₦airaland Forum

Kano – Heavily armed policemen have sealed Marhaba Cinema venue for the gubernatorial primary of Kano chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

All roads that lead to the venue situated within commercial area of Nasarawa GRA have equally been blocked by the security agents.

Combat ready personnel were seen in strategic positions within around the premises of a decades old cinema.

Similarly, the headquarters of Kwankwasiyya Movement which also housed the Constituency office of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano Central) located at Lugard road, a stone throw to Government house, Kano has been taken over by the police.

This is as opposition party in the state is ready to conduct primary election for no fewer than 4 gubernatorial aspirants jostling for the sole ticket of the party.

Daily Independent learnt that the police standoff with the PDP might not be unconnected with a subsisting court order that recognises Mas’ud El Doguwa leadership over the Caretaker Committee by the national leadership of the party.

A personal assistant to Abba Kabiru Yusuf, Rabiu Kwankwaso anointed candidate for the primary election, Comrade Aminu Wali said that they were at loss over the police action.

Wali who spoke with Daily Independent on phone accused the state government of meddlesomeness in the internal affairs of the opposition party.

He lamented that “it’s unfortunate that the police who ordinarily should serve as guardian of democracy have capitulated in the face of brazen assault”

The Kano police Public Relations Officer, SP Magaji Musa Majia, could not be reached for comment as at the time of this report.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger has endorsed Gov. Abubakar Bello as the Party’s flag bearer for 2019 governorship elections in the state.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the party from the 274 wards trooped out in their number to affirm Bello as the party’s flag bearer.

Bello, thereafter, expressed appreciation to party members for the confidence reposed in him by returning him unopposed.

“It is appealing when your people have confidence in you, when they support you, when they overwhelming endorse you.

“In politics this is what is needed and I really appreciate this gesture.

“Their action has continued to humble me and I am compelled to do more in the years ahead. By 2019 our administration will continue the good works we had started,’’ he said.

Bello assured party faithful and people of the state of his resolve to be more committed to the actualization of the restoration agenda of his administration.

“No doubt, there have been challenges in the years past but we had tried to accomplish some vital aspects of our set goals.

“We may have not been able to cover all sectors, this time we are determined to cover more grounds when APC is returned in 2019,’’ the governor said.

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BY FEMI FAMUTIMI





Contrary to reports that Bola Tinubu has forgiven Akinwunmi Ambode and will now endorse him for a second term, there are no plans for this.

The Feud between the two had escalated to the point where Tinubu had already endorsed another candidate, vowing to keep Ambode’s tenure to one term.

Despite repeated attempts from the Lagos state Governor to patch things up, it seems things are still the same.

According to a Naij.com report, an unnamed APC chieftain said that the stories of a reconciliation was from the Lagos State Governor’s camp and that there is no truth in it.

“Ambode’s camp is desperately trying to mislead Lagosians with these stories,” said the Chieftain.

The Ambode camp just rose from a meeting and agreed to publish a news story that Asiwaju is set to endorse and anoint Ambode in the early hours of Saturday morning before the primaries. There has been no meeting between Asiwaju and Ambode. This story is concocted and a lie from the pit of hell.

“The aim of this is to misinform the electorate in Lagos and to cause confusion. A number of similar false publications are already in the works.”

According to Pulse, another source was contacted for a comment on the story also corroborated and said that the rumours of a reconciliation were simply untrue.

“The claim of an endorsement is a total fallacy. It’s not going to happen. The governor has challenged the people of Lagos to a fight. Let him face it.” he said.

The Lagos State Governor tried to get back in Tinubu’s good books even employing the first lady, Aisha Buhari along with the Oba of Lagos and so on to try and talk things over with the APC Kingmaker, but it was all for naught and it is quite likely that Ambode will be going into the APC primaries bereft of the support of one of the most influential people in the party.

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YOLA – Things are no longer at ease with Adamawa State Governor, Mohammed Jibrilla as stakeholders of the ruling party in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC) including commissioners have abandoned him in support and preference for the candidature of the Aisha Buhari, the first lady’s brother, Dr. Mahmood Halilu Ahmed and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

The move against Bindow started soon after the state wing of the party was suspended and given warning not to go close to any APC office during and after the conduct of the party primaries.

Eminent stakeholders behind moves by president Muhammadu Buhari’s in-law, Dr. Ahmed also known as Modi to supplant Governor Bindow, have also shifted attention to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu who is been sponsored by Admiral Murtala Nyako, since the suspension of the APC exco.

According to sources, the stakeholders are bent in ensuring the abandoned governor is roundly defeated come September 29, 2018, at the party primaries.

Sources added that the stakeholders have been busy working round the clock to come up with winning strategies part of which is to influence delegates from their respective local governments to vote their preferred aspirant, Modi, on Saturday.

The stakeholders who formed the steering committee of Modi’s campaign organization include; the immediate former Secretary to the government of the federation, Eng B D Lawal, Alhaji Sadiq Mohammed (Walin Ganye), Senator Abubakar Girei, Eng Markus Gundiri, Sen Bello Tukur and Prince Medan Fwa.
Others are Hon. Titi Malik, Ahmed Isa Waziri, Alh Abdullahi Abubakar, Hon. Jerry Kumdisi, Hon. Usman Ibrahim among others.

The stakeholders were drawn from the 21 Local Government Areas of the state as a way of ensuring that each local government is adequately represented just as they are also mandated to influence delegates to vote for Modi on Saturday.

The APC ticket is keenly contested by the incumbent governor Bindow, Buhari’s in-law, Modi and former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

The build-up to the party primaries has been marked by intense internal political bickering between contending interests on which mode of the primary best represents the larger interest of the party with Bindow’s camp rooting for indirect primaries while Modi and Ribadu’s camps settled for the direct primaries.

The contentious issue was resolved by the NWC of the party Tuesday in favour of governor Bindow although it balanced the act by barring 17 exco of the party who endorsed Bindow during his declaration from participating in the process for their open bias against opponents of the governor.

Speaking on the development, Barr Jerry Kumdisi said with the turn of events, Modi might win the APC primaries by defeating Governor Mohammed Jibrilla because the biased APC exco that adopted him have been suspended.

He said that there is an agreement between Nuhu Ribadu camp and Modi to chase out Governor Bindow who they alleged has failed to develop Adamawa State.

Kumdisi revealed that if Dr. Mahmood Halilu Ahmed becomes the Governor Adamawa State will witness an unprecedented development in the areas of human and capital development.

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The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has generated N12.66 billion in tax revenue about a month after it commenced substitution of accounts of recalcitrant billionaire taxpayers.

Executive Chairman of FIRS, Tunde Fowler, disclosed this over the weekend when he received the new Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, at the FIRS headquarters in Abuja, a statement from FIRS said.

Fowler told the minister that about a month ago FIRS commenced substitution of the bank accounts of high net worth billionaire tax defaulters, adding that the initiative pooled about N12.66bn into government coffers.

“FIRS wrote to all commercial banks in May 2018, requesting for a list of companies, partnerships and enterprises with a banking turnover of N1bn and above. This activity is aimed at ascertaining those companies that are compliant with the tax laws and those that are not. So far, non-compliant organisations have paid about N12.66bn” he said.

He also told the minister that the service realised N2.983bn from payment on demand notices on property owners who were being assessed based on their turnover and that 653 of 2, 672 of such non-filers had starting filing now.

