Selingel's Posts
Nairaland Forum › Selingel's Profile › Selingel's Posts
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 (of 40 pages)
Now, the real kind of Nigerian politics begins. ![]() |
Soludo kidnap drama •The factors at war By IKENNA EMEWU(ikenna@sunnewsonline.com), Lagos and GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka Saturday, October 31, 2009 On Tuesday, the old and ugly chapter in Anambra Peoples Democratic Pary (PDP), which involves politics of kidnap, was reopened. That day, Pa Simeon Soludo, father of former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, was kidnapped. The abductition of the septuagenarian reminded political watchers of July 10, 2003, when thugs, allegedly from the opposition camp of the same PDP, kidnapped the then governor, Dr. Chris Ngige. Incidentally, a major actor in the Ngige abduction saga, Chief Chris Uba, who was locked in a battle to control the state with the governor those days, is also at the centre of the current drama in Anambra. Pa Simeon Soludo, was snatched from his home in Isuofia, in Aguata Local Government by unknown gunmen, who came in a Mercedez Banz 190. The family revealed that Pa Soludo was about taking his dinner when the kidnappers stormed his home. The kidnap itself did not come without a drama. It was gathered that because the car was to small to take the team of kidnappers and their victim one of the gunmen had to get into the boot before they sped away. Pa Soludo seem to be taking the heat of his son’s prominence, as there was a previous incident of his involvement in the hands of hoodlums who wanted to settle scores with his son, Chukwuma, in his days as the CBN governor. In that saga, he was reported to have lost one eye. Culture of kidnap When the seed of arm-twisting politics was sown in Anambra, in 2003, in the Ngige abduction saga, the PDP leadership looked the other direction because there were indications that President Olusegun Obasanjo then took sides with Ngige’s enemies and therefore, endorsed whatever overt means they adopted. It was said that the incident soured the relationship between Chief Audu Ogbeh, PDP national chairman at the time and Obasanjo. On the other hand, in the current political battle in Anambra, Aso Rock would be said to be neutral, although President Umar Musa Yar’Adua was briefed before Soludo was presented as PDP candidate for next year’s governorship election in the state. However, fingers are still being pointed at PDP for shunning due process in picking its governorship candidate for next year’s election. According to the South East wing of the Nigeria Renewal Group, “the national leadership of the PDP should be held responsible for acts of terrorism, like this one because it had, in the past, rewarded and favoured its members who brazenly indulge in all manner of criminal acts against fellow party members.” Case of the witch crying in the night and the baby dying in the morning Pa Soludo’s kidnap happened the same day Chris Uba and 21 men, whose governorship aspiration he allegedly sponsored, held a rally in Awka against Soludo’s candidacy. The group had defied the order of the national leadership that its members withdraw suits against Soludo and cease from doing anything against his candidacy. Sources say that the coincide of the kidnap and the rally looked suspicious. According to them, it was like the witch crying in the day and the child dying in the morning. A source said: “On that same day, Soludo’s father was abducted. Not even the threat by the PDP national executive to deal with people opposed to Soludo’s choice could not stop Uba and his group. They held the rally, according to their plan and in the process, on the same day, the father of the person they were kicking against got lost. Who would you suspect did that? Moreover, when you hear talks that it was the family which is demanding ransom of N500 million to settle political expenses, who would you say is involved?” One of the aspirants who spoke to Saturday Sun on phone also noted: “There are no strong evidences to link Uba and his 21 men to the kidnap, but in any police investigation, you start from the known to get to the unknown. There are consequential links between them and the incident. It is possible none of the people suspected is responsible, but the police would get to the roots of the matter starting from the known links. After all, there are past evidences of known people in the PDP in the state involved in matters of kidnap for politics; the guess would not take time to narrow down to them. “The matter becomes more worrisome when demands for money is being made. There is none of the kidnappers that would not readily say Soludo has that amount to pay for his father, and when he does not pay, it becomes a problem no one would have a ready answer to right now. Is it possible they want to break him and force him to step down from the contest or they want to economically wreck him, so that he would be down and flat, not having the money to prosecute his campaign. No one would say for certain what this game is up to”, another who only wants to be identified as Isaac noted. The desperation Many agree that the tension in Anambra over who becomes the PDP guber candidate is one created and given life by PDP. A lawyer said: “When the party threw open its doors and accepted as much as 50 aspirants, who paid at least N5.2 million each for party ticket, it knew it was courting trouble. There is hardly a person who can throw in such amount and at last you cut him from the back to pick a candidate who will quietly go home to lick his wound. They are desperately fighting for the reason that they invested much money in the project; they