₦airaland Forum

Senators-elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have warned against micro-zoning the leadership of the Senate to individuals, saying it would backfire on the party.

LEADERSHIP Friday reports that intense lobbying has begun for the leadership of the National Assembly.

In the Senate, Ahmed Lawan (Yobe), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Ali Ndume (Borno) and Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) are considered the favourites for the Senate presidency.

However, a ranking senator-elect, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has warned that if the party zoned the leadership positions to individuals, it would generate crisis for the party.

According to him, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was working to decide who becomes the Senate president, just like in 2015.


“If they do that, it will generate crisis and it won’t favour the party at the end of the day. Positions should only be zoned to geo-political zones and not individuals.

“Let the senators from that zone, in consultation with our colleagues on the floor, elect who to lead us so that we can have the feeling that we elected our own leaders, and not imposition from outside. Anything short of zonal arrangements will lead to rebellion as was the case in 2015.

“PDP senators, in cahoots with their party, are working to snatch it from us. They are just waiting for the time to strike. If care is not taken, the PDP will decide who becomes the Senate president because they are working in cohesion.

“But (this will be avoided) if APC throws it to the zones and allows the zonal caucuses to produce either two or three persons to the floor during election. The same thing should be done in the House.”

Another senator, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, declared that zoning positions to individuals would lead to instability.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the leadership of the APC embrace the zonal arrangements.

“The earlier it is done, the better for the party. But if it is zoned to individuals and the candidates are not popular, we will rebel and vote for another person, against the wish of the party.

“This will lead to instability and it won’t be good for the polity. It would be seen as appointment and not election. It is we the legislators that will elect our leaders and not our party. The party lacks the powers to appoint leaders for us. Zoning is allowed and it has worked well in the past. If we don’t put our house together, the PDP lawmakers will complicate matters for us.

“If you remember during the Obasanjo era, the position was zoned to the South East and all those that contested were from there. In 2007, it was zoned to the North Central and it was David Mark and George Akume that contested the position, and Mark defeated Akume. But in 2015 when it was left open to all, Bukola Saraki and Ahmed Lawan contested and that was the cause of the confusion,” he said.

Another senator-elect weighed in on the matter: “You cannot fence out the opposition. They have a stake and they must be allowed to contribute and play a role in the emergence of the presiding officers. It’s the Senate of the Federal Republic and not APC Senate.

“The party should put forward two or three candidates. Of course, it should not be let open without direction, but also no candidate should be imposed. If they impose a candidate, it won’t work.”

Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, has alleged that Mohammed Abubakar, governor of Bauchi state, is plotting to implicate him in criminal conspiracy.

In a letter dated March 21, the speaker told Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of Police (IGP), and Yusuf Bichi, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), that he has credible information of an ongoing plot to give motorbikes and cars branded in his name to some “criminals”.

Dogara and Abubakar fell out shortly after the 2015 elections but their animosity worsened in the buildup to the supplementary election.

Dogara is fully behind Bala Mohammed, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured the highest votes cast in the March 9 election declared inconclusive.

“I write to inform the Inspector General of Police that I am in receipt of credible intelligence about an ongoing plot by Bauchi State government to implicate me in a criminal conspiracy,” Dogara said.

“The Bauchi State government has procured hundreds of motorbikes and cars which are being branded in the Government House Bauchi with my pictures and logo of my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and my name inscribed.

“The plan is that the Bauchi State government will engage some criminal elements and give them the branded motorbikes and cars which they will use to commit crime and thereafter abandon them at the scene so as to implicate me.

“I am, by this letter, putting the Police and other security agencies on notice so as to be on the watch out for these criminal elements intended to be deployed by Bauchi State Government.”

Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), says he will not hesitate to send any journalist “distorting facts from proceedings” to jail.

Umar said this on Thursday while reacting to some newspaper headlines from proceedings on the last adjourned date.

The CCT judge alleged that some newspapers distorted facts when they allegedly reported that Walter Onnoghen, suspended chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), accused the federal government of tampering with his asset declaration forms.

Onnoghen is standing a six-count on false assets declaration.

Senators-elect of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met in Abuja last night over the leadership tussle for the coming 9th Assembly, Daily Trust has learnt.

Sources told Daily Trust that the meeting was part of their plans on how they would confront the leadership contest in the Senate.

It was gathered that the PDP senators-elect want to negotiate and see the right person to back among the APC senators, with the hope that a repeat of the 2015 scenario where one of their own, Ike Ekweremadu emerged Deputy Senate President despite APC’s majority status, would happen.

Our correspondent gathered that the PDP senators-elect may support one of the three APC senators seeking for the Senate president’s office from the North East, namely Ahmad Lawan, Ali Ndume and Danjuma Goje.

A source familiar with the scheming going on said, “They (PDP senators-elect) may be more comfortable with Goje because he’s close to Saraki and he was one of them.”

The PDP has about 43 senators-elect for the 9th Assembly against the APC’s 65.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udoma, said the Federal Government would go into negotiations with senior civil servants soon after the bill on the new National Minimum Wage is assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Udoma said this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance on Tuesday in Abuja to give explanations on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Paper.

He said the Executive would meet with relevant stakeholders on the matter as soon as it is signed into law.

“Once we announce the minimum wage, we now enter into negotiations with those who are above the minimum wage.

“So, we have to be prepared for that. We will be meeting with the finance committee on how best this minimum wage will be addressed both from the federal and the state governments.

“This is to ensure that the whole government apparatus is not just to pay salaries. It is important we are able to pay the minimum wage and still have enough resources to do infrastructure, health, agriculture and others,” he said.

The minister stressed that once the minimum wage becomes law, serious emphasis would be laid on productivity.

“As a result of agitation from the unions, the President set up a tripartite committee to look at the minimum wage. It is expected that every five years a review is done.

“We know that the N18,000 is too low and it will be difficult to manage with 18,000 and the president supported the review. It is, however, important that as we are reviewing it, we make sure that we can fund it.

“That is why we set up a committee. So, we will be coming to you as there may be some changes to make sure we can fund the minimum wage,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Senate and House of Representatives have approved N30,000 as the new national minimum wage. (NAN)

Ruling, on Wednesday, on the ex parte motion filed by the counsel to the AAC candidate asking the court to prevent INEC from resuming collation and announcement of results, Justice Inyang Ekwo refused to grant the order, instead asking the plaintiff to put INEC on notice to show cause why the order should not be granted.

ederal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday declined to order the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop the planned collation and announcement of the results of the Rivers State governorship and house of assembly elections held on March.

A disruption of the collation process at some collation centres led to the suspension of results of the elections, with Biokpomabo Awara, candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), maintainig an early lead in the governorship race.

INEC subsequently announced it would issue "detailed timelines and activities" for the completion of the governorship and state house of assembly elections in Rivers State on March 20.

However, an ex parte application filed by counsel to the AAc candidate prayed the court for "an order of Interim Injunction restraining INEC from resuming, collating or announcing the result of the suspended elections in Rivers State in respect of the election to the office of Governor and the Houses of Assembly".

Ruling, on Wednesday, on the ex parte motion filed by the counsel to the AAC candidate asking the court to prevent INEC from resuming collation and announcement of results, Justice Inyang Ekwo refused to grant the order, instead asking the plaintiff to put INEC on notice to show cause why the order should not be granted.

He adjourned the case to Monday, March 25.

Popular activist, Deji Adeyanju has tackled the co-covener of ‘Our Mumu Don Do’ movement, Charlyboy, over his role in the just concluded 2019 election.

Adeyanju who earlier accused Charlyboy of working with the federal government said the Maverick entertainer confessed to him that he collected money from President Muhammadu Buhari to attack presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

Adeyanju on his Twitter page wrote: “I didn’t want to respond or ever say a word about my withdrawal from Our Mumu Don Do but going through report, I must now clear the air.

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“Charly Boy is the number one Mumu in Nigeria. He collected money from them to do a video against the main opposition candidate -Atiku and also to stop attacking Buhari.
“When I confronted Charly Boy with the evidence, he confessed to collecting money from them but said he didn’t collect the money to do a video against Atiku but they gave him the money as support. I dare him to deny this allegation. I have the recording of his confession.

“Imagine after all the sacrifices, someone will just be going round collecting money in the name of the movement. Huge disappointment. A fraud. The stories are just too many.”

By Alex Enumah in Abuja



Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from proceeding with the collation, concluding and announcing the result of the governorship election in Bauchi State held on March 9 by the electoral body.

The order issued on the strength of an ex parte application filed by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the incumbent Governor of Bauchi State, Mohamed Abubakar, shall however last till the determination of the suit brought before the court by the two plaintiffs.


In the ex parte motion, the APC and Abubakar had prayed the court for an order of Interim Injunction restraining INEC from resuming, concluding or announcing the result of the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State in respect of the election to the office of Governor of Bauchi State.

Justice Ekwo on Monday while ruling on the ex parte motion had ordered INEC to appear before him on Tuesday to show cause why the order sought by the two plaintiffs ought not to be granted. Instead of complying with the order of the court, INEC represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Tanimu Inuwa, at Tuesday’s proceedings approached the court with a motion challenging its jurisdiction.

