₦airaland Forum

My criticism is born out of love for Nigeria. Anyone in position of leadership should be ready to face healthy criticism, that I believe is the way to move the country forward.

A PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) yesterday vowed to probe President Olusegun Obasanjo’s accountability

He also warned Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government against using the Army, Police and other government agencies to rig the April polls, saying enough is enough.

"We will make sure that those who have been entrusted with public office are held responsible to account for it."

He said giving the seeming abuse of public office and the obvious deepening corruption levels, it was obvious that unless such action was taken, the future and prospects of the Nigerian state were painfully being put at risk.


://odili.net/news/source/2007/feb/28/506.htm

IF the raison d’etre for democracy as a form of governance is the establishment of the sovereignty of the people, their liberty and the freedom of choice of their political destiny, then Nigerians by now must be bewildered at the variant of it which they now have on their hands, although the country is looking forward to another opportunity to make their choice at the polls in April.

IN the last eight years, Nigerians have watched in absolute bewilderment a process of grand abuse in which their sovereignty, their liberty and their choices have been totally compromised by the conspiracy of the power elite who would stop at nothing to ensure that they retain the reins of power. The power elite in whatever shade or hue of political party have preyed unconscionably on the will of the Nigerian people.

FOR instance, the reforms embarked upon by the current administration was never at any time a part of the manifesto of the party that produced the president, the PDP, which prides itself on being the “largest party in Africa” even if it is only looking for votes in Nigeria. The reforms were never even discussed let alone debated at the National Assembly and yet this administration has the impudence and temerity to tell Nigerians that it would not handover power to any group of politicians that would not be beholden to a reform programme the detail of which is known to only a handful of toadies and favoured cronies.

NIGERIANS have seen in these eight years the deliberate disregard for the rule of law. Despite the Supreme Court judgment on the matter of local government funds for Lagos State, for instance, the balance of the withheld funds by the Presidency is yet to be paid. The President of the democratic Republic of Nigeria is certainly not held back by the injuctions of democratic principles as the president only obeys the laws that suit his purpose.

AS the country plods towards another general election in April, President Olusegun Obasanjo has elected to lead the campaign of his party, the PDP, yet he also wants to be the umpire. In a moment of unguarded candour, he recently let it slip that the April elections would be a “do or die affair”. The message is unmistakably clear that President Obasanjo would stop at nothing to ensure that his candidates win at the April polls.

IT is believed in some quaters that President Obasanjo has been deploying all his clout to ensure that the INEC does his bidding. He has written to the body to disqualify certain candidates, who he perceives as being corrupt, from running. He has also been abrasive and uncircumspect in his comportment and utterances. While on a campaign in Akure, Ondo State, President Obasanjo openly derided a governorship aspirant who is also a former minister in his cabinet. He said he was going to send the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after him, suggesting rather darkly that the Commission, a body duly established statutorily, is a mere end of a political whip which he uses at his whim to make his foes fall in line. It is a sweet relief that the EFCC has distanced itself from this odious path of unnecessary political persecution.

WITHOUT the EFCC’s denial of an intention to hound President Obasanjo’s political opponents, it would sooner lose its credibility. If people do not believe in the activities of the Commission and its wholesomeness, the Commission would literally be destroyed. But the president’s comportment and utterances have impacted negatively on the essence of the Commission, eroding its credibility and goodwill.

TWO administrative panels have been set up by President Obasanjo in obvious breach of the provisions of the constitution to screen the candidates. The latest panel is the six-man panel headed by the Solicitor General of the Federation, Ignatius Ayua, which the government recently set up to further screen political office seekers who the government’s anti-corruption watchdog, EFCC, may have indicted.

BUT clearly, the Electoral Act 2006 does not recognise these panels as it has made provisions regarding the eligibility of political office seekers. Section 32 of the Act provides for steps to be taken by all political parties on behalf of their candidates. They are all expected to fill certain special forms with information which should be published in the constituencies where these candidates want to contest and anybody who has reasonable grounds to believe that the information given is false is required to file a suit at the High Court against such contestants. It is the court that will consequently determine the eligibility or otherwise of the contestant.

IT is saddening that some desperate politicians have appeared before these illegal administrative panels that are illegal structures that have been made to usurp the functions and roles of the courts. All these steps being taken by the president have unduly heated up the polity. We do not think that President Obasanjo is the only person who can define what corruption is and who a corrupt person or politician is. We do not believe that it is even in his place to assume the role of a know-all and be-all president.

