THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been advised to stop politicising the arrest of corrupt politicians in the country.
This advise is coming from the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
The PDP had alleged that the Federal Government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to incarcerate 50 of its members, before the end of the year.
“The latest needless onslaught against our party members is the plan by the APC government at the centre, to incarcerate 50 members of our party before the end of this year, with a view to using their arrests to deceive Nigerians that the failed anti-corruption war is still on course,” its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said in a recent statement issued on behalf of the party.
Responding, the APC through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi urged those claiming that the party was planning to harass members of the main opposition party, the PDP into jail to furnish Nigerians with the names of such people who have been pencilled down for such treatment.
“I have said that as political parties, we don’t arrest and if anybody has issues with the power to arrest, the person should go and deal with it instead of politicizing it. We are concerned with the art of winning elections as a party not arresting anybody,” he said.
Abdullahi also dismissed rumors making the round that it was deploying soldiers to rig the forth coming governorship election in Anambra state, saying the party was planning to win the election fair and square.
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“We believe strongly that the speculation of APC deploring soldiers to rig Anambra election is just a mere rumour because there is no evidence to that and if anybody tells you that the party is planning to deploy Civil Defence, police, soldiers or whatever to do anything in Anambra, tell the person to provide the evidence.
“We are planning to win the election election fair and square and if you are following the campaign going on, you will know the impact that our candidate is making. The incumbent will naturally be jittery and when a candidate is jittery the first thing he will do is to turn around and accuse the ruling party of planning to rig or whatever.
“We are not going to rig the election. We have won elections since we came to power as a national party and as a ruling party. We have equally lost elections. We lost the election in Osun and if we have soldiers and police and whatever to mobilize why didn’t we do it. We have lost couple of House of Representatives elections and couple of Senate elections.
“So, the speculation that we are planning to rig the election does not hold waters. Unless they have credible evidence that this is what we are planning to do. But to make this kind of allegation is not what we should dwell on too much,” he said.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said his administration has started addressing the issues behind the recent calls for restructuring of the country.
He stated this while endorsing autonomy for local government describing it as a tier of government critical to his administration’s anti-corruption crusade.
Mr. Buhari described the recent passage of the Local Government Autonomy Bill by the National Assembly as an indication that his administration had gradually begun the country’s restructuring.
“The good news is that the disposition of the National Assembly in granting autonomy to this very important tier of government is an indication that we have started already to address the question of restructuring which many Nigerians appear to be clamouring for,” Mr Buhari who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Fund, in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Dr Habiba Lawal, said while speaking in Abuja at a national workshop on anti-corruption, organised by the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
"Apparently, it is corruption that led to the relegation of the local government to the grips of the state government over the years thereby distorting and demeaning the real status of our federalism with regards to devolving governance. A once vibrant tier of government, which occasioned development at the grassroots, has gone into oblivion due to obvious reasons.
“I and my team are waiting patiently to receive the reports from the state Houses of Assembly so as to do the needful in the event that the current proposal for the review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended ) come to us for consideration and assent.
“The workshop and its theme couldn’t have come at a better time than now considering that Nigerians have spoken (through the National Assembly) in favour of local government autonomy and must be eagerly anticipating an autonomous third tier of government.
“Corruption in Nigeria as you all know is as visible as the nose on our faces. The dire consequences of corruption have led ultimately to what characterizes underdevelopment in Nigeria, especially at the grassroots in particular and the sub-Sahara Africa at large. It involves every tribe , section or sector of the nation, including every tier and organ of government.
“So far the experience has been daunting and the outcome quite revealing,” he noted, adding that “despite significant success recorded in recovering severally billions, corruption is fighting back even harder than we envisaged”.
He urged workers at the grassroots to support his administration in fighting against corruption, just as he acknowledged the role of whistle blowers in the anti-corruption war
Buhari said “individuals must be seen to be morally upright. Families must be willing to expose even their relatives found to be involved in corrupt practices”.