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Ahmed Raji SAN, however objected to the application of INEC, informing the court that the order issued on Monday asking the electoral body to show cause why the requests of the plaintiffs should not be granted had not been obeyed.

Raji told the court that the business before the court was to determine whether the earlier order had been complied with. He drew the attention of the court to a press statement issued by one Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, dated March 15, 2019, announcing that the electoral body will resume collation of the Bauchi governorship election, adding that except the court grants the interim order the subject matter of the two plaintiffs would be destroyed.

Responding, Inuwa admitted that the order had not been complied with and requested to address the court orally on the issue however his request was refused by the judge.

Justice Ekwo held that since the ex parte application was in writing and duly served on INEC it behoves on the defendant to appear before the court with a written or formal response.


In his bench ruling, the judge granted the interim injunction restraining INEC from resuming, concluding and announcing the governorship election result in Bauchi State pending the determination of all issues raised by the plaintiffs in their originating summons.

Justice Ekwo also granted accelerated hearing in the matter and ordered parties to appear before him on Wednesday, 20, to present their positions in the substantive matter.

By Chijioke Jannah




The Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has urged its members and supporters to start working immediately towards taking back power from the governor-elect, Seyi Makinde, of the Peoples Democratic Party’s in 2023.

The party also said it would challenge the outcome of the governorship election in places where there were glaring irregularities.

These were the highlights of the communiqué issued at the end of the expanded meeting of the APC leaders drawn from the 33 local government areas of the state, which was presided over by the Governor Abiola Ajimobi, at the Government House, Ibadan, yesterday.

Passing a vote of confidence in the Ajimobi-led administration, the APC said it was impressed by its unprecedented achievements and impressive performance in its historic eight-year tenure.

The communiqué by the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, urged members to be happy and take solace in the feat already recorded by the progressives, having been given the chance to rule the state for eight unbroken years.

It read, “Meeting urged members to walk tall and be cheerful because this is the first time the progressives would be opportune to have eight unbroken successive years of governance since the era of the Western Region.

“The party resolved to embrace genuine reconciliation and frown upon factionalisation (within the state APC). The party warn its members to avoid buck passing and blame game, but rather chart a roadmap to 2023 in earnest.”

Dayo Johnson Akure


THE jostle for the ministerial slot for OndoState has split the ranks of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Specifically, the battle to outwit one another has inadvertently pitched the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu against some close allies of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Foremost among them are two engineers, Ife Oyedele and Rotimi Fasakin, both executive directors of engineering in the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) respectively.

Oyedele and Fasakin have come a long way with President Buhari since the days of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) which is a formidable power bloc within the ruling APC. Oyedele is from Okitipupa while Fasakin hails from Akure and it is generally claimed that they are both interested in the ministerial position.

But Akeredolu according to one member of his kitchen cabinet is “disposed to either his immediate predecessor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko or any of his two aides- Mrs Bunmi Ademosu (Special Adviser to the governor on Multilateral and Intergovernmental relations) and Mr Boye Oyewunmi (Special Adviser to the governor on Investment and Development).

“He is yet to make up his mind on who to back but the worst case scenario is that he would forward the three names to the president for one of them to be considered”.

But a more interesting scenario appears to be playing out elsewhere as APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is said to have come under intense pressure to back Akeredolu’s Special Adviser on Public Utilities and Power Infrastructure, Engr. Tunji Light Ariyomo.

In fact, the paramount traditional ruler of Akure land Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi is believed in some circles to be also backing Ariyomo. Oba Aladetoyinbo’s position could also have flowed from his continued insistence on having an indigene of Akure in the federal cabinet.

Ariyomo, however again is a political godson of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. This twist is believed to have played Southwest coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign, Chief Olusola Oke off the radar as his main backer, the immediate past governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola is also said to be also keen to position himself in the cabinet.

Oke’s case is also not being helped by the poor performance of the APC in the presidential election in Ondo State. The APC lost not only the presidential election but also both the Ondo South senatorial district and Oke’s Ilaje Ese-Odo Federal Constituency.

While Oke had made frantic efforts to explain the reasons responsible for the party’s poor outing, the presidency is said not to be convinced over the reasons.

As for Mimiko, Fasakin, Ademosu and Ariyomo, their argument has been that while the North and South senatorial districts of the state already have the governor and deputy respectively, it was only equitable for the minister to come from the central.

The trio of Fasakin, Ademosu and Ariyomo are all from the Akure Kingdom in the central senatorial district. Mimiko, from Ondo town also from the central senatorial district, contested the last senatorial election on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) but had endorsed and worked for President Buhari. It would be recalled that Mimiko cut a deal with Akeredolu in the last election whereby two of the three state Assembly seats were won by the APC.

Tobi Soniyi


Despite repeated avowals of his commitment to a fight against corruption, the United States Department of State has said there is a climate of impunity in the President Muhammadu Buhari government that allows officials to engage in corrupt practices with a sense of exemption from punishment. The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018, said Nigeria had made little progress in efforts to limit corruption in its public service.

The US Congress mandates the executive to produce a report on the state of human rights worldwide every year. For Nigeria, the findings in the 2018 Human Rights Report, released Thursday, were largely similar to those of the previous year’s report, indicating lack of real progress in the government’s anti-corruption war.

A copy of the report obtained by THISDAY said, “Although the law provides criminal penalties for conviction of official corruption, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.
“Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security services. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year.”

The report stated that the country’s two key anti-corruption agencies, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had broad powers to prosecute corruption, but rarely applied such powers to conscientiously and logically prosecute corruption cases.

It stated, “The EFCC writ extends only to financial and economic crimes. The ICPC secured 14 convictions during the year. In 2016 the EFCC had 66 corruption cases pending in court, had secured 13 convictions during the year, and had 598 open investigations.

“Although ICPC and EFCC anti-corruption efforts remained largely focused on low and mid-level government officials, following the 2015 presidential election, both organisations started investigations into and brought indictments against various active and former high-level government officials. Many of these cases were pending in court. According to both ICPC and EFCC, the delays were the result of a lack of judges and the widespread practice of filing for and granting multiple adjournments.

“EFCC arrests and indictments of politicians continued throughout the year, implicating a significant number of opposition political figures and leading to allegations of partisan motivations on the part of the EFCC. In October the EFCC arrested and indicted former governor of Ekiti State Ayo Fayose on 11 counts, including conspiracy and money laundering amounting to 2.2 billion naira ($6 million). After a Federal High Court ruling, Fayose was out on 50 million naira ($137,500) bail.”

On financial disclosure, the report noted the constitutional requirement under the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act (CCBTA) for public officials, including the president, vice president, governors, deputy governors, cabinet ministers, and legislators (at both federal and state levels), to declare their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) before assuming and after leaving office. The constitution calls for the CCB to “make declarations available for inspection by any citizen of the country on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe,” said the report. “The law does not address the publication of asset information. Violators risk prosecution, but cases rarely reached conclusion.”

Perhaps, more chilling was the finding that arbitrary deprivation of life and unlawful killings were prevalent in Nigeria in 2018. The report cited several examples.

It said, “There were several reports the government or its agents committed arbitrary and unlawful killings. The national police, army, and other security services used lethal and excessive force to disperse protesters and apprehend criminals and suspects and committed other extrajudicial killings.

“Authorities generally did not hold police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody.

“State and federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths generally did not make their findings public.
“In August 2017 the acting president convened a civilian-led presidential investigative panel to review compliance of the armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, and the panel submitted its findings in February. As of November no portions of the report had been made public.

“As of September there were no reports of the federal government further investigating or holding individuals accountable for the 2015 killing and subsequent mass burial of members of the Shia group, Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), and other civilians by Nigerian Army (NA) forces in Zaria, Kaduna State. “
The report noted the 2016 nonbinding report of the Kaduna State government’s judicial commission, which found that the Nigerian Army (NA) used “excessive and disproportionate” force during the 2015 altercations in which 348 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and one soldier died.

It said, “The commission recommended the federal government conduct an independent investigation and prosecute anyone found to have acted unlawfully. It also called for the proscription of the IMN and the monitoring of its members and their activities.
“In 2016 the government of Kaduna State published a white paper that included acceptance of the commission’s recommendation to investigate and prosecute allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force by the NA.

“As of September, however, there was no indication that authorities had held any members of the NA accountable for the events in Zaria. It also accepted the recommendation to hold IMN leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky responsible for all illegal acts committed by IMN members during the altercations and in the preceding 30 years. In 2016 a federal court declared the continued detention without charge of Zakzaky and his wife illegal and unconstitutional.

“The court ordered their release by January 2017. The federal government did not comply with this order, and Zakzaky, his spouse, and other IMN members remained in detention. In April the Kaduna State government charged Zakzaky in state court with multiple felonies stemming from the death of the soldier at Zaria. The charges include culpable homicide, which can carry the death penalty. As of December the case was pending. In July a Kaduna High Court dismissed charges of aiding and abetting culpable homicide against more than 80 IMN members. As of September the Kaduna State government had appealed the ruling. Approximately 100 additional IMN members remained in detention.