WE think that the decent thing for a president to do at this juncture of Nigeria’s journey into democracy, especially after having served the maximum two terms spelt out in the constitution, is to remain in dignified neutrality in the political process. As he has elected to lead the campaign of his political party, it would have been proper if he had also not elected to circumvent both the constitution and due process by setting parallel structures to take over the duties of the courts.

WE are aware that Nigeria’s Federal Constitution is fraught with some historical problems, especially the fact that unlike other federations, the government at the centre is the one that gives life to the federating units instead of the other way round ideally. But these problems need not be compounded by the dictatorial mien of a president that has nothing but disdain for the fundamental principles of democracy.

SUCH dictatorial attitudes would not help a plural society like Nigeria to grow politically and they go a long way towards underscoring the apprehensions and fears of older democracies in the world that think Nigeria as an entity may not survive another 15 years. Nigeria has the potentialities of not only surviving the next millennium but the capacity to grow into a very powerful country to the eternal dismay of doomsday prophets if political office holders, especially those in executive arm of government, would be more liberal, tolerant and malleable, if they would not for a fleeting moment fall into the temptation of thinking that they constitute the Nigerian state.


nigeria tribune editorial

PURE NONSENSE! WHEN IT CAME TO ATIKU, THE WORD USED IS INDICTMENT but WITH OBJ ITS SANCTIONED. BOTH COMMITTED AN OFFENSE THAT WARRANTS SEROUS JAIL TIME. we should stop sugarcoating such issue.

I think we all agree that Nigeria has been abused and raped repeatedly by politicians and right now is not the time to be divided or polarized by the issue of corruption, its a cancer that has eaten to the moral fabric of our nation. I am not particularly keen on the candidature of Atiku, but my years of exposure to other culture has imbibed me to respect and fight for my right and if possible others. There is a deliberate attempt by the presidency to truncate Atiku right to vote and be voted for. If OBJ (THE ARROW HEAD)and Ribadu seriously think and know that Atiku is guilty beyond reasonable doubt charges should be brought without delay. Atiku or anyone for that matter is and will never be above the LAWS of NIGERIA.

I condemn without reservation any and all act of corruption in Nigeria, but everyone should be treated equally before the law and no one should be above suspicion.

@IYKE-D

The constitution of Nigeria is sacrament and should never be abused. What i find very difficult to understand is why OBJ is afraid of ATIKU as a candidate? almost all Naija politicians are dirty, Abacha used the failed bank decree to terrorize his perceived enemy candidature then, now OBJ is using selective indictment. leave it to the court and voters to decide ATIKU fate.


“The three critical issues are (i) Was the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) needed for the placement of PTDF funds? (ii) Was any money lost in the investment of PTDF money in ETB and TIB? (iii) Was there any material link established between the vice president and the PTDF funds?

T[b]HE ANSWER IS NO! NO! NO! NO! NO![/b]

Specifically, the report, which was laid before the Senate by the committees’s chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said President Obasanjo and Vice President Abubakar abused their offices by “aiding and abetting the diversion of public funds either for other projects or for fraudulent deposit in banks.”

Page 49 of the 54-page report highlighted the release of N20 billion and N10 billion to the PTDF and the use of the money to fund the third term agenda as alleged by the vice president, and the committee accused the president of acting in disregard of the
law.


DO YOU KNOW WHAT N20 billion CAN DO FOR US. THERE IS MORE TO THIS ROT THAT TRANSCEND ATIKU.

BOTH OBJ and ATIKU were INDICTED BY THE SENATE


Senate indicts Obasanjo, Atiku over PTDF scandal
President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar have been indicted by the Senate ad-hoc committee which investigated the activities of the controversial Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF). The committee, which submitted its report to the Senate on Tuesday, specifically accused President Obasanjo of abuse of office and diversion of PTDF fund to purposes other than those for which the funds were meant. But despite indicting both Obasanjo and Atiku in the management of the funds, the committee failed to recommend any punitive measures for them, referring the aspect to the Senate to decide.

THE failure of majority of members of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee that investigated the activities of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to invite President Olusegun Obasanjo has divided the Committee. That committee today submits its report to the Senate, amidst indications that it promises to be a dramatic day.

It was on the strength of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) report on the PTDF that a Federal Government Administrative Panel of Enquiry indicted Vice President Atiku Abubakar. That indictment is being touted in political circles as the reason why he may be stopped from contesting the nation's highest office.

