-West and South-West respectively.


Lobbying is normal in politics, says APC

But reacting to the reported moves being made by the APC to lobby the PDP senators and leaders, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Issa-Onilu, said while there was no formal arrangement made by the party to lobby the PDP leaders and lawmakers, the APC was free to do whatever it felt would help its course.

He said such step must, however, remain within the limit of the party’s rules of engagement with other political parties.

Issa-Onilu said, “I am not confirming that we are lobbying the PDP leaders and lawmakers because there is nothing formal, like a committee, doing that.

“But it is normal that, in trying to get a position, you will stretch your hands beyond members of your party. It is normal in politics that you don’t just stay in your own corner and expect that everything will fall in place.

“But the lawmakers can do whatever they feel will help their course, as long as they stay within the limit of our rules of engagement with other parties. Otherwise, there is nothing to it.”

But, in its reaction, the PDP said it was politicking and normal for the APC leaders and senators to lobby the PDP senators and leaders for Lawan.

The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, criticised Oshiomhole and Tinubu for sticking to ‘winner takes all” approach.

He stated that the PDP had its plan and would shock the APC.

Odeyemi said, “It is normal for the APC to lobby the PDP lawmakers. It is however unfortunate that the leadership of the APC, like Oshiomhole and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have advocated “winners take all” for their members which is not possible.

“This has altered whatever is expected to be a healthy lobby with the PDP and I can assure the APC and Oshiomhole of a shock.

“Just as Senator Dino Melaye said, INEC will not be involved in the election to select the leaders of the chambers. This is an election that cannot be declared inconclusive neither can it be manipulated.

“As a political party, we obviously have our joker and plans and will display it at the appropriate time. Nigerians should wait for our last-minute card.”

The house of representatives committee on commerce has stepped down the budget consideration of the ministry of trade and investment for the second time.

The decision was taken as a result of the ministry’s failure to appear before the committee to defend its 2019 budget.

It also threatened to approve ministry allocation for the ministry in the budget, if it fails to come to defend its budget.

Speaking on Thursday, Sylvester Ogbaga, chairman of the committee, said the defence was rescheduled following the continued absence of Okechukwu Enelamah, minister of trade and investment.

He said the minister had last week requested the committee to reschedule the budget defence for Thursday, April 4.

Ogbaga expressed concern that the minister travelled “without notifying the committee” or writing it to mandate the permanent secretary to represent him.

The chairman of the committee said there were several grey areas in the 2018 budget of the ministry which the minister needed to clarify.

He also disclosed that efforts to embark on an oversight visit to the ministry had been unsuccessful due to “some unreasonable excuses from the minister.”

The committee, therefore, issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the appearance of the minister or that of the permanent secretary.

A senate committee had earlier this week rejected the budget of the ministry over an alleged inclusion of a private company.

One thing is becoming a trend in the Nigerian political space. Governors after serving out their term, now see the Senate as their next destination.

In the Eight Senate, 2015-2019, 15 former governors were elected senators.

The governors will maintain their grip in the Ninth Senate, as about 15 of them scaled through in the 2019 National Assembly election, and will join others to begin legislative activities, after President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurates the National Assembly in June.

They include: two ex-governors of Abia Orji Kalu and his successor, Theodore Orji, incumbent governor of Borno, Kashim Shettima, ex-governor of Ebonyi, Sam Egwu, ex-governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje, among others.

Opinion, is, however divided on whether the former governors will make a difference in the senate. Some commentators opined that the governors’ mission in the senate is to feather their political nest.

Others, however, said that the former governors would add value and quality to legislative debates because of their wealth of experience.

Chief Egwu Chima, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ebonyi, described the election of the former governors into the senate as a welcome development.

Chima, former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi, said ex-governors would bring their wealth of experience to bear in the legislative activities in the senate.

Chima said that former governors who served creditably in their respective states deserved a chance to go and show-case their leadership prowess at the senate.

According to him, former governors have acquired enough experience that could be harnessed to advance the nation’s democracy through viable and qualitative representation.

He said: “The best way for any governor that has served for eight years is to go and take a seat in the senate.

” The work load and expectations of the people on you as a governor are completely absent, the person will have full time to carry out his legislative functions.

“If after serving as a governor and you retire to your house, you may decay fast, lose political relevance and may even die early.

“As a lawmaker, the ex-governors will be able to direct their focus to the nation with the experience that they have gathered over the years on how to build strong, united and virile democracy.

“I can tell you categorically that it is pertinent that former governors should go to senate after serving their states where their wealth of political, leadership and administrative experience will be utilised.”

He advised ex-governors who are senators-elect from the different political parties to carry their experiences from their various sections of the country into the larger Nigeria.

Prof. Jonah Onuoha of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, who spoke on the issue, also see election of more former governors to senate as a welcome development and something that would boast legislative performance.

Onuoha who is also the Director, Institute of American Studies in the university, noted that the presence of more ex-governors who had acquired experience in governance would be an added advantage to the Ninth Senate.

“These governors have acquired experience and know the needs of the people.

“With their wealth of experience they are in a better position to sponsor bills that will address the needs of the people in their states since they have first hand information about them.

“Also with their connections as former governors they will use it to attract quality democracy dividends to their districts.

” To me, I see the election of more former governors into the red chamber as a welcome development, as well as a boost to the 9th Senate,” he said.

The director said he did not subscribe to opinion in some quarters that the senate had become a retirement home for former governors as well as a shelter to avoid harassment from the EFCC.