know they belong to a party where order is lacking. And above all, there is the notion, which is about 90 percent true that whoever picks the ticket is automatically the next governor. They have known our electoral system, if any, for too long, and they believe that PDP is going to perform the old wonder and make sure it wins at all costs. Therefore, what they are fighting over is not actually the candidacy, but already a sure anticipation of the guber seat next year.” The seed of discord About a month before the failed attempts to choose a candidate for the PDP, some party chiefs organized a reception for Prof. Soludo in Abuja. The persons that signed the notice published in many newspapers included Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former Vice President; Chief Tony Anenih, a BOT member of the party and another from the north. Anenih did not chew words in the gathering to announce that Soludo looked like the right candidate they had been looking for. When, therefore, the PDP nominated Soludo as its candidate, without the primaries, many members of the party, especially the other aspirants cried sabotage. However, the sham that was the selection of PDP candidate showed its ugly face at the ward congress. The outcome, which PDP admitted was a 10 percent success, had signs of gloom around the corner. There were tales of manipulation at that micro level. When the list of delegates for the state congress, where the party’s congress would have been chosen was compiled, based on the outcome of the ward congresses, issues were also raised. Some of the aspirants had accused the Chris Ubah camp of smuggling in 600 names, which were substituted for real delegates. The gladiators had squared up until one of the 47 aspirants procured a court order to stop the exercise. Even the presence of a governor and Speaker of the House of Representatives – all party bigwigs – could not bring sanity in the exercise. The option of electing a candidate through the statutory delegates in Abuja failed until the NWC threw its weight, as last resort, to pick Soludo. Yet, the war only changed face and not averted. Saoludo’s gain my not have come by chance. It appeared to have been programmed. Last year, a prime national executive member of the PDP in the South East zone had told Saturday Sun that the party has a scheme to field, in the 2010 guber race, a candidate whose personality and credibility would not be questioned. He was specific to mention Soludo and Prof. Dora Akunyili as likely persons. Mid this year, sources also revealed that the choice had been narrowed down to Soludo. A source said: “It was consummation of the plans that made Mr. President accept to drop him from going for a second term in the CBN job. So, what is happening in Anambra is a plan long cooked and given birth to by the PDP leadership. They declared they want Anambra by all means. And what goes on today is the declared all-means. “If I were Chris Uba, I would calm down and watch the direction the party is going. If he were a smart politician, he would have known that the tune of the music has changed. He and his brother had their day when Obasanjo was in power. The person there today is a different person and has people he accepts their style. Uba should have known that the helmsman’s style does not favour his approach. So if his party has decided to chose a particular candidate, it doesn’t matter how much he spent, his intentions would not carry the day at last”. “I am a party member in PDP, I really sympathise with the party because if the matter gets too bad, it will lose. We cannot keep taking Nigerians for granted; it is possible the people can vote and adopt a different attitude to defend their votes, unlike before. Meanwhile, if PDP knows how to manage its affairs, it should instead placate the aspirants because they also spent their resources. They should not be bullied to drop the fight. It needs diplomacy to settle and that would be a more effective approach.” However, PDP, in its usual style, seems to have mismanaged or overestimated its accuracy in the game. And it was too bad that the monsters the party had reared in the past in Anambra bared their fangs this much. The Police stand The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Leha, following the high profile of the incident and the interest in the matter, addressed the press, where he insinuated that the kidnap might not have been unconnected with those against Soludo’s candidature. Leha had said: “Once again, it is my pleasure to address you on the prevailing security situation in Anambra State. The past two months, Anambra State has witnessed peace and tranquility devoid of violent bank robbery and high society kidnaps. “An era that has witnessed mass arrest of previous armed robbers/kidnappers and recovery of their weapons of mass destruction until just yesterday (Tuesday) when a five-man armed gang of kidnappers, operating in Mercedes Benz 190 saloon car, black in colour, kidnapped Chief Simeon Soludo, a 78-year-old father of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and one of the frontline gubernatorial aspirant in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State. “It is instructive to note, based on intelligence reports, crime statistics and survey carried out by the State police Command that they are primarily two kinds of insecurity in the state: Insecurity caused by criminals who deliberately target well-meaning individuals in the society, which could be anyone as long as they think he is wealthy enough to part with some hefty sum. This has been tactically scaled down by the strategies put in place by the command and for the past two months, we have had it smooth