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Ibrahim Khaleel, said the critical position of local government in our federal system presupposes that the development or otherwise of our country depends largely on the performance of that tier of government
He added: “Sadly, the evidence of corruption in Nigeria, particularly at the local government level, appears to be eternal and its lingering effect has continuously bedevilled development at that tier of government which represents the people.”
So since the both of you rigged your way in and are not feeling the impact of this recession your wish should override that of Nigerians calling for him to step down?
EBONYI State governor, David Umahi has stated why he is urging President Muhammadu Buhari to to re-contest the presidential election in 2019.
He said since he has indicated interest to re-contest the governorship election in the state, the president should follow suit giving that both of them are serving their first term in office.
Umahi was elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in 2015, while Buhari was then the torchbearer of the All Progressives Congress.
“Well, any first term governor would want to go for second term and if what you wish yourself, you should be honest enough to wish another person the same.
“Since, Mr President is doing his first term and I am doing my first term, it’s my wish to re-contest and I will as well wish the president the same to re-contest,’’ Umahi said.
The governor, who spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, said Buhari is very qualified to seek a second term in office.
EKITI State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has described the sacking of the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, by President Muhammadu Buhari as an afterthought.
The governor said the indicted officials and others still in Buhari’s government should be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for thorough investigation and prosecution .
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said, “The President only acted because of the outcry of Nigerians, especially over the fraudulent reinstatement of the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdullahi Maina.”
“Enough of using probe panels to shield people accused of corruption in Buhari’s government. Rather, they should be arrested, detained and prosecuted by the EFCC as being done to others perceived as the president’s enemies.”
“Once again, Nigerians have proved that the power of the president is not greater than that of the people who elected him.”
“What Nigerians expected from a President who rode to power on the basis of integrity is a total cleansing of his government, not setting up a panel to investigate corruption allegations involving his men and reluctantly sacking a few of them because of public outcry.”
Maintaining that Buhari was aiding and abetting corruption, Fayose said apart from prosecuting the sacked officials, the report of the panel that investigated them should be made public. .
Alariiwo: She is currently being investigated in the UK where the Justice system works..
Nigerian Judiciary is nothing but a joke. Sentence. #5000 thief to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour but grant. $5 billion thief bail of #500,000 with like sureties. Who is doing who? Failed system
But you're trying others who committed the crime with her in Nigeria and the Justice system for trying them is okay baa?
Continue making mockery of yourself, efcc must be hiding something.
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos not to order the return of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from the United Kingdom to Nigeria.
The anti-graft agency described Diezani’s prayer to be brought back to Nigeria as a ploy to escape justice in the UK, where, according to the EFCC, she is being investigated for several financial crimes by the Metropolitan Police.
According to the EFCC, investigation by the Metropolitan Police in Diezani’s case had reached an advanced stage and her prosecution in the UK was imminent.
It, therefore, said it would not be in the interest of justice to grant Diezani’s application seeking to return to Nigeria.
The EFCC said this in a counter-affidavit it filed in opposition to Diezani’s application before Justice Rilwan Aikawa, wherein she is seeking an order compelling the Attorney General of the Federation to facilitate her return to Nigeria.
In the said application, which she filed through her lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, Diezani said she wished to appear before the Federal High Court in Lagos to defend a criminal charge, bordering on alleged laundering of N450m, where her name was mentioned.
The main defendants in the charge are a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Dele Belgore; and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.
But opposing the application, the EFCC, in a counter- affidavit deposed to by one of its operatives, Usman Zakari, explained that when it began investigation into the case involving Belgore and Suleiman sometime in 2015, Diezani spurned its invitation to explain her role and rather absconded to the UK.
It said its subsequent efforts by its operatives to interview her in London were blocked by her lawyer in the UK, John Binns of BCL Solicitors, who contended that Nigerian investigators could not interview her as she was outside Nigeria’s jurisdiction.
The EFCC said Diezani’s bid to now return to Nigeria was nothing but a ploy to escape justice having realised that her trial might soon begin in the UK.
ABOUT N17billion pension cash has been traced to the dismissed chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Task Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, with a long list of highly-placed beneficiaries.