The chairman also said FIRS had through enforcements collected a total of N47.5bn from 2016 till date and $32.8m, £5.9, netted N225bn from audit and had collected more than N1tn above its January to August collection last year (2017).

He said FIRS’ collection of N4.03tn in 2017 had 62.25 per cent as non-oil, while oil is just 37.75 per cent. It was 64.99 per cent in favour of non-oil in 2016 and 35.01 per cent for oil. In 2018, the FIRS has done 54.56 per cent for non-oil and 45.44 per cent for oil receipts.

Fowler added that Value Added Tax (VAT) receipt was on a steady increase. “So far in 2018, the FIRS has collected N773.49bn in eight months, surpassing that of 2015 (N767.33bn), and is set to surpass 2016 (N828.19bn), and 2017 (972.30bn) with four more collection months left in the year.

“e-stamp duties collection is on a steady increase. So far in 2018, the FIRS has collected N10.10bn in eight months. The above collected this year has already surpassed that of 2017 (N10.9bn), 2016 (N5.6bn), and 2015 (N7.1bn),” Fowler said.

He stressed that FIRS would continue to implement initiatives that would drive compliance and generate revenue by continuous taxpayer enlightenment, implementation of the Auto VAT Collect in other sectors of the economy, simplification of the tax processes; especially for small taxpayers, strengthening collaborations with other agencies such as Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), state Boards of Internal Revenue, Ministry of Trade and Investment and the Nigeria Customs Service.

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The nation ’ s stock market has shrunk in recent months following the exit of foreign investors as the 2019 general elections approach, FEYISAYO POPOOLA writes
Foreign portfolio investors have pulled out billions of naira out of the Nigerian stock market in recent months amid bearish sentiments , primarily due to the approaching elections.

According to the latest data from the Nigerian Stock Exchange, a total of N435.41bn was withdrawn from the market from January to July this year , compared to an outflow of N 236 . 32bn in the same period in 2017.

The total value of equities listed on the NSE has taken a beating, closing at N 11.88tn on Friday, as against a peak of N 16.154 tn on January 19.

The market capitalisation rose from N 13 . 617 tn at the start of the year as a result of greater impetus from the recovery in global oil prices, increased domestic reserves , greater foreign exchange market stability and declining inflation .

“ Once there is any cause to fear, portfolio investors sell out their shares and they come back when the environment is better ; all of these create a lot of volatility in the market and may be one of the reasons why we do not have a lot of initial public offerings in the country, ” the Associate Director, Capital Markets , PwC Nigeria , Alice Tomdio , told our correspondent .
She said more focus ought to be placed on encouraging the participation of domestic investors in the capital market .

According to her , the current ratio of foreign investors to domestic investors is still quite healthy as foreign portfolio investors participate primarily in the secondary markets .

She stated that it was normal for earnings release or government action to cause a big swing in the activity of foreign investors.

With a significant decrease of 64.68 per cent in total foreign transactions from N 102.41bn in June to N 36.17bn in July , domestic investors outperformed foreign investors by 50.48 per cent in July .

The domestic transactions , according to the NSE , were largely driven by the 55. 48 per cent increase in the retail domestic participation , which recorded N 29.12bn in June and N 65.42bn in July .

Between 2011 and 2015 , foreign transactions consistently outperformed domestic transactions ; however, domestic transactions marginally outperformed foreign transactions in 2016 and 2017 , accounting for 52 per cent of the total transaction value last year .

Also , foreign transactions , which stood at N 1.539 tn in 2014 , declined to N 1.025 tn in 2015 and N 518 bn in 2016, but increased significantly by 133 per cent to N 1.208 tn in 2017. This accounted for about 48 per cent of total transactions last year .

Over an 11 year period , domestic transactions decreased by 62. 46 per cent from N 3.556 tn in 2007 to N 1.335 tn in 2017, meaning more foreign investors were dominating the market .

However , there was a significant increase in domestic transactions in 2017 by 111 per cent from N 634 bn recorded in 2016 as portfolio investors withdrew .

The President, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria , Sir Sunny Nwosu , said the economic policies of the country were responsible for the exit of foreign investors .

He noted that if the policies were favourable, investors would come around and if otherwise , they would flee.

Nwosu stated, “ It is not even advisable for them to stay at this point because there is no assurance we can give them as elections are approaching ; they need to be very careful about their money . These investors have been in this country since and have enjoyed a lot; they are not willing to gamble with their money now .

“ When the situation in Nigeria is showing a doom time because of the elections, they will all go away and wait until after the elections. They want to make sure that the economic situation does not affect their investments, whereby they will lose money."

The Partner, Corporate Finance Practice , PwC Nigeria, Andrei Ugarov , stated that more emphasis ought to be placed on Foreign Direct Investment instead of Foreign Portfolio Investment, describing the former as more beneficial to the country.

He said , “When things are not so good and are shaky , portfolio investors leave immediately; it is very easy for them to sell off their shares and move out; whereas , if you have invested in a private company or industry , it is more difficult for you to leave because you have a longer -term view .

“ So , from the development and sustainability perspective , the focus should really be on direct investment . Although it is also good to have portfolio investors , that should not be the end objective . ”

According to him , currency control is also a major issue for portfolio investors because when uncertainty about getting their cash out exists , there will be uncertainty about putting cash in.

Ugarov stated that currency control and uncertainties could be the reason why there was a scarcity of portfolio investors as well as a lack of adequate foreign exchange .

The Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited , Johnson Chuwku , said the only thing the government could do to reduce the exit of foreign portfolio investors was to reduce political tension in the country.

According to him , the government needs to give assurance that the coming elections will be free and fair , and that the two major political parties will not create war .

He noted that if the confidence of the public was not restored , there would be a problem.

Chukwu said , “The major thing driving portfolio investors is not necessarily that the economy is weak ; the economy is still quite strong.

“ The underlying thing is that quoted companies are performing very well . But because portfolio investors are always weary about tensions in third world countries , they are not willing to risk being caught in a crossfire of political parties . ”

According to him , the only thing that can restore the confidence of the investors or give them the assurance to stay is if the tension is being moderated by ensuring that the outcome of the elections will be acceptable by the citizens.

He said another thing that could moderate the exit of portfolio investors was the increase in yield of Federal Government ’ s short - term instruments.

“ If the yield spikes, it can attract those that have very high appetite for risk to come back into the country, ” Chukwu added.

He stated that increase in yields could only be used to complement a moderated political environment , adding that a reduction in political tension remained key as increased yields could not sustain investors ’ confidence on its own.

By Abbas Jimoh



Despite the measures introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reduce vote buying in the Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, contesting political parties and politicians still devised a new trend of vote buying to beat the system.

This is contained in the preliminary report of the election by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) who deployed 180 trained and accredited observers for the election.

“As against the usual money sharing at the polling units, our observers said that the agents of the political parties are now collating names for payment after the vote.

This was reported in EDE North Local government Ward 11 polling unit 3, 4, 5 and 11, Ayedire Local government Ward 5, Polling Unit 005, Atapka Osogbo local government ward 005, polling unit 007. All the leading political parties in the elections are involved in this despicable acts of vote trading,” the report signed by the CDD Director, Idayat Hassan said.