A member of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Titus Olupitan, yesterday disagreed with his colleagues on the modus operandi employed by the Committee, and wondered why President Obasanjo was not invited to state his side after the Vice President mentioned him in some of the activities of PTDF[b][/b]

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/feb/27/14.html

@ Crude Oil

Baba Awolowo is generally credited for being the first to introduce T.V station in Africa, we all know that the License for GSM was introduced during OBJ time;hence the need to credit it to his govt.

Obasanjo should reconcile with Atiku

In third world countries, leaders want to rule till they die in office ingloriously or chased out by popular revolt. In most cases, they are drunk with power and use this power given them by the people to brutalize the same people. most often they do not keep to their electoral promises but impoverish the citizenry.

In Nigeria, the story is not different. After President Obasanjo had God’s grace to rule longest in Nigeria, he does not want to go.

Nigerians should not believe all the latest proclamations that he is leaving next year.Behind such statements, there is a hidden agenda because the president is obsessed with power and brutal power for that matter. It will be recalled that after the failed third term struggle, he told the nation of his determination for total reconciliation and demonstration of politics without bitterness. Ever since, it is clear that the opposite is the practice by the president. Reconciliation is not through dry humors at public functions but demonstration of love and tolerance towards political opponents.

President Obasanjo does not seem to realize that tomorrow is more important than today, because only God determines what tomorrow has in hold. Your enemy today may turn out to be your help tomorrow. Unfortunately, the president enjoys making more enemies by the day. After causing public disaffections, he will later call on Nigerians to pray. And if I may ask, where is the Christian virtue in this man who claims to be a born again Christian?

By the way is it a crime for a vice president to aspire to become president? It is clear that President Obasanjo suddenly developed hatred for Atiku because the latter exposed his third term agenda.

As a human being, does President Obasanjo want to tell Nigerians he is totally spotless? By all political arguments, the president and his vice must have had some private brotherly dealings and relationships in the past. If President Obasanjo were to be a father or uncle indeed he should have a heart large enough to forgive Atiku and embrace him because he contributed to his stability at the foundation of his administration through his political experience.

Pastor Emmanuel Eze,
Plot 149, Independence Layout,
Enugu.

If Ribadu is not afraid of death by heading the EFCC, declaring his assets is the least thing to
be afraid of. People like Ribadu are not doing the job for the money - they are answering a
higher calling - that of creating a better society.

Do you know that Ribadu is better protected than the V.P. let see if he is afraid of death by letting go of his security detail. Seriously this type of we against them mentality is what the system has used to divide us, anyone remember the late Accountant from INEC that was rumored to have left over seven billion($7 b) estate, having a database to work with, will go a long way in fighting this war. LET NO ONE BE ABOVE SUSPICION!

The whole issue could have been handled tactfully,by the presidency by allowing the guy to run and see if we are smart or dumb enough to vote him in. Don't deny him his right

r i b a d u. efcc

What will you remember the OBJ government for? either good or bad, views stated here might be read 50yrs from now by the next generation and could shape their opinion of us.


G S M, these three letter word changed Nigeria forever.that i will remember this govt. for

I am eagerly awaiting the law school dropout , I know it all anti-ATIKU to start debating this topic and its merit or demerit. simply said TURAKI will be on the ballot. He may not win,but his constitutional right will be protected. Right to vote and be voted for.

AS controversies continue to trail the candidacy of Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend asked for and received his photographs.

The Action Congress (AC) confirmed to The Guardian that it has sent five photographs of the Vice President to INEC.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, had earlier told Nigerians that the commission would print the photographs of candidates on the ballot papers to be used for the April general elections.
The Action Congress (AC) confirmed to The Guardian that it has sent five photographs of the Vice President to INEC.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, had earlier told Nigerians that the commission would print the photographs of candidates on the ballot papers to be used for the April general elections.

But questions on the eligibility of Abubakar or otherwise for the election have continued to agitate the minds of Nigeria.

Some of these questions are: "Will Atiku Abubakar be allowed to contest the April 20, 2007 presidential election? Is he legally qualified to contest the election in view of the pronouncement of INEC? How will the ruling of the High Court of Lagos State of November 28, 2006 affect Section 137 (i) of the 1999 Constitution, which disqualifies candidates that have been indicted? What is the legal implication of Section 137 (2) of the Constitution, which deals with pending appeals?

