₦airaland Forum

Hopefully, by February 17, or 18, barring any unforseen events, Nigerians will have known the winner of the February 16 Presidential election, an election that will for sure, determine much, the trajectory in which the nation’s development, stability and progress will largely travel upon.

Much as this race has a number of candidates, the election, however, is a near two-horse race between the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP contender. Both candidates have a number of factors going for them, as well as a few backstops.

Notwithstanding these factors as well as backstops, yours sincerely will be rooting for a Muhammadu Buhari, and my decision is not rocket science neither is it steeped in esoteric mysticism, no, it is based on what I feel is in the best interest of the nation and her citizens who have suffered terribly in the hands of past leaders. Writers are the conscience of any nation and I much intend to be just that.

The prospect of an Atiku Abubakar in Aso Rock would be most calamitous, off all the perceived failings of the Buhari administration, worse than these failures would be allowing Atiku into Aso Rock, a man who would do incalculable privation to Nigeria.

Yes, the Buhari admininistration has not been able to deliver on all its promises, no leader, be he endowed with dictatorial or democratic powers, can right all the numerous wrongs done before in one term of four years. However, the very thought of an Atiku presidency ought to verily raise a squawk-like protest amongst those who truly love Nigeria.

Atiku’s antecedents, as well as his campaign rhetoric so far, justify any progressive’s fears of the terrifying prospect of Atiku and his half-baked message of restructuring power.

Atiku, would work to reverse the cleansing of the Nigerian stables so far achieved by President Buhari, here’s a man indicted by the United States for his money laundering activities; a man, whose former boss described in uncharitable terms, forget that the same man is amongst those who now call for Buhari’s ouster, that sadly is the former leader’s ego tripping character, and a lot of Nigerians are not amused. Atiku’s record of public service has been nothing but an avenue to helping himself, his family and friends to our national chattels, a promise he reiterated recently that he would make money for his friends, many who, I may remind you, have become bankrupt, since access to state funds appears to no longer be there! He, as a customs officer, ( one of the nation’s most corrupt institutions before the emergence of the Buhari administration) set up Intels, a logistics firm that was largely strangulating the Nigerian economy before the present day government raised its eyebrows over its monopolistic hold over several of our ports from which it raked billions of dollars without Nigerians benefitting from its own wealth, matter of fact, it was the clipping of Intels that aggravated Atiku, prompting him to rejoin the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a party he had described as a platform nothing ever good could come out from. Naturally, he was back with fellow looters of the Nigerian commonwealth and even handed their presidential ticket on a platter of gold.

Not only will Atiku dissipate away the nation’s new journey to progress and an egalitarianism never ever witnessed in the annals of the country’s history, he will, as well, implement economic and social policies that will be beneficial to a few Nigerians like himself, a process his defeat at the polls in 2007 stopped him from actualising.

Atiku also masquerades himself as a democrat, this is indeed laughable, as even the most critical of President Buhari’s actions will mock Atiku’s attempt at pietism. Atiku, as a former vice president, presided over the most fraudulent of electoral processes in the 2003 elections, that returned him and his boss to power; he threatened to flog a judge for annuling the election of one of his political henchmen and, even instigated his home state’s legislature to pass a law in record setting manner to stop a political opponent then interested in the presidency from declaring his own ambition. The law passed the first, second and third reading procedures in a swoosh of 30 minutes.

Again, Atiku’s choice of a running mate in a former governor of Anambra State, in the person of Governor Peter Obi, has not helped his ambition much. Obi, a tribal and religious bigot, will naturally make a George Wallace feel at home with segregation and is naturally bound to elicit a number of votes against Atiku as pay back for his time as governor, where he largely carried out a number of activities that pitted Catholics against Anglicans and the Igbos against a number of ethnic groups, especially the Yoruba ethnic group, where the present vice president hails from, with 14,626,800 voters, the second largest after the Northwest, which is Buhari’s strong hold and has 18,505,984 voters.

