₦airaland Forum

President Muhammadu Buhari last week
appointed Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari as Acting
Chairperson of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) following the
expiration of the 5-year tenure of Prof.

Attahiru Jega who held the office until last
Tuesday.
Jega had upon the completion of his tenure,
handed over to one of its National
Commissioners, Mohammed Wali, but
Buhari has replaced him with Zakari.

Her appointment has since continued to
generate controversy among political
parties and stakeholders, even as the
opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
has condemned her appointment.

The Campaign Against Zakari
The position of the party is premised on its
allegation that the appointee is close to both
the president and his All Progressives Congress (APC).

The fear of the PDP, based on the allegation,
is that her appointment would give the APC,
(which she is allegedly sympathetic to),
upper hand in the various petitions before
the election petition tribunals.

The PDP, other political parties and
stakeholders opposed to her appointment
are of the view that Buhari should have
allowed Wali who was part of Jega’s team to
oversee the conduct of local government
elections as well as other outstanding
governorship elections in states like Edo,
Bayelsa, Kogi and Ondo, arguing that the
idea behind Zakari’s hurried appointment
was to help manipulate the elections in
favour of the ruling APC.

The PDP in a statement issued by its
National Publicity Chairman, Olisa Metuh,
“declared the appointment of Mrs. Amina
Zakari as unacceptable and demands that
President (Muhammadu) Buhari changes
her immediately,”
The statement further stressed that “The
situation in INEC since the PDP government
reformed and granted it operational
autonomy has been peaceful, but Tuesday’s
untidy overruling of Prof. Jega and
appointment of Zakari as acting chairman,
which, we gathered, was influenced by
personal relationship with the Presidency
and one of the new governors of the North-
West, ostensibly to pave the way for the APC
at the electoral tribunals, has completely
eroded public trust in the commission.

Metuh said that his party believed that due
process was not observed in the
appointment of the acting INEC boss and
that Zakari had allegedly shown in the last
elections that “she is manifestly bias in
favour of the APC.”

Presidency, Labour Party PDP
Buhari, through his Special Adviser on
Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a
statement Thursday in Abuja, however,
noted that “Contrary to Mr Metuh’s
allegations, President Buhari’s appointment
of Mrs Zakari as Acting INEC Chairman was
based entirely on merit, her vast experience
in the internal operations of INEC and the
President’s commitment to affirmative
action in support of gender equality,
because, apart from being fully qualified for
the position, Mrs Zakari was the only
woman among the six Commissioners
considered”, it stated.

It added that, “Due Process was certainly
followed in Mrs Zakari’s appointment. Mr
Metuh’s spurious claims of her appointment
having been influenced by “personal
relationship with the Presidency” and a
Governor in the North-West “to pave the
way for the APC” at election tribunals should
be disregarded by the public.

“The allegations are nothing but falsehoods
contrived by Mr Metuh to unjustly denigrate
a President popularly elected by Nigerians
to undo the damage done to the nation by
years of PDP rule.

“His claim that the PDP has rejected Mrs
Zakari’s appointment is also laughable after
he had admitted that the right and power of
the President to make such appointments
cannot be questioned.

In the same vein, Labour Party (LP) has
chided the PDP for demanding the reversal
of Zakari’s appointment.

National Chairman of the LP, Alhaji
Abdukadir Abdulsalam, while speaking with
newsmen in Abuja on the appointment of
Zakari said his party has worked with her
and is pleased with her pedigree noting that
her appointment was in order.

He said “this is apart from being the first
woman head of INEC appointed by President
Muhammadu Buhari. We have related,
worked and interacted with her at the
commission, and have assessed her
pedigree. We are convinced that the
President made the right decision in
appointing her. This does not make her
partisan, or supportive of any political party,
unless the PDP is not serious about their so-
called opposition. That is not how to do
opposition.

“Opposition is not based on just criticism on
every petty and negligible issue. All the
opposition politics of the PDP are not
reliable, because they are doing it out of
fallacy and jealousy. The PDP appointed all
sorts of manners of people even when
majority of Nigerians believe they were
wrong. On this appointment, we are
supportive and congratulate her. We are
ready to work with her and I would call on
all political parties to work with her to
consolidate the nation’s democracy”.

Conclusion
On her appointment last week, Zakari
assured that the commission under her
watch will improve on past performances,
noting that her assumption is “just a
continuation to what the former Chairman,
Professor Attahiru Jega, has started which
has been at a high level and there shouldn’t
be any problem.

“I have been part of the process: I have
known the problems, challenges and I have
seen the successes. What is remaining is for
us to build on the successes and try to tackle
the outstanding challenges”.

Going by the allegation and counter-
allegation on the motive of her appointment,
as well as her declaration to move the
commission forward, only time will tell
which side of the divide is saying the truth.


Cc:lalasticlala

Source: http://leadership.ng/news/445196/inec-why-the-furore-over-zakaris-appointment

Virgin Alert, am also a virgin like u

Gurgle:
do you people write these yourselves? or wia you pick am

don't know which answer I would prefer...smh

That Nigerian police for you

Cutehector:
And they use rubber bullets to chase criminals

The police in Kaduna used live bullets to
disperse angry youths who were protesting
the appointment of the interim caretaker
chairman of Chikun local government
area,Hajiya Hadiza Yahuza.