“In October security forces killed 45 IMN members that were participating in processions and protests, according to Amnesty International (AI).”
The report recalled the January 2017 bombing of an informal internally displaced persons (IDPs) settlement in Rann, Borno State, by the Nigerian Air Force, which resulted in the killing and injuring of more than 100 civilians and aid workers.

It said, “The government and military leaders publicly assumed responsibility for the strike and launched an investigation. The air force conducted its own internal investigation, but as of December the government had not made public its findings. No air force or army personnel were known to have been held accountable for their roles in the event. There were reports of arbitrary and unlawful killings related to internal conflicts in the North-east and other areas.”

The report identified the following human rights issues in Nigeria: unlawful and arbitrary killings by both government and non-state actors; forced disappearances by both government and non-state actors; torture by both government and non-state actors; and prolonged arbitrary detention in life-threatening conditions, particularly, in government detention facilities. Others are harsh and life threatening prison conditions, including civilian detentions in military facilities, often based on flimsy or no evidence; infringement on citizens’ privacy rights; criminal libel; substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, in particular for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons; and refoulement of refugees.

The report also identified as human rights abuse corruption; progress to formally separate child soldiers previously associated with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF); lack of accountability concerning violence against women, including female genital mutilation/cutting, in part due to government inaction/negligence; trafficking in persons, including sexual exploitation and abuse by security officials; crimes involving violence targeting LGBTI persons and the criminalisation of status and same-sex sexual conduct based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and forced and bonded labour.

The report, however, noted that the government took steps to investigate alleged abuses but took fewer steps to prosecute officials who committed violations, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the government.
“Impunity remained widespread at all levels of government. The government did not adequately investigate or prosecute most of the major outstanding allegations of human rights violations by the security forces or the majority of cases of police or military extortion or other abuse of power,” the report added.

By Wale Odunsi


Ahead of the March 23 supplementary election in some polling units in Kano State, electorate, including members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have gone spiritual.

PRNigeria reports that while some voters observe prayers in mosques, others are currently outside the country (Mecca) to seek God’s intervention.

Aside embarking on non-obligatory prayers and fasting, there are also animal (mostly camels, cows, rams, goats) sacrifices at various local governments across the state.

Depending on the political divide, supporters in their thousands have trooped to various praying sites, some outside the mosques with selected Imams leading them in special prayers against political manipulation and electoral frauds next Saturday.

Some businessmen have sponsored ‘prayer warriors’ on a pilgrimage to the Holy lands in Saudia Arabia for God’s intervention during the polls.

In a video, a businessman in Saudi Arabia, said that many pilgrims were expected from Nigeria for the special prayers over Kano re-run election.

His words: “We have finalised all arrangements for pilgrims coming to the Holy land In Saudi Arabia for payers for peace in Kano in the next election.

“On arrival, they would move to the Grand Mosque of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Madina for special morning prayers, and thereafter proceed to the Grand Mosque in Mecca for special evening prayers while the following day, they would proceed to a special mosque on the way to Jeddah International Airport.

“Meanwhile, we have made provisions for vehicles, accommodation and feeding for all intending pilgrims for this special prayer against political crises in our beloved city of Kano in the forthcoming election. As we have also purchased the sacrificial rams to be slaughtered.”

Meanwhile, many streets in the city have witnessed peaceful youth protests in recent days with chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is the greatest) “Hasbunalahu Wani’imal Wakil” (Allah is sufficient for us).

Earlier in the week, one of the groups terminated their march at the Kano Emir Palace, where they performed ‘Al Qunut’ (special prayer) of two Rakat prayers at the palace pavilion.

Jibrilla Bindow, Governor of Adamawa State, and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been urged to concede defeat to “save the state unnecessary trouble”.

The governorship election in the state was declared inconclusive by Professor Andrew Haruna, the Returning Officer for Adamawa State, who said the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two leading contestants.

However, in separate appeals, elders in the state insist that Ahmed Umar Fintiri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won the election.

Babachir David Lawan, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and a chieftain of the APC, said: "The only honourable thing to do is for my party's candidate, Governor Bindow, to concede and give peace a chance. The next election is only four years away, Bindow can go back to the drawing board and launch himself back; therefore let's not allow elections to cause trouble between brothers.”

Boni Haruna, former Governor and one-time minister, said: "We have reliably gathered that the total number of Permanent Voter Cards collected in the 44 polling units is 31,027, a figure that would not reverse Fintiri's winning lead, even after the supplementary elections in the 44 units. This is just as the registered voters in the PUs are now only 34,101.”

"We have gleaned from INEC records that 34,101 is actually the number of registered voters in the affected polling units, as against 40,988 declared by the state returning officer,” Abdullahi Prambe, a leading political figure in the state, said.

The results of the elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shows that Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the PDP candidate, won the elections by 367,472 votes against 334,995 votes polled by the APC candidate.

Speaking on the elections, Haruna continued: "The margin of win by the PDP candidate is 32,476 votes. While we were waiting for the outright declaration of Fintiri as to have won by a clear majority, we were taken aback with INEC's declaration of the elections as inconclusive, on the grounds that the margin of win by PDP (32,476) was less than 40,988 in 44 polling units where the elections did not hold or were cancelled."

"The electoral body relied on Sections 26 and 53 of the electoral act and regulations and guidelines, page 17, paragraph C, to justify its actions. We wish to state that the action by the electoral body to declare Adamawa election as inconclusive is not only absurd, but untenable, most unfortunate and unacceptable.

"We wish to state or note that the National Chairman had told the world that elections starts and end at polling units. It is our understanding that if elections were cancelled at polling units or wards collation centres, it stands cancelled. We therefore find it curious for the electoral body to resurrect the issue of election results that have been cancelled at the polling units to justify its action of declaring the governorship elections as inconclusive at the level of state collation or declaration of results.

"The position of the electoral body ordering a supplementary election on the basis that the margin of win was less than the number of cancelled results in the 44 polling units was untenable. This is because we have been able to establish that the number of PVCs collected in the 44 polling units was 31,027; these are the only eligible voters if there is going to be a rerun.

"The 31,027 figure is far less than the number of registered voters that INEC relied upon to decline declaring PDP winner of the governorship elections."

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Saturday, said that another waterfall, set to be unveiled, had been discovered at the Ife Grand Resort, Ile-Ife.

Ogunwusi disclosed this when executives of the Nigeria Tour Operators (NATOP) visited him at his palace.

The monarch said the land on which the resort was built, was home to wild animals.

He explained that the animals had, however, been appeased and had moved further into the bush to make the area safe for operations and tourism.

According to him, in his quest to beautify the place and transform it to a world class tourist site, a waterfall that beats human imagination was discovered and remodeled.

“This is a mysterious waterfall that has just been discovered. It elicits about seven colours of water including red, blue, green and so on.

“We are still doing some work on the site, and when the project is complete, the whole world will marvel; and this is one of the things that will sell our country internationally.

“The resort has been under construction for two years now; and when we are done, there will be nothing like it in the world,” he said.

According to Ogunwusi, since he assumed the throne of his ancestors, he has made many discoveries that were beyond human imagination and beats world science.

He described the discoveries as metaphysical things which truly attested to the myth that Ife was the cradle of mankind.

”We have too many discoveries in Ife that defy science; and which will blow the minds of tourists.

“Most of these mysterious discoveries are what we need to sell to the world because we cannot continue to shroud them in secrecy, which is the reason I decided to rebrand our heritage sites in Ife.

“This is a very ancient palace of more than 10,000 years; I have buildings of 300, 400 to 500 years within the palace and they have all become monuments which many people come from around the world to see.

“As a trained real estate developer, I have blended tradition and modernity in terms of design and concept of the palace,’ he said.

The monarch called on Nigerians to stop depending on the government to groom tourism, but to rather tap into the tourism potentials at the grassroots.

He said this would create massive employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths and reduce crime in the society.

“We all must stop blaming government on the state of the tourism sector in Nigeria, let us take advantage of the huge tourism money spinners around us,” Ogunwusi advised. (NAN)

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Some concerned Britons have demanded the resignation of the country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria and other consulate officials alleged to have taken bribes during an election that held in Nigeria.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State reportedly traded $1 million kickbacks to the British diplomats in exchange of false and misleading information about the role of the Nigerian military in that election.
A group, UK Matters Most stormed No10 Downing Street, Buckingham Palace as well as the Westminister Parliament all in London to demand for the Prime Minister to take prompt action.
In a letter to Her Majesty, the Queen of England and copied the Prime Minister and signed by the Convener, James Moore, the High Commissioner and his supposed allies in the UK embassy were said to have dragged the country in the mud by wilfully obliging to be manipulated.
“The reputation of Britain has been dragged to the mud by such unpatriotic consulate officers in the British High Commission in Nigeria who by their actions misled the British government about the involvement of the military in the elections in Nigeria,” Mr Moore reportedly said.

by Bassey Anthony, Uyo



Prince Ukpong Akpabio has recounted how his people in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State were terrorised by Senator Godswill Akpabio during the March 9 elections. Prince Ukpong Akpabio, who is Senator Akpabio’s cousin, said they saw hell in the hands of Senator Akpabio and his supporters.

