₦airaland Forum

He was only a candidate for vice president then but in 2007, Goodluck Jonathan took matters into his own hands — literally. According to US diplomatic cables leaked to the whistleblower site Wikileaks, and which were made exclusively available to us, Mr. Jonathan helped himself gain the vice presidency four years ago by voting illegally four times. The astonishing accusation against Mr. Jonathan, now a president seeking validation at the polls next month, came from Edo governor Adams Oshiomhole, in a December 2008 briefing with US diplomats.

According to Mr. Oshiomhole, as reported in the US diplomatic cables, the court ruling voiding the supposed election of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Edo governor and declaring Mr. Oshiomhole the legitimate winner would not have been possible without documentary evidence that, Mr. Jonathan, among others, personally rigged the election.

“Oshiomhole told poloffs (‘political officers’ at the US embassy) that it proved impossible to use forensic evidence because of the poor quality of thumbprints and that claims of intimidation also proved difficult to prove in a court of law, but documentary evidence, such as proof that the ‘vice president’ had voted four times, for example, proved decisive in the courts,” the cables revealed.

The content of the cables received an angry reaction from Aso Villa. Ima Niboro, the president's spokesperson, dismissed the claims as "silly" and challenged anyone to come forward with evidence that linked President Jonathan with electoral malpractice. "Why should the president vote four times? Go and ask Adams Oshiomhole to come out and tell Nigerians. I can't respond to WikiLeaks," he said.

Several calls were made to Mr.Oshiomhole but both his phone numbers were unreachable. Further calls and text messages were made to Peter Okhiria, his spokesperson, but were also unreturned.

Little birds

These particular cables from US diplomats stationed in Nigeria and reporting to the State Department in Washington are among a massive trove of documents made available to NEXT in a worldwide exclusive. The documents cover a whole range of people and events in our country from as early as 2003 to the last months of the poorly President Umaru Yar’Adua, whose death in office a year ago ended a constitutional crisis and resulted in the ascent of Mr. Jonathan to the highest office in the land. The cables provide an unusually unvarnished insight into the dysfunctional and ineffectual nature of our government at all levels, the various forces pushing and pulling at the country, and the vileness and rapacity of those we have allowed to govern us. Two unnamed political officers, or “poloffs,” in US diplomatic jargon, visited the governor on Dec. 17, 2008 shortly after his legal victory. It was during that meeting that Mr. Oshiomhole made his explosive claim, as dutifully recorded by his visitors. Their cable originated from the Lagos consulate. In the cable, dated Dec. 29, 2008, Mr. Jonathan, who was vice president at the time, is said to have violated the Electoral Act by voting more than once. The law stipulates a maximum fine of N1 million or 12 months’ imprisonment for violators. At a campaign rally on Thursday, President Jonathan repeated his recent declaration that neither he nor his party had any desire to rig the coming elections. He added that he would advocate transparent elections even at the cost of losing the election.

“I am assuring Nigerians that though I am contesting, nobody must manipulate votes in my favour. Our vote is very important,” he said.

Not so secret

The vote-rigging allegations against the president are known to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), according to a highly-placed source at the Commission. The source, who did not want to be named for fear of a reprisal, revealed that a petition had been filed at INEC since 2007 in which references were made to the fact that the former vice president and other public figures voted several times. The source said that the petition did not single out President Jonathan but used him as a high profile example of the rife multiple registrations that took place in Bayelsa, Mr. Jonathan’s home state, where he had served as governor, and other states in the broader Delta region.

“There was a petition which I was aware of dated November 2007 or so,” the source told NEXT. “It was filed by a pressure group in the South-South who named several people as being complicit in multiple voting. Jonathan was one of the people mentioned.

“We get hundreds of such petitions and most of them are without merit. Also, the truth is we just don’t have the time to look into all of them.”

Local and international observers condemned the 2007 election for being heavily rigged in favour of the PDP, with some classifying it as our worst ever. Even President Yar’Adua, in his inaugural address, acknowledged as much, promising to clean things up by 2011. Several cases are still pending in court over the four-year-old election, with successful upturns recorded in Ondo, Ekiti, Edo and Osun states. Mr. Oshiomhole, who is himself a beneficiary of a successful legal challenge in Edo state, is described in the diplomatic cable as a “refreshing reminder that Nigeria possesses competent and honest leaders”.

During the visit by the US officials, the Edo State governor said that approximately 2,000 volunteers in 120 different polling stations had gone through ballots, result sheets and voter registration records to identify documentary evidence of fraud.

Double registration

A day before President Jonathan announced that “nobody must manipulate votes in my favour”, Attahiru Jega, the electoral commission chairman, revealed that several high profile individuals registered more than once in the recently completed voter registration exercise. Mr. Jega refused to divulge the names of the “high profile double registrants” but said that they could all face prosecution.