Cc:lalasticlala

Source: http://leadership.ng/news/445058/police-use-live-bullets-to-disperse-protesting-youths-in-kaduna

There is currently tension in Kaduna as
youths, predominantly Gbagyi, blocked
the major roads leading to Chikun local
government area of Kaduna State in protest
of the appointment of Hajiya Hadiza Yahuza
as interim chairman of the local
government.

The situation attracted heavy traffic jam as
workers were prevented from accessing the
road to their work places.

Meanwhile, heavily armed policemen are
presently using tear gas to disperse the
angry youths.

About five youths have been reportedly shot
by the police,but it is not certain whether
they are alive or dead.

The area is temporarily cleared now by the
police, but no one can tell the next line of
action of the protesting youths.

Meanwhile, the Interim Management
Committees (IMC) are expected to be sworn
in today by the governor Malam Nasir El-
Rufai.

It would be recalled that prior to the
screening and confirmation of the said
chairman on Friday last week, the youth had
on Thursday protested to the state House of
Assembly against her appointment and
requested that their own be appointed
instead.


Cc:lalasticlala

Source: http://leadership.ng/news/445053/tension-in-kaduna-as-youths-block-highways-to-protest-appointment-of-interim-council-chair

See how this topic has made me useless this morning (

Viewing everylady pishure as if my hole life depends on big breast

@LaDivva u try both ur breast

Op uno try atall ooo

He has ga the money, flex harder man it your time

K

K. Source

Thread like this, makes me want to deactivate my account for good

Fg, needs do something about this DSTV issue

beside op source?

K

One man food is another man's poison "does this ring a bell"

Gurgle:
LOL no. is it for you to say why somebody i was awake

U were awake all night because of this. Smh

Gurgle:
hahaha but why does my post disturb you. you self why don't you face front

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project
said the ECOWAS Court has entered judgment in
favour of some residents of Bundu Ama, in Port
Harcourt, who were brutalised by security forces
while protesting the demolition of their settlement by
the government in 2009.

According to SERAP, following the judgment of the
ECOWAS Court, the Federal Government of Nigeria
had paid the victims N6.5m as compensation.

The plaintiffs – Israel Okari, Joy Williams, Austin
Onwe, Tamno Ama, Victor Opium, Mark Bomowe,
Napoleon Tokubiye, Napoleon Tokubiye, Jonathan
Bokoko, Williams Tamuno and Linus John, had with
the support of SERAP instituted the suit numbered
ECW/CCJ/APP/10/10 against the government.

The plaintiffs, who were represented by Mr. Femi
Falana (SAN), had joined as the respondents in the
suit the Attorney General of the Federation and
former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Also joined as respondents were the Rivers State
Commissioner for Justice and the state’s
Commissioner for Urban Development.

They had, in their statement of claims, averred that
armed security forces on 12 October 2009 “opened
fire on unarmed protesters in Bundu Ama, an
informal settlement in Port Harcourt, leaving at least
one person dead and 12 seriously injured.”

The plaintiffs also accused the Rivers State
government of aiding “the Federal government’s
planned large-scale demolitions of the city’s
waterfront settlements, home to at least 200,000
people.”

They further claimed, “The planned large-scale
demotions were developed without adequate
consultation with affected communities.

“Njemanze waterfront, a community close to Bundu
Ama, was demolished in August 2009 and an
estimated 13,800 to 19,000 people were forcibly
evicted from their homes. Thousands of people,
including children, women and the elderly, were left
homeless and vulnerable to other human rights
violations.”

According to SERAP, the court in its judgment, “ruled
that there was no justification for the shootings and
that the Nigerian government had breached its
obligation to protect and respect the right to peaceful
association and assembly.”

The court was said to have berated the Federal
Government for “its failure to investigate and
prosecute members of the security forces who killed
and injured protesters, violated the right to protest.”

And “awarded a total of N11m – nearly $70,000 USD –
in damages” in favour of the plaintiffs.
Reacting to the judgment, the Executive Director of
SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, lauded the government
for complying with the court’s judgment and paying
the victims the compensation awarded to them.

“We welcome the payment of compensation by the
government. This shows that there is penalty for the
government when it allows its security forces to use
excessive force against peaceful protesters, and
unlawfully drive them away from their homes, with
tragic consequences for citizens and communities.
That was the case here.”

Mumuni, however, urged President Muhammadu
Buhari’s administration to implement the outstanding
orders of the ECOWAS Court in the case.


Cc:lalasticlala

Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-pays-n6-5m-to-victims-of-rivers-community-shooting/

Nice one @abaga

Kul "action woman

Lalasticlala "what am trying to say is that u hadly quote one on ur thread, u just post and move on, 'unless @ur mention"

He has never hidden his ambition to be the president of Nigeria. In fact he has held that ambition more than anybody else.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is in the news again as his opponents accuse him of being behind the crisis in the ruling
APC in order to achieve his presidential ambition in 2019. EMMA ALOZIE looks at Atiku’s one final push to actualizing this long
held ambition

ATIKU Abubakar, former vice president has probably held a presidential ambition longer than any other living Nigerian. So his inability to bring that long held ambition to fruition cannot be for lack of preparation. In fact, it can be argued that he has a
better economic blueprint than any other presidential aspirant at least in recent history.

