so? wotz the big deal? hasnt US in past pardoned worst state criminals? itz only when it comes to naija that everybody will always talk...He should go somewhr else na, abeggi...as far as i am concern there is noting wrong in forgiving pple, just dat we Nigerians hav just succeeded in adding political coloration to it, isnt it better than forgiving(granting amnesty) boko haram members who have killed mercilessly hundreds of innocent souls without genuine reasons...plz plz plz..letz talk abt something better

Elrufai does not deserve a word frm me dis mrg, a man who has no respect for constituted authority can never make a good leader and will never be...there are ways one can go abt poltikin rather than rain abuses on the office which u long for, such pple are not to be trustested and elrufai is one, he is worst than a scumbag

take dat: At least we all know GEJ is the president, and he deserves public scrutiny. Have you ever created a thread discussing about the clueless maladroits we have in power? Abegiii!

whenever need be, i will...we all know dat goverance isnt easy, Elrufai even said dat today, though GEJ must hav made some mistakes here and there but dat doesnt make him or anybody for dat matter even u, clueless

take dat: If El-rufai sneezes, some folks will open up a thread on it as if they've got no life of theirs. You despise the man, yet you are keep giving him a larger than life image by paying him an obsessive attention!

Datz the beauty of Nairaland and in general social media...not just for certain pple but for all even GEJ

jas_o: @ poster of this topic,
You're the truth picture of your father, a liar, fool and slowpoke.
How can you cook up this trash simply because you want to tarnish the image of the man?
He didn’t say all what you claimed here, and those who have begun to make the judgment on your shit by condemning El-Rufai, are nothing but dreaded brain like you.

Hw pple will just start abusing som other's parent, u really lack training i wonder the kind of example u ll leave for ur younger ones, the change Nig needs now dnt need pple like u...i dnt even hav de luxury of time to reply ur rubbish, just get a clip and be objective while watching, good day

alkadriyar: @Op . Am nt a fan of elrufai niether do i belong to his bandwagon, but am dissappointed by ur assertions. And this is a shame and abuse to freedom of speech.
I watched elrufai's inteview wit Gbenga Aruleba on AIT live and he never said or even alluded that he worked against Yar'adua because OBJ gave the mantle of leadership to Yar'adua instead of him (elrufai) as u mentioned . Infact he said he knws his boss very well that he doesn't work like that and that they never discuss such with Obj (IMO but people like u creat false news for the ignorant nigerians who enjoy 2 swallow lies.)
he even said he accepted to work for Yar'adu bt on condition that it was goin to be on part-time basis, as he had to complete his LLB program. Bt unfortunately he couldn't continue due to accusations from public hearing on FCT matters.
Could this be personan hatred for elrufai by the Op? Or could it be that this is sponsored?

Wot do i stand to gain frm hating my fellow man, i dnt hate him and will never...but itz a pity when bootlickers like u come onto social media just to misinform Nigerians, all tru the interview he was defensive and when asked y he never mentioned Yar'dua in his book even for the mere fact that he (yardua) was his house prefect and must have affected him one way or the other, wot did he reply? U ll just come here to say rubbish...if u r paid, better do ur job well...Elrufai thought since he was said to be the anoited one by Obj, he was meant to be the President but when dis didnt happen he was unhappy and decided to go for MSC...dat was were de hatred brewed for Yar'dua, ok?

cescadove:

ON THE CONTRARY HE IS JUST CALM AND STRAIGHTFORWARD !

no doubt he possesses those qualities but on today's prog he was really not so on point like the elrufai we no, he was almost confused

obowunmi: El-Rufia is a PUNK, weak fellow.


traitor
loser
dumbassa
childish

u r not far frm the point

defensive and dodging very important question, just telling us abt revenge mission and bullies...wonder who is bullying him

he is just being defensive and evasive, dodging pertinent questions, sounds desperate, angry and ambitious

A third group sharing the acronym APC has filed a letter of intent to be registered as a political party with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The name it seeks is All Patriotic Citizens (APC).  On Monday, the African Peoples Congress (APC) filed a letter of intent INEC.