Prof. Aloysius Okolie, also of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, however, held a contrary opinion.

He said that majority of these former governors were going to senate just to remain politically relevant and not to give quality representation to their people.

“These former governors are going to senate just to remain politically relevant because some of them did not perform very well in their states, and that will not change in the senate.

“Some of these governors in the 8th Senate did not sponsored any bill or done anything extra-ordinary,” he said.

The former Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, UNN chapter, alleged that some of these former governors were rushing to the senate to avoid harassment from EFCC.

“Some of these governors are going to senate as retirement home as well as a shelter against the harassment of EFCC.

“Some of these governors were in government for eight years and could have allowed others to represent the district.

“They have piloted affairs of their states, any development they did not bring to their people as governors, I doubt if they can do that as senators,” he said.

In the same vein, Dr Paul Okorie, former Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transportation in Ebonyi, said that the former governors were driven by the desire to maintain their grip on the political space in their various states.

Okorie said that some of the former governors that served in the previous senate did not show enough political fire work and quality representation, stressing that they were in the senate to feather their political nest.

He decried the development and urged ex-governors who were elected as senators to place the interest of the country and their constituencies above personal considerations.

“They should put the interest of the nation first, think more of their constituents and to remember first and foremost that their constituents are the people that elected them into the senate.

“They should bring their experience as former governors to bear in the legislative process and thereby advance our democracy,’’ Okorie said.

Chief Abia Onyike, a former Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi, said the new culture of going to the senate is a manifestation of former governors’ reluctance to leave office.

According to Abia, former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, governors wield enormous powers under the 1999 Constitution, while former President Olusegun Obasanjo once referred to them as ‘emperors.’

“The new culture of going to the senate is a manifestation of their reluctance to leave office.

“It has nothing to do with qualitative contribution to law making, in advanced democracies, you decide the direction you want to follow, either law making or governance.

“That was why we saw people like Edward Kennedy, who spent over 32 years in the senate and was known as the ‘Lion of the Senate.’

“The new generation of governors in Nigeria engages in endless search for relevance after leaving office.

“They are never satisfied with the opportunities they had, the reason is that the areas they governed were glorified provinces, after the balkanisation of the old regions into miniature states and the challenges of governance have become more intractable.

“Many of them cannot satisfy the aspirations of the people, coupled with the powerful enemies they make while in office, they are constantly in need of a sanctuary, which some of them find in the senate,’’ he noted.

NAN

By Jide Oyekunle



Abuja – Global Rights, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), revealed on Thursday that no fewer than 3,683 people have been killed and that over 259 incidents of high-level mass violence were recorded across the country between January 2018 and March 12, 2019 (a period of 14 months).

The period covers the space of time before, during, and after the recent general elections.

This was contained in a statement made available to Daily Independent in Abuja as one of the highlights of the National Day of Mourning and Remembrance.


The statement noted that hundreds of citizens were brutally assaulted and some murdered.

“Time and again in official reports of these violent deaths, citizens have been dehumanised, and victims’ identities have been reduced to numbers, to soften the gravity of the situation.

“In ensuring veritable narratives and in respect for the lives lost, we must demand an end to impunity and accountability for the security and welfare of all Nigerians.

“The National Day of Mourning and Remembrance for victims of mass atrocities and violent killings is a citizen-led initiative that recognises that victims are more than just numbers; they were humans, citizens whose identities must not be forgotten, whose stories must be told, and for whom justice must prevail,” the group said in the statement.

It explained that the National Day of Mourning was aimed at rekindling a sense of solidarity and of nationhood by reminding Nigerians that we are in this together and that the office of the citizen was the most powerful office that could be occupied in this country.

The group added: “As a sequel to the first National Day of Mourning and Remembrance, this year’s event is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at strategic locations across the country.

“As a citizen leader, we, therefore, request that you save the date, and proactively participate in this year’s activities.

“We will be reaching out shortly on the various ways you can take action or show support.”

The official hash tags for the event include #NDOM19, #NigerianLivesMatter, #MoreThanNumbers, and #LestWeForget.

By Steve Uzoechi



Death toll in the alleged sex romp involving undergraduates believed to be studying at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State, has risen to three. Initially, two of the students were found dead at an off-campus hostel, Sunshine Castle Lodge, Umuchima at Ihiagwa community in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday, during an alleged group sex romp with one female, also a student. But yesterday, the authorities of FUTO said they could not confirm that the victims of the tragic sex romp were students of the university until investigations were concluded. The female student, who was earlier said to be on life support, was rumoured to have died at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri.

The four students were reported to have taken Tramadol, Codeine, Vodka and India hemp in the course of the sexual adventure. Two reportedly died instantly while the third male died in the hospital with the lady taken to FMC, Owerri and placed on life support. According to reports, all four of them were found unclad, one was with a bathing soap in his hand, the other lying on top of the lady.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Orlando Ikeokwu, told journalists that the police recovered two male corpses, Tramadol tablets and Indian hemp from the scene of what appeared to be a group sex at a students’ lodge. He said preliminary investigations showed that the deceased collapsed and died allegedly while having group sex with a female student. Ikeokwu, who gave the names of the dead students as Ugochukwu and Uche (surnames withheld), said the incident occurred at Sunshine Lodge located at Ihiagwa, near FUTO and that the students were suspected to have used sex-enhancing drugs for the exercise.