A vote for Atiku is a vote for a return to the nation’s dark ages, Nigerians, however, will like Tenneysson’s poem, much prefer to cross the bar with a second term for President Buhari!

Gandollar:
Anyone OBJ supports in an election wins. Buhari is long gone.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept Mohammed Sani Musa as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Niger-East Senatorial District.

Justice F. O. Giwa Ogunbanjo, in a judgment on Thursday, said Musa won the APC’s primary held on October 2, 2018 and not Senator David Umaru , incumbent Chairman of Senate Committee of Judiciary laying claim to being the candidate of the APC for the same position.

Justice Ogunbanjo, in the judgment in suit marked: FHC:ABJ/CS/1120/2018, filed by Musa, upheld the argument of the plaintiff’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and granted all the reliefs sought.

The judge noted that while Musa scored 29, 192, Umaru scored over 5,000 votes in the primary election.

Among the granted reliefs included an order directing INEC to accept Musa’s name as APC’s candidate for Niger-East Senatorial District, and an order directing the APC to submit his name to INEC as its candidate.

Details shortly…

Lieutenant General Alani Akinrinade (retd), a former Chief of Army Staff, hass urged Nigerians to ignore the comments of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as he is an “irritable leader” who belongs in the “dustbin of history”.

He also urged the media to focus on their job as “the fourth estate of the realm” and endeavour to keep people in their place, and not give them unnecessary publicity.

He stated this in an advertorial published in The Punch newspaper on Thursday.

[quote]His words: “The Nigerian media appear to have forgotten they are indeed the fourth estate of the realm. They are gatekeepers. They owe Nigeria the responsibility of keeping this irritable man where he belongs — the waste bin of history.

“Like his daughter, Iyabo, reminded him in her letter, Nigeria does not belong to him. He should allow Nigerians choose who they want and stop goading the citizenry for his own selfish interests.

“Olusegun Obasanjo asking Nigerians to vote for Atiku Abubakar is an insult to our collective intelligence. With the benefit of hindsight, can anyone truly say Obasanjo’s sense of judgment in choosing leaders can be trusted?

“Take a good look at history. Through the clandestine manoeuvres in 1979, he foisted on Nigeria a reluctant Shehu Shagari at the expense of the cerebral Obafemi Awolowo or Nnamdi Azikiwe. After his second coming, he so manipulated the electoral system that he fraudulently installed an unhealthy Umaru Yar’Adua as President alongside another reluctant character in the person of Goodluck Jonathan as the deputy.

“He denied every interested member of his party while employing all sorts of machination including threat and blackmail. Then came 2015; he told Nigerians Muhammadu Buhari is the best man for the job. As he has done to every Presidential candidate he installed or supported, a few years down the line, he says Buhari is unfit for the job again.”

Akinrinade berated Obasanjo for endorsing Atiku after taking a contrary position in the past, stating that “The Bible says something about such people- a double-minded man is unstable in his ways, James 1:8. Obasanjo is not a man whose judgement can be trusted.”

Corrinthians:
Buhari has people who love him, believe in him, support him, they are willing to make sacrifices for him, WHILE Ati'aku Al'Camerooni simply has people who hate Buhari as supporters.

Corrinthians:
Saraki knew from the onset he was simply flexing nonexistent muscles to keep himself under the Nigerian political spotlight. Sensing Buhari wasn't gonna give an inch, calling their bluff with every move, he decided to, under the cover/pretence of intervention by the NJC, back off.

Be that as it may, na Ohamadike news me u want to read jor.

When will Reno and FFK react?

Saraki did not have the backing of the National Assembly to go to court

Bukola Saraki, Senate President, withdrew the Senate’s suit at the Supreme Court challenging the suspension of Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) because it was clear he was going nowhere with the move, SaharaReporters understands.

On January 28, three days after President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Onnoghen as CJN, the Senate cancelled its sitting for the day and instead filed a suit through Saraki before the Supreme Court praying for, among others, an order reinstating Onnoghen as CJN.