The development has further worsened the troubles of the merging opposition political parties to be known as the All Progressives Congress (APC). The opposition parties are yet to file any letters of intent for its new party to be registered with the INEC.

But the opposition parties are crying blue murder, vowing never to let go their name and acronym, since they were the first to announce to Nigerians and the whole world the name of their new party-to-be. They said the name and acronym remain their intellectual property.

The parties alleged that they have it on good authority that the establishment has set up a high-powered team headed by a ranking officer of government and furnished with unlimited resources from public funds with a clear mandate to corrupt the democratic institutions and destabilise the opposition.

The opposition further warned that over and above the collective correspondence the merging parties sent to INEC, each of them has communicated to INEC the assurance that the processes stipulated in the Electoral Act are accordingly ongoing towards the consummation of the merger.

INEC will not register political parties with the same acronym going by the Electoral Act. Against this backdrop, it is viewed by observers that the scheming is geared towards scuttling the opposition parties.

The African Peoples Congress went ahead to unveil their logo, flags and party headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

‘APC is our intellectual property’
The merging opposition political parties yesterday in Abuja declared that the acronym of their platform, All Progressives Congress (APC), is and remains their intellectual property.

They vowed to pursue the process of its registration to its logical conclusion in the interest of “dear fatherland”.

Addressing a press conference, chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Tom Ikimi, flanked by Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, Senator Annie Okonkwo and Alhaji Garba Gadi representing other parties in the merger, said the name and acronym “APC” have become the intellectual property of the merging parties since February 6, 2013, as they have received wide publicity in the print and electronic media.

Ikimi warned that the feeble attempt by any other entity to pretend to use the same acronym is an exercise in futility, because it amounts to what, in law, is called “passing off”.

He said the group had, for several weeks now, put the country and indeed the whole world on notice about the decision of three registered political parties, namely, the ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to merge into one formidable party for the purpose, among others, of accentuating political competitiveness, providing a viable alternative political platform and promoting the much-desired political change in the governance of the country.

According to Ikimi, all legal and constitutional processes required to formalise the merger and register the new party with INEC in the name of All Progressive Congress (APC) are already in progress, in top gear and includes its earlier announcement on February 6, 2013, of the decision of the three parties to merge.

He said: “Prior to the adoption of the name, we had carried out a careful search of the existing names of all parties with extant registration in Nigeria and, finding out that none had the name All Progressive Congress nor the acronym, we chose the name and unveiled it. Thus, by that public announcement, the name All Progressive Congress and the acronym APC became our intellectual property which we shall guard jealously.

“It has therefore come to us as a rude shock that the INEC would announce receipt of a letter from what is known to be a faceless and unknown political group ostensibly driven by sheer mischief purporting to request for registration with the name African Peoples Congress.

The obvious motive of this letter is to attempt, albeit in futility, to scuttle the registration of the All Progressives Congress, which has been so widely publicised and well received to the discomfort of the establishment.”

Continuing, Ikimi stated: “Unfortunately, we have it on good authority that the establishment, gravely troubled by the emergence of a united opposition, has set up a high-powered team headed by a very high ranking officer of government and furnished with unlimited resources from public funds with a clear mandate to corrupt the democratic institutions and destabilise the opposition.

“We have taken the pains to furnish the foregoing facts because we will not accept any attempt by INEC, relying on a dubious application clearly not in compliance with the conditions set out in the constitution or the Electoral Act, to scuttle our plans to formalise our merger under our adopted name and acronym.

New APC unveils identity
Falling out of a prior application before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as a political party, the newly formed African Peoples Congress (APC) also yesterday disclosed its identity with the official unveiling of its logo, flag, constitution, manifesto, slogan, membership card, national officers and a protem national chairman, Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu.

The APC stated that it was poised to create a “people’s alternative” that will eventually break the “axis of evil” the current political parties in government have subjected Nigerians to since 1999.