According to him, the police operatives, who evacuated the bodies and took two others to hospital, also recovered substances suspected to be Indian hemp and Tramadol from the scene of the incident. He said: “On April 2, information was received from the caretaker of Sunshine Lodge in Ihiagwa, Owerri, that students at Federal University of Technology, Owerri — Ugochukwu, Richard, and Uche — were engaged in a ‘fatal sex romp’ with Onyinyechi (surname withheld), also a student at the same university. “Police detectives from Nekede Division promptly mobilised to the scene and found the four individuals completely naked and unconscious.

“The victims were immediately conveyed to the police clinic and two of them, namely Ugochukwu and Uche, were certified dead by the medical doctor on duty. “The corpses have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, for an autopsy, while Richard and Onyinyechi, whose condition is yet to be stabilised, have been referred to the emergency and casualty ward of the FMC, Owerri, for further medical attention.

“The families of the deceased have been contacted, while the condition of the surviving persons is still being closely monitored.” However, FUTO Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mrs. Uche Nwelue, said the university was aware of the incident but that it was still investigating to confirm if the victims were students of the institution. According to Nwelue, the university, at the moment, cannot state categorically that the deceased were its students. She said: “Our internal investigation is ongoing. For instance, now we have got their names and we are looking to get their registration numbers and if that match with their names, we can certify their status and will then make official statement. “Remember that in the lodge where the students lived, there are students of other institutions. That is why we need to find out if they are actually FUTO students before making any official statement to the press.”

Walter Onnoghen, the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), says some money paid into his account sometime in 2015 were gifts for his daughter’s wedding, and not bribe as alleged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a petition filed before the National Judicial Council (NJC), at its sitting on Wednesday, EFCC had alleged that Onnoghen received money in his account in 2015, alleging that the money was paid to influence the cases before the Supreme Court, at the time Onnoghen was on the Supreme Court panel.

However, in a written address submitted by the counsel to the respondent listed as follows R.A. Lawal-Rabana, SAN; Okon Nkanu Efut, SAN; J.U.K. Igwe, SAN; George Ibrahim, Esq; Victoria Agi, Esq; Orji Ude Ekumankama, Esq; Opeyemi Origunloye, Esq; Temitayo Fiki, Esq, which was scheduled for Service on Rotimi Oyedepo, the counsel to the EFCC, Onnoghen denied the allegation, stating that the money constituted gifts for his daughter’s wedding, in line with custom.

Under the title, ‘Alleged Receipt of Pecuniary Gifts’, Onnoghen’s defence read: “In paragraph (iii) at page 2 of its second petition dated 5th March 2019, the petitioner alleged that His Lordship received pecuniary gifts from the following and on the following dates: Ogunsanya Adewunmi: N250,000 (22/5/15); Paul Usoro (SAN): N350,000 (22/4/15); Emeka Etiaba (SAN): N250,000 (19/5/15); Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN): N300,00 (19/5/15); Eze Duru Iheoma (SAN): N100,000 (6/03/15)

“In his evidence-In-Chief, the Respondent explained that the gifts were made at a time of the marriage ceremony of his first daughter, Oremini Nkanu Onnoghen who got married sometime in 2015. It was not solicited and remains a part and parcel of the customs and traditions of the people. His Lordship tendered a copy of the wedding invitation which was admitted in evidence without objection by the petitioner as Exhibit R9.

“The Panel will observe that all the gifts of N250,000, N350,000, N250,000, N300,000 and N100,000 respectively were made within the period of the wedding shown in exhibit R9. From the evidence of the petitioner/prosecution itself, there were no other payments made by those persons or by any other lawyer into the account of the Respondent prior to or after the said period of the wedding of the daughter.

“Accordingly, no misconduct can be seen or inferred from the unsolicited customary gifts said to be given to His Lordship. It had nothing to do with the discharge of his duties as a judicial offer. By Rule 13.5(2) of the Revised Code of Conduct For Judicial officers (Published February, 2016) a judicial office is permitted to accept – (i) Personal gifts or benefits from relatives or personal friends to such extent and on such occasions as are recognized by custom.

“The statements of three of the persons alleged to have given the gifts which they made to the EFCC are before this Committee. Nothing in them shows that the gifts were meant to bribe or induce His Lordship in the performance of his duties as a judicial officer. Nothing before this Committee contradicted the statements. It ought to be accepted as the true facts.”

A middle-aged sex worker on Wednesday narrated how she managed to escape being used for money rituals by suspected internet fraudsters.

The lady whose name and identity was preferred to be made anonymous for security reasons narrated her ordeals while been kept in custody by security operatives in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

In a statement during the handing over of two suspected internet fraudsters to the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan Zonal Office, the middle-aged woman said she had joined the boys alongside some other friends from a club to pass the night with the boys unaware of their antics and intentions.

The suspects, Sanusi Azeez Toba and Osho Olalekun Micheal, arrested at Kolapo Ishola, Akobo area of Ibadan were handed over to the Oyo State’s special anti-crime patrol outfit codenamed, “Operation Burst”, after the escaped victims reported the matter to them.

She added that she had to jump down from a two storey building where she and others were taken hostage and later scale a fence when she noticed the boys were acting funny in the middle of the night.

She said “We met at the club last night and we all went back to their apartment to sleep over. At some point I noticed some funny movement and saw them with a calabash (a native pot).

“That was when I knew they were ritualists with the intention to use me for rituals. So I jumped off the two-storey building, and off the fence. I then reported the case to the ‘Operation Burst’”

Preliminary investigations have also revealed that the suspects have various incriminating documents stored in the laptops and phones recovered from them at the point of arrest.