A communiqué signed by the stakeholders and leaders, and read by Imo-owo Okpokpo, reads: “Essien Udim people condemn the electoral offenses and irregularities masterminded and perpetrated by Senator Godswill Akpabio and his cohorts, in which almost all the election process in the area was marred by unlawful militarisation, rigging and assault on officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The atrocities include carting away of electoral materials and kidnapping of INEC ad hoc workers, with military help, to the home of Ibanga Akpabio.

“Senator Akpabio and his cohorts, apart from assaulting INEC workers, also beat and machete some PDP faithful to unconsciousness.”

They maintained that in units where elections held, PDP won and they have their result sheets intact. According to them, any other result is fake and does not represent the people’s votes.

The people rejected the published results so far released by INEC, and condemned the cancellation of results in nine wards in the council area.

They admonished Senator Akpabio to desist from further advertising “his declining and dwindling political status through interviews as such will continue to deepen his failing image. “We have totally rejected by him as a people,” they said.

But Senator Akpabio described them as political merchants and contractors hired to tarnish his image.

Akpabio, who spoke through his media aide, Anietie Ekong, said: “”The people are hired political merchants and contractors who have been procured to denigrate Senator Godswill Akpabio to diminish him for a token. But it is a futile attempt.

“The allegations are spurious, baseless and unfounded. They can gloat over the pyrrhic victory recorded by the PDP, but Akwa Ibom people know that never in the history of the state have we witnessed such heist and electoral robbery aided by a compromised umpire like in the last election.

The stolen mandate that they are celebrating today will be retrieved.”

The word ‘godfather’ has different meanings to different people. In Nigerian politics, a godfather is a ‘big boss’ that maintains political control of a territory by ensuring that either he or his self-chosen appointees are elected to govern such areas.

They include the rich and political influencers who contribute to campaign funds of some candidates with the aim of winning elections.

Over the years, Nigeria’s political godfathers are those that build loyalists around themselves and use their influence to manipulate the rest of society. Sometimes, they block the participation of others within their political sphere and dictate party candidates.

These godfathers in most cases become powerful due to the important leadership positions they hold or have held, their wealth, their ability to mobilise grassroots support, amongst others.

In the recently concluded elections, some godfathers maintained their grip in their areas of control while many others were humiliated. Presidential and National Assembly elections were held on February 23, while state elections were held on March 9.

PREMIUM TIMES reviews how some political godfathers were defeated in the 2019 elections.


Bukola Saraki

The Saraki dynasty is a very strong one in Kwara State. Before Mr Saraki, his father, the late Olusola Saraki’s political structure was such a strong force that except you align with him, you were not likely to succeed as a politician in Kwara State.

The structure had produced six governors in the state since 1979.

Mr Saraki who has been the President of Nigeria’s Senate since 2015 could not deliver Kwara for his party in both 2019 presidential and governorship elections. Worst of it all, he also lost his re-election bid to the Senate.

He was elected governor of Kwara in 2003 through the help of his father. After his tenure, he refused to support the candidature of his sister, Gbemisola. Instead, he supported the incumbent governor, Ahmed Abdulfatai, who floored his sister against the will of his father.

In the build-up to the 2015 election, Mr Saraki joined other aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form the nPDP. The nPDP would later join other parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

That did not affect his control of the Kwara’s political machinery as Mr Saraki’s new party, APC, won the 2015 general elections in Kwara.

Mr Saraki’s troubles, however, started after the 2015 elections when he defied the APC, to emerge the Senate president; working in cahoot with PDP lawmakers.

He, eventually, left the APC for the PDP in 2018 and sought the presidential ticket of the latter. He lost the primary to Atiku Abubakar.

Things, however, got worse for Mr Saraki as he lost his senatorial seat. His anointed candidate for governorship was also defeated in all the 16 local government areas in the state with the magic of “Oto ge”. Overall, the PDP lost woefully in all the 2019 elections in Kwara.

Except the PDP presidential candidate succeeds in his challenge of President Muhammadu Buhari’s electoral victory, Mr Saraki may have to be a ‘spectator’ in Nigerian politics in the next four years; the first since he became a politician.


Godswill Akpabio

Godswill Akpabio is a former Senate Minority Leader and former governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015.

During Mr Akpabio’s tenure as governor, he was able to build a strong political structure for himself in the state. He, however, could not save himself in the 2019 race.

Mr Akpabio, who left PDP for APC last year, lost his bid to return to the Senate in Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District. His new party, APC, also lost all the elections in Akwa Ibom.

Before the elections, Mr Akpabio was so confident that he could not lose elections in the state. After all, he helped install the incumbent governor, then a political neophyte in 2015.

On July 16, 2018, while speaking at a rally in Ikot Ekpene, he said: “Godswill will be done again and again irrespective of the political party.”

The following month, he decamped to APC after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari earlier in London.

Mr Akpabio came into the political limelight in 2002 when he was appointed Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and also Lands and Housing.

He used his Office as Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Local Government Affairs to build political structures across the 31 Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State. He defied the then governor, Obong Attah, to emerge the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2007 and was elected governor. Since then, he’s had a firm grip on the politics of Akwa Ibom.

He was, however, humbled in his own game as his new party, APC, lost all the elections in Akwa Ibom.


George Akume

George Akume is another ‘godfather’ whom things did not work in his favour during the last election.

Since his election as Benue governor in 1999 on the PDP platform, Mr Akume has held a firm grip on the politics of Benue. After he completed his tenure in 2007, he moved to the Senate. He won his Senate seat again in 2011 despite defecting to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and was elected the Minority Leader of the Senate.

Mr Akume was again re-elected senator for Benue North-west in the 2015 elections on the platform of the APC, a party formed by the merger of different parties including the ACN.

Mr Akume also largely contributed to the victory of Samuel Ortom in the governorship election in Benue. Both men, however, went separate ways in the aftermath of the repeated herdsmen crisis in the state. Mr Ortom moved to the PDP while Mr Akume remained in the APC.

For the first time since 1999, however, Mr Ortom lost an election in Benue despite being a staunch member of Nigeria’s ruling party. The APC also lost the presidential and governorship election in Benue.


Ibikunle Amosun

Although Ibikunle Amosun, the outgoing governor of Ogun State, won his Ogun Central senatorial bid under the platform of APC, he failed to help his ‘godson’, Adekunle Akinlade, emerge as governor.

In December 2018, Mr Amosun vowed to work against his party’s governorship candidate in the state. His preferred governorship candidate, Mr Akinlade contested under the platform of Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Mr Akinlade won a controversial governorship primary of the APC conducted by the party in the state. However, a panel sent by the headquarters of the party conducted a separate primary which produced Dapo Abiodun.

Mr Abiodun is the favoured candidate of ex-Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, and his former Ogun State counterpart, Olusegun Osoba.

Mr Amosun tried to ensure his protege became governor against odds, even working against his party. However, the 12 years he spent holding elective positions could not help deliver Ogun to his anointed candidate.


Rochas Okorocha

Like Mr Amosun in Ogun State, Rochas Okorocha in Imo also supported the governorship candidate of another party.

His ‘trouble’ has become more complicated as INEC has excluded him from the list of senators-elect published on Monday. His party, the APC has equally suspended his membership.

Mr Okorocha contested to represent Imo West Senatorial District in the February 23 election. Though the returning officer, Innocent Ibeabuchi, declared Mr Okorocha winner after a controversial collation of results, he clearly noted he did so “under duress”.

“…I have been held hostage here for days so I’m trying to ease off and take my life home back to my children and for the sake of that I am calling these results under duress,” Mr Ibeabuchi had said before reading out the results.

In INEC’s list of senators-elect, Mr Okorocha’s name was omitted. “Declaration made under duress”, was boldly written instead.

Sadly despite his spirited fight, the two-term governor of the state could not secure the emergence of his preferred candidate in Imo.

Mr Okorocha supported his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, of the Action Alliance (AA) to succeed him but Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP eventually won in the state.

Except he is recognised by INEC as a senator-elect, and considering his problems with the APC, the 2019 elections may signal the end of the Okorocha dynasty in Imo politics.


Abiola Ajimobi

Abiola Ajimobi contested in 2011 under the ACN and was elected governor of Oyo State in a keen contest.

He was returned in 2015 under the APC and became the first person to occupy the Oyo governorship seat twice in the state.

This actually fetched Mr Ajimobi the nick: ‘Kosheleri (It has not happened before).’

Mr Ajimobi enjoyed the confidence of the party’s national leadership to the extent of being entrusted with the reconciliation of members in other states.

While he enjoyed national recognition by the APC, locally within Oyo State, his actions split the party and angered the populace.

A large number of APC members including supporters of a late former governor, Lam Adesina, exited the party while many residents of Ibadan, the largest city in the state, were annoyed at his decision to tamper with their chieftaincy system.