According to the report, INEC new policy banning the use of mobile phones and other recording devices in voting cubicles largely thwarted blatant vote buying.

The report stated that in most of the polling units observed, voters willingly complied with the policy, and in a case where such attempt to violate the policy, law enforcement agents and INEC officials saw to its enforcement.

“The Nigerian Police force tweeted the arrest of two voter buys arrested with six hundred. Our observers also reported the arrest of a vote buyer identified as Sunday, was arrested at Polling Unit 03, Ward 06 of Ifedayo Local Government Area but he was arrested and later released by police officers in Osun State.

In Ward 010, PU 004, Boripe LGA, our observer reported a voter snapping ballot paper after voting in the presence of security personnel. However, politicians deployed new tactics to perpetrate vote buying and selling during Osun Governorship election, ” the report said.

The report said that election materials arrived in PUs on time in most PUs; the accreditation and voting process commenced with minimal hitches to the voting process and that while some voters experienced slight challenges while passing through the card reader accreditation process, the card reader issues were not widespread enough, as to affect the ability of citizens to exercise their franchise.

“The voter turnout is impressive compared to previous off-cycle elections. We are hopeful it may be at par with the 53 per cent turnout recorded in the last 2014 governorship election of the state.

“We commend INEC for the introduction of tactile ballots in the elections. However, there are instances of lack of availability of magnifying glasses and materials in some polling units.

The priority voting introduced by the commission enables several elderly, pregnant women to vote quickly. However the assistance of the elderly raised concerns amongst party agents who alleged that the elderly arebeing manipulated to vote for other parties,” the report stated.

It however said that a minor fight was observed between an APC and PDP party agent at Ward 2, PU7 in Ejigbo shopping plaza, due to a misunderstanding on a woman whose name appeared twice in the voters’ register.

“However, security operatives in the centre settled the misunderstanding and promised to sort out the issue,” it said.

RIVERS State dislodged Lagos State as the number one foreign investment destination in Nigeria in the first half of 2018,according to an investment profile report by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). Rivers received 35% of the $45.74 billion invested in 42 projects in nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the period, the NIPC said. It was followed by Bayelsa and Lagos states with 26% each.

The sectoral analysis of the investment profile shows that mining and quarrying accounted for 61% of the total investment and manufacturing 28%. Other sectors are transportation and storage, five per cent; real estate, three per cent; and the remaining sectors accounting for three per cent.

The report also showed that the investments were from investors in 11 countries, with French companies accounting for 35% of the value, closely followed by Nigerian companies at 31%.

The report said the UK’s investment stood at 20%; Luxembourg seven percent and the remaining eight percent were from the other countries. “The top 10 announcements accounted for 43.1 billion dollars, representing 94 per cent of the value of the announcements,” the report read.

The NIPC however said the report was based only on investment announcements cited in NIPC’s newsletters from January to June 2018 and might not contain exhaustive information on all investment announcements in Nigeria during the period. “Nevertheless, the report gives a sense of investors’ interest in the Nigerian economy in the first half of 2018,” it said.

“NIPC did not independently verify the authenticity of the investment announcements but is working on tracking the announcements as they progress to actual investments.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State on Thursday made a U-turn on its earlier consensus arrangement and resolved to adopt indirect primaries in selecting the party’s candidates for 2019 general elections.

The decision was taken barely 14 days after the party stakeholders agreed to go for direct primaries in the event that consensus option fails.

A meeting held at the MTR Hall, Abeokuta, which was presided over by the state APC chairman, Chief Derin Adebiyi, said the latest decision was to forestall the imminent danger of the direct primaries.

Adebiyi added that the lack of updated membership register had made it difficult for the party to proceed with the direct primary mode of elections.

However, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, former governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, and some prominent serving and former lawmakers were absent at the closed-door meeting.

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by Chinedu Asadu





With the resignation of Kemi Adeosun as minister of finance over certificate forgery, Okoi Obono-Obla, another appointee of President Muhammadu Buahri, is back in the limelight over a similar issue.

Obono-Obla, who is the senior special assistant to the president on prosecution, is alleged to be in possession of an “invalid” O’level result, according to findings by the house of representatives ad hoc panel investigating the special presidential investigative panel for the recovery of public property (SPIP).

The panel had said in the course of its primary assignment, it discovered the presidential aide might have forged his way into the University of Jos where he studied and subsequently, the Nigerian Law School.


THE GENESIS

The issue first came to light in a petition to the house by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), regarding the contradictions in the result from the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

In the petition, HURIWA said it investigated the presidential aide and discovered thus : “Obono-Obla gained admission into the University of Jos with a suspected fake WASCE result. Evidence available to us shows that Okoi Obono-Obla (Ofem Okoi Ofem) sat for May/June 1982 (examination registration No. 09403/247) at Mary Knoll College, Ogoja, where he obtained the following results: English Language – C6, Literature in English- Absent, Bible Knowledge- C4, Government- A1, Economics- C5, Mathematics- F9, Chemistry- F9, Biology- F9. We attach herewith a copy of the result issued by WAEC.

“This result can also be easily verified on WAEC result portal by obtaining a PIN card at the cost of N700.00 (Seven hundred naira only).”

The association added that after he was called to bar in 1991. “Ofem Okoi Ofem, for reasons best known to him, changed his name to Okoi Obono-Obla.”


WAEC CONFIRMED RESULT WAS ALTERED

In the light of the startling allegations, the committee had swung into action, digging deeper into the issue and seeking clarification from all parties concerned.

Testifying before the house of panel, Femi Ola, deputy WAEC registrar, had told the committee that “available evidence indicate that the results were altered and therefore makes them invalid.”

“Considering the results, particularly on what is before me, I would say what I have brought here is the authentic and genuine one; his is not because it has been altered and such alteration renders it invalid,” he had said.

“From our record, the genuine candidate is Ofem Okoi Ofem, 09403/247 of Mary Knoll College, Ogoja. The exam number and number of subjects are the same. The difference is the grade in English literature in which he claimed to have scored C6 despite being marked absent in the true, certified copy.”

While also appearing before the house panel, Isa-Hayatu Chiroma, director-general of Nigerian Law School, Abuja, had said the school has no record of Okoi Obono-Obla’s WAEC results, and thus cannot comment on its authenticity.

He had said under the Legal Education Act, the school is not required to demand for candidates’ O’Level results, adding that the minimum admission requirements is the Bachelor of Laws (LLB).


PANEL REPORT INDICTS OBONO-OBLA

The committee made several attempts to invite the presidential aide to its hearing but was not successful, leading to request for his arrest. The panel, however, indicted him. In its final report, it recommended the withdrawal of both the law degree and law school certificate obtained with the result.


NIGERIANS DEMAND HIS RESIGNATION

While the Adeosun scandal got to its climax, some Nigerians took to the social media to demand action on the allegations against the presidential aide.

They asked the president to act on the house repetition and sack him or order a fresh investigation into the issue.

Writing via his Twitter handle, Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said keeping Obono-Obla in his job would be a “mess.”

“With forged certificate, Obono-Obla isn’t even a graduate to begin with,” he tweeted.


OBONO-OBLA HEADED TO COURT

Obono-Obla has since headed to court, challenging the power of the committee to investigate both the presidential panel as well as his educational qualifications.