In a speech delivered in Abuja by its national chairman “to mark the end of completion of the constitutional process for registration as a political party by INEC”,  he regretted that since 1999 Nigerians have entrusted their political fortunes in the hands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and other politicians who have shown “a resounding emptiness of character, clearly unfit for any kind of leadership”.

Ikeagwuonu said: “Since 1999, all we have to show for their political dominance is purposeless and rudderless leadership that has added little or no value to the lives and welfare of the average Nigerian.

The collective achievements of these contraptions called PDP, ACN, and ANPP can best be likened to the dance of the penguins – one step forward, two steps backward - and the woes of our country continue to evolve from bad to worse.

“With the economy of the states wound round monthly allocations and diverted council funds, the governors of the PDP shuttle across the globe in private jets that further diminish the resources of their states, leaving the people to bear the brunt.

As a matter of urgent national importance, we urge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately commence investigation into the source of fund used to purchase the private jets by these public officers.”

Ikeagwuonu took a swipe at the new opposition merger, All Progressive Congress (APC), tagging it an “alliance of political desperadoes”.

The party sought to clear the perceived misconceptions. It insisted that it applied to INEC for registration through a lawyer whose services it retained and a letter duly submitted to the commission. Subsequently, the party stated, it got a reply from INEC stipulating requirements and preconditions for registration.

Within the period, it paid the N1million administrative and processing fee stipulated by the commission, said Ikeagwuonu. “Today we have submitted the long list of requirements as prescribed by INEC and have completed the constitutional demand on us for registration as a political party. Accordingly, INEC has duly acknowledged our submission and this is the INEC-endorsed letter to that effect.”

Another APC emerges, unveils logo in Abuja
Another twist was added to the scenario when a new party emerged in Abuja with the name “All Patriotic Citizens”, laying claim to the already controversial acronym of APC.

The new group, at a press conference yesterday, unveiled its logo bearing a lantern symbol and a manifesto in which it said it is “completely committed to liberal democratic and constitutional governance and shall at all times protect and promote them”.

According to an application letter obtained by LEADERSHIP which was addressed to the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated March 8, 2013, and acknowledged by the commission on March 11, 2013, the group said it has existed for the past two years as a pressure group, hence it is requesting the approval of INEC for their group to function as a political party in Nigeria. The letter was signed by the group’s national director of operation, Mr. Oliver Chidi Ike.

The headed letter paper of the new group indicates Plot 1385 Gurara Street, Off IBB Way, Maitama, Abuja, as its office address.

The preamble of APC’s manifesto reads in part, “All Patriotic Citizens is a political association of patriotic Nigerians who have genuine concern for the plight of our nation and are determined to work together irrespective of tribe, religion, sex, e.t.c. to reposition our country Nigeria for peaceful co-existence of all.

We are committed to the re-engineering of our political, economic and social foundations to eschew politics of bitterness and build a new, united and prosperous Nigeria under good democratic governance.”

We shall surpass INEC hurdles – ANPP chairman
The national chairman of the ANPP, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has assured that irrespective of the current hurdles facing the formal registration of the new party with INEC, the APC shall be registered, and will be ready to face the ruling PDP within the next couple of months.

Onu expressed these convictions on Wednesday while receiving the delegation of the stakeholders of the ANPP in Bauchi State led by Senator Mohammed A. Mohammed, who paid him a courtesy call at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

The  ANPP national chairman, also noted that the driving philosophy behind the formation of the merger political party was not to compete for political power but to solve the myriad of problems currently facing the nation, as the new party is made up of respectable politicians from different parts of the nation with hands-on experience on how to redeem the dwindling fortunes of the nation.

In his welcome address to the nine-man delegation from Bauchi, Dr Onu said, ‘‘The APC will do a lot for Nigeria. One, it will change the way politics is played in Nigeria. We will move the country away from politics of personality to issues-based and ideas-driven politics.