By the time the 2019 elections came, the residents had gotten tired of Mr Ajimobi and the APC.

The APC lost both the presidential and National Assembly elections in Oyo. Many of Mr Ajimobi’s anointed candidates also lost state house of assembly elections in the state. Worst of all, the governor lost in his bid to be elected senator.

By Ismail Omipidan



There are strong indications that new and returning senators elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have zeroed in on Senator Ahmad Lawan as their preferred choice for Senate President.

Their decision, it was gathered was informed by Lawan’s long legislative experience. He has been elected as a lawmaker from Yobe North, since 1999.

However, he was first elected senator in 2007.

Besides, it was also gathered that the Presidency is not likely to be averse to his choice, considering how he was the party’s preferred choice as senate president in June 2015; before he narrowly lost the position to the incumbent, senator Bukola Saraki.

Although feelers from the party indicate that leaders of the party may be favourably disposed to the choice of Lawan, considering his loyal disposition to the interests of the party, APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu, however, said the party is yet to take a position on the matter.

In response to questions from Daily Sun, whether the party has taken a decision concerning the zoning of the senate presidency, Isa-Onilu simply replied: “We can only do that at either the National Working Committee (NWC) or National Executive Committee (NEC). Neither has held any meeting recently.”

Lawan is from Yobe State, in the North East. He is also the incumbent senate leader.

There are, however, two other strong contenders from the zone, it was gathered. They are his predecessor in office, Ali Ndume, from Borno State and the current Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations on, Danjuma Goje.

Apart from contenders from the North East, the South East is also making a strong bid for the position.

Leading the pack from the South East is former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, who led the state to deliver over 25 percent votes to President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Regardless, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is also exploring the ‘Saraki option,’ which saw the party team up with some chieftains of the APC in 2015; to produce the senate president against the wishes of the APC.

In 2015, the APC wanted Lawan, with senator George Akume, from Benue State, as his deputy, before some senators scuttled the arrangement.

Regardless, Daily Sun investigations revealed that the tenure of the Eighth Senate will end on Sunday, June 9; having been inaugurated on June 9, 2015. But, Senate, by tradition, does not sit on Sunday.

The chamber is expected to shut down, on or before Thursday, June 6, 2019.

Once that happens, the Ninth Senate is expected to be promulgated by President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Clerk to the National Assembly, on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.

For now, APC controls the chamber, although not with an overwhelming majority.

The PDP has, so far, produced only 37, out of 109 senators, while the APC has 62.

It was further gathered that as things stand, APC can, on its own, produce the presiding officers leadership of the senate; if there is no contest for the position among the various interests and tendencies that make up the party.

But, once there is contest, Daily Sun further learnt, any of the tendencies would require the support of the PDP to get elected. APC’s new and returning senators appear to be committed to ensuring that the APC does not suffer the fate it suffered in 2015.

By Chijioke Jannah



Alhaji Hashim Suleiman, the Senior Special Assistant on Urban Beautification to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has tendered his letter of resignation to Secretary to the State Government.

In his resignation letter, he attributed his reason to the failure of Governor Ganduje to concede defeat to the Guber candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, who won the election that has been declared inconclusive in controversial circumstances by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The letter of resignation, dated, Wednesday, March 13, 2019, which he personally signed, reads, ”I write to formally inform you of my voluntary resignation from the office of SSA, Beautification.

“I thank you for offering me the opportunity to serve under your administration as SSA.”

He added that as a transparent Khadimul-Islam, the governor ought to have conceded defeat, so as to serve as a precedent to other Muslims, who serve Allah in truth and sincerity.

LAGOS – “ How do you expect us to win in this kind of situation? Be sincere with yourself, do you think we can win? We are facing a very formidable party which has been in power since 1999 yet we failed to put our house in order. To be honest, our candidate, Jimi Agbaje is at daggers drawn with the party leadership in Lagos State led by Chief Olabode George and the state chairman, Dr. Adegbola Dominic. He ran the campaign on his own without any serious input from the party unlike the APC that is well coordinated? So, how can we win in that kind of situation except we are just deceiving ourselves?”

Those were the exact words of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mukandasi Ajisafe while reacting to the victory of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

Though many were expecting a very tight contest, the reverse was the case as Sanwo-Olu polled 739, 44 5 votes to defeat Agbaje who got 206, 141 votes. The result was a sharp contrast to Agbaje’s performance in 2015 when he contested against Akinwunmi Ambode, outgoing governor of the state. Then backed by former President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Olabode George who facilitated his entry into the PDP and was instrumental to his success in the party’s governorship primary, Agbaje polled 659, 788 votes against Ambode who got 811,994 votes.


Prior to the elections, Daily Independent had exclusively reported that Agbaje and the party leadership in the state are working at variance. The report published in its January 3 edition titled ‘Crisis Hits Lagos PDP As Jimi Agbaje Allegedly Sidelines Party’ reads “With just six weeks to the conduct of the governorship elections, crisis is currently rocking the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje and the state executives led by Dr. Adegbola Dominic are working at cross purposes instead of uniting to forge a common front against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A chieftain of the party who spoke with Daily Independent yesterday on condition of anonymity said since his emergence as the party’s flagbearer, Agbaje has been running a one-man show, believing that he can do without the leadership of the Lagos PDP or party elders in the state such as Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party.


He said while Agbaje has been running his governorship campaign with the team he set up without carrying the state PDP along, he also picked his running mate, Mrs. Haleemat Busari without consulting the party leaders.

According to him, many party leaders who only heard of Busari’s choice in the media were angry and made attempts to kick against the decision but were prevailed on by the party leadership to refrain from doing so in order not to create the impression that the party is disunited.

“ The reality is that there is no unity in Lagos PDP and this may mar our chances in the forthcoming governorship election. Jimi Agbaje and the State Exco of the party are not working as a team”.

“ If you remember, majority of the state exco members are loyalists of Chief Bode George and as such, they don’t like Agbaje whom they see as a traitor for daring to contest against his benefactor for the national chairmanship of the PDP”.

“ Agbaje himself has not helped matters. Since becoming the governorship candidate of the party, he constituted his campaign team and neglected the leadership of the party who are the key drivers of the party”.

“ Can you imagine Agbaje never consulted the party before picking his running mate, Mrs Busari? Many of our party members and leaders were shocked when they heard about the news in the media”.


“You can imagine the anger of many party members on account of this. The issue would have gone out of hand but for the appeal by the leaders of the party such as Chief Bode George who implored them to not to make the issue public so that the APC will not capitalise on it”.

When our correspondent contacted Adegbola Dominic, the state chairman on the allegations that Jimi Agbaje is not carrying the party along in his campaigns, he said “That is not exactly correct. It is true that there may be some intra-party differences but we are resolving that. We are working together and we will achieve victory in 2019”.

“However, Agbaje denied the allegations saying he enjoys a harmonious working relationship with the Dominic-led executives”.

However, another member of the party who asked not to be named attributed the massive defeat the party suffered in the elections to threat by the APC, especially members of the National Union Of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.

“ While it is true that the party went to election divided, another major factor that contributed to the party’s loss was the threat to non-indigenes by APC thugs led by people like MC Oluomo in Oshodi. It was widely reported in the media that after the Presidential election, these thugs went to where Igbo traders were trading, beat them up and threaten to unleash more mayhem if they come out and vote in the governorship and state house of assembly elections. So that is the major reason why the PDP got that low votes. Let me also add that most of the results announced were written up”.

A total of 609,197 votes will decide last weekend’s governorship elections in six states declared as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The affected states are Benue, Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kano and Plateau and the major contenders are the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Among the candidates whose fate would be decided by the re-run polls expected to hold on March 23rd are Governor Aminu Tambuwal (PDP) and his former deputy, Ahmad Aliyu (APC) in Sokoto State as well as Abdullahi Ganduje (APC) and Abba Yusuf (PDP) in Kano State.

Others are Governor Samuel Ortom (PDP) and Emmanuel Jime (APC) in Benue State; Governor Jibrila Bindow (APC) and Ahmadu Fintiri (PDP) in Adamawa State and Governor Simon Lalong and Senator Jeremiah Useni in Plateau State.

A breakdown of the deciding votes among the six states shows that Bauchi tops the chart with 180,652 votes, followed closely by Kano with 141,694.
Others are Benue (121,091), Sokoto (75,403), Bauchi (45,312), Plateau (49,377) and Adamawa (40,988).

Reasons cited by the electoral commission for declaring the polls in the states as inconclusive include over-voting, non-usage of card readers to accredit voters and violence, among others.

Declaring the governorship election in Benue State in which Governor Ortom of the PDP polled 410,576 votes to lead his closest rival, Emmanuel Jime of APC, who scored 329,022 votes inconclusive, INEC said that the margin of lead was below the total number of cancelled votes.

Ortom won in 13 out of the 23 local government areas of the state, while Jime won in 10. The councils where Ortom won are Gboko, Guma, Ukum, Logo, Vandeikya, Agatu, Kwande, Buruku, Konshisha, Ado, Ushongo, Gwer West and Gwer East. Those won by Jime are Makurdi, Tarka, Ado, Otukpo, Katsina Ala, Apa, Ohimini, Ogbadibo, Okpokwu and Obi.

