₦airaland Forum

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, has lost his local government area in Ikwerre to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

PDP polled 13,716 votes to defeat the All Progressive Congress (APC) which secured 7,503 votes in the governorship election in the state.

According to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Accord Party polled 138 votes, Labour Party (LP) polled 895 votes and Social Democratic Party (SDP) had 1,447 votes.

lhordspy:
Some people still dont get this. Maybe because they are very new to Nigeria politics or first time voters.

During the Presidential campaign. The candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi exploit and explore our diversity, he capitalise on our religious differences in particular to instigate hate among the the two major religion we have in Nigeria. CAN, PFN turned themselves into a political group. Especially General overseers, they turned the altar into a political stage to preach politics and propagate hate against Muslim candidate.

Peter Obi's victory in Lagos during the presidential election wasn't just from the igbos but from the brain clouded, emotional religious sentimental yoruba christians who were sold with the Jihad bullcraps. After the victory, instead of building more bridges with the people that voted against Obi. The southe@sterners, feeling pompous and inflated came with the campaign of 'taking over lagos' . .. They ran twitter spaces, host interviews aided by their propaganda media house, AriseTV, scribbles and tweets were churned out about how they will sack all the obas and takeover the whole place.

How can you expect the yorubas who sided with you against their tribesman, Tinubu in the presidential election to feel about it? Happy that you want to takeover their ancestral land and mock them with it in return, just like you use the word; 'Afonja ' consistently to make mockery of our loss in Ilorin.

Sanwo Olu victory is not coming as a result of tribalism. The yorubas fought together as one again, and they won. Different yorubas from different religion, political parties, and across all board left our differences asides at the corner, came together to 'rescue ourselves'

At first it was cruise, then it became aggressive, now it is uncontrollable.. Cant even be tamed nor can they reason well. It is all noise, zero thinking and strategy. The Obidient movement is turning out to be a curse to Peter Obi and the hardworking innocent igbos who committed no crime but paying for the sins of the headless mob.

OHANAEZE Ndigbo has tasked the leadership of all Igbo town unions to use this year’s Christmas and New Year to address the issues of insecurity and frequent sit-at-home that have ruined the economic and social life of the South-East region.

It also urged them to talk to the youths in their various communities about the need to embrace hard work and shun get-rich-quick attitudes.

Ohanaeze said it could not understand how the South-East region which was the most peaceful suddenly became an area associated with only crimes and violent activities.

The group said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia.

The statement reads:” The South-East of Nigeria was adjudged the most peaceful and serene geo-political zone until April 5, 2021, when hoodlums or the unknown gunmen attacked and overwhelmed the Correctional Centre, Owerri, and released a total of 1,844 prison inmates.

"Ohanaeze had interrogated the strategic capacity of the local non-state actors to overwhelm a highly fortified Correctional centre and discharged a total of 1,844 inmates without any arrest. Since that episode, the Igbo are confronted with various forms of insecurity.

“Added to the menace of herdsmen-farmers clashes, we now have kidnappers and community invaders in many parts of Igboland. Hundreds of lives have been lost to these recent developments. This is very appalling and unbecoming. There must be a drastic step to counter the narrative.

“There is no gainsaying the rampant sit-at-home in the South-East has done incalculable damage to the Igbo economy.

"Evidence has shown that the Igbo adversaries are happy that we have chosen to face the barrel of the gun inwards.

“It is inconceivable that a group of people will decide to cripple its economy. This is an unfortunate exercise and must be addressed at the town’s meeting.

“That bad men thrive because good men go to sleep is an age-old statement founded on truth, reason and experience”.

Christians in Oyo State over the weekend converged and prayed for the presidential candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The event, which attracted almost 1,000 selected representatives of Christian groups, held at Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resorts, Akanran, Ibadan.

Muslim faithful across the State penultimate Saturday converged on the same venue to pray and endorsed Tinubu as their preferred candidate.

Traditionalist would also gather next Saturday to throw their weight behind Tinubu and pray for the success of his presidential ambition.