and easy here. “The second and the most dangerous phase is insecurity sponsored by politicians. Just yesterday (Tuesday), some group of politicians held a meeting at Emmaus House, Awka where scathing remarks were made on the person of Professor Charles Soludo. Just after the meeting, Chief Simeon Soludo was kidnapped and it is left for people to speculate who did it, and for what reasons. “The Anambra State Police Command wishes to reiterate its earlier warning and very strongly too, that it cannot fold hands while politicians make nonsense of all the gains made. The Command will not, and cannot be intimidated, henceforth; the Command will deal very decisively with any politicians found to be fermenting trouble either by his action or words. “The Command also wishes to remind the politicians that the only road to Government House is through the ballot box and not by kidnapping people. Their popularity and acceptance can only be got by propagating and articulating ideas and selling same to the electorates with a view to winning their votes and not by buying the votes. “This brief statement should serve as a warning to all politicians to follow due process and play to the rules. Once again, the command will not hesitate to deal very ruthlessly with anybody caught causing trouble irrespective of his societal status.” When asked what police were doing, having fingered those who held the rally, he said that the command had already invited the leader of the party in the state, Chief Chris Uba, for questioning. The Uba factor However, the CP’s statement did not go down well with Chris Uba, who saw it as blackmail and an attempt to cow him from continuing his fight against Soludo’s candidature. He had, in response, said that he was never invited by the police and wondered why the CP should say so. He said: “I am the leader of the party in the state and I have been funding the party since 1999. Soludo is a visitor in the state; he is a visitor in the party; but when he came we started the primaries, and in the delegate election he got only five, and when he got this few votes, Soludo himself went and brought a court order and told me that he brought that court order. Then he later came to my house to beg me for us to discuss. I told him to go first and vacate that court order; he told me the court order cannot be vacated. “He also told me that he had about three court orders in his pocket given by the same judge, Justice Nwankwo. Then we went to Abuja to do the congress election. Soludo refused that delegates would vote. After that, the NWC rose and said that they were coming back; they went and slotted his name from behind. I will show you his number; he has been calling me, begging me to soft pedal and I said I will not soft pedal; he must vacate because he came in through the backyard and he must leave through the backyard. “Soludo is not a member of our party. Soludo has not attended meeting anywhere. He went to the Commissioner of Police and told the CP that he should stop us from the rally, but police told us to change the rally to stakeholders meeting. I spoke to the commissioner myself and police were at that rally and I went to the rally and came back, the thing he said was that they kidnapped his father. “Soludo is a blackmailer and he cannot blackmail me to stop. I will continue to fight the cause I believe in. I will continue to fight his candidature till I get him out of office. He can’t try this in this party; he has spoilt all the banks in Nigeria and he want to come and spoil the party; it can’t happen. “So he knows the location of his father; let him go and bring back his father. You know Soludo is not at peace with his people; he is fighting with his people; he created an autonomous community. “My own is the party. I am the leader of the party. I am a BOT member in this party. I am fighting illegality because our president believes in rule of law and we must follow due process. “Police Commissioner never invited me for one day and it is unfair for him to say so. But tell him I am in my house in Abuja, if he wants to see me, if he invites me I will answer. No blackmail can’t stop me. I must fight on. “No amount of sympathy will stop me. Soludo knows where his father is; he should get him out. He came in illegally and we will throw him out illegally. “I am consulting with all my lawyers for a legal action against Soludo and his cronies. However, police in Nigeria know where to see me, if they want me I am available at anytime to answer them. “I have never been to any police station. EFFC have never invited me and I am not owing any bank anywhere in the world. I want Nigerians to judge me and Soludo who has skeleton in his cupboard. “I am fighting just cause and I have followers and my followers will not support illegality as exemplified in Soludo’s candidature.” Insinuations While those in Soludo’s camp are accusing the opposition of masterminding the kidnap to jolt their principal, make him afraid and possibly abandon the party’s mandate, the aggrieved people who are accused are saying it is diversionary. According to Mr. Chike Anyaonu, a member of the tink-tank of Soludo’s camp, the opposition boasted at their rally that they would chase Soludo out of the state and his father was kidnapped thereafter. He said “It is desperation on their part; we have seen such things in the past in Anambra State; it is not the first, not the second and not the third. Sometime in 2003, a sitting governor was abducted by the same godfather. He is supposed to be in prison by now because that is treason, but he is walking freely. “The same group caused mayhem and burnt government property. It is in their character, it is how they work, and