But, the Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Sabastine Maimako, put the total number of cancelled votes at 121,091, while the margin of lead between the two leading candidates was 81,554 votes.

The local government areas affected by the cancellation include Gwer West, Gboko (Yandev North PU), Ukum (Azendeshi PU), Logo (Mbater RA-Kyanyon village square), Okpokwu (RA Ijigo, Okokolo and Okpali PU), Agatu (Adugba playground), Apa (Ibadan playground and Apaganyi open space), Buruku (Mbaakwa and Mbaazager market square).

Others are Otukpo (Okefe RA and Nboju Icho PU), Tarka (RA 08), Guma (Nyiev RA), Tsekeleke (Amua Health Clinic), Makundu, Saawuan, Kpanye and Dzegeor (Inyudu market Square), Konshisha and Oju.
Following the declaration of the Kano State governorship as inconclusive, INEC will conduct re-run elections in 22 local government areas of the state.
INEC had declared the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in the state as inconclusive.

The state’s Returning Officer, Prof. Bello Shehu, said the election was declared inconclusive because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the difference in votes scored between the two leading candidates: Abba Yusuf of PDP and the incumbent governor, Abdullahi Ganduje of APC.

The PDP candidate polled 1,014,474 votes, while his APC counterpart scored 987,819 votes, a margin of 26,655 votes. However, cancelled votes stand at 141,694.

Among the local government areas mostly affected are Gaya, Bunkure, Kura, Dala, Nassarawa and Bebeji.

The commission cited non-usage of card readers, which led to manual voting and snatching of ballot papers for the cancellation in Kano State.

In Plateau State, INEC declared the gubernatorial election as inconclusive over the inability of the governorship candidate of the APC, Governor Lalong, to secure a margin higher than the number of cancelled votes.

The Returning Officer for the state, Prof. Richard Kimbir, after the collation of the election’s results, said the margin of lead between Lalong and his PDP counterpart, Senator Useni is 44,929, which is 4,448 lower than the cancelled votes of 49,377.

Lalong polled 583,255 votes, while Useni trailed closely by 538,326 votes, but Prof. Kimbir explained that the cancellation was as a result of over-voting and non-use of card readers in about nine local government areas, with a total of 20 registration areas and 41 polling units.

The local government areas affected include Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Jos North, Bokkos, Kanam, Langtang South, Pankshin and Shendam.
Mangu has the highest number of cancelled votes, with about 26,135 across three registration areas.

Jos North has 4,157 cancelled votes, Kanam (2,627), Barkin Ladi (570), Bassa (3,078), Bokkos (5,314), Pankshin (1,144), Langtang South (5,501) and Shendam (851).

Giving reasons for declaring the governorship election in Bauchi State as inconclusive, INEC cited the inability of the Collation Officer for Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area to give a clear account of what transpired in the area.

Bauchi State Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, said there was no result from Tafawa Balewa and as a result, the only op tion was to cancel the election result.

From the result announced by collation officer, Dominion Anosike, at the local government collation centre, the PDP polled 40,010 votes, while APC had 29,862 votes. Total figure of registered voters in the area is 135,340.

Kyari had earlier explained that the margin between the two leading candidates, Senator Bala Mohammed of the PDP and Governor Mohammed Abubakar of APC is 4,059 votes, which was less than the 45,312 cancelled votes.

The PDP candidate polled a total of 469,512 votes against his APC counterpart’s 465,453 votes.

Declaring the governorship election in the state as inconclusive, INEC said the margin of votes between the two top candidates – Governor Jibrila Bindow (APC) and Ahmadu Fintri (PDP) – is lesser than the 40,988 votes cancelled in about 40 polling units in the 29 Registration Areas.

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

In Sokoto State, 75,403 were votes cancelled, which is higher than the 3,413 margin of difference between the leading contenders – Governor Tambuwal of PDP and Aliyu of APC.

The state’s Returning Officer, Prof. Fatima Muktar, declared that the 75,403 votes were cancelled in 136 polling units across the state.

According to the results declared, Tambuwal polled 489,558 votes, while his closest rival, Aliyu, scored 486,145 votes.

Abuja – Indications have emerged to the effect that incumbent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara may not by seeking re-election to the position he currently occupies.

This may not be unconnected with emerging realities surrounding the political fortune of his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections.

This was as the House, which returned to legislative business, had to adjourn sitting to Wednesday in honour of deceased colleagues, Hon. Temitope Olatoye Shuga, from Oyo and Hon. Bethel Amadi from Imo states respectively.

Speaking to INDEPENDENT, a source close to the Speaker who pleaded anonymity, said the Bauchi-born lawyer-turned legislator has said that he won’t be seeking election into the office of the Speaker in the 9th Assembly.

Recall that Dogara defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in September 2018 to contest the seat of Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi state, having fallen out with his State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar over irreconcilable political differences.

Political observers believe that Dogara’s decision to seek re-election into the House was borne out of his desire to retain the Speakership and the conviction that the opposition PDP may upstage the APC by winning the presidency and majority seats in the National Assembly.

“The Speaker is not running but is likely to support someone he can rely on. He won’t attempt it because he knows he’s in the opposition which has minority in the House, as well as the PDP’s inability to win the presidency.

“He’s encouraging members from the North-East region to show interest in the hope that the APC may zone it to them,” the returning lawmaker said.

Asked if Dogara would go for any principal position meant for the opposition, the source said “I don’t think he has any such interest.

“I think he will prefer to divorce himself of any leadership tension and controversy in the House.”

Recall that INDEPENDENT, in a report, examined factors militating against any move by the incumbent Speaker to retain his seat which include his party’s minority status in the incoming Assembly, as well as possible lack of goodwill among some members from PDP dominated zones.

Meanwhile, the House upon reconvening on Tuesday, adjourned sitting in honour of two deceased colleagues: Hon. Bethel Amadi, a former member in the 7th Assembly from Imo, and Hon. Temitope Olatoye Shuga from Oyo.

While the late Amadi who was President of Pan African Parliament in the 7th Assembly was said to have died after a protracted illness, Hon. Shuga, a serving member of the 8th assembly was reportedly shot in the eye by suspected political thugs who allegedly invaded a polling unit in his area on Saturday March 9, 2019.

He was said to have been rushed to the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan where he gave up the ghost

The House will reconvene on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

Controversy is raging over the seemingly rampant declaration of elections as inconclusive in places considered as strongholds of the opposition in some parts of the country.

In Adamawa State, where the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, hails from, the gubernatorial election was yesterday declared inconclusive, despite the fact that the PDP candidate, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, was beating Governor Mohammed Bindow of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with 32,476 votes before the decision was taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The governorship election took place last Saturday in all 21 local government areas in the state.

The INEC’s returning officer for the state and Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State, Prof. Andrew Haruna, who made the declaration at the INEC office in Yola yesterday morning, said that his decision was based on the fact that the margin of lead between the two leading candidates was less than the total number of registered votes in areas where the election was either cancelled or did not take place at all.

The already collated results showed that the PDP candidate, Fintiri, had polled a total of 367,471 votes while Bindow of APC scored a total of 334,995 votes.

The margin of lead is 32,476 votes, which is lower than the 40,988 representing the total number of registered voters in the 44 polling units where the results were cancelled.

Citing the relevant sections of INEC election guidelines to back his decision to declare the election inconclusive, Haruna said: “On page 17 paragraph C, the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections on the margin of lead principle state that where the margin of lead between the two leading candidates in an election is not in excess of the total number of voters registered in polling units where votes are not counted or voided, in line with Section 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act, the returning officer shall decline to make a return until voting has taken place in the affected polling units and the results collated into the relevant forms for declaration and return.

“This is the margin of lead principle and shall apply wherever necessary in making returns in all elections to which these regulations and guidelines apply. And, therefore, I declare this exercise inconclusive.”

The Guardian learnt that in some strongholds of PDP, there was a late arrival of election materials and in other areas, there was a shortfall in ballot papers distributed.

In Numan Local Government Area, which is a stronghold of PDP, there was a shortfall of ballot papers in one of the polling units inside Numan town and the voters refused to participate in the election, insisting that the complete ballot papers be provided.

A newly elected member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP, Mr. Laori Kwamoti, said that at the Zabrama polling unit in Ward 2 inside Numan town which had 900 registered voters, only 500 ballot papers were brought by INEC and the people refused to vote.

It was learnt that the nightmare of Bindow’s supporters is that 41 out of the 44 polling units that will decide the fate of the governor are in local governments that the PDP has already won convincingly.

It was alleged yesterday that the ruling APC was planning to recruit soldiers, police and other security agents to help get the 40,000 votes to give Bindow victory. A minimum of 36,000 votes out of the 40,000 remaining votes are needed by Bindow to coast to victory.

In Yola, the Adamawa State capital, PDP supporters were already celebrating victory yesterday as Fintiri said that victory was in his custody and that his supporters should remain calm.

