₦airaland Forum

DerideGull: If the aforementioned defections were nationally uniform rather than represent the known evil axis, I would have given it a benefit of doubt. Nobody makes progress in democracy through political party defection. It is a mark of political irresponsibility and symptoms of vacillation prohibited in the exercise of democracy. However, I guess Nigerians will rely on the dictates of 1999 Constitution pertaining to defection.

You make progress in democracy by resisting undemocratic practices of party leaders such as Tukur and GEJ who seek to prevent party members from legitimately running for the highest office. If the resistance does not work, you break away and form your own party or join an existing one. This is democracy in action. Secondly, in a democracy, you respect your constitution, in our case the 1999 Constitution, amend it periodically as we are currently in the process of doing. So I ask you, Mr. Gull, why don't you believe in democracy when it comes to your motherland? Are you a communist?

Gbawe: Gbawe wrote:



The sage spoke and now it is happening. More Drama to come but the end of the PDP is a foregone conclusion as long as our woeful President continues with his machinations to make 16 greater than 19 and similar. GEJ is not wanted by the heart of the PDP and they will fight to prove a point to him.

Uncle Gbawe has always understood Nigerian politics - Ignore his thoughts at your peril.

miti changi oruko Uncle Gbawe si TB Gbawe, in honour of the profesying prophet.

jamace: Leave some people with their initial gara-gara. GEJ go show them pepper. History will repeat itself.

Quiet waters run deep.

Who resurrected this thread?

jamace, nwanne m, rapu okwu a. For GEJ, the sagacity of 2012 has morphed into ineptness, incompetence, and stuupidity of 2013.

folahann: The key question here is: Was there a division in PDP? That alone I think can determine the judgement.

^^^^+ 100%

DerideGull: I have long concluded that most Nigerians are fit to sit in a room where democracy is discussed talk less practice the system of government. It is unfortunate the above post appears to confirm my belief.

Mr. Gull, you should be happy that, while Nigeria is not USA, we are making progress nontheless in the practice of democracy. We are playing by the rules and allowing the courts resolve constitutional questions. You should join us in these exciting times.

If you believe we need some instruction, please give us some guidance right here and now, else you stand a chance of being sent egbe ndi Abriba to piafuka gi 'one or two parts of your anatomy'

theoctopus: Please try again

Oga, please go and lookup the meaning of 'quarrels' which you said was present in the LP when your case was adjudicated. The courts ruled that such quarrels do not rise to the level which would make the legislator's actions legal. I don't believe what we have in the PDP is mere quareling - We have a bonafide division and civil war going on here. Let's wait for the courts to be the judge.

The very court case which some people are citing to show that there was no 'faction' within PDP, is the same court case which proves that there was division within the same PDP.

I forgot to mention that nPDP took PDP to court to swear under oath that there is solidarity among PDP members and to show the world that there is no division within PDP.

nwanne m, odikwa risky

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theoctopus: The court has already determined that there are no factions in PDP. Where on earth have you been? Please wake up

Please note that nowhere in the constitution was it stated that a 'faction' needs to exist for the actions of the legislators to be legal. The constitution only talks about a division within the party, the switching is illegal and I quote the constitution: "Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member "

Now, can anyone really argue that these reps did not switched parties as a result of division with PDP? You people can continue to bury your heads in the sand. The courts will put this issue to rest soon enough, i.e. if PDP has the guts to take the matter to court.

I'd advise them not to go to court because that will put the last nail in their coffin.

Poor things, they are hanging on to anything that looks like hope.

Stop the deceipt, there was no division with LP when the lawmaker defected. The constitution allows for switching to a different party if there is division within the lawmaker's party.

I feel great pity for political jobbers and other GEJ supporters who may have been reduced to clinging to OBJ family feud due to lack of other tools, to show their love and support for the GEJ.

My people love to bury their heads in the sand like this Wild Camel (Rakumin Dajij) or the Ostrich. I believe these people are in great denial.


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anonimi: It is good to note what YOUR opinion is based on.
Hopefully our judges at the THREE possible levels- High, Appeal & Supreme- will NOT all express their opinion on similar basis in order to strengthen OUR growing democracy and sense of law & order ushered in by Jonathan's administration despite temptation to wield the big stick as others before him are used to doing.
Such respect for law & order is what makes oyinbo countries so attractive to our fellow compatriots who in their millions have abandoned our country to be socio-economic EXILES sweating away to build other people's nations with little or no comparative recognition from their hosts while Nigeria continues to ROT away.