In the suit, marked SC.76/2019, the Senate asked the apex court to declare the suspension of Onnoghen without support of two-thirds majority of the Senate as a violation of section 292(1)(a)(i) of the Constitution.

It also asked the apex court to issue an order restraining the two defendants in the suit – the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami – from continuing or repeating the violation of the Constitution and disregarding the power of the Senate in respect to the suspension of the CJN.

The Senate made an about-face on Tuesday February 5, citing trust "in the ability of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to resolve the issues". However, SaharaReporters understands that this position was mere public posturing.

The NJC formally took up the Onnoghen case on January 29 at a meeting from which both the suspended CJN and his successor Tanko Muhammad recused themselves. At the end of the meeting, the NJC gave both Muhammad and Onnoghen seven days to respond to the various allegations against them — meaning that if the Senate truly trusted the NJC in full, that was the day to withdraw the suit instead of Tuesday.

But Saraki did not have the backing of the National Assembly to go to court. To file the suit, he would have needed a resolution of the Senate, which he didn’t get. And it became clear this loophole would be exploited when the Senate caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC), comprising 56 senators, applied to the Supreme Court to join in the Senate’s suit.

“As you can see, we already protested and we were asked to be joined in the suit,” an APC senator who didn’t want to be named told SaharaReporters. “The Senate never made a resolution to file that suit; and even if there was an attempt at such resolution, it would have died a natural death as we, who have the majority, are firmly with the president on this.”

Also, public sentiment was beginning to count against Saraki after members of the public were reminded of how he sacked the Chief Judge of Kwara State, Justice Raliat Elelu-Habeeb, in 2009 during his tenure as Governor of the state.

However, the Supreme Court eventually reinstated Elelu-Habeeb, with Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who delivered the judgement of a seven-member panel of justices, holding that when all the relevant provisions of the constitution were read together, it would become obvious that a state Governor could not remove a Chief Judge from office without having recourse to the NJC.

“It is not difficult to see that for the effective exercise of the powers of removal of a chief judge of a state by the Governor and House of Assembly, the first port of call by the governor shall be the NJC,” Mahmud had stated back then.

“From these very clear provisions of the constitution which are very far from being ambiguous, the governors of the states and the houses of assembly of the states cannot exercise disciplinary control touching the removal of chief judges of states or other judicial officers in the states.”

Incidentally, Onnoghen was one of the six other justices, the rest being Christopher Chukwumah-Eneh, Muhammad Muntaka-Coomassie, Olufunmilola Adekeye, Mary Peter-Odili and Olukayode Ariwoola.

Interestingly, Saraki lost the case against Elelu-Habeeb at all levels. When he sacked her, she instituted a case against him at the Federal High Court, where she won. But Saraki appealed to the Court of Appeal in Ilorin. In July 2010, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Elelu-Habeeb, and Saraki again appealed at the Supreme Court. On February 2012, the Supreme Court, as expected, reinstated Elelu-Habeed.

Finally, Paul Erokoro (SAN), counsel to the Senate, has been one of the numerous SANs leading the lawyers’ revolt against Onnoghen’s trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). On the opening day of the matter at the CCT — way before the Senate dreamed of filing a suit against the Nigerian Government at the Supreme Court — Erokoro was one of at least 47 SANs who trooped to the tribunal in defence of Onnoghen.

Meanwhile, the decision of the NJC on Onnoghen and Muhammad is being expected soon, as the seven-working-day deadline for their responses to the allegations against them will elapse on Thursday.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday assured Nigerians that he will not change his style when given a second term in office.

There have been insinuations the President will change and stop working for the masses if reelected.

But Buhari gave his assurance not to change during the Presidential campaign at the Aper Aku stadium in Makurdi, Benue State

The President promised that he would continue to remain steadfast and focused.

He also listed his administration’s achievements in the past three and half years.

Details Later…

Political campaigns are usually dirty, vitriol-filled and no respecter of truth. If the 2015 presidential election was preceded by a seemingly polarising campaign – one that fed fat on ethnic and religious differences, the current has relied heavily on fake news and underhand tactics.