INEC has also declared the governorship election in Bauchi State inconclusive.

The electoral body yesterday morning cancelled the result for Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area over alleged violence perpetrated at the point of collation by hoodlums who carted away the original result sheet (FORM EC 8C1).

The Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari of the Federal University of Technology, Yola, said that the PDP candidate polled a total number of 469, 512 votes against his closest opponent, the incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the APC who got 465, 453 votes.

He gave the total valid votes as 1,026,901, rejected votes as 21,419 and the total votes cast as 1,048,220. He said that the margin of lead between the leading PDP and APC candidates (4,059) was less than the number of votes rejected.

In a swift reaction, PDP disagreed with the INEC’s decision, describing it as “arbitrary and unconstitutional.”

At a press briefing yesterday, the state chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Hamza Akuyam, said the returning officer lacked the legal competence to cancel an election duly conducted by various presiding officers and validly collated at ward and local government levels devoid of any opposition by any political parties.

The governorship election in the PDP-controlled Benue State was also yesterday declared inconclusive by INEC.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Sabastine Maimako, who announced the result yesterday at the INEC headquarters in Makurdi, said the election was declared inconclusive because the number of cancelled votes which he put at 121,019 was more than 81, 554, which is the margin of lead between the PDP and the APC.

Maimako said Governor Samuel Ortom of PDP scored a total of 410,576 votes while the APC candidate, Emmanuel Jime, polled 329,022 votes.

In his reaction, Ortom urged Benue people to remain calm, expressing confidence in his party to emerge victorious in the rerun election.

In Sokoto, another PDP-controlled state, the election was also declared inconclusive, even as Governor Aminu Tambuwal, urged INEC to declare him winner.

Tambuwal said that the declaration was neither in accordance with the nation’s constitution nor the electoral law.

He argued that he had satisfied the provision on majority votes and geographical spread and ought to have been declared the outright winner of the election, adding that the margin of lead and cancellations were different things.

The governor said INEC should justify re-run in each of the affected 136 polling units across the state, noting that it was not enough to declare the elections inconclusive on the basis that the margin of lead was less than the cancellations.

But the Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Prof. Fatima Mukhtar, insisted that the action of the commission was in order.

The REC, Sadiq Abubakar, told reporters that as far as the commission was concerned, the action of the returning officer was in order and the election remained inconclusive.

In his reaction, the APC governorship candidate, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, commended INEC for a job well done. He urged the people to turn out again in large numbers for the re-run elections.

The Chairman of PDP in Kano, where the collation of results was suspended, Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, urged INEC to declare the outcome of the polls in favour of his party.

Bichi who wondered why the electoral umpire suspended the results of an isolated area, pleaded for the release of the outcome for peace to reign.

He told reporters at INEC head office in Kano that the commission had no justification to delay the final collation and declaration of the results since the collation had already been concluded in 10 of the 11 wards in the turbulent Nassarawa Local Government Area.

The REC in Kano, Prof. Ristuwa Arabu Shehu, who briefed journalists on the update on the controversy surrounding the delay in the collation of the results, said that the commission would be fair and transparent to all parties.

He had early yesterday morning announced the suspension of the collation of the results of Nassarawa Local Government following an alleged invasion of the collation centre and destruction of electoral materials by suspected thugs.

Piqued by the declaration of polls as inconclusive, the PDP has called on its members to march in protest to all the INEC offices across the country against the alleged manipulation of election results in favour of the APC.

The party described as alarming “that the National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, is executing the script of the ruling party by declaring results where the ruling party is on the lead while results were declared inconclusive and even truncated against the opposition party where PDP is on the lead.”

The PDP, at a press conference presided over by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday at the party’s national headquarters, Abuja, said that party members had been directed to occupy all INEC offices in the affected states to ensure that the stolen mandate of the party was restored.

“Today, the majority of Nigerians and the global democratic institutions are questioning the state of our democracy and electoral processes, which have been under siege under the supervision of President Muhammadu Buhari and Yakubu.

“In the light of these INEC’s manipulative tendencies, PDP, therefore, charges our leaders, teeming members and lovers of democracy in the affected states to immediately commence a march to INEC offices and use all legitimate means to protect our mandate as freely given by the people at the polling units across the nation.”

Meanwhile, INEC yesterday announced winners of the governorship election in more states. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of PDP in Delta State won, scoring a total of 925,274 votes to beat the APC candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, who scored 215,938 votes just as Prof. Babagana Umara of APC was declared winner in Borno State, having scored the highest votes of 1,175,440 to beat Muhammed Imam of PDP who came second with 66,115 votes.

Governor Ben Ayade was re-elected in Cross River State after scoring 381,484 votes to beat his closest rival in APC who polled 131,161 votes.

The Katsina State APC candidate, Aminu Bello Masari, won the governorship election. He polled 1,178,864 votes while his PDP counterpart, Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke polled 488,621.

In Kaduna State, Governor Nasir el-Rufai was declared winner, polling a total of 1,045,427 votes to defeat PDP’s Isa Mohammed Ashiru, who scored 814,168 votes.

Abdullahi Alhaji Sule, the candidate of APC emerged winner in Nasarawa State with 327, 229 votes to beat the PDP’s David Emmanuel Ombugadu with 184,281 votes.

Lagos – There were hints on Monday that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State may soon find his way out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over his spat with the party leadership.

Sources in APC said the governor may pitch his tent with the Action Alliance (AA) where many of his loyalists who are disenchanted with the APC national leadership decamped to.

The state chapter of the APC has been in crisis since the primary election that produced Akeredolu in September 2016.

Some party groups in the state claimed that after his victory in the governorship elections, Akeredolu failed to unite members of the party.

The crisis manifested in the presidential election where President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC candidate, lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC), Atiku polled 275,901 while Buhari had 241,769 votes in the state.

Piqued by this development, the National Working Committee (NWC) issued a query to Akeredolu over what it called “his glaring anti-party activities, which greatly affected the fortunes of our candidates in the recently-conducted presidential and National Assembly elections in the state”.

However, the party won 23 out of the 26 state Assembly seats in Saturday’s election.

Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, a party source in the state said Akeredolu who would be seeking re-election in 2020 may dump the party for AA where majority of his supporters are.

“Based on what we have heard, the governor is not ready to respond to the query issued him by the NWC. He knows the intention of the APC’s NWC led by Adams Oshiomhole is to suspend him just as they did to Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun.


“He also knows that with Oshiomhole in charge, it may be difficult for him to secure the APC’s ticket for a second term.

“That is why he is contemplating joining the AA where most of his supporters are. But from information available, he will remain in the APC except the NWC pushes him out either through suspension or expulsion.

“From latest developments in the party, the governor’s chances of picking the APC ticket for a second term is very slim,” he said.

However, speaking with our correspondent, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Akeredolu on Special Duties and Strategy, described the rumoured defection as untrue, saying he remained a bona fide member of the APC.

He also said it was untrue that many of the governor’s supporters were already in AA.

Odebowale said: “That is a lie and a terrible lie for that matter. Which Action Alliance are they talking about? He is a bona fide member of APC. It is also not true that majority of his supporters are in AA.

“We just finished the governorship and state House of Assembly elections and we cleared the seats. So, why should he decamp to AA? He is a member of APC and he is very much on ground.”

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has mandated its members nationwide to troop to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that its votes were not tampered with.

Speaking in a chat with Daily Independent, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said it is not acceptable that results in states where PDP is leading are declared inconclusive by INEC.

He said: “It is unacceptable and we are mandating our members to go to INEC offices in their respective states and use every legitimate means to ensure that our votes given to our party by Nigerians is not stolen”.

The former governor of Akwa Ibom Mr Godswill Akpabio on Saturday night stormed Essien Udim Local Government Area collation centre.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials alleged that he is insisting on foisting a regime of collation on official.

INEC officials on ground further alleged that the former governor stormed the center with a bus allegedly filled with election material As at the time of filing this reports frantic efforts were being made by INEC officials to call in security men to avert impending total breakdown of law and order at the collation centre Infact tension had already reached fever pitch as at the time of filing this report.

Last week Tuesday in Uyo INEC declared Mr Chris Ekpenyong of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district election. Announcing the results , the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Prof. Peter Ogban, said Ekpenyong polled 118,215 votes to defeat Sen. Godswill Akpabio of All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 83,158 votes.

Akpabio was the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom. The returning officer added that the total number of registered voters in the senatorial district were 655,525, accredited votes – 218,493, valid votes – 202,387 votes and void votes – 7,307. Also declared was the federal constituency of Ikot Ekpene – Obot Akara – Essien Udim. Announcing the result, the returning officer for the Federal Constituency, Dr Daniel Udo, said Nsikak Ekong of PDP scored 29,849 to defeat the incumbent Mr Emmanuel Akpan who scored 22,052 votes. The returning officer said total votes cast was 52,237, while valid votes — 52,036 and 201 void votes

Oluwatosin Omojuyigbe




Tension arose as nine ballot booklets got missing at the Ogudu collation centre for Ward 4 voting centre in the Kosofe area of Lagos State.