He had said, when the allegations were first made, that they are the outcome of “a hatchet job masterminded by some members of the national assembly who are under investigation by my panel” and that “the intention is to smear and ridicule me.”

His line was switched off when TheCable called for reaction. Garba Shehu, spokesman to the president, did not respond to inquiries made by TheCable.

According to a statement signed by Mohammed Sani Katu, chairman of the NFF electoral committee, the clearance issued to Maigari to vie for NFF presidency has been withdrawn and substituted with a “provisional clearance”.

Katu said there are discrepancies in the certificates submitted by Maigari. He added that the committee received two petitions against Maigari.

The petitions, filed by Chuma Onye and Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, are dated September 14 and September 17 respectively.

Sequel to receipt of the petitions, the electoral committee said it asked Maigari to defend himself by producing original documents of the Grade Three certificates that he submitted.

“However, as at the 18th of September, 2018, Alhaji Aminu Maigari failed to produce the original document,” Katu said.

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Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has said the he sacrificed his Presidential ambition to allow President Muhammadu Buhari go for a second term in office because of the good work he is doing for the country.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen, Ribadu also threw his weight behind the President allowing the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu to continue to head the agency despite opposition from the National Assembly, saying fighting corruption is the most difficult job to do.

Asked whether he was sacrificing his presidential ambition because of President Buhari, Ribadu who is contesting the governorship primary of the APC in Adamawa State, said “You can say part of it. Of course, that is a good reason. When you agree with a leadership, it is okay that you step aside and allow good thing to happen and I am comfortable with that.

“That is okay. It is fine if what you have in your heart is honest service. Any chance is an opportunity for you to do what you can to help your own people, you cannot shy away from that. I have no issue with that.

“Today, President Buhari is our President and I agree with him totally and I am comfortable with the leadership he is giving this country. If there is anything under, I can also make my own contribution, I am very much prepared to do so.”

Speaking on the non confirmation of the appointment of the EFCC Chairman, Ribadu said “This is sad part of our country. To even get things done properly and correctly becomes almost impossible. I don’t see any reason why they will not confirm him and allow him to do the work properly. I totally agree with the federal government in allowing him to do this work.

“Whatever you can say about Ibrahim Magu, you cannot take away the fact that he is a honest person and a very courageous person. These are some of the requirements you need in an anti corruption agency. He is doing extremely well.

“I know him and I know how the place works. I know this difficult in doing this work for our country. I am in total agreement with the decision of the federal government to allow him to continue. It is a matter of courage because fighting corruption is the most difficult job to do.

“It will require all the sacrifice, all the patience and everything that everybody can give for us to make an impact. We are going the right direction. It is tough one, a difficult one, but Nigerians should please go along with it and support it. If we don’t, the chances are that we will not be able to do anything in this country.”

On whether the EFCC was right in investigating accounts of state government and state governors, he said “I told you earlier that fighting corruption is not easy. It is not likely that you will please everyone. You will have to go after people who are in control of government.

“I won’t go to the village and go after somebody for the fun of it. It has to be people who are in charge and on control and often, they are people in opposition or against.

“When you are fighting corruption, there are targets and the target is often people who are in charge of our own wealth and if they mismanage it, the agency has a duty to go after them. But I don’t think that you can do it outside the law.

“There are rules and regulations that govern and determine the way you conduct yourself, as long as you follow it, as long as you are within the permission of the law, I think we must understand that it has to be done. Look across the world, the issue of fighting corruption is the same thing all over. People are saying the same thing they are saying in Nigeria.

“We are not different from the rest of the world. Fighting corruption is the most difficult thing. It is the most difficult job you can do, especially if you are going to do it with all honesty and with good intentions. There is no way that you will not be condemned.”

On the allegation that Corrupt persons were joining the APC for protection, he said “I don’t think that is the case, but that is the beauty of democracy. People are entitled to be where they want to be. Constitutionally, no one has the right to stop you from belonging to any political party. It is the fundamental right of individuals to belong where they want to and no one has the right to.

“You have no right to stop the, because they are entitled to. I am not saying that I totally agree with what is going on. It is not my choice that today, I am from Nigeria, from Adamawa and from Yola. I found myself here and I have no right to say that simply because I disagree with somebody from Yola, I don’t want to play a role or participate in making Adamawa a great place.

“I have no right to exclude anybody. Nobody has the right to stop another person from belonging to any Organisation of Association. Even if you disagree, you can’t do much about it. If somebody is corrupt, let the law take its course. I don’t think that can be a reason for you to stop a person from belong to a political party.

“I think these are things that you have to get clear. It is in our constitution that you are free to belong to a political party, you are free to contest unless the constitution says you cannot. Those issues are constitutional, and fundamental and Nigerians will just have to understand that.”

On why he wants to be Governor, Ribadu said “I just want to serve. In Adamawa State, just like many other states in Nigeria deserve better leadership. We can do better. We are faced with challenges and difficulties and people will just have to come forward and stand up.

“When you are faced with challenges and problems, people will have to stand up and confront it. I believe that anybody with something to offer must come forward and I believe I have something to offer. I believe that I can work honestly and change the way things are, I can run a government that is honest, just, fair and all inclusive.

“I will address the problem of insecurity. I will certainly change the lives of our people. That is the reason why I still want to try and see if Nigerians will give us chance.”

The office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) said that part of activities for the country`s 58th Independence Anniversary will include displays by the Nigerian Air Force jets and helicopters.

This was announced in a statement by Mr Gabriel Aduda, Chairman, 2018 Independence Day Organising Committee, on Monday in Abuja.

Aduda said that movement of military hardware would also be part of the activities.

He said the flight displays by fast Air-Force jets and helicopters would be within the airspace of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Aduda added that the major airspace to be affected would include those of Eagle Square, the three arms zones, Keffi, Ado, Orozo, Karu, Nyanya, Guzape and Asokoro areas of the FCT.

He said that the Air Force jet simulations involving a total of 27 air-craft assembled from various NAF units, were planned for between Sept. 14 to 30 and between 10.00 a.m to 4.00 p.m daily.

He, therefore, advised members of the public not to panic at the sight and sounds of the personnel and equipment manovers by the military and other paramilitary agencies.

“Citizens are therefore advised to go about their normal activities,“ he said.

He added that full details of the activities to mark the 2018 Independence Day would be released at a world press conference on Sept. 18 at the National Press Centre in Abuja.

Leke Baiyewu , Abuja


The National Assembly has begun work on the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill which President Muhammadu Buhari rejected and sent back to the legislature over drafting issues .

The joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill announced in Abuja on Monday that the panel was now considering the issues raised by the President for which he withdrew assent to the legislation.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC , Senator Suleiman Nazif , who is Chairman of the joint committee, while briefing journalists before the panel went behind closed doors to rework the bill, noted that “ this committee is in the eye of the storm” as Nigerians were expecting so much from them.

Nazif also noted that it would be the fourth time that the committee would be working on the bill , which had been rejected by Buhari two times.

“ I believe that what we are doing is in the best interest of Nigerians, ” he said .

The President had written to President of the Senate , Bukola Saraki; and Speaker of the House of Representatives , Yakubu Dogara , to notify the National Assembly over his decision to decline assent to the bill.

By Gboyega Akinsanmi and Segun James



Despite the hard stance of the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, on the re-election bid of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the presidency yesterday intensified its intervention to broker a peace deal between the national leader and his embattled political godson.