The said cash was diverted by Maina from the N24billion budgeted by the Federal Government for payment of pension liabilities through the Presidential Pension Reforms Task Team headed by Maina.
The funds were stolen in five years from 2008 to 2013 in tranches of N2.7billion and N14.374billion respectively.
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress in Adamawa State, Mark Wosi, has described President Muhammad Buhari as the ‘father of corruption’.
Wosi was reacting to backdrop of several probe reports submitted to the Presidency, which appeared to have indicted Buhari’s top government officials of corrupt practices.
He said corruption allegations involving the top government officials in Buhari’s administration were been stalled because those involved were the President’s loyalists.
In an interview with Punch Newspapers, Wosi said , “You can ’t keep telling us you are fighting corruption while there are corruption allegations against people around you and yet you can ’t do anything about it. This only means you are the father of corruption . The integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari is now in doubt with all these fraud cases under his nose .”
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had on Wednesday , August 23 , 2017 , submitted to the Presidency the report of the committee that investigated allegations of corruption against Lawal and Oke .
Similarly, a committee set up by the Minister of Health , Prof . Isaac Adewole, had discovered that frauds to the tune of N919 m allegedly took place under Yusuf , who had spent less than a year at the NHIS . The report was then sent to the President on September 4 .
While Oke was supposed to have proceeded on pre – retirement leave from August as his tenure ends in November, there has been no official decision by Buhari on allegations against the NIA boss.
Also, chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in some states of the federation have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal , the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme , Prof . Usman Yusuf , and the suspended Director -General of the National Intelligence Agency , Ayo Oke , to save his anti – graft war .
A former head of state, Yakubu Gown has said ‘restructuring Nigeria’ is not a possibility.
Gowon who is known for his belief in ‘One Nigeria’, says the current composition of Nigeria makes it difficult for restructuring to take place.
Speaking in Minna, Niger state capital on Friday, the retired general advised the Nigerians to have faith in the indivisibility of the country.
He wondered why people were agitating for restructuring when Nigeria is made up of over 500 ethnic groups.
“Nigeria is made up of over 500 ethnic groups, languages and dialects and so many various groups called nationalities and they want restructuring.”
“This restructuring everybody is asking for, we will have about 500 different ideas of restructuring. There is call for restructuring to reduce the number of states to only a few either back to the old region or to the zones.
“Those are some of the ideas that I do not know whether it will be possible for any state today to wish to be merged with another state. Let us see whether our politicians will see guidelines to be able to achieve what they want.
“But I have my problem whether the states will be financially capable to they will be able to run there states properly,” he said.
A former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami (retd.), on Thursday said he rejected the appointment as the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Cases Trial Monitoring Committee set up by the National Judicial Council because it was not in his interest as he does not need it.
He denied a report in a national newspaper that had earlier reported on Thursday that Salami rejected the appointment because of some persons included as members of the committee.
But in an interview with Punch Newspaper, Salami stated his reason and hinted that he had sent a formal letter to the appropriate authorities to that effect.
He said the NJC and the courts abandoned him during his trying time while making a veiled reference to the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration’s refusal to reinstate him as the President of the Court of Appeal despite NJC ’s recommendation that he should be returned to office.
“I rejected the appointment because it is not in my interest”, he reportedly said.
When pressed further to elaborate on ‘not being in his interest’ he said, “It is because I don’ t need it”.
When told that it was reported that his rejection of the appointment was because of some persons appointed to work with him as members of the committee, Salami said “It is not; I don’ t just feel like doing it. it is not because of anybody.”
When reminded that the judiciary needs his help to remove the obstacles hindering successful prosecution of high profile corruption cases, Salami queried, “Where was the judiciary when they were harassing me? Where was the court when they were harassing me?”
The CJN had on September 18 announced sweeping reforms to fight corruption on the bench and to better position the judiciary to fairly and expeditiously determine corruption and financial crime cases.