The development is coming even as operatives from the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Commission also on Wednesday, arrested another twelve suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as ‘Yahoo-Yahoo Boys’

While six of the suspects were arrested at 2nd Pipeline, Ologunerun, Ibadan, the other five were picked up at a location in Ijebu-Remo, Ogun State.

Those from Ibadan are Akinbinu Akinfemi, Wasiu Adeyemi, Idowu Samson, Tijani Usman, Saheed Eniafe and Adeyi Victor.

Benson Gospel, Abdulazeez Gafar, Agbumabiwon Abiodun, Abayomi Awotedu, and Bukayo Abiodun were apprehended at Ijebu Remo.

Ranging between the ages of 17 and 29 years, the alleged fraudsters’ arrests were occasioned by petitions from their neighbours, detailing their alleged fraudulent activities.

The alleged acts include love scam and other forms of internet fraud through which they obtain money from unsuspecting victims.

Items recovered from them include laptops, mobile phones and several documents containing false pretences.

“All the suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded”, a source within the Ibadan zonal office of the commission noted.

ASABA – Ovie Omo-Agege, Delta Central Senator and Leader of Al Progressives Party (APC) in the state, Olorugun O’tega Emerhor has again drawn a battle line.

While Omo Agege says he is a contender for the office of the Deputy Senate President in the ninth Assembly, Emerhor says he expect the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Omo-Agege.

Omo Agege spoke on Monday while making clarification on the controversial Federal High Court, Asaba, judgment which supposedly recognised Chief Cyril Ogodo-led faction of the APC instead of the current executive of the party led by Prophet Jones Ode Erue, the executive duly recognised by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.

He spoke through one of his legislative aide, Nath Dortie, that contrary to skewed reports in the media, he did not lose any “appeal,” saying his application for joiner to the Asaba lower court case was only disallowed since he is not a party to the suit.

He said that the contentious Asaba judgment which some elements were parading is in violent conflict with the valid, unchallenged and subsisting June 18, 2018 judgment of Hon. Justice Chikere of the Federal High, Abuja in Suit No. FHC/ABJ /CS/509/18 which validated, recognised and gave legal life to the Prophet Jones-led executive of the party, a judgment that the plaintiffs in the Asaba court have failed to set aside/ appeal against.

ABEOKUTA – The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, the State capital, Monday, started on a dramatic note as Labour Party, whose petition was before the panel, disowned and attacked a Counsel, Kehinde Ayanwale, for announcing appearance for it.

Ayanwale had announced his appearance along with others, in the petition number EPT/OG/GOV/02/2019 before the tribunal and attempted moving a motion ex parte when Justice Chinwe Onyeabor, chairman of the three-man panel, observed that four persons were in court for a matter with two petitioners.

Upon inquiry, another counsel, Hassan Balogun, also announced his appearance for Labour Party for the same matters, alleging that Ayanwale and his clients were paid by some unnamed politicians to scuttle the petition.

At this point, the tribunal allowed both the party’s chairman, Abayomi Oluwafemi, and the governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Dupe Sayanolu, to address the tribunal.

Sanyaolu told the tribunal that she had never met Ayanwale and never briefed him to handle the matter on her behalf and the party.

Sanyaolu further alleged that the lawyer and his clients had been collecting money from politicians on her behalf because of the case.

Ayanwale’s plea to strike out the name of the governorship candidate from the petition was also met with anger as Abayomi and the party’s legal adviser, Monday Mawah, descended on the counsel.

Abayomi informed the court that he was shocked when he learnt that a lawyer had filed a case before the tribunal without brief from the party’s chairman and candidate.

While disowning the lawyer, Abayomi, said he had never met the lawyer and had never briefed him to file any petition before the tribunal.

Abayomi said he conducted the primary, which produced the governorship candidate and that he had a letter of authority from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Mawah, who was visibly angry with his colleague, Ayanwale, said he was ashamed that men of the legal profession could engage and indulge in criminality and illegality.

Justice Onyeabor expressed sadness at the conduct of the counsel, saying representation before the court is a constitutional matter and that it is the person going to court that has the right to choose a lawyer.

She said: “While the tribunal will not be dreaming into any intra-party issue, the case before us is a case of illegal representation. The choice of counsel is a constitutional matter. It is strange if the people you claimed to be representing are saying you don’t have their brief. It is the person going to court that has the right to choose lawyer, I feel very sad.

“Unless Labour Party has two candidates, we have to go with the petitioner, except there’s another candidate, who must have passed through the primaries and election.”

The chairman further said the tribunal would not go on with the case because of non-compliance of conditions precedent.

Femi Makinde



The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to ensure that private depot owners maintain the official ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) at N133.28 per litre.

The Chairman, IPMAN, Ore Depot, Mr Shina Amoo, who said this in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos on Monday, stated that independent marketers might soon start selling beyond N145 per litre if depot owners continued to sell between N136.50 and N137 per litre.

Amoo urged the NNPC to prevail on depot owners not to sell beyond the official ex-depot price in order to enable marketers to sell to consumers at N145 per litre.

He said, “Private depot owners have increased the ex-depot price of PMS beyond N133.28 per litre. We bought a litre of PMS between N136.50 and N137 per litre from private depot owners last weekend. This can affect the pump price at which independent marketers will sell the product, and it will certainly be beyond the N145, which is the official pump price.

“We, independent marketers, are law-abiding. We don’t want to sell above the official pump price and that is why we are urging the government to do something about it and make the product abundantly available. They should monitor private depot owners to make sure they don’t sell above the official ex-depot price of N133.28.