Great points overall. But I laugh in Igbo at your statement that "Jonathan's administration ushered in a sense of law & order"

Ngwakwe: Thanks for the information. However, it's foolish for any PDP Stewart to consider sending such letter to INEC.

PDP should approach the court to seek legal interpretation of the Electoral Act as amended.

Nothing more or less.

I agree with you.

GEJ is surrounded by fools and incompetent advisers who are ruining him.

mikeansy: You forget that we have a situation where the truth and correct interpretation of the law is what favours a President who controls all the security forces and the country's revenue!

So I really have no idea why it will be difficult for any judge to interprete the law correctly in this circumstance.

People will realise in 2014/2015 that while the president may appear weak, he is still the President and weilds a very big stick.

I disagree with you that the law is on the President's side here. The constitution allows lawmakers to switch to another party if their is division within the lawmakers' party. We'll have to wait for the supreme court to make a ruling on this. Unfortunately, by the time the case gets to the supreme court, the irrepairable damage would have been done

mikeansy: The PDP should abide by whatever the court ruling is and if necessary the process should be fast-tracked so the supreme court can have a say asap. after which all should abide by the ruling of the supreme court

But the judges are their to interprete laws as-is. It is not their duty to appreciate the political implication.

Otherwise we wont need courts/judges to resolve our differences

If there are people who want to forment trouble because the law is interpreted as-is? then we should as a nation be ready to face such monster.

I agree with you here, but I believe that many Nigerian judges do their duties with great consideration to the political implication of their judgements. This is quite unfortunate but largely true. In addition to this sadly, these judges can be bribed.

mikeansy: These lawmakers are fooling themselves

PDP just need to go to court and ask the court to compel the relevant officials to declare the seats vacant

Nigerian politicians are very ridiculous and annoying

The consequences of changing parties is clear in the constitution, let those who changed party be ready to face the consequences. that's the consequence of their political choices and they should face it like men!

Suppose the court turns the PDP down, as it should?

I don't believe there exists any judge in Nigeria who will make a ruling which could destabilize the country, when he can let the status quo be, and support his judgement by constitutional provisions. If there is a division within a party, these lawmakers can switch without violating any provision of the constitution. It is not difficult to see the obvious division within the PDP.

mikeansy: Guys what are your views and strategy for PDP re-election come 2015

Here is my take:

Jonathan should double his effort on development projects with priority on electricity

Fight through the court with all Presidential might and reclaim their mandate from defecting Governors and NASS members

Go to the North and South West and empower a new generation of Nigerian politicians who want to be given a chance with power in PDP

Consult strongly with the middle belt and have that region locked in terms of votes, Gown and David Mark's body language says a lot!

and frame 2015 election as "The Past vs The Future" because quite frankly that is what it is.

Good suggestions. Unfortunately GEJ is no mikeansy. The man is out of touch and quite confused by his 'trusted' advisers and ministers, but if he were to sack Tukur tomorrow, make a scapegoat out of a few known corrupt cabinet members, and then take the steps you've itemized above, then there may be hope for him.

Ngwakwe: This article contains empty news and there's nothing to debate since PDP never told them to declare the seats vacant.



Speaking to The Nation on the matter, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Kayode Idowu, said that in the first place the commission was yet to receive any letter from the PDP on the defected lawmakers.

I suspect that INEC is either yet to receive the letter from PDP, or GEJ, Tukur, and his team have resorted to lying in addition to being incompetent and foolish.

Let me post the following since you appear to be ignorant of what your party leaders are doing on your belalf:

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has sent a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission asking it to declare vacant the seats of the 37 lawmakers in the House of Representatives that defected from the party to the All Progressives Congress.

The letter by the party was signed by its National Chairman, Mr. Bamanga Tukur, and the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo.

A member of the party’s National Working Committee, who disclosed this to a selected group of journalists in Abuja on Saturday, said the letter was dated December 19, 2013, a day after the lawmakers abandoned the party that brought them to office.

Source

Hope you are still not confused after reading the above.

ImperialYoruba: The 5 and 35 is the test run, such verdicts will embolden those on the fence.