Those at event were the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Oyo, his vice-chairman, CAN chairmen in Lagelu, Ido, Ibadan South West, Ibadan North, Ibadan North West, Egbeda, Akinyele, Oluyole, Ibadan South East as well as the vice chairman in Ona Ara local government areas.

Others were CAN youth leader in Ibadan, WOMICAN chairman in Ibadannas well as its chairpersons in the 11 LGAs in the capital city. WOMICAN secretaries, treasurers, youth leaders PROs and other officers in Ibadan.

Speaking at the event, Sanusi, who was represented by Mogaji Nurudeen Akinade said electorates must look beyond religion so that Nigeria can move forward, saying that Tinubu is the solution to the current problem facing the country.

He noted that everything he has been doing for Tinubu was out of love for the country and not for material gain.

"Forget the religious card. I know it is unfortunate. And you know I won’t lie to you. I am a Christian like you. But Asiwaju is not someone to be afraid of. The North believes so much in religion, we believe in religion and the concept of Omoluabi. Tinubu has wives who are Christians as well as children. In fact, some of his closest associates too are Christians. So we need not worry.”

In their reactions, some of the clerics at the event promised to mobilise their members for Tinubu.

Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has said that he would not accept the chairmanship of the PDP Governors Forum because he is fighting for issues that are fundamental to the peace and unity of Nigeria.

Makinde, who stated this in Aba, Abia State while commissioning the Nwaobasi ring and the Osaa Okea – Umuakatawom roads, explained that the PDP can’t restructure Nigeria if it is not ready to restructure itself.

Niger-Delta militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo -Asari has strangely falling – out with the leader of defunct Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, saying he (Tompolo) had never been involved in Ijaw nor Niger- Delta struggle.

Stakeholders suspect that Dokubo-Asari was angry with Tompolo over the pipeline surveillance contract the Federal Government awarded him, which extended to parts of Rivers state.

In a trending video, Dokubo-Asari, said: “I cannot even compare myself to Tompolo, it is unimaginable that I will condescend to the level of Tompolo. Who is Tompolo, what is his antecedents, what is his name?

“Who is he, do not allow me open a can of worms, who is Tompolo, which Ijaw struggle is he fighting? He is fighting Itsekiri people calling it Ijaw struggle and Niger Delta struggle. Is he even involved in Ijaw struggle?

“Fighting war with Itsekiri, do not allow me to talk, he has never been involved in Ijaw struggle. Never. Gbaramatu versus Itsekiri – that is the war he is fighting. He is not even defending other Ijaw people who are fighting, Ogbe-Ijoh has been fighting with Aladja has Tompolo gone there before,” he said.

Some weeks ago, Tompolo, reportedly reached out to Dokubo-Asari and another former ex-militant leader, Ateke Tom, now a king, in Rivers state, but it appears Dokubo-Asari and Tompolo have not sorted out the bone of contention.

A master’s student in the United States and an indigene of Orlu Local Government Area, Imo State, Chimee Adioha tells GODFREY GEORGE how his father was whisked away by gunmen and later released after a huge ransom was paid

It was reported that your father was kidnapped by some gunmen in Orlu, Imo State. How true is it?

I don’t like the term ‘gunmen’, but I need to start telling myself the truth. The reality is hitting now. So, yes, it could be gunmen, because they had guns, and they were all men. They kidnapped my father in our hometown, Orlu, Imo State, where I had lived most of my life as a child. He is a retired teacher.

How did this happen?

It was on July 20, 2022. The gunmen came to our house, looked for my father and found him. Actually, they said it was the second or third time they were looking for him and never found him until that day. They had said if they didn’t see him the third time, they would take my mother instead. But they saw my father, blindfolded him, then they wanted to drive him away in his Toyota, but suddenly, the car did not start, so they held him and put him into their own jeep and drove away.

My father said the drive lasted for about 30 minutes. That was his rough calculation. I don’t know how someone would be blindfolded, in a place that has had records of insecurity, driving for all that long and there were no checkpoints, no police, nothing; just free driving and getting to their destination so safely.

How did you learn of the kidnap?