“The NNPC is the sole importer and nobody has the right to increase the price but if they continue to sell to us above the official ex-depot price, we will have no option than to increase the pump price above N145 per litre. The increase in price by private depot owners will eventually push the burden on the marketers and final consumers.”

Amoo lauded the Federal Government for the rehabilitation of the Ilorin Depot of the NNPC while urging it to revive the Ore Depot as well in order to reduce the problem of transportation of petroleum products and to create more jobs in the area.

The NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, had in a statement dated March 30 warned private depot owners against increasing the ex-depot price.

He said, “The subsisting ex-depot petrol price of N133. 28k per litre was consistent with the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency’s template and should be adhered to.”

Ughamadu stated that NNPC held stock of over one billion litres, adding that imports of 48 vessels of 50 million litres each had been committed for the month of April alone.

Today, both the President and the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria are Muslims and our appeal is to let either the Senate President or the Speaker be a Christian to address the religious dichotomy."


[quote]The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to elect a Christian as the Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives to reflect religious balance.

A statement issued by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to Reverend (Dr.) Samson Ayokunle, the CAN President, on Monday, noted that the President and the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) are Muslims.

CAN, therefore, urged the National Assembly leadership to consider electing Christians into the number one positions of the red and green chambers to give all Nigerians a sense of belonging.

The statement read: “As you prepare for your inauguration, CAN urges you to balance the appointments of your principal officers across religious divides to avoid domination and marginalisation of any kind in the interest of equity, justice, and fair play as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“We, from the Christian Association of Nigeria, recognize the importance of the National Assembly to the stability and growth of our polity. It is in this regard that we call for ethnic and religious balance with depth in picking the leadership of that great institution of democracy. To ensure that this happens is to remove any apprehension and suspicion harbored towards the leadership of this country.

“Although both the Senate and the House of Representatives have several principal officers, our focus here are the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. As it has been the practice since 1999, whenever the Senate President is a Christian, the Speaker of the House has always been a Muslim and vice- versa. And the same thing happens to their deputies.

“Our quest becomes imperative due to the existing order in the two other arms of the government. Today, both the President and the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria are Muslims and our appeal is to let either the Senate President or the Speaker be a Christian to address the religious dichotomy. This will give all Nigerians a sense of belonging irrespective of their religious affiliations.

And a critical study of Chapter 14 (13 and 14) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) underscores this truth. The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few state or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.

“The composition of the government of a state, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the federation.”

The association also called on the Ninth National Assembly members to “address both the religious and the North and South dichotomies in the interest of equity, justice and fair play”, while assuring lawmakers of their prayers “as they make laws for the peace, order and good government of the federation”.

On the present administration, the statement continued: “We also urge both the Presidency and the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the position of the Association in its quest to find an enduring peace, unity and development for our Fatherland. Doing this will go a long way in fixing some of the problems confronting our country today that are rooted in religious, tribal suspicion, domination and marginalisation at every level of the government.

“In as much as we agree that merit should not be sacrificed in every appointment, there are Christians, who are equally credible and capable of running the affairs of the National Assembly and other key positions in the government if given the opportunity. Those who had and still serving in one office or the other are our living proofs.

“Once again, we rejoice with you and congratulate you all. We give you the assurance of our spiritual support to this all important arm of the government. CAN is also willing and ready to collaborate with the Leadership of the National Assembly when the need arises.

By Taiwo Adisa | Abuja



THE ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is said to have broken into different camps in a bid to enthrone the new leadership of the incoming Ninth National Assembly.

Sources in the polity told Sunday Tribune that loyalists of the national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, now have some other faction being led by the governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai to contend with in the run up to the inauguration of the new Nation Assembly.

Though the national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is said to be working in sync with the Tinubu camp, it was said that Oshiomhole’s personal agenda to enthrone a South-South person into the position of Deputy Senate President is threatening to put him in conflict with Tinubu.

The Oshiomhole- led APC is moving to zone the position to the South-South on the pretext of the fact that the South-West had produced the Vice President.

Stay off politics, Oke advises Afenifere
Whereas the South-West boasts of at least nine ranking Senators-elect, the South South has only two Senators with the preferred candidate coming from Oshiomhole’s Edo State.

Sources said that the faction being led by el-Rufai, some governors a and number of Ministers are opposed to the planned takeover of the Ninth Assembly by Tinubu in preparation for his perceived 2023 presidential contest.

It was gathered that, while the team opposed to Tinubu may not fight the choice of Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, as Senate President, they are already plotting to scuttle the chances of the South-West producing the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Oshiomhole had announced the choice of Senator Lawan and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila as the anointed candidates for Senate President’s and Speaker’s positions.

Sources close to the party and the National Assembly said that the grand plot that is gaining ground among incoming members of the House of Representatives is to stop the South-West from producing the Speaker.

“The plot is gaining ground and irrespective of the preferred candidates of the party, the forces behind the plot are going ahead. They are ready to convince the required number of Reps members in June to vote their choice,” a lawmaker said.

He added that while the party is going loud with its choices, those plotting to alter the arrangement are going underground

Tanko Yakasai, elder statesman and political adviser in the second Republic, says the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) might field Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo or Bola Tinubu, a national leader of APC, in 2023.

Speaking with The Interview, Yakasai said the region played a key role in the emergence of Buhari in 2019.

On the possibility of the APC fielding a presidential candidate from the south-east in 2013, Yakasai said the region will be sidelined for the south-west.