that is why we say they are responsible. “Also at the rally, they held that day, one after the other, they said all manner of things against Soludo and boasted to the crowd that within seven says, something would happen, and that is why the police, who were present are now looking on their way. They did this to cow him, and scuttle his decision to help liberate Anambra State.” But countering that, one of the aspirants, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu said: “I have always condemned kidnapping and I have always insisted that those involved should be brought to book. Anyone who is found wanting is a criminal and not a politician. The idea of saying that the N500 million ransom was to offset election expenses is not only mischievous but diversional. I sympathize with our great party’s candidate, Prof. Charles Soludo over the kidnap of his father, but people should not give it a political coloration”. Other factors Former governor of the state, Dr. Chris Ngige, saw the development as ugly and urged politicians to be civil. His campaign organization had, in a statement, also described the kidnap as political and said: “Our Principal and this campaign organization view this dastardly, anti-social and reckless behaviour in bad taste and calls for the unconditional release of this peaceful old man who has done nothing to merit this crude treatment. “While sympathizing with Professor Soludo and his family, we call on all politicians from all the opposing political parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who have intra party issues, to settle with Professor Soludo, to do so in a civilized and dignified manner. “Politics is a noble game and should be played as such. Kidnapping of somebody or a member of his or her family can never be the solution to any political problem. At the same time, we continue to repeat what our Principal, His Excellency, Dr. Chris N. Ngige, OON, has continued to say to the Peter Obi administration that security of life and property is the first cardinal responsibility of any government to her citizenry. “He had, at the last Anambra State Association USA convention at the National Harbor, Washington, DC, over the weekend re-emphasized that the failure of the Obi administration in this respect connotes total failure of government business. One would expect this outgoing, never-do-well government, to protect the lives of the citizenry, until March 17, 2010, when it will park its bag and baggage out of the Government House as a failed Government. “For theirs is a story of an administration that came in 17th March 2006, inheriting a healthy government and state, but transformed it into a failed government and a failed state.” A group, under the aegis of Nigeria Renewal Group (NRG) South East Zone, blamed the leadership of the PDP for the kidnap of the party’s standard bearer’s dad. In a statement by the zonal chairman, Dr. Ejiamatu Chikwado, the group stated that the kidnap of Pa. Soludo was politically motivated, adding that the PDP leadership should be held responsible. It said: “The national leadership of the PDP since the Colonel Ahmadu Ali days should be held responsible for acts of terrorism, like this one, because it has always rewarded its favoured members who brazenly indulge in all manner of criminal acts even against fellow party members. “The kidnapping of the PDP candidate’s father apparently by his own party men is what would always happen in a country where crime is rewarded, instead of being punished. Nigeria is not yet a country governed by the rule of law, but by the rule of men. When Dr Chris Ngige was the sitting governor, he was abducted on July 10 2003 by his estranged PDP backers over the sharing of the state’s resources, the PDP rather than arrest and prosecute all those involved in the dastardly act concluded that it was a mere family affair. “The abductors were thus encouraged to do more dastardly things like the burning of such state institutions as the House of Assembly, the legislators’ quarters, Government House, the state judicial headquarters, broadcasting stations and others in November, 2004, for a whole two days in broad daylight. “In fact, far from the police arresting the thugs engaged in the carnage and arson against public structures; they were the very people guiding and shielding the destroyers, as even the Nigerian Television Authority showed the world on its network news service. This fact left most people with the impression that the PDP government of General Olusegun Obasanjo was working in cahoots with the masterminds of the mayhem.” It’s battle for the sould of Anambra In the midst of accusations and counter accusation, Pa Soludo has not been seen. He appears to be the pawn in the chessboard of Anambra politics. Observers say that it is possible that his abduction is meant to force his son to withdraw from the race for Anambra governorship seat. Others say his son’s camp may have also stage-manged the incident to whip up sentiment. However, what is obvious is that the Uba camp want Soludo out and has actually vowed to do eveything to ensure this. Uba said that himself. However, the curious thing about the kidnap is that the police said the Soludo family had not reported it to them. http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2009/oct/31/newsbreak-31-10-2009-002.html |
That is why they will never surrender power. |
That is why they will never surrender power. |