While the push for peace deal was underway, Ambode’s main challenger and the Managing Director of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC), Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, formally declared his intention to contest the 2019 governorship election in the state on the platform of the APC.

Multiple APC chieftains, who spoke with THISDAY in confidence yesterday, gave insights into the sustained effort of the presidency and APC National Secretariat to end the Ambode-Tinubu impasse at the weekend, claiming that Tinubu’s hard stance slowed down the process of sealing a peace deal between the two.

Since penultimate Sunday, there has been controversy over the political future of Ambode immediately after Sanwo-Olu and former Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat obtained nomination forms to challenge Ambode in the APC primaries scheduled to hold on September 27.

Just after obtaining the nomination form, the Mandate Movement, a political group loyal to the APC national leader, promptly endorsed Sanwo-Olu, the state’s Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions under the administration of former Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), to contest the 2019 governorship poll.

Subsequently, Conference 57, a forum of Chairmen of 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) as well as 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state, signed Sanwo-Olu’s governorship nomination form, claiming that they were acting on the instruction of the APC national leader.

Some APC chieftains, including former Deputy Chairman, Cardinal James Odumbaku, and former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Kaoli Olusanya, allegedly directed Ambode to return his nomination form or face removal from office at a meeting held at Watercress Hotel, Ikeja on Monday night.

With this development, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, APC National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, have at different times intervened in the Ambode-Tinubu standoff without meaningful outcome.

Giving insight into the peace meetings held at the weekend, an associate of the APC leader and a senator in the seventh National Assembly acknowledged that Tinubu had not agreed to support Ambode’s second term bid despite series of intervention by the president, his wife and the vice president.

He observed that the matter “is complex. The issue is not about the APC leader alone. Ambode has problem with the political class in the state. They alleged that Ambode wanted to hijack Alimosho from Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola. They accused him of setting up his own political structure.”

Apart from these allegations, according to the former senator, the political class alleged that the governor had changed a lot of policies in the state that the APC leader considered as the treasured legacies he left behind, having served the state between 1999 and 2007.

Despite the entrenched resentment in the camp of the APC national leader, he disclosed, “The vice president is working hard to resolve it. Ambode has problem with the political class in the state. Asiwaju has not agreed to support Ambode’s re-election bid.

“Tinubu’s position is that all aspirants should go the primaries. He believes it is the beauty of democracy that all the aspirants face the primaries. But it is not impossible to resolve the issues between Asiwaju and Ambode. With the way things are presently, it appears only the president can prevail upon Asiwaju to soft pedal.

“The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, still met them on Saturday. He will likely meet them again early this week to resolve the differences between the parties. They are still talking. But the president can end the impasse.”

Another party chieftain, who had served in the State Executive Council between 2003 and 2011, acknowledged the sustained peace meetings, which according to him, was facilitated by the president, but handled by the vice president.

Even though Tinubu had not yielded to the presidential intervention, the chieftain said that the Ambode-Tinubu rift had got to the point of reconciliation. The intervention of President Buhari and his wife, Aisha, he said, would eventually yield meaningful result.

According to the source, “There is fear that Ambode may fight back if he eventually clinches the APC ticket. The party leaders believe he does not forgive. That is why it is difficult to resolve the issues. In 2014, the Mandate did not support him. It supported Hamzat then. It was Asiwaju that persuaded the leaders of the movement to support Ambode.

“But Ambode never forgave them. He fought them back. Already, the whole issue has got to the point of reconciliation. The Mandate is just leveraging on Asiwaju’s displeasure against Ambode to fight back.

But they will likely call him this week and read the riot act to him. It will be resolved most likely this week. They just want to teach Ambode some lessons and humble him.”

A cabinet member last night, explained the complex situations threatening the possibility of a peace deal in the Ambode-Tinubu rift, which he ascribed to Ambode’s heinous sins against some entrenched political leaders in the state and Buhari’s weak approach to facilitating reconciliation between the governor and his political godfather.

At the weekend, for instance, he disclosed that Oshiomhole was in Lagos with a clear mission “to resolve the rift. But he could not. Oshiomhole seems to have backed out from discussion after Asiwaju explained what happened to him.”

He noted that the president could “have personally mediated in the conflict and reconciled the parties. The president has actually listened to Asiwaju on this matter.

But he was not firm about it. Rather than prevailing on Asiwaju personally, Buhari mandated Osinbajo and Oshiomhole to continue with the discussion.

“But the vice president met Asiwaju Saturday night. He is really mounting pressure on Asiwaju to reconsider.

Authoritatively, till late on Saturday, Osinbajo was with Asiwaju, appealing to him to allow Ambode enjoy the privilege of first refusal.

“Even though it seems unlikely to resolve it, there is nothing impossible with God. The good thing is that engagement is ongoing. Resolution is not foreclosed, though seems unlikely considering political dynamics in the state.”

Despite series of high-powered peace meeting going on at different levels, Sanwo-Olu formally announced his intention to contest the 2019 governorship election in the state on the platform of the APC yesterday at the City Hall, Lagos Island.

Sanwo-Olu’s declaration was witnessed by prominent political leaders, including a lawmaker representing Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, former Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Demola Seriki, Tinubu’s former Chief Detail, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, former Deputy Chairman of Lagos APC, Cardinal James Odumbaku and former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Kaoli Olusanya among others.

The aspirant said he had a plan to make Lagos the greatest, most vibrant city on the continent, taking its rightful place in the comity of states around the globe.

He said, “I have a vision for a Lagos with modern and affordable transport system, impeccable public health facilities, world class educational institutions, where we succeed in educating and skilling our youth, especially our children.

“A vision for a Lagos where our children are educated and our youth are highly-skilled, healthy, free of hunger, illiteracy, disease and destitution. There’s a lot of work to be done to achieve the Lagos of our dream.”

He, therefore, pledged to be a good party man and run an inclusive government while he commended Ambode’s immediate predecessor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, for his efforts while leading the state between 2007 and 2015.

By Solomon Ishola



A woman in Ota, Ogun State, Mrs Omolara Balogun, has accused her landlord, Mr Tunde Olaoluwa, of trying to sleep with her and her daughter.

Mrs Balogun levelled the allegation during the hearing of a case on house rent at a Customary Court in the town.

She said she gave the landlord N26,000 being the accumulated rent for nine months for a room at N2,500 a month, saying he refused to collect the money and instead asked her to vacate the accommodation.

According to her, she had cause to believe that Olaoluwa was ejecting her because she and her daughter refused the landlord’s sexual advances, and not because she was owing him house rent.

She added that she experienced burglary incidents frequently in the house for which she complained and the landlord did nothing, pointing out that it was for this reason that she refused to pay her rent at a point.

Olaoluwa dismissed the claims, describing the defendant in the case as a trouble maker always causing chaos in the house at the slightest opportunity.

In his verdict, the Court President ordered Mrs Balogun to vacate Olaoluwa’s premises within 10 days as it had become obvious that they could no longer live together as landlord and tenant.

By Eseohe Ebhota-Akoma



Three ministers have resigned since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015. They are


Mrs Kemi Adeosun:

She was appointed as the minister of Finance by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.

However earlier in the year, the former minister was said to have illegally obtained her NYSC exemption certificate to get into public office.

But on 14 September, 2018, Adeosun tendered her resignation as Minister to the president following the NYSC certificate scandal that ensued.