One of such mechanisms , Justice Onnoghen had said , would be the creation of Anti -Corruption Cases Trial Monitoring Committee to monitor and enforce the new policies.
One of such new policies announced by CJN was the designation of special courts for corruption and financial crimes.
The CJN also directed all heads of courts to compile and forward to the NJC lists of all corruption and financial crime cases being handled by their various court.
He added that heads of various courts, including the Supreme Court had also been directed to “clamp down” on both prosecuting and defence lawyers, who tried to stall criminal cases.
The CJN also directed heads of court to report such cases to the NJC, which would , in turn, report it to the Legal Practitioners ’ Privileges Committee , in the case of senior advocates ; and to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee in the case of other legal practitioners.
He was worried about concerns expressed by members of the public on the very slow speed corruption cases in particular were being heard or determined by courts.
The monitoring committee to be set up by the NJC is expected to monitor the new policies.
The CJN had said , “In this regard , we have just directed heads of court to clamp down on both prosecuting and defence counsel who indulge in the unethical practice of deploying delay tactics to stall criminal trials.”
BANK documents have shown how Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service (SSS), once made curious huge cash transfers into a bank account associated with a former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, fugitve Abdulrasheed Maina.
The security outfit is reported to have paid a total of over N152 million into Maina’s account.
The uncovering of the payments by Premium Times suggests Mr. Maina and the security agency had been in an unholy relationship for a while.
Sometimes in 2011, while serving as chairman of the pension task force, Mr. Maina, using his banker sibling, Khalid Ali Biu, opened a corporate bank account in the name of Cluster Logistics Limited domiciled at Fidelity Bank.
Mr. Biu, who was a staff of the bank, was both the bank’s account officer as well as a director of the fictitious company, according to bank and company registration documents sighted by the news medium.
Bank papers, including mandate card for the Cluster Logistics account also identified Mr. Maina as a signatory to the account.
Investigators said the account had over N500 million cash inflow that were mostly cash deposits made between 2011 and 2013.
Withdrawals from the accounts were also largely in cash. Some of the money, according to investigators, were also changed into dollars.
Curiously, however, among deposits into the accounts were three payments made over a period of one year by no other than the SSS, under its preferred name of Department of State Services (DSS).
Bank documents show that the security outfit paid a total of over N152 million.
The first tranche of over N61 million was paid on November 16, 2011 and the last made on November 14, 2012.
One of the deposits shows that it was made in the name of “DSS Pension Biometrics”.
It is unclear if Cluster Logistics offered any services to the SSS to warrant any payment.
The discovery of the account details, according to a source, “unsettled the SSS despite the EFCC’s effort at downplaying the matter in the spirit of inter-agency esprit de corp.
“Now that the whole case is being revisited it is important for the president to order forensic investigation into the SSS pension department,” he said.
Another EFCC official, who asked not to be named, said before the recent controversy over Mr. Maina’s matter, the commission was already preparing to arraign some of the bankers who aided the dismissed civil servant to allegedly launder billions.
The two agencies could not be reached for comments on this new discovery.
SENATOR Isah Hamman Misau has levelled fresh allegations against Ibrahim Idris, Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Misau said on Wednesday that the police boss purchased two Prado Jeeps for Aisha Buhari, wife of the president, for personal use.
The allegations were raised by Misau when he appeared before the eight-member ad hoc committee of the Senate probing earlier allegations levelled against Idris by Misau.
He told the committee which has Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North) as chairman that the first lady had requested through her aide-de-camp for Sienna and Hiace buses, but the IGP instead bought two Prado Jeeps which were not budgeted for.
Misau also told the committee that the IGP manipulated his retirement date just as he alleged that the expected date of retirement of the police boss was fraudulently doctored on the staff list of senior police officers from January 3 to January 15, 2019.
Speaking further, Misau, who accused the IGP of employing four civilians in his office and paying them the salary of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, said that the police boss has also engaged the services of a retired police officer to handle investigation as against the code and Act establishing the police force, adding that all investigative cases were supposed to be under the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in Area 10, Garki, Abuja and not a retired officer.