Even Prof. Iwu's response to an inquiry on the question in The Guardian on Sunday has not laid the matter to rest as the same commission that cited Section 137 of the Constitution on the issue has verified the credentials of both the Vice President and his running mate.

What's more, the recent Federal Government white paper on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) list did not include the Vice President's name as one of those indicted.

Besides, the August 24, 2006 report of "Alleged conspiracy, fraudulent conversion of fund, corrupt practices and money laundering" was quashed by a Lagos High Court. And the ruling has not been set aside by another superior court. Yet, the EFCC has taken judicial notice of the verdict by appealing the November 28 ruling described by legal experts as an abuse of a judicial process for federal officers in Abuja to have hoped to benefit from litigation in a state court's ruling.
[/color]
Apparently confused by media reports of Abubakar's alleged disqualification, the National Secretary of the AC, Bashir Dalhatu, had through a letter dated February 9, 2007 asked for clarification on the status of the party's presidential candidate. The letter drew the attention of INEC to its incompetence to disqualify any candidate.

Dalhatu added: "As this unwarranted injury upon the status of our candidate is continuing, we must ask you to view our concerns with utmost seriousness in order to clear the air and reaffirm the credibility of your commission in the minds of our supporters."

Iwu replied thus: "Consistent with the policy of the commission, we referred his case to you as the commission does not clear candidates where issues of their eligibility to contest are clearly in issue and in view of the provisions of the Constitution as stated supra. Please, be guided accordingly."

This is the letter a section of the media may have interpreted to mean that "Abubakar remains constitutionally banned, according to INEC."

But the same INEC has continued to deal with Abubakar and his running mate even as it insists that no indicted candidate can contest the elections in April.

Iwu confirmed to The Guardian on Sunday yesterday that no candidate whose indictment had been accepted in the government's white paper can take part in the elections as Section 137 (i) of the 1999 Constitution had sealed their hope.

His words: "We have to respect the Constitution. The list that we have is the white paper and the law says that if there is a white paper doing what we have said, then we have nothing else to do but to just accept that those people are not candidates.

"But what we did on our own was just to send back to the parties people who have petitions against them. We expected them to change them. And they are doing that. In some cases, if they decide not to change them, from my own point of view, we didn't disqualify anybody and from my own point of view, that party did not submit any candidate. Do you see the difference?"

"We didn't have anybody to disqualify. That party refused to send an eligible candidate for us to put in the ballot. That is a totally different matter. We don't disqualify anybody. That is why we put the onus on them to do the right thing. And they are doing the right thing by and large.

"Whether the method of indictment, whether the process is proper or wrong, or whether it is popular or unpopular has nothing to do with us. We are actually an implementing agency to conduct elections with eligible candidates. Are you seeing our dilemma? So, we are working on a narrow line here and we don't want to cross. We don't want to tell the world, 'oh, we are disqualifying you.'

"Anybody who is indicted and accepted by the government in the White Paper that is what the law says. Whether it is a just law or unjust law, that is not our own problem. But it is not only those people. We have so many other cases and we advised the parties to change them because of petitions that were adjudged as serious. I use the issue of age, I told you that? We also had cases of people who were convicted previously for one crime or the other.

"Their names also showed up and were pointed them out to the parties. We also had cases where people on their own voluntarily withdrew. They didn't want the public glare and people asking questions. They just withdrew on their own. We also have other issues that we are contesting in court. For instance, we did question the nationality of two of the presidential candidates and vice presidential candidates. And they took us to court. We are contesting it not because we have any interest one way or the other but because we want to be guided because of future issues."

On the question of the same Constitution giving reprieve to the indicted candidates in Section 137 (2), Iwu said it must have been misinterpreted as the section referred to had no link with the intendment of the provision in sub-section (i).

He went on: "But the constitutional provision in Section 137 says that if those cases are cases that are pending in court in respect of those indicted, that indictment cannot stand.

"That is one of those very interesting things in this country that really baffles me. The Constitution actually says the opposite. People tell a lot of lies and they tell it so repeatedly that it gets mistaken for the truth.

"Let me avail you with the constitutional provision and let's use that of the presidential race, because it was the same thing they repeated in the same language.