Before her appointment as minister, Mrs Adeosun served as the commissioner of Finance in Ogun state.


Mr Kayode Fayemi:

Governor-elect of Ekiti state Mr. Kayode Fayemi resigned as the minister of Solid minerals development on May 30, 2018 to pursue his political ambition.

Prior to his appointment as minister, Fayemi was a governor of Ekiti state between 2010-2014.


Hajiya Amina Mohammed:

Following her appointment at the United Nations as UN Deputy Secretary General, Hajiya Amina Mohammed resigned from Nigerian Federal Executive Council as the minister of Environment on 24 February 2017.

She served as a minister from 11 November 2015 to 15 December 2016.

lalasticlala

ABUJA – Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister, has turned in her resignation letter.

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted her resignation from his administration.

The president on Friday thanked the minister for her services to the nation and wished her well in her future pursuits.
A statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, confirmed her resignation.

President Buhari also approved that the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, should oversee the Ministry of Finance with effect from Friday.

Mrs. Ahmed is said to be a cousin to Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai.

However, sources told Saturday Independent that the minister may have tendered her resignation letter nearly a month earlier but was held on to by the presidency, allegedly to forestall political backlash ahead next year’s general election.

A presidential aide, it was gathered, persuaded Adeosun to hold on for a while longer only to release the letter from the minister as measure to forestall the expected tension over the sack of Matthew Seiyefa, Director General, Department of State Services (DSS) and his replacement with Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

The social media have been rife with reactions after the presidency announced Bichi as the new helmsman for the DSS barely weeks after reports alleged that Seiyefa had a face-off with Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, over re-organisations of the spook agency. The episode and latest sack event had generated angry voices from prominent Nigerians from the Niger Delta and the Middle Belt.

Saturday Independent was further informed that news of Adeosun’s resignation may have been released as a measure to take away steam from the raging controversy of newly appointed DSS boss at the expense of Seiyefa, who hails from Bayelsa State.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been serially accused of nepotism in his appointments especially in the areas of security. Bichi enlisted in the defunct National Security Organisation (NSO) in 1982.

He retired after 35 years of service in 2017 as Daura’s Finance & Admin Director but was retained by Lawal Daura, the former DG sacked by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo while Buhari was on short leave in London, for a few months and then released February 2018.

There are suggestions that Daura may run the DSS through proxy, a reason Adeosun’s alleged resignation may draw attention away from. “It could get worse,” reacted Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman, National Human Rights Commission(NHRC).

Some online portals hinted at the minister’s resignation over the three months old controversy involving her alleged forgery of exemption certificate of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Government officials have refused to comment as repeated calls to Yinka Akintunde, Media Adviser to the minister, yielded no result. Femi Adesina, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, would neither respond to repeated calls nor to text messages sent to him.

However, Malam Garba Shehu, senior special assistant on media to the president sent a tacit response via text stating: “If there is any letter to that effect, I have not seen it.”

In a highly damaging expose by an online newspaper, the Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Adeosun, was reported to have declined participating in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after schooling in the UK.

Instead, according to the report, she forged an exemption certificate many years after graduation which qualified her for the ministerial appointment.

The year-long service, organised by the NYSC, is compulsory for all Nigerians who graduate from universities or equivalent institutions at less than 30 years of age.

In addition to being a requirement for government and private sector jobs in Nigeria, the enabling law prescribes punishment for anyone who absconds from the scheme or forges its certificates. Eligible Nigerians who skipped the service are liable to be sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Saturday Independent findings at the finance headquarters in Abuja, on Friday, showed a largely unruffled staffers going about their duties without any much of hint of tension that such news normally provokes. Some staffers told the newspaper too, that the minister was still at her office working.

By protocol when a minister resigns, the letter is forwarded to the presidency through the Office of the Chief of Staff (CoS), and such official begins handing over procedures to the permanent secretary of the ministry.

While normal activities went on at the ministry on Friday, it was gathered that Adeosun had actually offered to resign and had followed up with a letter to the effect.

“She handed the letter to the presidency after which a powerful aide to the president then prevailed on her to hold it off until after the election in 2019,” explained a ministry top official.

The People’s Trust (PT), a new mega party nationally led by Olisa Agbakoba, human rights advocate, and Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa, son of former prime minister of Nigeria, has endorsed Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state, for 2019.

Thirty other political parties endorsed the governor and offered him their tickets for 2019.

Ambode is currently facing stiff opposition within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement on Friday, Segun Obe, publicity secretary of PT, said Ambode should be encouraged to consolidate on the great development he has started in Lagos

“Ambode has proven to be a wizard of development in Lagos, therefore should not be sacrificed on the altar of political intrigues and interests within Lagos APC,” he said.

“So, we as the platform of the fresh breed credible third force stakeholders in Nigeria have mobilised 30 other political parties in our grand coalition to engage him for the purpose of fielding him in the 2019 if APC in Lagos rejects him.

“The People’s Trust, a product of the political long-suffering of the Nigerian Youths and masses with over 500 thousands permanent voters carders, PVC’s of its members in Lagos is set to adopt Ambode as its governorship candidate in Lagos if the Tinubu led camp of APC rejects him

“For us in the Lagos People’s Trust, Ambode is a fresh breed industrious and resourceful Governor, who has since changed the face of Lagos within the shortest possible time and should be encouraged to complete his second term in the interest of the welfare of the people of Lagos, which he has started’ to do.”

Ifeanyi Onuba



The Minister of Finance, Mrs . Kemi Adeosun , is still working in her office despite reports of her resignation.

Our correspondent who was at the ministry around 12pm saw the minister’ s official vehicles and her personal staff at the ministry.

When our correspondent visited the minister ’ s office located on the seventh floor of the headquarters of the ministry , it was observed that she was in her office working.

Officials of the ministry , who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity , said they were not aware of her resignation.

As of 4 :10pm when this report was being sent the minister was still in her office, while journalists were waiting to interview her outside the ministry.

An aide of the minister , who spoke to journalists , said his boss had not resigned.

It was gathered that the Presidency would issue a statement on this issue later today.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja




A serving senator and a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Magnus Abe has said that lawmakers of the ruling party are not comfortable having the opposition holding two most important posts in the senate.

Abe who spoke to journalists at the national secretariat of the APC after submitting his governorship nomination form, said that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki should have known that the party will not be pleased with him retaining his position after defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“The position of all members of the APC who are Senators, is that a member of minority party, especially two members of minority party cannot lead the majority, that will be an uncomfortable situation,” he said.

However, Senator Abe said he and his colleagues will follow the constitutional provisions in order to bring the position of the party into effect.

“I believe the Senate President, in taking the decision to leave the ruling party would have known and actually should know that the party will not be pleased with that position because the reason he won as the President of the Senate is because APC won the election and won the majority in the Senate,” he said.

On his alleged face-off with the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi over his governorship aspiration in Rivers State, the senator said he does not consider that as a major issue, adding that he is not in any supremacy contest with the minister.

“My disagreement with the Minister of Transportation is not deep; it is just that he doesn’t want me to be the candidate of the party and I believe if that issue is submitted to members of the party and they agree that I should not be the candidate, I will take it in good faith and I will support the party.