However, in the long time he has held this lofty ambition, which dates back to the early 1990s, his name has only made it once to the ballot paper in any general election. And that was in 2007, when as a sitting vice president under a Peoples Democratic
Party government; he contested on the platform of the South Western based Action Congress, which is now defunct.

In the two subsequent times he aspired, he never made it out of the party primaries, even when he emerged as a Northern consensus candidate in 2011 and contested the PDP’s primary with former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In 2015 when he doggedly contested the presidential primaries of the now ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, he came a distant third behind President Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Musa
Kwankwaso.

Therefore it can be safely concluded that what is holding Atiku from realising this lifetime ambition of being Nigeria’s president is his inability to run in a general election under a truly national party.

His admirers and followers will tell you that he is not lacking in capacity or national appeal to win a nationwide election, rather what seems to be lacking is that extra party spread for proper mobilisation.

The financial war chest to finance a general election is believed not to be a hindrance.

This perhaps explains the recent scramble ahead of 2019, which has unfortunately themselves with President Buhari and hijack his
presidency under the pretext of loving him more than anyone else.

These political ventriloquists are hiding behind the cover of anonymity to achieve their sinister agenda of making Atiku the fall guy in the unfolding political developments,” Atiku’s media
office said.

Hard as Atiku may try, there are three factors that may ultimately hold his ambition to ransom. The three factors are the Tinubu factor, the Obasanjo factor and the perception factor.

The Tinubu factor
The crisis testing the will and capacity of the ruling APC currently has been blamed on Tinubu/Atiku feud. It is believed that Atiku wants to hijack the structure of the party, which is currently believed to be with Tinubu.

The calculation is simple; if it is true that President Buhari is only interested in completing one term in office, then Atiku’s loyalists believe that it would be easier for him (Atiku) to clinch the party’s ticket in 2019 and ride to power.

However, this may remain a pipe dream if Tinubu’s grip on the party is not loosened. This perhaps explains more than long as Obasanjo remains a huge political factor in Nigeria, he shall continue to scupper Atiku’s presidential quest, despite the recent outburst of Atiku that he does not care what Obasanko’s thinks
about him.

Though he recently dismissed Obasanjo when he said, “As far as I am concerned, Obasanjo may believe that he scuttled my presidential ambition, but I believe it is about God. If God says I will be president, I will be president; if He says I will not be
president, I will not be president. Let’s forget about Obasanjo,”there is no mincing words, Obasanjo would work round the clock, pull all strings to scuttle Atiku’s presidential hopes.

Perception factor
In politics, perception could be everything and this is another major hindrance to Atiku’s quest for the presidency. By whatever inexplicable means, his political opponents have successfully left the tar of corruption on his face and this has sure stuck.

He has the political finesse, the charisma and even the robust intellect to steer the affairs of Nigerian state, but many Nigerians out there associate him with unproven corruption. Though no court of law whether in Nigeria or abroad has convicted him of
any corruption charges, but he seems to carry the burden of perception of being the most corrupt politician around.

When he was recently asked about this apparently erroneous perception, he said, “I’m not worried. You can investigate me. But you know most of my cases have ended up in the court up to the Supreme Court and the apex court has ruled on them. Thus, for you to reopen a case that has been closed by the Supreme Court but I am ready to be investigated.”

This apparently may not define the totality of this retired Customs officer, but it sure would affect whatever political ambition he still has left in him, especially at a time majority of Nigerians believe that the only problem Nigeria needs to tackle to move forward is corruption. any other thing else, the squabbles threatening the ruling party.

Atiku understands more than anybody else that whatever future political ambition he is nursing, will be effectively hampered with Tinubu still calling the shots in the party.

Obasanjo factor
When in 2011 former President Olusegun Obasanjo was asked about Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition, he gave out the now famous ‘I dey Laugh’ sarcasm. Till this date, the former president is still laughing about Atiku’s presidential ambition. Atiku was Obasanjo’s deputy for eight years, half of which
the two of them spent in the political trenches.

Obasanjo sees Atiku as a man of unbridled political ambition whose only quest for power is for self agrandisement. In his controversial book, ‘My Watch’ Obasanjo depicted Atiku as a very unreliable and corrupt politician who should be stopped from
getting to power. Obasanjo’s major grouse against Atiku according to Atiku’s loyalists is the role Atiku played in truncating Obasanjo infamous third term term agenda in 2007. Whether this is true or not, one thing is clear;


Cc:lalasticlala

Source: nigerianpilot.com/atiku-one-more-forceful-push-to-a-lifelong-ambition/

Chile 1 vs Peru 0

K

Hmm my eyes ooo

What am seeing "hope u'r not rough?

farano:
taste what?

Farano can I taste

farano:
I get prettier everyday

Your eyes is scary