‘‘Politics of personality is divisive; it uses things that divide like religion and ethnic sentiments. But ideas-based politics unites everybody; for example if some people are poor in Ekiti, others are poor in Ebonyi, and yet others poor in Jigawa State, they will all agree on the same issue on poverty.

http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/50117/2013/03/15/confusion_apc_number_3_emerges.html

The Presidency yesterday ended its long silence over the state pardon granted Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, saying the decision was taken to re-integrate ex-convicts who have shown penitence into the society.
A Presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe, in a statement in Abuja, said the pardon granted to eight Nigerians including the former Bayelsa State governor was approved by the Council of State on Tuesday.
There was no official announcement of the pardon until yesterday morning when Okupe appeared on Channels TV.
Others who were pardoned include the late General Shehu Yar’Adua, former Bank of the North managing director Mohammed Bulama, retired General Oladipo Diya, Major Bello Magaji, the late General Abdulkareem Adisa and Muhammad Biu.
Criticism against President Goodluck Jonathan followed the decision on Tuesday, with senior lawyers and politicians saying the pardon to Alamieyeseigha amounted to encouraging corruption.
In his statement in response to the trailing criticism, Okupe defended the President, saying the decision was not his alone but a collective one by the Council of State.
“The state pardon given by the Federal Government to some Nigerians who had been convicted of various crimes was not a unilateral action of President Goodluck Jonathan but a decision considered and approved by the Council of State which is constitutionally empowered by the 1999 constitution to do so,” he said.
He said the council, which comprises the President, Vice President, all former presidents, former chief justices of the Nigeria, the leadership of the National Assembly and all state governors, does “not take decisions on impulse but rather after due considerations of vital issues connected with taking such decisions.”
He said the eight Nigerians who were granted pardon were approved after “thorough deliberations by the statesmen and that there were many other names that were not approved by the council”.
Alamieyeseigha, who served as governor of Bayelsa State with Jonathan as his deputy from 1999 to 2005, was impeached and later convicted for corruption. With the state pardon, he is now freed of the constitutional ban from holding public office in the future.
Defending the pardon granted to the former governor, Okupe said “the very idea of a pardon shows that it was meant not for the innocent but for those who might have been found guilty of some offences and have either finished serving their sentences or in the process of serving those sentences.”
He added: “The framers of the Nigerian constitution envisaged the need for some ex-convicts to be re integrated back into society especially if they have shown penitence and willingness to contribute positively to societal growth.”
‘Wrong, shocking, disappointing’
In his reaction yesterday, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, said the pardon to Alamieyeseigha was a setback to the fight on corruption.
Ribadu was the EFCC chairman when the commission was believed to have engineered Alamieyeseigha’s impeachment in 2005 and then prosecuted him for large-scale corruption. The former governor pleaded guilty to some of the charges in 2007 in a plea bargain that saw him forfeiting property worth billions.
Speaking to the BBC Hausa radio yesterday, Ribadu said he was saddened, shocked and disappointed when he heard of the pardon granted to Alamieyeseigha.
He said the action was capable of discouraging the fight on graft, and will send the wrong signal to the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies that they are simply wasting their time.
Also reacting, senior lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) said the state pardon extended to some of the convicts showed the reign of impunity in the country.
In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Falana said those who are opposed to the pardon should be prepared to join the struggle for the establishment of a new legal system which would not recognise sacred cows among convicts.
“But under the current political dispensation the exercise of the prerogative of mercy in favour of some convicted members of the political class is an admission of error on the part of the federal government. In other words, the Presidency has said it loud and clear that these Very Important Personalities should not have been jailed in the first place!,” he said.
He said while some of the persons involved in the exercise may be deserving of pardon, the Council of State lacks the power to grant pardon to any person convicted of a criminal offence.
“Being an advisory body the Council of State cannot usurp the powers of the President to exercise the prerogative of mercy on convicted persons.  To that extent the decision of the Council of State to pardon certain members of the ruling class is illegal and unconstitutional,” Falana said.
For his part, former Police Affairs Minister Broderick Bozimo said the pardon to Alamieyeseigha was overdue.
Speaking to news men in Yenagoa, Bozimo said the former governor deserved the pardon having contributed to the development of the Ijaw nation.
“We used to hail him as the governor general of the Ijaw Nation. He is held in very high esteem among the Ijaw nation. It’s a healthy thing. People are human. You must make mistakes,” he said.
Former gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Bayelsa State, Price Okuboesi Jack, also described the pardon for Alamieyeseigha as “a good and wonderful thing for Bayelsa State.”
But the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) called on President Jonathan to rescind the pardon granted to Alamieyeseigha and Bulama or face legal action.
SERAP’s Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a statement, said the pardon granted the two “amounts to an arbitrary exercise of powers, which can only continue to weaken the rule of law, deny justice to the victims of corruption, and entrench a culture of impunity of the country’s leaders.”
The group threatened “national and international legal actions to challenge this fragrant abdication of legal and moral responsibility to combat corruption, which can only ensure that high ranking corrupt officials profit from their crime.”