“If they, however, feel that giving my services to the party and giving my track records of the party, of excellent service to my state, I should be given the opportunity to serve the state in that capacity, I am offering myself for that. I think that will resolve that issue,” he said.

Omololu Ogunmade, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja



President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja defied several appeals to him to reject the expression of interest and nomination forms purchased for him by the National Consolidation Ambassadors Network (NCAN) and received the forms at a brief ceremony in the State House.

Buhari, who said he was not only grateful but also honoured to be presented with the forms by persons he described as patriotic Nigerians, pointed out that members of the group contributed money to raise N45.5 million for the purchase of the forms.

He also said members of the group were not fewer than three million Nigerians, whom he said were spread across various parts of the country.

The president chronicled how his foray into politics began in 2002 up to the time of his election in 2015 and described members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who left the party, as the weakest of people whose selfish agenda did not align with the selfless vision of his administration.

According to him, with the exit of such selfish persons, APC is now made up of strong and patriotic Nigerians, whom he said were willing to toe the path of building a secure, self-sufficient and corrupt-free Nigeria.

“We now have a party of strong and patriotic individuals who are ready, willing and able to continue on this journey of building a strong, secure, self-sufficient, corrupt-free Nigeria,” he said.

The group had last Thursday bought the N45 million forms for the president, who is the sole presidential aspirant on the platform of APC.

Speaking in the banquet hall venue of the presentation, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the group, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwanjuba, described the group as a network of young persons, drawn from various fields of endeavour.

According to him, members of the group, whom he said were drawn from every ward of the existing 120,000 polling units across the country, made the contributions from the least of N68.00 and upward to enable them raise the money.

Further stating that members come from every geo-political zone of the country, Nwanjuba, who said the president had been given triple A rating, added that they took the decision because of outstanding leadership principles exhibited by Buhari, including what he described as his record performance in areas of security, economy, infrastructure delivery and financial prudence.

He said the young citizens who made up the group had opted to purchase the form for the president to encourage him to continue in his service to the country and also consolidate on what he had done so far.

He said, “These ambassadors whose network seeks to consolidate these gains and engrain this focus, then decided to contribute their intellect and little earnings towards ensuring that our president is encouraged to continue this service, being as it is now apparent the real beneficiaries of all the toil and tenacity of purpose that now radiates this leader.

“In spite of the hue and cry from a vociferous few whose stranglehold on our commonwealth has become somewhat dislodged, it is on account of the resolve of these ambassadors that they proceeded to obtain the nomination form for the president from the All Progressives Congress to encourage Mr. President to seek re-election for another term to help consolidate the work he is doing.”

Nwanjuba said contrary to an agitation that purchasing the form for the president was a clear violation of Section 91(9) of the Electoral Act; no law was broken after all, arguing that if any law had been broken, the president would not have accepted the form.


APC Adopts Buhari as Presidential Candidate

Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Maimala Buni, yesterday in Abuja, said the party had adopted Buhari as its candidate for 2019 presidential election.

Answering questions from journalists at the State House, Buni, however, said any other member interested in the presidential race was free to pick the nomination form.

He emphasised that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party had already endorsed the candidature of the president.

According to him, “Once the National Executive Committee of the party passes a vote of confidence on the president, that president stands accepted because the NEC is the highest organ of the party and it met to take the decision, where every interest was represented.

“So the NEC of APC has passed a vote of confidence on our president and that means every APC member has endorsed him.”

He also said the decision was not new, pointing out that it was the same standard that was obtainable in advanced democracies.

“In advanced democracies, once the NEC of a party passes vote of confidence on the president, nobody contests against the president. The president has been accepted,” he explained.

Buni also said the president would be given the right of first refusal, adding that having accepted the nomination form, it means that he is the party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election.

As at close of collection of nomination forms yesterday, Buhari was the only aspirants that had the forms. The submission of the forms closes today.


Another Group Donates N56.8m to Buhari’s Campaign


In a related development, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria yesterday presented a cheque of N56.8million to the National Chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, as part of their contributions for the re-election bid of Buhari.

The group’s donation came just as Oshiomhole, who reacted to comments by the PDP and its presidential aspirants, said they were jittery ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The rice farmers, who were led on the visit to APC national secretariat by the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, and its National President, Aminu Goronyo, said their contribution was in appreciation for the over N100 billion loan facilities the President Buhari-led administration had given to the farmers.

Oshiomhole said Buhari had already won the presidential election with the support of 12.2million rice farmers across the country, who are registered voters.

In a statement yesterday by the Oshiomhole’s Chief Press Secretary, Simon Ebegbulem, said Bagudu commended the efforts made so far by the Buhari administration to encourage rice farming in Nigeria, adding that “the efforts had yielded fruit as the cost of a bag of rice today is N13,000.”

He also said that most of the farmers are today millionaires.

Speaking against the background of criticism by the PDP over the donation of N45 million by a group to purchase expression of interest and nomination forms for the president, Oshiomhole, mocked the PDP, saying they were jealous of the support being enjoyed by President Buhari across the country.

He said: “our opponents who are jittery, when some faceless people contributed money for one of the aspirants of PDP. He looked at them and said I have enough to buy all of you, he cried a little bit just for the effect.

“Not a word was spoken in the media about the morality or the legality or illegality of it. I thought the media will ask what is the morality of those who have nothing giving to the rich. Not nothing.

“When our own president who does not have, some people deiced to raise money to buy his form, suddenly it became an issue that why should people buy nomination forms for aspirants.

Oshiomhole spoke of how the party arrived at the cost of nomination form, saying it had to explain to the president that the cost of conducting transparent primaries across the country will be very high and hard to meet.

“I told him that Sir, you have many admirers who will contribute the money,” Oshiomhole said.

He said in the case of President Buhari will need even more money to prosecute his election because of the party’s decision to hold direct primaries.

“But I am glad it is the confidence Nigerians have on the leadership of our President that different groups contributing money for his campaign,” he said.

While tackling the PDP, Oshiomhole accused the party of being involved in many scandals among which was the allegation that its administration once gave Nigerians poisonous rice.

“One of the scandal that we have had to deal with when I was governor, was when I had the honour to preside over a meeting of the governors and the former Customs Controller General was lamenting to us how people they granted waiver to import rice exceeded the quota they were given and imported more rice into the country and he claimed that they defrauded the federal government about N22billion in waivers and in excess of what they brought in.

“My quarrel with the PDP government, why today I celebrate the defeat of the PDP and I don’t hide it, those criminal act of poisonous rice being imported into Nigeria was done not through the back door.

“We saw PDP ministers lamenting that the rice in our markets were expired products and I asked, who elected them to lament? They allowed this expired rice into the country, they proceed to grant them waivers, they exceed the waivers they are given,” he said.

A 25- year - old store keeper , Abubakar Hussaini , who was on Tuesday sentenced to 12 months imprisonment by a Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court , Abuja , said he burnt his boss’ s credentials for his failure to increase his salary.

Hussaini said the complainant , Mr Jack Jiang, a Chinese , promised to increase his salary, but failed to do so .

Hussaini who pleaded guilty to charges of criminal trespass , mischief by fire and theft , begged the court for leniency .

The judge, Abdulwahab Mohammed , however , sentenced Hussaini to 12 months imprisonment, but gave him N 20, 000 option of fine .

He also warned Hussaini to be of good behaviour and to also desist from committing crime .