Several parties have responded angrily to Mr. Jega’s stark admission that influential Nigerians were planning to rig the forthcoming elections. Ibrahim Modibbo, a spokesperson for the Nuhu Ribadu presidential campaign, said that although the INEC chairman did not mention any names, almost all of the offenders were in the PDP.

“I don’t believe you will find ACN members in this act because we are disciplined people,” he said.

The party’s secretary, Lai Mohammed, denounced Mr. Jega’s decision to withhold the name of the culprits and demanded he publish them.

“If he has the names as he claims, what is he waiting for? He should publish their names and prosecute them,” he said.

The spokesperson for the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Emma Eneukwu, said the offenders should be taken to court,

“It is a criminal offence,” he said. “If the penalty attached to these offences are handed to the offenders, it will serve as deterrent. There is no sacred cow.

“The issue of multiple registration has been a problem in the country and until somebody is punished we cannot have transparent polls.”

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties(CNPP) spokesman, Osita Okechukwu, challenged the electoral commission boss to publish the names.

“We challenge Jega to publish forthwith the names of those involved and prosecute them in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act,” he said. “He should immediately ask all the RECs (Resident Electoral Commissioners) to audit the Authentic Finger Identification System (AFIS) so that they can separate the junk and the underaged.”

Read More: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5681378-146/story.csp

Where is beaf, AgainstGEJ, ma_j_blige and the other aliases

they are tired of making excuses for GEJ and PDP

Emmz:
I believe you have glaucoma or cataract cos if you don't i'ld be very shocked. No need tryna talk rudely or repeat what i already said. You have serious issues. Where did i give Dosunmu total credit? and by the way i said i watched a little so i may be wrong in my initial judgement.

I believe you just want to be noticed.

Here enjoy your two minutes of fame then back the hell up off my comments since you cant read or interpret statements correctly.

Please stop talking rubbish, if you didnt complete it, then dont comment, plus there was no part of that debate that dosunmu prove capable of running Lagos. Stay in your UK and dont come and talk rubbish here!

ACN could have provided the VP and this would have been good

they cant stand down completely and lose presidency and VP

Did these guys just woke up

The House of Representatives has passed the new Minimum Wage Bill which will enforce N18, 000 as the least paid wage nationwide, while recommending a paltry N20,000 as penalty for defaulting employers.

The bill was sent to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan late last year and is now central to the president's effort at securing wide support from public and private sector workers for his re-elections.

The lawmakers had earlier named the bill as one of the few that will be given accelerated attention as they resumed January.

They adopted the recommendations of the House joint Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity, and Finance on the law, before allowing the bill through a mandatory third and final reading Wednesday.

The bill was passed two weeks ago by the Senate, and now requires only the presidential assent to become law.

However, there are doubts whether or not some state governors will pay the new amount.

The House committees recommends that any employer that fails will pay N20,000 on conviction and extra N1,000 daily as long as the breach continues. It is not clear whether the amount will be paid to the employees.

Employers of labour in respect of which the law apply shall also have the duty to keep records of wages or conditions of employment to show compliance with the law or to face the same penalties.

Source: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5681065-146/story.csp

Another senseless thread

Beaf &AgainstGEJ thanks for this post

shows the acceptability of Buhari in the North West, contrary to your aim. .seems you are now campaigning for BB

just know that on this side of the wall you get no financial remuneration

alldone:
i detest pdp action welcoming BG.
however, GEJ is still the man.
You dont barth a child and throwhim away with barth water.


He may not be perfect, but who among the other candidate is better?
for me no one.

All i can tell you is that he is PDP, if you feel he is the best for you, then goodluck. .using one mouth to say they will fight corruption and dinning with corrupt and ex-convicts with the other side. .someone that believes akala deserves a 2nd term, and OGD should have a position in his next cabinet. .I leave you to wallow in your shortsightedness

@OP

Before you get deceived you should ask yourself can anything good come out of PDP

if you believe so. .then i wish you well

Dosunmu showed that PDP has nothing to offer, if thats the best they could get for lagos

what a bunch of liars, they are not hard to know similar to the individual that started this thread

againstGEJ:
Are you all tired of name calling?

Only animals do like y'all do.

When you have nothing to say, you begin to insult and curse and call names.

What is intelligent in insults and name calling? Nothing, just open your mouth and while flies go in, you spew all meaningless diatribes just because you cant match point for point.

You show how desperate GEJ and PDP is to recruit a clown signing in with different aliases just to support their ever corrupt party

and if you are doing this as a result of ethnic support, you have a backward mind and cant see beyond your nose

Sorry but PDP days are numbered, im sure you will vanish once GEJ begins packing his load in April

ACN and PDP debate??

What time is the debate??

againstGEJ

all this because GEJ promised you personal assistant to special assistant to special adviser on facebook and nairaland matters

what a shame

I think its an ok start

egift:
By your statement, it means all those that gather at GEJ rally are just there to collect their share of the loot? I see

Thanks for answering him, its like PDP supporters think with a fish brain

Is that Bode George?