However, across campaign grounds in the country, photographers, who are constantly on the trail of the main contenders – All Progressives Congress’s President Muhammadu Buhari and People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar – are documenting poignant moments that would have easily filtered away.

In this piece, we look at some interesting pictures from President Buhari’s campaign.

4+4 = ?

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PHOTO: BAYO OMOBORIOWO

Before the presentation of the 2019 budget to the National Assembly in December 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari’s famous fist was already a widely known symbol. But his rockstar entry into the House of Representatives chamber, where he presented the spending plan, Sai Baba came up with another one: he raised his two hands, bent his thumbs leaving four fingers left on each hand. The message was clear – Sai Baba was gunning for four more years.

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PHOTO: NOVO ISIORO

That gesture has now become arguably the most popular political symbol since the campaigns started last year. That was evident when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited the palace of Emir of Bwari.

High and above

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PHOTO: BAYO OMOBORIOWO

We can argue that VP Osinbajo’s use of 4+4 is a given, but what about this young man in Jigawa, who was adamant about literally standing head and shoulders above everyone else? The dangerous blend of loyalty and high-risk is clear enough. Did he stand out?

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PHOTO: BAYO OMOBORIOWO

Apparently, the Jigawa man was not the only one who intended to stand tall when Buhari campaign in the state on February 2. A few others (including kids) branched out from the crowd, choosing to perch on a leafless tree on the campaign ground.

Power fist

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PHOTO: BAYO OMOBORIOWO

However, that famous raised fist, like an old trusted friend, still gets to surface on the campaign trail whenever the president needs it, like when he went to commission the Ariaria Market Independent Power Project in Abia.

Victory for one, victory for all

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PHOTO: NOVO ISIORO

Let’s us not forget that VP Osinbajo victory sign is his own go-to sign when campaigning. That sign was once made popular in Nigerian politics by the first premier of the Western Region Obafemi Awolowo, whose granddaughter Osinbajo married. Coincidence?

Beating for an extra four

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PHOTO: TOLANI ALLI

Once upon a time, there was Akin the Drummer Boy…and in 2019, we have Sai Baba the Drummer President. How else can you show the people of South West Nigeria that you are at home in Ibadan, one of the most important cities in the region? By eating amala? Maybe. How about having a go at the gangan, also known as the talking drum?

Star Boy comes closer

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PHOTO: NOVO ISIORO

Talking about the South West, where VP Osinbajo is a son of the soil, APC is ruling in all six states. A lot of analysts think the region will tilt towards Sai Baba.

But the Star Boy of the APC campaign is taking no chances… It does not matter if you are an aged couple in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, or Alhaji Jamiu Sanusi with four wives in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, the Star Boy comes closer.

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PHOTO: NOVO ISIORO

Corrinthians:
Lord have mercy! The matter don enter confam source, Premium Times!

Look bro, I have said it times without number, HATE has never been a viable tool in any human endeavour, not even in WAR. Sadly, it seems to be the only tool in the hands of some folks who think themselves too enlightened and educated. Isn't it now very obvious whatever they throw at Buhari, inspired by hate, always come back to hunt them?

You think anyone would have paid any attention to this nonsense had they not driven the Sudan nonsense to such supersonic speeds and ecclesiastical heights?

Now, we will watch them swallow a dozen folds the pills they administered to others, while we relish the showdown from afar.

Shey Kanu, their god just yesterday, has become their number one enemy, ALL BECAUSE OF A FULANI THIEF FROM CAMEROON!

Wetin consine me be say, Ati'aku Frimpong Al'Camerooni must remove his trousers and show us his right thigh, period!

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Saturday, stirred controversy when he alleged that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is not “originally” a Nigerian.

“Do you know that Atiku Abubakar is from Cameroon? His area of Adamawa was in Cameroon,” Mr Kanu said in a live broadcast on Radio Biafra which commenced 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The claim by the separatist leader has generated a buzz, especially on the social media.