“The current calculation is that the vice-president is from the Southwest. Clearly, there is an unwritten understanding that when Buhari finishes, the Vice President will likely be the next presidential candidate of the APC,” he said.

“The Vice President is a Yoruba man. Even if it is not Osinbajo, somebody from there, probably Tinubu, will likely emerge as the candidate of the party.

“And with the performance of the party in the southeast, I don’t see any possibility that the party will think of giving its candidacy to the southeast as against the support it earned from the southwest.

“Apart from voting, don’t forget that there were some material support which APC enjoyed from the Southwest.”

Defending his choice of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the elections, the elder statesman said he supported Atiku because of his experience in governance and business.

Yakasai was asked: “You supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the PDP at the just concluded election. Do you believe the eventual winner, Muhammadu Buhari, won fair and square?”

He replied: “No, I do not. Quite alright, I supported Atiku because I don’t believe that Buhari has the capacity and the competence to handle the Nigerian problem.”

On the issue of the leadership of the 9th senate, Yakasai said it would not favour theAll Progressives Congress (APC) to insist on Ahmed Lawan.

Lawan, senate majority leader, has been given the blessings of the APC to succeed Bukola Saraki as the leader of the red chamber.

Yakasai said he expected the ruling party to have learnt from its mistakes.

He argued that the lawmakers should be allowed to who will lead them, and not a person imposed on them.

“Well, they have been touting this idea for a long time. Remember when the current Senate was convened after the 2015 election, they wanted Ahmad Lawan to be the Senate president,” he said.

“It was the rupture in the party that led a chunk of party senators to team up with PDP senators to get Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as president and deputy president of the Senate.

“What I am surprised about, I thought what happened to them in the last dispensation would have been a lesson for them to allow legislators to decide who should be their leaders.

“I worked with National Assembly for four years. I know the mindset of members of the National Assembly. They believe that they have their own mandate separate from the mandate of the President.”

The camp of former President Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to comment by Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, that N1.3trillion was stolen under the administration.

Former aide to Jonathan, Reno Omokri, in a statement advised Buhari government to face the United States which recently released a damning report on corruption fight in the country.

It said Magu sought to drag Jonathan into the mix when he was expected to have used the forum he spoke to address the issues of impunity raised in the U.S. State Department report.

It reads: “The claim of a stolen N1.3 trillion public fund which Magu reiterated on Monday is not new, for the discerning members of the public, the claim by Magu is rehash of false allegations that started its ill-fated journey in 2016.

“In January 2016, Muhammadu Buhari’s prophetically named Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai (Lie) Mohammed, claimed at a world press conference in Abuja, to mark the beginning of the administration’s war against corruption, that 55 well-placed Nigerians stole a whopping N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013, a period covering the Presidencies of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan.

“Nine months later, specifically in October 2016, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay repeated the allegation with only a slight alteration, by alleging that about N1.4 trillion was stolen by top government officials and businessmen under the last three administrations.

“It will be recalled that in July 2015, Adams Oshiomhole, the current chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), had alleged that a former government minister in Nigeria stole $6bn (about N2.1 trillion). Oshiomhole said “US officials informed President Muhammadu Buhari of the alleged theft during his visit to Washington the previous month.”

“However, the U.S. State Department denied the story, asking Oshiomhole, to name the official and not drag United States into Nigeria domestic politics. The truth is that Ibrahim Magu lied and this is not the first, or second time he has lied to the public.

“It would be recalled that Mr. Magu has boasted on many occasions that the EFCC under him had recovered about N739 billion within two years, adding that over N500 billion was recovered in 2017 alone.

“However, Kemi Adeosun, the then minister of finance in the same Government at that time, decided to put a lie to Mr. Magu’s claims, by revealing in March 2018 that contrary to all the figures provided over time by the EFCC’s acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, only N91 billion of such claims could be accounted for by the Government.

“So, instead of relying on wild and unsubstantiated allegations, I would advise Mr. Magu to focus on some facts, like the following:

“According to Transparency International, Nigeria is more corrupt today than at anytime during the five-year period of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s time in office.

“Whereas under Jonathan and the PDP, Nigeria made her best ever improvement on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, moving 8 places forward from 144 to 136 in 2014, but under President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, Nigeria has made her worst ever retrogression, moving backwards 12 places from 136 to 148. This is a fact.

“It is also a fact that under the Muhammadu Buhari administration arranged the recall, reinstatement and double promotion of Abdulwasiu Maina, the biggest ever thief in Nigeria’s civil service history and even gave him armed guards.

“It is also a fact under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation awarded $25 billion worth of contracts without due process. To put this in perspective, that money can pay 1 million Nigerians the proposed new minimum wage of ₦30,000 for 4 years. This is a fact.

“Moreover, it is a fact that renowned entertainer, Mr. Charles Oputa, AKA Charly Boy, recently revealed that the spokesman for the Muhammadu Buhari re-election campaign, Mr. Festus Keyamo, paid him a nine-figure sum (at least one hundred million Naira), to attack the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 2019 Presidential elections.

“The question Mr. Magu should answer is where did Festus Keyamo get so much money that he carelessly throws around?

“Finally, Nigerians saw clear evidence via drone imagery that bullion vans carted cash to the home of the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu, 48 hours to the Presidential election.

“Mr. Tinubu even boasted on live television that the bullion vans carried money and that it is nobody’s business. This is even as the Money Laundering Act of 2011 makes it illegal for any individual to make cash payments exceeding Five Million Naira. And provides that every cash transaction over ₦5,000,000 must be done via a financial institution. ‪

“These are the types of characters surrounding President Buhari. Characters that you will not trust with even your dog.