Those on the fence are much more than emboldened, they are ready to switch as well. Peole like OBJ and Atiku who are experts at these kinds of fights have been alienated by GEJ. There is still some hope - he should radically shake-up his cabinet, replaces Tukur, Okupe, and Abati, and embrace people who can help him make the 2015 fight a real fight, rather than a route.

Billyonaire: Ndu_chuks, this audit happens every year end and has nothing to do with SLS.

Thanks

You missed the point completely. THE unremmited funds uncovered by previous annual audit findings, yet they remain unremitted. This committee was not set up to perform any audit but to recover unremitted funds including the one uncovered by Sanusi.

Ngwakwe: If he is returned. What other options are in your offing.

Let's just stop over-heating the polity and allow him finish his first term. May be, somehow, his scorecard will invalidate or consolidate his aspiration.

Only the Anambra type of rigging can return GEJ in 2015, that is if he survives 'till then. We must allow our democracy to thrive under the constitution we have while we amend it as we move forward. If GEJ commits impeacheable crimes then he must face impeachment if necessary. The handwriting is on the wall, GEJ cannot come back in 2015. 6 years of this are quite enough, thank you very much.

[quote author=madam_oringo]Are you little retardeeness slaves ni or na curse? Is it only your masters (as in people that think like slaves just like you) bewitched that you can never dare to set a new paradigm and do something different so far it is for the common good but you expect you master for them to always show positive examples while you remain primitive cavemen? Is there no law that says no one can be president for more than 2 terms spanning a period of 8 years? Retardeen's time in Aso Rock started counting since 2007 and he became president within that term and now has another term, so obviously by law, he cannot seek office beyond 2015.

Well maybe for a performing president that is leading the country in the direction of economic prosperity, superior reckoning among the leading countries of the world, fighting and killing corruption, perhaps the voice of the simple majority of people may give some reason to want to argue in favour but as it is, GEJ is dead in water and must go![/quote]Indeed. The man would have ruled Nigeria for 6 full years by 2015, yet he wants to subject us to another 4 years of this

It is clear to me that if this man rules Nigeria for 10 years, we are surely done for. The good news is that a self inflicted peaceful coup has already taken place and he MUST go, come 2015.

The earlier GEJ realizes that he cannot be saved by Tukur, Asari-Dokubo, or any of his 'trusted' advisers including Okupe and Abati, the better for him. His Party is crumbling right in front of his eyes, while he keeps mum, hoping for a miracle from the likes of Adeboye, Oritsejafor, and TB Joshua instead of jumping in the fight and fighting like a man.

Only 9 more defectors to APC are needed before the house is lost to APC. If he is wise he'd start spending some of the billions they've stashed away for 2015 for PR and other 'encouragements' of PDP members who are currently on the fence or he'll find out that he may not even have the opportunity to contest in 2015. The President is proving to be a very ineffective and weak tactician and loser.

If this man cannot lead effectively in fighting Boko Haram, in keeping his PDP intact, in taking decisive steps to curb blatant theft and corruption within his cabinet members, why the hell can't he just resign? We Nigerians most definitely deserve much better than this. What a shame!!!

Another blow to the finished PDP

Pressure mounted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the seats of the 37 Reps who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has met with rebuff from the commission.

The electoral body has told the ruling party that it is not within its powers to take such an action.

Speaking to The Nation on the matter, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Kayode Idowu, said that in the first place the commission was yet to receive any letter from the PDP on the defected lawmakers.

He also explained that it is not the duty of the commission to declare the seats of lawmakers vacant in whatever circumstance.

“Honestly, I am not aware of any such letter. I sincerely don’t know anything about it. But let me also add that it is not the job of INEC to take such a decision. INEC is not the one to declare seats of elected public office holders vacant. That is not what the law says and I can tell you that INEC is not going to do that,” he said.

Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, had been quoted in a newspaper interview that the PDP had written to INEC and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, to declare the seats of the 37 Reps vacant.

Details of the letter dated December 19, 2013 emerged yesterday.

The embattled National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, and the National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, who signed it asked INEC to immediately conduct elections into the affected constituencies following the defection of its members to the APC.

The PDP, they claimed, has no factions and consequently the defectors argument that they left on account of factionalism holds no water.

They said: “the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in section 68 (i) (g) clearly spell out the consequences of cross carpeting when there is no division in any party. We wish to re-emphasize here that the Courts have pronounced, and INEC has concurred that there are no factions in the PDP.”

Section 68 (1) of the 1999 Constitution provides thus: “A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if -

(a) he becomes a member of another legislative house.