The North: Underdevelopment, Poverty and Leadership Questions A never-ending debate was rekindled when a couple of weeks ago, the boyish-looking middle-aged civil-servant turned politician and Governor of Niger State, Talban Minna, Alhaji Muazu Babangida Aliyu, (PhD), made some serious remarks bordering on underdevelopment, backwardness and abject poverty in the north while addressing a one-day symposium on poverty eradication in Northern states on Saturday, December 13, 2008. His weighty allegations were weighty enough to sparked off controversies, counter offensive rebuttals and re-ignited the debate about who to blame regarding the stark underdevelopment; de-industrialization, collapse of agriculture and the attendant very high levels of unemployment, illiteracy and abject poverty of the north. Whose responsibility is it to correct and turnaround the sad situation also pervaded and charged the democratic discourse atmosphere. The sad situation in the north is further compounded with the lingering culture of adult, youth and child begging (i.e. Almajirce) associated with some people and or communities of northern extraction to be found all over the county’s major towns and cities. This piece is not about blame laying and finger-pointing. It is an attempt to put the discourse into proper context and perspective; a positive development in problem-solving contextual framework. As such, I will ignore most of the personalization of the debate that took place since the issue cropped up. A careful study of the exchanges; rejoinders and other viewpoints expressed both in the print and electronic media (including the internet), by concerned members of the public that took place since the debate ensued provided me an insight into the wider issues at stake. However, I will restrict my present analysis on just a few emerging issues from the exchanges. First and foremost, I wish to congratulate Niger State Chief Servant, Dr. Aliyu, for having the moral courage to draw the attention of Nigerians to the plight of millions of people languishing in abject poverty in the north. He is not the first and will not be the last to do that. Statistically, abject poverty level in the north has been estimated to be hovering around 70% to 75% of the total northern population and similarly, of the total national population of Nigeria; that is, people living below the poverty line or below the basic minimum stylized $2 per day and per person. As matter of fact, a World Bank’s recent study identified northern Nigeria as among the poorest places on earth. This shocking revelation corroborates and further supported our own Central Bank Governor, Professor Chukwuma C. Soludo when he stated the obvious facts about the worsening underdevelopment, high illiteracy rate and abject poverty levels in the north at a public function in Kaduna some time last year and he was unnecessarily vilified for saying the naked truth. Therefore, the issues Dr. Aliyu, Niger State Chief Servant raised should not be reduced to merely simplistic blame game. His wake-up calls should not just be seen as attempts to seek for undue attention, recognition and or popularity as some stakeholders have already claimed and or alluded to. As a highly educated, highly experienced and accomplished, and fulfilled retired federal permanent secretary and presently, a state Governor, he cannot be so accused. Having made this clarification, I will like to join issues with fellow stakeholders on these and probably other salient issues waiting to be raised and or addressed. These are as follows: The north: its underdevelopment, poverty and inept leadership – the root causes The fundamental factors that transformed the historically vibrant giant agricultural and commerce-based economy of northern Nigeria (ipso factor other geo-political regions of Nigeria, inclusive of the Niger delta region) to its present sleeping giant economic status can be summarized and grouped into three. These are: a) First, the poor management of the negative consequence associated with sudden discovery of oil and gas resources in Nigeria’s Niger delta oil and gas-rich region. In natural resource economics, this is generally known as the ‘Dutch Disease’ effect - arising from the discovery of oil and gas that substituted agriculture, manufacturing and commerce as the main economic stay of the Nigerian economy and society of which the north is a major component of it. While inflation and currency appreciation slowly killed industry and agriculture, a parasitic class of newly-rich elite lived off oil money, waiting for the next windfall bonanza to come in. By the time windfall manna from the heaven stopped falling, the nation finds it unable to balance its budget and feeds itself, forcing it to declare neoliberal economic austerity measures and finishing always at the tail end of world leading economic, human and social development indices. The very kind of situation Nigeria finds itself today. Thus, if not properly managed, the wealth derived from natural resources endowments of a country can paradoxically, have a tremendous negative impact on the macro economics and politics of producing countries or regions as the case may be as I will be discussing in later in this my contribution to this great discourse. b) Second, the emergence of rabid ‘rent-seeking’ and racketeering activities – a situation whereby when “free” money is flowing out of the ground, people who might otherwise be engaged in fruitful and productive economic activities such as farming or start a business or do something innovative instead busy themselves angling for a share of the spoils of the new found oil wealth. These unproductive activities create the condition political economists call ‘Resource Curse.’ According to the literature, Countries with large endowments of natural resources, such as oil and gas (like in Nigeria), often do worse than their poorer neighbors. Their resource wealth frequently leads to lower growth rates, greater volatility, more corruption, and in extreme cases, devastating civil wars. Nigeria is a typical example and the north has its proportionate share of it all. ‘Resource Curse’ is therefore a problem affecting the lives of millions and millions of people in oil and gas resource-rich countries especially in developing and transition economies; the worst being in sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria leading the pack. The effects of resource curse have contributed to keeping millions of Nigerian people impoverished despite the oil wealth of the country. c) Third, emergence of bad governance and inept leadership, which evolved largely as a result of the new found oil and gas wealth. The combination of ‘resource curse’ syndrome and the problems of bad governance, missing mechanisms of transparency and accountability, absence of a true democratic culture – all lead to inept leadership. All these generate what policy sciences, political science and political economy scholars and practitioners dubbed ‘Paradox of Plenty’ in the literature. Put differently, Nigeria isn't poor despite its oil riches--it's poor because of them. I will discuss these above outlined three key issues accordingly, in my subsequent follow-up articles on this discourse about the north and its developmental and leadership problems and challenges. Abubakar Atiku Nuhu-Koko Tuesday, 06 January 2009 http://www.nigerianmuse.com/20090107092239zg/articles/the-north-underdevelopment-poverty-and-leadership-questions |
Another candidate expresses opposition to Soludo's imposition By Alex Emeje October 22, 2009 23:37AMT [b]The controversy surrounding the emergence of Chukwuma Soludo as the governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State shows no sign of abating as another aspirant, Annie Okonkwo, said on Wednesday in Abuja that the battle for the party's ticket was not yet over. Mr. Okonkwo, a former senator, who distanced himself from the decision to adopt the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as the party's flag bearer, said the PDP was still searching for a resolution of the crisis surrounding the selection. The politician, said although he had nothing against the former CBN governor, he was opposed to the process that led to Mr. Soludo's emergence. He said he would not abandon the party or fight for nomination in another party. "We were not part of the agreement to bring [Mr.] Soludo as the party's candidate," he said. "We were called to Abuja for a stakeholders meeting and we accepted that the name of Ekwueme be filed to INEC to beat the deadline, pending when a free and fair primary would be conducted, and we all agreed." He said he was surprised to hear later that day, after the agreement has been reached, that Mr. Soludo had been adopted as the party's candidate. "I urge all my members not to waiver, we will not leave PDP for anyone," he said. "We own 60 per cent of the population of Anambra people, while other groups battle with the remaining 40 per cent." Shouts of Holy Ghost Fire rent the air when the group was asked if Mr. Soludo should be fielded. He appealed to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to intervene in the matter of the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the interest of rule of law and due process. Soludo reaches out Following the controversy and rancour surrounding the emergence of Mr. Soludo as the candidate of the PDP, the South East Zonal Working Committee of the party, last week, inaugurated a 14-man Reconciliation Committee to resolve the disputes between warring factions within the party. The committee is headed by Onyeabo Obi. However, a party leader told NEXT that Mr. Soludo has been making "serious overtures" to some of the aggrieved former aspirants. So far, the source said, none of the heavy weight contenders have shifted grounds to accommodate the former CBN helmsman. The reconciliation committee has the mandate to appease all aggrieved members of the party, including other aspirants; as well as bring all interest groups and factional leadership to rally behind the candidature of Mr. Soludo. [/b] |
selingel:Will there ever be peace in this political party called, "People Deceive People". PDP!!!, Share The Money! . |
Disregard Soludo, Anambra PDP aspirant tells INEC Cover StoriesOct 20, 2009 By Henry Umoru & Enyim Enyim ABUJA — ONE of the aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial aspirants in Anambra State, Chief Chuma Nwafor, has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, asking it to disregard Prof Chukwuma Soludo as the party’s candidate. Nwafor’s letter to INEC came on the heels of efforts by Soludo’s camp to initiate reconciliation with the aggrieved aspirants. In a protest letter to the INEC Chairman which was made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday, Chief Nwafor, who described the adoption of Soludo by his party as illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional, stressed that the action was an infringement on his rights and that of other members of the party in the state. According to him, “the purported delegates’ meeting held in Abuja on the 9th of October, 2009 and all resolutions, election, selection or anything whatsoever from it are null and void and no effect whatsoever”. Part of the letter reads, “I am a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and an aspirant in the primary election for the 2010 Gubernatorial Election in Anambra State, supposedly held on the 9th of October, 2009, at the Yar’ Adua Centre in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. “It is important to point out at the beginning that aspirants were rail-roaded to Abuja