Giving a detailed presentation to the committee, Misau said, “Sometime in July 2017, I was in the office of Senator Baba Kaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business when a Daily Trust reporter sought my views on the information that policemen pay as much as N500,000 for special promotion.
“To verify this information, I called some serving police officers who confirmed to the three of us that the information was not only true, but that the amounts paid are up to N2,500,000 in addition to other information.
“I hereby forward for your consideration the detailed terms of allegation against the police, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Police Service Commission: Deployment of policemen to private organisations: Between 50,000 to 100,000 policemen are routinely deployed by the police to oil companies, oil servicing companies, banks, oil marketers, and private individuals etc, with regular payments made to the police. While these monies are estimated to run into billions monthly, they are, however, unaccounted for.
“Today, the situation is so bad that businessmen with dubious characters and suspicious businesses now go about with full detachment of policemen and some with full convoy and blasting siren, especially in Lagos, Port Harcourt and other major cities in the country, thereby worsening the country’s policing ratio of 1 policeman to about 800 citizens as against the UN recommended ratio of 1 policeman to 400 citizens.
“Special promotion racketeering by the IGP and the Police Service Commission: The Police Service Commission whose main function is to recruit, train, discipline, promote and retire members of the force, appear to have left its core mandate to indulge almost exclusively in promotion racketeering. When the IGP was appointed, 23 AIGs and above were compulsorily retired to enable him discharge his duty, showing clearly that special promotion is injustice, because it is an attempt to put junior officers above their seniors.
“Favouritism in promotion/appointment of police commissioners: There is a lot of favouritism in the promotion/appointment of commissioners of police. Junior deputy commissioners of police are given commissioner of police on acting capacity as against seniority and merit thereby blocking eligible candidates. A recent example is the present CP Lagos who is a junior DCP to two other DCPs, he is now given acting CP and posted to Lagos. These acts of favouritism have eroded discipline in the force which is the backbone of any successful organisation.
“Postings/transfers: Transfers of commissioners of police, state mopol commanders and special protection unit commanders are riddled with corruption.
There are Chief Superintendents of Police (CSPs) with over 10 years’ experience. Out of 41 mopol commanders, about 19 mopol commanders are junior Superintendents of Police (SP).
“It is so bad that instead of the commissioners of police in charge of units, like the Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit, the postings and transfers are effected in the office of the IGP because of special interest.
“It is alleged that a woman Assistant Commissioner of Police who is in charge of posting and transfer at the Force Headquarters, Abuja and is known to be close to the IGP, collects money for general postings and transfers, and this is verifiable through the ACP’s account details and those of her immediate subordinate officers and men as the money collected are usually through bank transfers.
“The IGP posted a commissioner of police who for the past 17 years has not worked/served in a police formation to take charge of a state. This officer who was a former police ADC to the late former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and also served under former President Jonathan, is now the commissioner of police, Adamawa State. Foisting such officer without operational experience has been a major setback to the current administration’s fight against criminality, especially the Boko Haram insurgency. This officer enjoyed special promotions three times to become a commissioner of police while his mates are currently Chief Superintendents of Police (CSPs). Such level of operational inexperience is not only a risk to the officer himself, but also to his command and the state at large.
“Illegal diversion of fund by the IGP: The IGP is alleged to have diverted the funds provided under the 2016 Appropriation Act for the acquisition of armoured personnel carriers (APC) to purchase of luxury cars without virement. He essentially runs the police like a personal property by applying police resources and valuable assets to personal use by his children and close associates.
“Use of special units to undermine legitimate police departments: The IGP introduced a curious system where so many investigation units report directly to him. In addition to the above mentioned units, others include IGP Response Team, IGP Monitoring Unit, and Special Investigation Panel (SIP) which are inappropriately headed by a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police in contravention of Public Service Rules. It should be noted, however, that according to the police standard operation, all investigation and intelligence units are legally under the Force Criminal Investigation Department. The current situation has not only rendered the Deputy Inspector General’s office moribund, but also made the office redundant.