(b) any other circumstances arise that, if he were not a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives, would cause him to be disqualified for election as a member;

(c) he ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria;

(d) he becomes President, Vice-President, Governor, Deputy Governor or a Minister of the Government of the Federation or a Commissioner of the Government of a State or a Special Adviser.

(e) save as otherwise prescribed by this Constitution, he becomes a member of a commission or other body established by this Constitution or by any other law.

(f) without just cause he is absent from meetings of the House of which he is a member for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the House meets in any one year;

(g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected;

Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored; or

(h) the President of the Senate or, as the case may be, the Speaker of the House of Representatives receives a certificate under the hand of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission stating that the provisions of section 69 of this Constitution have been complied with in respect of the recall of that member.

(2) The President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, shall give effect to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, so however that the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives or a member shall first present evidence satisfactory to the House concerned that any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of that member.

The federal legislators dumped the PDP on Wednesday and formally joined the APC.

Their joining the opposition party increased the number of APC legislators in the House from 135 to 172 and left the PDP in the minority with 171 members

Source

The budget you see does not include funding for fighter jets, heavy weaponry, tanks etc. Making those figures public would jeopardize our national security. Rest easy, nwanne m, the millitary is well provided for.

Can't you people take a break from your usual tribal and bigoted fights, during this yuletide? SMH

taharqa: @'Ndu-chuks', Shame no dey catch you?? Hv you reali got no Shame?

You should ask yourself that question. Despite your denials, all of NL knows of your activities as a jobber on this site. People are smarter than you give them credit for, na you shame suppose to catch.

Mbadinuju needs to reveal the name of this godfather lest he appears to be hiding something or protcting others. Secondly why did he not go public with this issue prior to now. We need the name of the godfather - they all need to be shamed!

I detect a 2-prong approach by our crafty ofe mmanus. I consider this political approach sharp. Appear to support GEJ through Afenifere on the one hand, and commandeer APC through Ojuyoubo, on the other. 50% of the eggs in one basket and the remaining in 2 or more other baskets.




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DerideGull: It is good to see you put on a thinking cap as you have changed the caption of the thread. Please apply this rare wisdom in other discussions bordering on goodness of the inhabitants of the geographical expression known as Nigeria.

Mr. Gull, You of all people should know that I am not a thoughtless NLer who has been consumed by bigotry to the extent of allowing the bigotry to becloud his better judgement.

That said, I fully understand why people like you stand behind GEJ even at the expense of allowing some thieves to go free. GEJ has become your best hope of dismantling what you shamelessly call a 'cesspit'.

Shine It: @ndu_chucks.

See how you dey vex but wetin concern aboki with oil money?

You should be checking the price of groundnut your foreign exchange earner come 2019.

Flee, flea.

Ngwakwe: I don't have any problem you with process rather the title of this thread.

Just remove that "Thanks to Sanusi".

Ngwanu, I removed sanusi from the title but I still believe that this committee would not have been put in place had Sanusi not written the letter. We all should be up in arms against these thieves. It saddens me that we allow petty tribalism to get in the way.

Ngwakwe: Stop embarrassing yourself in a bid to ascribe non existing praise or accolade to SLS.

Sanusi Lamido has been put through the accounts process of which he has been convinced by the experts before Senate committee on Finance that there is no unremitted fund rather yet to be reconciled account amounting to $10.8 Billion.

For your information the FG through Petroleum Ministry has done the needful by auditing NNPC just this last quarter of 2013.

Focus on the massive theft of unremitted funds including the said $10.8billion. ALL Monies due must be remitted. Stop obsessing about Sanusi.

DerideGull: Mr. Chucks,

You are simply pathetic. No wonder you wanted dilapidated Nigeria by all means necessary. The audit you referenced in your deceptive post was not as a result of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi's idiotic letter but among government's procedures of governance.

Mr. Gull, you are absolutely correct that the audit I referenced wa not as a result of Sanusi's letter. What I am saying is that Sanusi's letter contributed in a major way to the formation of a special commitee/task force charged with recovering the unremitted funds. Here is Vanguard newspapers headline to the same story: Missing oil revenue: FG beams searchlight on oil and gas sector I submit to you that, if this committee does its job, it will recover the $10 - 15billion exposed by Sanusi as well.

Get your facts straight. It appears as if fowl yansh don open.