But, how true is that claim by Mr Kanu?

Going by history, he is in fact not entirely wrong in his assertion, a fact-check by PREMIUM TIMES shows.

Jada History
Atiku Abubakar is from Jada town in Adamawa State of Nigeria. However, Jada used to be in Ganye Local Government Area in Adamawa. Ganye is regarded as the mother of the whole Chamba tribe.

Okowa Campaign AD

This area was never part of Nigeria legally until the February 1961 plebiscite where the people of the then Northern Cameroon voted to join Nigeria.

The area had been entrusted to Britain by a League of Nations mandate in 1919 and later as Trust Territory by the United Nations in 1946, according to an article published on Myculturebase.

A plebiscite was held in British Cameroons to determine whether the people preferred to stay in Cameroon or align with Nigeria. While Northern Cameroon preferred a union with Nigeria, Southern Cameroon chose alignment with the mother country. On June 1, 1961, Northern Cameroon became part of Nigeria, and on October 1, 1961, the southern territory dissolved into Cameroon.

Ganye, which incorporates Atiku’s birthplace of Jada was the headquarters of British Cameroons, but following the plebiscite, joined Nigeria.

Though Mr Kanu is correct about the historical origin of Atiku’s Jada, it is, however, instructive to note that when Mr Abubakar was on November 25, 1946 born to a Fulani trader and farmer Garba Abubakar, Jada village and other parts of Chamba land in the then Northern Cameroon were still known as British Cameroons.

With the defeat of Germany in World War I, Kamerun became a League of Nations mandate territory and was split into French Cameroons and British Cameroons in 1919.

While France integrated the economy of their part of Cameroon with that of France, the British administered theirs from neighbouring Nigeria, making Atiku’s Jada a British franchise.



Aside from these historical twists, the fact, however, remains that the PDP presidential candidate is legally a Nigerian as Jada became a full Nigerian territory after the plebiscite 59 years ago.

Kanu’s Call
The IPOB leader in Saturday’s broadcast cited the plebiscite that incorporated parts of Chamba land into Nigeria as a justification for his call for a referendum.

Mr Kanu has been at the vanguard of the call for a break of the area he calls Biafra Republic from Nigeria through a referendum. The area incorporates South-east Nigeria dominated by the Igbos.

The IPOB leader, who is facing charges of treasonable felony at the Federal High Court in Abuja, had called for a boycott of elections in Anambra in November 2017 if the government failed to set a date for the referendum.

The call for a boycott failed as the election witnessed a large turnout.

Also, clashes occurred last September – two months before the Anambra election – between IPOB members and soldiers when the military commenced operation in South-east states.

Mr Kanu’s whereabouts were unknown until his reappearance last October in video footage, which showed him in Israel. He later made a broadcast on the Biafra Radio.

The IPOB leader also reiterated his call for a boycott of the February 16 elections by his supporters. He called on all “Biafrans” to sit at home on election day.

itspzpics:

Corrinthians:
No one is withdrawing nothing! The case must be pursued to a logical conclusion.

Corrinthians:
Atiku's father was a merchant who specialised in smuggling black soap to Nigeria through Bakassi from Cameroon. That was why he ensured Ndigbo loses Bakassi to Cameroon, just to create easy passage for his father's products into the Nigerian market.

Atiku had a twin brother who looked exactly like him so the father had his real name Ati'aku Al'Camerooni tattooed on his right thigh to differentiate the two of them.

I've deeply researched on the man and cane up with these.

Let Ati'aku take off his trousers and show us his right thigh to settle all this.

Corrinthians:
Useless statement. You're from Cameroon, and your real name is Ati'aku Frimpong Al'Camerooni.

You can only decieve Afonjas and not the great Igbo Race.

Ohamadike has spoken! Afonjas can go to hell!

Corrinthians:
Omo. This guy don hammer. I can only imagine what he and his wife would be discussing at night in bed. Like, "baby nwam, maga have paid! "

“Did you know that Nelson Mandela ran to Nigeria for safety during his time?