against their will and most of us who went to Abuja wanted to see for ourselves whether the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would actually act contrary to the Order of the Ekwulobia High Court of Justice in Anambra State presided over by Hon. Justice Nwankwo as well as the Party’s Constitution and the 2010 Electoral Guidelines published by the Party for the Primary election. “The alleged primary election in Abuja that produced Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2010 Anambra State Gubernatorial Election was a complete sham for the following reasons: “That after the statutory delegates and aspirants assembled at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja on the 9th October, 2009, at about noon, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, in his opening remarks sensitised the delegates on the need to act timely in order to beat INEC deadline. “The delegates and aspirants present were not equivocal in their rejection of the idea of electing there and then, the Party’s gubernatorial candidate for the 2010 Governorship Election in Anambra State, at which point the Party’s Chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor and other National Working Committee members excused themselves to deliberate and revert to the delegates and aspirants only to announce to the media and the general public (where I and other aspirants got his information) that Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo had been elected as the candidate of the party for the Anambra State 2010 Gubernatorial Election.” Soludo makes reconciliatory move However, Director-General of the Soludo campaign organisation and former Speaker of the House of Representative, Chief Agunwa Anaekwe, dropped the hint of reconciliation yesterday with aggrieved aspirants while addressing reporters on the processes that led to the emergence of Soludo. Anaekwe said the candidate and the campaign organisation needed to quickly extend the hand of fellowship to all aggrieved members of the party because they cannot fight the political battle ahead alone. “All we are asking is for our aggrieved brothers to know that PDP is one family and whatever problem we have should be resolved in-house. I want to extend our hand of fellowship to all aspirants, all party men and women. The PDP has a duty now to produce a governor who would be acceptable by the people of this state”,he said. He added, “Our focus now is to see Soludo elected on February 6, 2010. We want to enthrone merit, we want to stop violence and we want to move this state higher to the envy of other states of the federation”. Anaekwe conceded that the anger being expressed by some aspirants who contested with Soludo was normal but appealed to them to see Soludo’s emergence as a plus for the PDP and rally round him to achieve victory in the forthcoming governorship poll. According to him, the national leadership of the PDP had to invoke Article 17(1) of the party’s constitution to save an ugly situation that would have given room for other political parties to have a field day should PDP fail to pick and submit the name of a candidate for the election on the last day of submission given by INEC. So far, the campaign director said, 36 governorship aspirants, all members of Board of Trustees, two senators and nine members of the House of Representatives from Anambra state have endorsed Soludo’s candidature. Reacting to a newspaper publication that a federal high court in Awka had restrained Soludo from parading himself as the flagbearer of the PDP, Anaekwe said there was no such order, saying that there was an Application for an order of injunction which was however adjourned for hearing on October 19. PPA inaugurates 5 C’ttees Meanwhile, the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, has set up five committees charged with the responsibility of proper mobilisation for the party ahead of the governorship election come 2010. The five committees comprise contact and mobilization; media and publicity; finance; disciplinary; security and intelligence. Inaugurating the committees, the state chairman of the party, Chief Anthony Igboka, said the essence was to make sure that every party member was carried along in the scheme of things. Importantly, he said the activities of the committees would go a long way to enhance the electoral fortunes of PPA in the state. Members of the committees are Chief Emmanuel C. Odiegwu; Okey Araonu, J.C Igbokwe, Innocent Agudiegwu, Ifeatu Nwokedi, Ossy Afulukwe, Felix Obiora Okeke, Cosmas Anyichie, George Obidiaso, Steven Mbieli, Big Ben, Maduka Anusi, Onwubualil Boniface, Obidigbo Kanayochukwu, Henry Okwuchukwu Obi and Anakwenze. Others are James Nwokike, Nonye Okolue, Okey Ukeje, Pius Ezeoke, Capt. Ikoku, Anthony Muoneke, Martin Okafor, Martin Okeke, Mikky Izuora, P.O.C Ebubedike and Nkoli Okoli. 