“The Inspector General of Police is also in the habit of regularly withdrawing cases from the DIG Investigations/Intelligence and reassigned to junior officers loyal to him, thereby effectively undermining the Deputy Inspector General.
“Poor attention to personnel welfare: Attention is not paid to welfare and logistics need of officers and men, thereby causing low morale. The conditions in the Police Academy, police barracks and Police Colleges are not only inhospitable but are also inhabitable. About four months ago, about 3000 policemen were deployed from 30 states to Maiduguri, Borno State for special duties, without logistics. To avoid paying the necessary allowances, signals were issued to convert the deployment to permanent transfer after three months special duty. Officers are transferred to different states and locations without any allowance or money for movement.
“The IGP is known to have recruited retired an Assistant Inspector General of Police and other civilian personnel without recourse to the Police Service Commission or the Public Service Rule. Aside from the financial implication of such recruitments on public fund, these unlawfully recruited personnel in most cases take over the job schedule of serving senior officers.
“The IGP Nepotism: The IGP is alleged to aggressively pursue nepotistic tendencies in favour of his Nupe officers and men. For example, an ACP who is the IGP tribal associate and a beneficiary of special promotion from CSP to ACP, is the OC in charge of all the following units: IGP Tactical Squad; IGP Tracking Unit; and Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), thereby collapsing the CP Federal SARS under his watch as a commissioner of police, Kano. Officers close to the IGP are alleged to have fraudulently sold over 20 exhibit vehicles in police custody.
“Relationship with women police: The IGP relationships with women and even women police is common topic within the police circle. His wedding to woman DSP is not going down well with officers and men of the force. And this is encouraging indiscipline in the force. Another concern is his open relationship with another woman Corporal Amina who was alleged to have enjoyed special promotion.”
Other members of the ad hoc committee are Joshua Lidani (PDP, Gombe South); Binta Masi Garba (APC, Adamawa North); Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna North); Nelson Effiong (APC, Akwa Ibom South): Obinna Ogba (PDP, Ebonyi Central); Duro Faseyi (PDP, Ekiti North) and AbdulAziz Murtala Nyako.
Meanwhile, Alimikhena disclosed that Idris will appear before the committee next week for his own side of the story.
THE Senate has taken away the power of the State Independent Electoral Commissions to conduct local governments elections.
That power has bow been given to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The resolution of the Senate came after a prayer by Senator Dino Melaye during the ongoing consideration of the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
Melaye argued that for the country to have free and fair local government elections, the INEC must oversee the process and not SIECs.
The federal lawmakers also gave 30 days ultimatum to the President and Governors to appoint Ministers and Commissioners after inauguration into office.
The Senate adhoc Committee in its amendment of the Constitution has also eliminated the joint account between states and local governments.
ROCHAS Okorocha, Imo State Governor, has said that he will not contest for presidential election at any given time unless 10 million Nigerians endorse him.
Okorocha gave the statement in Owerri, the Imo State capital, when he addressed youth delegates from all the geo-political zones in the country, who paid him a courtesy visit.
He said that, as a child, the north gave him education and secured his future and was born of Igbo patronage, raised by the north and empowered by the west, hence, he needed nothing more than to be a detribalised Nigerian.
Okorocha also said that he is in politics not for personal aggrandisement but for the sheer glory of it and for the reason that he came to serve selflessly.
According to him, “I will not run in 2019 if President Muhammadu Buhari will be running. Even at that, I will not also run at any given time unless 10 million Nigerians endorse me.
“May I remind all of you that my joy this evening has no bounds for the singular fact that the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, northern minorities, western and eastern minorities, Muslims and Christians and others can sit down in a roundtable and speak like members of one family. If only for this, my mission for this nation is today achieved.
“I am an Igbo man with Igbo parentage. I was born and raised in the north. The north gave me education, guaranteed my childhood, even when I was not worthy to be called anybody in this world.”
Politics › PDP Advised To Stop Politicising Arrest Of Corrupt Politicians by Limitednow(op): 9:33am On Nov 10, 2017