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/top-stories/52555-presidency-defends-pardon-to-alams-others

Femzy24: but if there is room for pardon, there should also be severe punishment for corrupt individuals cos most corrupt Nigerians will be looking forward to such pardon. efforts should be made to eradicate corruption to the bearest minimum.

i think the govt is listening to u and are really trying to arrest corruption in the country

Seun.A.Plonker:
Who wrote this crap?

r u tru with the dishes?

where is Diya from? where is Adisa frm? where is y'ardua frm? just to mention a few...and CPC are saying this trash, i believe who ever said this needs to get his head examined

The Chairman of the Edo State Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Lucky Imaseun has debunked claims that the programme is merely political and has not achieved its aim of poverty alleviation.

Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr Imaseun said the programme is not aimed at a single political party but on all Nigerians.

Last month, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had accused the Federal Government of using the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), for political purposes in preparation of the 2015 general elections.

The party said the programme which was set up to manage savings from the oil subsidy withdrawal is currently being used to channel funds to members and cronies of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who are heading the state chapters of SURE-P.

what is your take?

http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/03/13/sure-p-is-not-a-scam-official-defends-programme/

take dat: I am not El-Rufai, so I can't tell! I guess northerners share the opinion that, brute force alone won't solve the crisis. However, during the course of the interview he challenged the government to unmask the kingpins and sponsors behind Boko Haram, claiming that the security agencies have arrested over a thousand suspected BH members and so, they must have gathered enough intelligence on who their real sponsors are. And asked why the unmitigated foot-dragging on the part of government from arresting and prosecuting them!

but dnt u think this Northern elders can initiate the move instead of trading blame

i wonder where they will go to, but the earlier the better to prevent unnecessary lost of life and properties...

but is sacking the solution to Nig's prob? if i can remember vividly, the minister of power was sacked, as that brought abt any improvement in the power sector


Sacking may not necessarily be the solution, first govt must avoid getting to that stage of sacking by identifying the right persons for certain appointments, cos if the right pple with prior knowledge of the office they will occupy are appointed, there will be no need for sacking on the long run...appointment shudnt be use for political settlement cos this is where the prob lies

we need to occupy Nigeria police, wot sort of nonsense is this? just yesterday a policeman was sentence to death for shooting his own colleague, when will all dis unjust killings stop...o Lord plz come to our rescue.

Must they politicise every issue in Nigeria? if political parties are not accusing themselves, then apologies will...even issue of such national concern like Boko haram...letz forget abt all this amnesty amnesty talk, let this Northern elders and govs initiate the move by calling dis BH boys frm their hideout and then presenting them to govt for amnesty,not trying to use comparison methods to blackmail govt of being insensitive

just playing lips service, thats all...no genuine concern cos i believe they know who dis lads are, but are just playing mto the gallery according to the President

the Long awaited sack finally here...these pple just run this country like their own property, with lackadaisical approach to everything and sometimes the president falls into this too...pple need to take issues of national interest with so much seriously...anyway it is a good one but the beam light should also be pointed towards other agencies and Ministries

THEY BETTER SENSITIZE THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO AVOID EMBARASSMENT