Bode George, the former Nigeria Ports Authority chairman who was recently released from Kirikiri Prison where he spent two years for fraud, was also present at the rally and sat in the front row beside Mr. Obasanjo. The presence of Mr. George at the rally, according to a source, took Mr. Jonathan by surprise. The president was reportedly unaware that the leader of the PDP in Lagos would be a guest at the function. The presidency source said that Mr. Jonathan would have preferred not to see Mr. George at the rally, but there was nothing he could do to stop the politician, who stormed the arena with an army of supporters.

“Mr. President was not aware that Bode George was one of those guests packaged for the event by the organisers. I am sure the organisers took the president unawares. You know everybody in Nigeria wants the president to remain as president after the April poll, so they are supporting him. Bode George is one of those supporting while in prison and now that he is free, he is showing it in the open,” the source said.

The campaign carnival was supported by King Suny Ade, the country’s foremost juju artist.

At home

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, who flagged off the ACN senatorial candidates’ campaign in the state, at Onikan Stadium, said that the PDP had consistently proved that a vote for them was a vote for suffering. He called on Nigerians to elect his party’s candidates in the forthcoming general polls. The ACN campaign took place across the three senatorial districts in the state.

Read More: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5680872-146/rival_parties_go_head_to_head.csp

Kobojunkie:
This woman no dey quit. How she come reason say we no no? This na the same former information minister that helped to keep vital information from the nigerian populace . . . now she dey tell wetin again??

true dat kobo!

wonders shall never cease with our 'politicians' it is cos we dont keep records, and our media seems never to remember the past

i wish her well, but i dont trust her

[quote author=na_so link=topic=614490.msg7824241#msg7824241 date=1298999276]My friend dont be silly. This is a public forum and if you make claims you must stand up to defend them with facts. If a report of 23 Dec relating to PDP primaries is what you relate to as a recent happening in March, then must be the biggest JOKE around.[/quote]you must be a child to be talking this way, its sad the way you PDP supporters think. .u will all surely reap all you sow!

The only way PDP can win this election is by their normal rigging

But if Jega delivers in line with his reputation, PDP days are numbered!

hmm after it is depleted what a bunch of clowns!

when I was made the VP i knew i would become President
Because when i was bayelsa state deputy governor i also became governor

Thieves!

The FG (PDP) said we cant have the kind of revolution happening around the world in Nigeria

They forgot we have our votes to initiate such CHANGE!. .

Vote Wisely, Vote for CHANGE!

The vice presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Tunde Bakare, said his party can defeat President Goodluck Jonathan at the April presidential election.

He told party supporters at a National Executive Committee meeting, over the weekend, that the wind of change blowing across the world will surely be experienced in Nigeria during the elections.

The party flags off its presidential campaign in Kaduna today.

Mr Bakare said defeating Mr Jonathan will be easy because he has not spent up to one year in office.

“There is a wind blowing across the planet. It is blowing everywhere right now. That wind simply says, the will of the people wrestles the power of incumbency.

We have seen it demonstrated in Tunisia, we have seen it demonstrated in Egypt, it is blowing across the World, it is shaking even Libya to its foundation. And these are entrenched places of power of incumbency. Our present president has not been there for one year so his own will be easy to dismantle,” the vice presidential candidate, said.

Mr Bakare asked leaders of the party to unite ahead of the elections, stressing that “by the grace of God, by the will of the people, by our collective hard work and co-operation, by refusing to let anything divide us, by the power of our concentration, by the time 2011 elections are over, the rest is victory.” The clergyman pledged absolute loyalty to his party’s presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, and noted that they cannot afford to lose this opportunity to rescue Nigeria.

He noted that, “The purpose of this afternoon’s meeting and subsequent meetings, is the great opportunity we have to rescue our nation, to salvage our nation and to ensure that the Nigeria that works, comes into manifestation in our life time.”

Mr Bakare solicited the support of party leaders, as CPC begins its nationwide campaigns today, insisting that the party wants outright victory at the polls. “It is doable, it is possible, it requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice on our part, that together, if we remain focused and undivided, we will accomplish it and those who think it is impossible, will find out how we did it,” Mr Bakare said.

Read More: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5680654-146/jonathan_will_be_easy_to_beat.csp

See this jokers. .trying to build an image that doesnt exist

So it means the running of Nigeria is on auto-run this one that GEJ and his twin sambo are travelling round the country, trying to sell lies to the public

when last was Mr.President in Aso rock!. .

Buhari will make GEJ's campaign look like child's play

GEJ thinks its Governorship campaign we are talking about all those statements with no blueprint to achieve them. .

Becomrich = Next VC of Unilorin

i will vote for the guy that wants to buy shoes for Nigerian children

psych!

Of course BB or Ribadu any day

aguiyi:
how can you grant presidential pardon to someone not in prison or standing trial for a crime?

what village are you from, all those people are ex-convicts or serving a jail term
I wont be shocked if GEJ does it, but i think he will do it after elections if he wins