The Peoples Democratic Party agents were protesting the missing ballot booklets.

A PDP agent, Kunle Aladiyan, said the missing booklets were discovered this morning while INEC officials were distributing election materials to each ward.

Aladiyan, who noted that the party was not going to participate in the election without the missing booklets, noted that a similar issue occurred in the 2015 elections and they were pleaded with to let go.

He added that he urged the INEC officials to count the booklets before bringing the materials but the officials allegedly refused.

Aladiyan said, “That is how we lost 2015 election. We participated in the exercise thinking it would favour us, only for the missing booklets to find their ways to the ballot. We don’t want to be fooled again.”

A PDP Senatorial candidate in the last National Assembly election, Sherifat Olushola-Hassan, also said that the party would participate on the basis that all ballot papers belonging to ward 4 would be distributed.

An INEC official from Kosofe who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the officials that collected the materials only counted per cartons from Central Bank of Nigeria, BN, adding that if they had counted booklets in each carton, they would have found out about the missing items.

He added that booklets of ward 4 would not be used to avoid problems.

The Area Commander of Area H, ACP Miller Dantawaye, who led other security agencies to provide security for the centre and Kosofe area confirmed that he was there when the booklets were discovered missing.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Saturday, postponed the state House of Assembly election across Mopamuro Local Government Area of Kogi state.

The Electoral Officer, Mopamuro LGA, Mr Opanachi Ojodale, told the News Agency of Nigeria, at the INEC office in Mopa, that the election was postponed to Sunday, March 10, due to wrong ballot papers that were taken to the area.

According to Ojodale, the ballot papers belonging to Akpa LGA in Kogi East, were taken to Mopamuro LGA, development that was discovered in the early hours of Saturday (election day).

He told NAN that the new ballot papers for Mopamuro would arrive at the LG office later in the day, from AbujaNAN reports that INEC’s office in Mopamuro on Friday night distributed election materials to Registration Area Centres at the ward level across the LGA.

Meanwhile, some youths of Orokere community had earlier on Saturday conducted a peaceful demonstration to the palace of their traditional ruler, to protest against the alleged importation of thugs to their community by suspected opposition party members.

The youths alleged that the thugs were imported by some politicians in the area to cause mayhem and disrupt the electoral process.

Mr Segun Peter, the youth leader, who spoke on behalf of the youths at the palace, urged the monarch to call the politicians to order so as to forestall a breakdown of law and order during the elections.

“The thugs threatened to disrupt the electoral process in the community, and unleash terror on members of opposition parties.“The thugs also threatened that voters, who have decided not to vote for their candidates should not bother to come out to vote.

“We are peace-loving people, our youths are ready to stand firm and resist any form of intimidation to protect our votes,” Peter said.

The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, was yesterday allegedly stopped by Anambra State Government from holding a meeting in Agulu.

The news which first was taken as a rumour was confirmed when the people of the town, already seated for the meeting at 1p.m. were asked by the President General of the town, Mr. Andy Orakwue to leave the hall of Agulu Town Union Building on the terse reason that the meeting had been called off.

However, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, Mr. James Eze dismissed the story as unreasonable, pointing out that if no such action was taken against Obi in an election he was involved in, how would such be when he was not a contestant.

“It fails all logic to vend such stories. How can the government stop him? The Governor does not even have the power to do so and would never do so. Peter Obi held several meetings when he was contesting as Vice President and has been holding more and nobody stopped him so why should the government stop his meeting when he is not a candidate. Stopping his meeting is akin to stopping him from visiting Anambra and that did not and cannot happen. It is not true,” Eze said.

The President General was alleged to be under pressure to call off the meeting by security agents even when he explained that it was a routine meeting with the people, carefully chosen to hold before those that came home for elections would start returning to their bases.

The President General who presented the agenda which had “Thank you by the Vice Presidential Candidate, discussion on the planned empowerment of the people of the town by Mr. Peter Obi, and Peter Obi’s Mentorship Programme” as the only three items to security agents to convince them that it had no political undertone, was asked to call off the meeting in his own interest, since the order came from the government.

The Special Adviser on Media to the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, Valentine Obienyem, when contacted confirmed the story.

According to Mr. Obienyem, “His Excellency received many calls from security agencies on the meeting. Saddened by so violation of freedom of association contrary to the constitution, Obi said they had not given him enough reasons not to meet with his people. He even went on to demand they send their agents to monitor the meeting which had nothing to do with politics, but they would not listen, saying the order came from the government.

“Obi did not want to obey clear illegality as happened when the same people tried to stop him from coming to the state on flimsy reasons, but, alas, after much pressure, the subdued President General had to call it off. The irony of the situation is that the government said they were bent on making sure Obi loses his constituency even when Obi is not so much keen on which party wins the House of Assembly as his major concern now has to do with national issues.”

Reacting to the development in a letter by Good Governance Vanguard signed by its Chairman, Mr. Maduagwu Eric-kenny and Chief Emma Ejidike, the group said that “His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi is an illustrious son of Agulu, we are proud of him and he has every right to hold meeting and associate with his people.” The group warned those interfering with Obi’s fundamental right and freedom of association to desist from such illegality

On March 1, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) suspended Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun and Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, for what it viewed as anti-party activities.

The suspension of the governors alongside Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria Osita Okechukwu and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Usani Usani, did not however come as a surprise to most political stakeholders because some of them believe that the suspension ought to have come earlier.

In the case of the governors, the working committees accused them of supporting governorship and assembly candidates of other parties against those of the APC.

The working committee alleges that Amosun is supporting Mr Abdulkadir Akinlade, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement and Mr Dapo Abiodun while Okorocha is alleged to be supporting his son-in-law, Mr Uche Nwosu, the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance against Sen. Hope Uzodinma, the APC candidate.


Malam Lanre-Issa Onilu, the APC National Publicity Secretary, says it will be injurious for the party to allow such actions to continue.

“This actually embarrassed our President, but we thought at that period, we were facing the Presidential and National Assembly Elections and that it was not the appropriate time for us to do anything that might be destructive to our course, so we waited,’’ he explains.

Issa-Onilu notes that the governors may be influential in their states but their suspension from the party will not affect its victory in the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections on March 9.

He, however, observes that there will be negative effects when the party’s leadership allows its members who are in positions of influence to undermine its candidates.

“We need to get it clear to every member who supports such actions that the party is watching them and similar fate may befall them,’’ Issa-Onilu warns.

He notes further that the two governors have been sponsoring candidates against those recognised by the party.

“They occupy the position they are in today, courtesy of the ticket given to them by this party, to now use that opportunity to work against the interest of the party, you do not expect the party to look the other way.

“This has to happen when you realise that APC is a party of discipline that has come to establish the fact that to deepen democracy, you must subject everybody to the rule of law and that there must be equality for all before the law,’’ he says.

Issa-Onilu warns that as far as the APC is concerned, no matter what position an individual held, the party will not give him any leverage when he breaks the rules or the constitution of the party.

According to him, the party’s leadership has, at a point, issued queries to the governors to caution them against anti-party activities.

“Rather than show remorse, Okorocha and Amosun came out openly to endorse their choice candidates against the party’s candidates for the governorship election.

“Whichever way you look at it, that is anti-party activity, it is beyond the limit, and tolerating such will mean that our change mantra is just a mantra without meaning,” the APC spokesman insists.

He explains that the suspension of Okechukwu also borders on anti-party activities documented against him that undermines the party’s performance in Enugu State, citing the same offence against Usani in the Niger Delta region.

He, nonetheless, observes that the duration of their suspension will be determined by the time the report of the investigative committee on the matter is submitted to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

“I have forwarded the report to NEC, recommending their expulsion, the limit of the powers of the party’s NWC is to suspend; it does not have the power to expel.

“It is only NEC that can take that action, so we have exercised what the constitution of the party allows us to do, the report of our investigation will be put in place and passed on to NEC for further action,’’ he says.

He explains further that the NWC has decided to issue a query to Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State for anti-party activities, insisting that the party has video clip to prove the allegation.

Issa-Onilu says Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu’s comments are worrisome but have not suggested working against the party.

According to him, the minister has his grievance and has the right to express same within the law.

“The party does not have any evidence that Shittu is involved in any anti-party activity for now’’, he clarifies.

Mr Ade Omole, leader of the APC United Kingdom Chapter, is however, enthusiastic that the suspension of Okorocha and Amosun from the party will not affect the party’s victory on March 9 in the two states.

“We are hopeful and mobilising the electorate for all APC gubernatorial candidates across the country.

“The APC is the only party with a genuine plan to take Nigerians out of poverty to the next level of prosperity.

“Nigerians voted to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari, I am confident that the electorate will speak with a loud voice again to elect APC candidates in the upcoming governorship elections.

“The party is supreme, thus any decision taken by its national leadership will always be in the interest of its members, the decision to suspend the two governors is in the party’s interest and it will strengthen it’’, he observes.

Similarly, Mr Jacob Ogunseye, a chieftain of the APC in the United Kingdom, observes that the party will emerge victorious in Ogun and Imo in the coming elections.(NANFeatures)