“One had expected that all these demonstrations from the US State Department among with the facts listed above would prompt Mr. Magu to change his politically-influenced blame game approach and adopt a more professional strategy. Sadly, that was not to be.

“To have simply repackaged the fable of the missing N1.3 billion at this time, shows that the EFCC boss probably thinks that Nigerians are a bunch of people with no retentive memory.

“Magu should realize that his credibility and that of the agency he leads should derive from the attention he gives to objectivity, professionalism and hard evidence. It is rather unfortunate that Magu chose to enmeshed state institution such as the EFCC into partisan politics, thereby prioritizing propaganda, deceit, half-truth and hearsay as the organization’s strategy of governance.”

By Onyekachi Eze, Clement Ekong and Ali Garba


The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to take over Adamawa State from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed tomorrow for the suspended governorship supplementary election in Adamawa State.
The election, which was earlier fixed for March 23, was suspended following a suit filed by the governorship candidate of the Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), Eric Theman, who alleged exclusion from the March 9 governorship election.
The case was however dismissed yesterday by a High Court in Yola, the state capital, for lack of merit. Adamawa is the home state of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Confirming that the suspended governorship supplementary election would now hold tomorrow, INEC, in a statement, said: “Following the discharge of the injunction, which stopped the governorship supplementary election in Adamawa State in the case filed by the MRDD, INEC will now conduct the election on Thursday, March 28 in 29 Registration Areas (RAs), 44 polling units across 14 LGAs with a total of 40,988 registered voters.”

The electoral umpire, had while declaring the governorship election in the state as inconclusive, said the margin of votes between the two top candidates – Governor Jibrila Bindow (APC) and Ahmadu Fintri (PDP) – was lesser than the 40,988 cancelled votes.

INEC’s Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Andrew Haruna, said the margin of lead was 32,476 as PDP’s Fintiri polled 367,471 votes against Governor Bindow’s 334,995 votes.

Besides the likelihood of PDP taken over the governorship of Adamawa State, the opposition party has already taken over the state House of Assembly from the ruling APC. The PDP won 13 out of the 25 seats in the state Assembly, while APC won 11. African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured a seat.

The state constituencies won by the PDP are Demsa, Gombi, Guyuk, Uba/Gaya, Hong, Jada/Mbulo, Lamurde, Madagali, Nassarawo/Binyeri, Michika, Numan, Song and Yola North.
Those won by APC are Fufore/Gurin, Fufore/Verre, Ganye, Girei, Leko/Koma, Maiha, Mubi North, Mubi South, Shelleng, Toungo and Yola South, while ADC won Mayo-Belwa.

Already, PDP has taken over two APC controlled states – Imo and Bauchi. While the opposition party won Imo State through Emeka Ihedioha during the March 9 governorship and states Assembly elections, it took a supplementary poll before a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, won the Bauchi State governorship.

Mohammed defeated the incumbent governor, Mohammed Abubakar. He polled 515,113 votes against Abubakar’s 500,625 votes.
According to the results, Mohammed won by a wide margin in seven local government areas out of the 20 in the state, while Governor Abubakar won in 13 with a slim margin.

The state Returning Officer, Prof. Kyari Mohammed, who announced the result at exactly 11.pm on Monday said: “I, Prof. Kyari Mohammed, declares that I was the Returning Officer of the election in Bauchi State and that Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of the PDP has satisfied the requirements of the law and having scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared winner and is returned elected.”

Justice Abdulazeez Waziri of the Yola High Court, who lifted his earlier order restraining INEC from conducting the governorship supplementary election in Adamawa State, ruled that his court has the jurisdiction to entertain the case instituted by MRDD and its governorship candidate.

Subsequently the court fixed Wednesday March 27 (today) to hear the originating motion by MRDD, asking the court to nullify the governorship election conducted on March 9 over INEC’s removal of its logo from the ballot paper.
Reacting to the judgement, counsel to MRDD party, Barr. Mustapha Ibrahim, described it as a perfect one as there is no point granting accelerated hearing and at the same time granting an order to restrain conduct of elections.

Also, Barrister Stephen Ibian, counsel to INEC, said “they are happy with the judgement vacating the earlier court order for the commission to go ahead and conduct the governorship supplementary election in the state.”
Meanwhile, Fintiri and his party (PDP) have been joined as second and third defendants in the suit, respectively.

Counsel to the PDP candidate, Joe Gadzama (SAN), who spoke on the development, said: “Fortunately, we have today been made parties, specifically the PDP governorship candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, is now the second defendant, while PDP is the third defendant in the suit. This ruling came in late, it is a swift victory, but at the same time we are going to be vigilant. It is not yet over.”

He further noted that there is no state or federal high court in the country that has the jurisdiction to entertain election cases except the election tribunal.

Addressing journalists on the development, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Barr Kassim Gaidam, said the decision to hold the election on Thursday is sequel to consultation with INEC headquarters.
He disclosed that a total of 368 ad-hoc staff would be deployed during the supplementary election.

On security, the REC maintained that arrangement has been concluded with the Nigerian Police and other sister security agencies to take care of any break down of law and order.
He therefore called on those who have no business at the polling units to distance themselves, promising that the election will be free and fair.

However, the APC, yesterday, rejected the election date. The Organising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Ahmed Lawal, announced the party’s decision in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola.