The prosecutor , John Okpa , had told the court that Jiang reported the matter at the Area Command, Life Camp, Abuja on August 26.

He said that Hussaini criminally trespassed into the complainant ’ s house and stole a traveling bag containing five wrist watches , two bangles , four T - shirts and credentials.
Okpa said that all the said items were valued at N 1 . 5 million .

The prosecutor said that four wrist watches, two bangles, two T- shirts and the traveling bag were recovered from Hussaini during police investigations.

He further said that Hussaini burnt the complainant ’ s credentials , adding that the offences contravened Sections 348 , 336 and 288 of the Penal Code .
(NAN ).

The police in Anambra State have arrested 15 women following the recovery of a dead baby at 16 Okolie Street, Nkutanku, East Niger Layout in Ogbaru Local Council Area.

The baby was said to have been dumped in the wee hours by a yet-to-be-identified mother.

The Nation gathered that the area was deserted by residents to escape further arrests.

A police source said the arrest of the suspects, including spinsters, two nursing mothers and one aged woman, was to enable the command carry out laboratory tests to detect the baby’s mother.

“The women were subjected to serious interrogation by the Investigation Police Officer (IPO) at the Okpoko Police Division in a bid to unveil who might have been involved in the barbaric act,” the source said.

Okpoko Divisional Police Officer (DPO), I. Jauro, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said nine persons were arrested in connection with the incident.

He added: “They will be sent for medical tests. I don’t want to the innocent ones to suffer. That is why we call for the tests to help us in our investigation as we are not medical experts to detect the mother without tests.

“If at the end of the day they all proved to be innocent, we will allow them go, while we continue to search for the real suspect.”

lalasticlala

By Babatope Okeowo, Kunle Olayeni and Emmanuel Masha 



Crises have erupted in several state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over governorship tickets and the mode of primaries for the selection of candidates for various offices in the 2019 general elections.

There is confusion in the Ondo State chapter of the APC as aspirants for various offices have been submitting their expression of interest and nomination forms to the state chairman, Mr. Ade Adetimehin and a factional chairman, Mr. Idowu Otetubi.

In Zamfara, Governor Abdulaziz Yari and his deputy, Ibrahim Wakala, are at loggerheads over the governorship ticket of APC for the 2019 poll.

Major stakeholders, led by Senator Magnus Abe, yesterday held a State Executive Council Meeting at a parallel secretariat in Port Harcourt.

In Ogun State, the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, yesterday resigned his appointment. He is contesting for the governorship ticket of APC against the choice of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

In spite of the endorsement of Alhaji Muktar Idris as the governorship candidate of APC in Zamfara, the Deputy Governor, Wakala, said he is still in the race.
The APC had zoned the seat to Zamfara central, where the deputy governor and the candidate come from.

The party had also resolved to use indirect primaries in selecting its candidates, but in a twist of events, announced Idris, the state Commissioner for Finance as its consensus candidate.

Although the issue has polarised the party, Governor Yari defended the action, saying that the candidate was endorsed by all stakeholders of the party.

In a chat with journalists yesterday in Gusau, the state capital, Yari maintained that the decision was a “tradition in the state’s politics of the APC.”

“This does not, however, mean that an individual has no right to go on his own and purchase the nomination form.

“As you know, under democratic conditions, everyone can exercise his right, but any of such persons would not have the backing of either the party or the state government,” he said.

The deputy governor, who had since indicated his intention to contest for governor, however, said he would not back down.

His media aide, Yusuf Idris, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Wakala would pick his nomination form at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja yesterday.

Indication has emerged in Ondo State APC that the proponents of the direct and indirect mode of selecting candidates may organize parallel primaries in order to produce candidates for the next year general elections.

While the proponents of direct mode of primaries in Ondo APC have been submitting their expression of interest and nomination forms to the faction led by Mr. Otetubi, those in support of indirect mode of selecting candidates have been submitting their forms to Mr. Adetimehin.

Citing insecurity and lack of authentic membership register, the mainstream of the party, led by Adetimehin, with the backing of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, had, last week, agreed on the indirect mode of primaries in order to select candidates for the next year election.

But yesterday, a member of the National Assembly, Mr. Kolawole Babatunde, submitted his form to the faction led by Otetubi, saying he was ready for the direct mode of primaries in order to emerge as the candidate of the party.

Babatunde, who represents Akoko Southeast/Southwest federal constituency, said the presentation of his forms to Otetubi conferred legitimacy as the authentic chairman of the party in the state.

His words: “As far as I am concerned, we are not afraid of any parallel candidates because the APC, under the leadership of Mr. Otetubi, is the authentic APC in Ondo State. We bought the forms and followed the due process as laid down by the constitution of the party.

“As far as I am concerned, I don’t see any parallel primaries, as we speak, we are in court and I am sure we will get the victory. Thank God the national leadership of the party, in their wisdom, has given their support to direct primaries which is the best option as we speak.

“The proponents of indirect primaries are those people that are not on the ground. They know that they are in the minority in this state. They are afraid of a normal election where every card-carrying member of the party is going to vote.

“If you are in the majority in the party, you don’t need to be scared of the direct primary. We started this party, we have been on the ground and we are saying we are ready for the direct primary.”

In Rivers, the Senator Magnus Abe faction of APC yesterday held its State Executive Council Meeting at the party’s parallel secretariat in Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

At the event, which attracted party faithful across the state’s 23 local government areas, Abe who, fielded questions from reporters, said that direct primaries would serve the interest of the party and its members.

He also said that he was gunning for the party’s governorship ticket and that he won’t dump his ambition, just as he disclosed that aspirants targeting elective offices could purchase their forms at the party secretariat.

The factional chairman of the party, Chief Peter Odike, read a communiqué issued to party members and reporters, in which he described the decision of the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to adopt direct primaries for aspirants as a move that would reflect the people’s will.

Odike also stressed that indirect primaries work against internal democracy, adding that the party would work in line with the party’s constitution to ensure that party members are not denied the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.

He said: “The state executive committee unanimously adopts and affirms the use of direct primaries for choosing all our candidates in the forthcoming general elections, as it affords party members the opportunity to participate in the process.”

Some party chieftains that attended the SEC meeting included Senator Wilson Ake, the former member representing Rivers West Senatorial District; Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree, the former speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly; ex-Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Prince Chibudum Nwuche, as well as Hon, Alwell Onyesoh, two-time commissioner during the administration of former Governor Peter Odili.

In Ogun, Amosun’s com missioner, Ashiru, yesterday obtained the nomination form of APC in pursuit of his ambition to contest the 2019 governorship election.

The former commissioner, who hails from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun East Senatorial District of the state, confirmed his resignation in a telephone chat with reporters.

He said he had already submitted his resignation letter to the office of the Secretary to the State Government yesterday morning.

Ashiru thanked the governor and people of the state for the opportunity given him to serve the state.

He said: “Yes, I have tendered my resignation letter this (yesterday) morning to pursue my governorship ambition. You will recall that my people from Ijebu and Remo picked me as a consensus governorship candidate since last year; they also bought me APC nomination form recently to contest for the seat.

“So, I must hear the clarion call from the good people of Ijebu-Remo to further serve my fatherland in higher capacity. And as a true son of my father and law-abiding citizen, I must quit my present office to be able to fully partake in the primaries as directed by our party, the APC.”

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