It was afternoon in Nigeria, but morning in the US. I had just woken up and then went back to sleep before working on the computer. I felt a little tired. Then a cousin called me, asking about a message he had seen in our extended family’s WhatsApp group, that my father was kidnapped. I had not seen any WhatsApp messages and I was both confused and frustrated at that moment. I opened WhatsApp and then saw the messages and then it dawned on me that it was real. This was happening so close, although I was too far away from home. I mean, I had always heard about kidnapping, but I hadn’t really had it so close, and then this was happening in my hometown, a place that was supposed to be so peaceful. It’s so heartbreaking how Orlu has been in the news for insecurity since 2021. I was trembling and I had to leave my door open for days to be sure I was not the only one in my apartment. My housemate was very helpful. I had panic attacks and my anxiety disorder rose.

Why do you think your father was targeted?

That was the surprising thing to me too. My father is not wealthy. We grew up in a very simple house. My parents have lived in our hometown for many years. My father says he was tired of those lower middle class and upper middle class confused categorisation because Nigeria does not even afford you that economic and social label. “Just say you are comfortable,” he says. My father studied Educational Psychology in Italy in the 70s and worked as a teacher and a principal for many years in Anambra and Imo states before he voluntarily retired. We have a house, and a car, just like a human being should. These are not supposed to define wealth. They are essential human necessities, if you ask me. My father is a Catholic Knight of St. Mulumba, kept a lot of psychological books on his shelf, someone who talked less and spread love, had tea each morning of his life, drink decaffeinated coffee and loves rice.

When and how did the kidnappers reach out to your family to demand ransom?

They reached out on the second day. We were not too surprised because people told us they do not usually reach out on the first day. They used my father’s WhatsApp to send bundles of voice notes, asking that they also speak to my brother. They said they only wanted to be speaking to one person, and that was my brother. I listened to some of the voice notes; I couldn’t listen to everything because the man’s voice scared me. He spoke too fast, with a different Igbo dialect, with weak English, with a commanding tone, both commanding and kind. So, it was a whole voice note festival, my brother sent, they sent, my brother sent again, asking to hear my father’s voice and they sent back the next day with my father’s voice. It seemed the place had steady music. There was always local music in the background, the music you can’t really place who the singer was, but it appeared like it came from a very large speaker. When they said we should not involve the police or any sort of security network, there was music in the background; when they said the amount of money my brother was proposing was “too tiny, as tiny as an ant,” there was also music in the background. Music every time that I wondered how they slept, how my father slept with all that music, someone that always wants everywhere noise-proof to be able to sleep.

Exactly one month to the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission has warned political parties and candidates against the use of masqueraders, public facilities and religious centres for campaigns.

The commission asked political parties to align strictly with the provisions of the Electoral Act to avoid sanctions as stipulated by the Act. INEC had fixed September 28 for the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly, while the elections would hold on February 25, 2023.

Relying on Section 92 of the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Committee on Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, in a recent interview with our correspondent explained that the law expected political campaigns to be civil and devoid of abuse.

In previous electioneering, some political parties and their candidates were wont to engage in all kinds of theatrics, including the use of masqueraders, to entertain the crowd and add colour to their rallies. Some also covertly campaigned in public offices and worship centres, especially churches and mosques, to woo civil servants and worshippers, respectively.

But quoting from the provisions of the section, Okoye said, “Section 92 of the Electoral Act makes it mandatory that a political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.

“Therefore, abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns.

“Subsection 3 states that places designated for religious worship, police stations and public offices shall not be used for political campaigns, rallies and processions; or to promote, propagate or attack political parties, candidates or their programmes or ideologies.

“Masqueraders shall not be employed or used by any political party, aspirant or candidate during political campaigns or for any other political purpose.”

As witnessed in some previous elections where parties hired thugs to repel detractors, Okoye in reference to subsection (5) of Section 92, warned parties and candidates against training or enlisting the help or services of individuals or groups for the purpose of displaying physical force or coercion in a manner that could arouse reasonable apprehension during the campaigns.

Sunday PUNCH reports that in previous campaigns, some political parties engaged thugs to ensure orderliness as well as prevent political enemies from disrupting their rallies.