Lawal, who said that INEC did not consult the party before fixing the new date for the poll, alleged that information had filtered out earlier that the election would be held on Thursday, March 28.

His words: “INEC failed to consult with political parties involved in this election before going ahead to fix a new date for the re-run. We, therefore, became suspicious due to rumours in town earlier that the supplementary election would be conducted on Thursday and it turned out to be true.

“We are not afraid of re-run election, but INEC should have done the right thing. How can you fix an election on a working day? Are civil servants not going to participate in the election? We are going to forward our protest on the matter to INEC.”
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Governor-elect, Mohammed, has promised to run an inclusive and participatory government.

Mohammed, who made the promise, yesterday, in his acceptance speech, assured the people of the state that he will not make the mistakes of the outgoing administration.

“As a matter of fact, it is the failure of the outgoing administration to fulfil virtually all its promises that has dispirited the citizens of Bauchi State, leading to a palpable yearning for change.

“Our citizens have been subject to grave and unprecedented economic deprivation and political persecution. As a father, I feel a sense of moral outrage that many of our once very ambitious youths have become completely demoralized and reduced to thuggery and drug addiction,” he said.

The Governor-elect said his administration is determined to launch a pro-business, pro-market agricultural and economic revolution within four years of his tenure.

He explained that his aim is to win over a majority of the people of Bauchi State to believe in his administration and its new ideas, adding that he sees lots of opportunities for Bauchi people.

“Once we have a clearer picture of the economy, we will face the task of rebuilding Bauchi. But, I shall be honest with you about the challenges we face because I know that the road will be long and rough,” he said.
Mohammed thanked the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who according to him, laboured hard with him alongside others for his victory.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja



The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has vowed that the party will not allow a non member of its coucus in the National Assembly to occupy any position meant for the party.

He said the ruling party will ensure that all the leadership positions in the National Assembly including chairmen of committees, except the ones that are statutorily reserved for opposition, are occupied by APC members.


Oshiomhole who spoke on Monday at an interactive session with newly elected members in the House of Representatives at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja said the APC was aware of the clandestine meetings already being held by the PDP to plot how to infiltrate APC ranks for pecuniary gains.

He said the APC national leadership is determined to checkmate any such attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to apply the tactics it used in 2015 to pick up plum positions in the National Assembly.

“We will not share power in the House of Representatives and the leadership must ensure that critical committees that drive government are chaired only by APC members. If the Nigerian people wanted PDP to be chairmen of committees they would have voted for them,” he said.


Oshiomhole said in the 9th National Assembly, APC will not allow disunity amongst its members, adding that “PDP and other minority parties can have their say but working together, APC must have it way in legislative agenda, in the leadership of the National Assembly and the leadership of the committees in the National Assembly”.

The APC national chairman said the administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari will require the full support of the legislature to ensure that it delivers on the fight against corruption, insecurity and other key promises made to Nigerians.

He warned newly elected APC members to avoid the PDP trap and work as a united team to ensure that the government’s policy trust is given the necessary backing by the National Assembly.

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“So all the chairmen of committees, except one that is statutory reserve for opposition , which is Public Account, they can have that. So, we would not do the kind of thing that happened the last time in which some APC members as members of the leading party became distance spectators in the management of committees, when PDP had majority of the strategic committees in the House, that will not happen in the next Assembly.

We are aware that they believe tbey can use the divide and rule by sponsoring many people within our ranks to contest for some of the positions so that they then become the king maker and in return the person will offer them some chairmanship seats. Honourable members and comrades, I am sure you are not going to do business with them. We will see them as partners in progress but in democracy the rule is, and it is a universal rule, majority must have their way but minority must be allowed to have their say,” he said.

Out of the 223 members of the APC in the incoming House of Representatives, 164 are first timers, while 59 are reelected members.
While urging the new legislators to support the party leadership, Oshiomhole said the National Working Committee is going to consult President Buhari as well as other party leaders in an effort to arrive at an appropriate zoning formula.

While urging the new federal lawmakers not to allow anybody to divide them, Oshiomhole assured that his leadership will carry out extensive consultations with President Buhari and all the leaders of the APC.

“We will work out a sensible zoning formular that seels to carry everybody along and give people chances to demonstrate their capacities and their capabilities. We are working on that.

“Somebody told me the opposition party people are already doing something, raising money to bribe people and I said, no, we are anti corruption, we cannot be corrupted. If they bring one billion naira to each member, PDP person will not be Speaker, a PDP person will not be Deputy Speaker, a PDP person will not be Whip, a PDP person will not be Leader and a PDP person will not take any of the Committees that are meant for the ruling party. We are determined to achieve that and be rest assured that the party will stand by you,” he said.

While responding to the chairman’s entreaties, one of the cordinators of the newly Elected APC House of Representatives Forum and a member from Ondo state, Olubumi Tunde Ojo, assured the leadership of the party of the support of members.

Also another member, Hon. Ugonna Ozuligbo, representing Nkwere Ideato, Isu Federal Constituency of Imo state, said he and his colleagues were going to ensure that the party remains supreme and that its decisions are upheld.

247naijamedia:
Kano state Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has won the rerun election with 45,876 votes.

Declaring the result on Sunday, the state INEC Returning Officer, Professor B. B Shehu said Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 45,876 votes while Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 10,239 votes.

Prof Shehu said 28 local governments were affected by the rerun poll with a total registered voters of 131,073.

He said out of the figures only 57,777 voters were accredited, adding that the total valid votes during the rerun poll stood at 56,407, rejected votes 1,100 and votes cast 57,507.