(Reading from of the constitution). If you go to Section 137 of the Constitution, after giving us (the qualifications), it now says a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of president if, it did not say disqualified. The person is not qualified! There is a difference between somebody qualified and then you disqualify him. The person is not qualified if, it then said (a) to (i), which (i) is the one that we are talking about. It says if he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by a judicial commission of inquiry or an administrative panel of inquiry before even tribunal set up by government. And then it says 'which indictment has been accepted by the federal or state government respectively or he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.'

"It is that (j) that the Electoral Act amplified. Now, Section 2 of that, 'where in respect of any person who has been, (a) adjudged to be a lunatic, declared to be of unsound mind, sentenced to death or imprisonment or adjudged or declared bankrupt. There are only four conditions. Any appeal against that section is the area people misunderstand. That is for this category, it didn't mention indictment as a thing that if you are in court, we should wait. I am not a lawyer, but I can read English. There is no where in this Constitution. But you see people cleverly, because they know that the Constitution upholds our position, they never quote the Constitution".

"They go for Sections of the Electoral Act as if the Electoral Act is being done independent of the Constitution that gave it its power. So, they keep going to the Electoral Act. It is not even section 32 (Trying to recall the exact section), Anyway, you should look at the Section. What it talks about is that if anybody has a reasonable belief that somebody has given a false information to INEC, that person can go to court."

But the same INEC that is spitting fire over indicted candidates was said to have asked for the pictures of the AC presidential candidate and the running mate last Friday. It was confirmed last night by the AC secretariat that five copies were supplied to INEC.

Prof. Iwu had earlier confirmed that candidates' pictures would be printed on the ballot papers for the April elections. He also confirmed in The Guardian on Sunday interview that the INEC was already considering options for candidates that the courts may set free after the process had closed.

So, what is the legal status of the AC presidential candidate? Will he contest? Will he not? The answer at press time was still in the wind.

Do I believe him? heck no! he just has to say anything, probably to get the press from hounding him. baba will rather be killed on that "throne" than give it to Jr thief.

Why are we making a mountain out of a mole hill? the problem with Naija is we complicate an ordinary issue by reading too much into it, this does not require analyzing. D-E-C-L-A-R-E your asset.

The party primary as practiced here would not allow for such candidate to emerge. Our system has been hijacked by money bags and you know what it takes to run for the presidency here(billions),how do you raise such money is the question to ask? Nigeria politic is still personality driven, until we elect IDEAS AND ISSUE candidate, an Obama will continue to elude us

President Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday that contrary to insinuations, he will hand over to Vice President Atiku Abubakar on May 29, if he wins the presidential election on the platform of Action Congress (AC).
He said that his recent public utterances were not something extra-ordinary, because "I have freedom of speech like everybody".


://odili.net/news/source/2007/feb/25/508.html



LORD OF MIRACLE,MAKE THIS TO HAPPEN. WONDER WHAT THE DEMEANOR OF OBJ WOULD BE LIKE. HANDING OVER TO ATIKU.OBJ WOULD RATHER SWALLOW POISON

What is puzzling is that Nigerians still believe INEC is capable of delivering a fair election, not with people like Ali and his garrison mentality around will i trust any internationally unverified result coming from them. If files are missing now, wonder what Ali is capable of taking from the commission office. maybe the 2007 result may be next.

The controversy surrounding the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Delta North senatorial ticket has assumed a new dimension as the file for the seat has allegedly disappeared from the stores of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Wife of the national chairman of the PDP, Mrs. Marian Ali, and former House of Representatives member, Ned Nwoko are contesting for the ticket.

The Delta North senatorial ticket has pitched the national chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali, against President Olusegun Obasanjo.


www.independentngonline.com/news/127/ARTICLE/21559/2007-02-25.html

The court in every society has/is always politicized. that is why every U S president has always looked forward to the vacancy on the bench to appoint judges who share their political Philosophy after all they are human.

There is absolutely no allegiance to the country from the presidency downward. OBJ want loyalty from his cabinet. Can baba swear he has always been loyal to the Constitution of Nigeria. If he has, how did Stella and the Abebe family come into so much money during baba first term. there so much madness going in Naja and everyone is a crook as far as i am concerned

@Alabiyemmy

There is absolutely no reason to feel disillusioned by what is happening in Naija, OBJ inherited a flawed Constitution from Abacha that could have been amended instead the presidency was contended to use these flaws to accumulate so much power and now one of those flaw is back to hunt him. As much as i want Atiku out, he has done the right thing by going to court.The judiciary should always be our last hope.