8 Responses for “Disregard Soludo, Anambra PDP aspirant tells INEC” kedu says: October 21, 2009 at 12:27 am chuma who? okonto ifeanyi says: October 21, 2009 at 12:11 am soludo is the man anambra need he is the solution to anambra people PDP should accept him . Kotoko says: October 21, 2009 at 12:01 am Whatever that is good for the goose must appropriately be good for the gender. These self-annointed peace-makers soliciting the mode of aspirants have not revisited a scenerio where Soludo should be addressed to give-up his position for another aspirant , and why not ? It bugs me when false-pretenders in pretext of “conflict mediations” would focus on whomsoever they percieve as their weaker character and urge that person to sacrifice everything and go empty handed while negotiating personal balance for themselves as benefactors. Yes, they want other aspirants to loose everthing and for Soludo to reward them for trenching the asprants as undeservables . What a clumsy game ! Let’s see the fool who would after all these efforts compromise his or her integrity as a “push-over” because they don’t deserve the governorship ? What if Soludo finally lost to other candidates like Ngige or Peter Obi ? My opinion is, if you can’t make up your mind, somebody else will do it for you. If you have decided to run for governorship, do it because, if Soludo wins, he would be talking of a second term in office and you don’t have a chance. Power antosticates. Remember all the world leaders, they do the same after climbing up the ladder, why must they sleep with roaches ? OKENWA says: October 20, 2009 at 11:33 pm Soludo and PDP have done de 1st rigging de next rigging will be done with INEC on feb,6, 2010…, In Anambra state PDP will remain a failed party till 2014. George Okiyi says: October 20, 2009 at 11:15 pm Surprise. I didn’t know that PPA has up to the aforementioned number of committee members as registered party faithfuls in the whole of Anambara State. With PDP’s show of shame, Maurice Iwu has found a fertile ground to collect his “egunje” and replicate the Ohakim/Imo State electoral abracadabra. Michael Chuks says: October 20, 2009 at 11:03 pm Even though Soludo’s nomination is undemocratic, he still offers PDP the brightest prospects of clinching the guber seat in Anambra. Anything to the contrary will spell doom for the party in the state. chidiebere oburu says: October 20, 2009 at 10:59 pm PDP has long shown that she lacks the capacity and willingness to enthrone true democracy in Nigeria. They did it in Ekiti state and many other states in the country. This is the same government that spends the task payer’s money preaching re-branding. Do they think they can deceive us or more so president Obama? They feigned anger when the latter visited Ghana and not Nigeria in his first visit to Africa. How can a party like PDP institute electoral reforms that will allow the people to freely elect their leaders. Does Mr president who controls the highest decision making apparatus of this party/government still claim to be abiding by the rule of law? I doubt if he still does and so do most Nigerians. They want to plunge Anambra state into trouble. They did that not too long ago. It is the only state that will be conducting gubernatorial election next year just because of PDP. What is Soludo or his party scared about? They cannot even conduct free and fair primary elections let alone a general election. PDP is just hell bent on stalling the nation’s development. Why? onwuka says: October 20, 2009 at 10:41 pm chuma should go and sit down,anambra people are tired of him and his masters,soludo is the soluction,PDP got it right this time around. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/10/20/disregard-soludo-anambra-pdp-aspirant-tells-inec/comment-page-1/ |
Mr. Quietrager, this topic teaches one lesson, that sometimes, we disagree to agree better. If one reads through all the comments, he will see the good, the bad, and the ugly. But I really enjoyed the topic. Please keep posting comments. |
Hello. To all that have responded, I want to say a big thank you to you all. |
It is becoming more obvious by day, that Nigerian political leaders, are "Political Dealers" . |
Anambra: 23 aspirants protest Soludo’s choice Headlines Oct 13, 2009 ABUJA — THE gale of protests that have trailed the nomination of Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2010 gubernatorial election in Anambra State is yet to subside as 23 aspirants from the party, yesterday, in Abuja rejected the choice just as 250 delegates from the state stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, demanding that the party primary be concluded. While the aspirants who addressed newsmen at the Rock View Hotel, Abuja, threatened court action if the party failed to withdraw Soludo’s name, the protesters who arrived the PDP Secretariat from Anambra in a convoy of 23 vehicles around 8.30am claimed that Soludo was a product of an illegitimate process. Anambra PDP Primary: Hon. Basii Imuoba (centre) addressing press conference on the rejection of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as Anambra PDP Candidate while Chief Mrs Caro Nwosu (left) and Hon. Chuma Nwofor (right) look on during press Conference by PDP Gubernatorial Aspirant in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan The aspirants who noted that they have toiled for the party since 1999, stressed that they will not fold their arms while a new member is imposed on them, alleging that Soludo’s running mate, Senator Emma Anosike, is not a member of the party on the ground that he only returned to the party last year. Chuma Nwafo, who addressed journalists on behalf of the 23 aspirants who included Senators Annie Okonkwo and Nicholas Ukachukwu said “we call to express our disgust, dismay over the rumour that someone has be chosen as the candidate for the party. To the best of our knowledge, we are not aware of any name that was submitted. We have an inconclusive primaries in the state, primaries must be conducted in Anambra and it must be free and fair. People have invested in Anambra State PDP since 1999, why just give it to someone who came yesterday?” Speaking further, Nwofor said, “we were put on oath by the party in the forms we filled that we will abide by the constitution and complete the process. The ward congress was relatively successful and some of them who did not do well had to go to court through proxy. The process of getting Soludo was wrong. We are prepared to go back to the field and continue, it is not a race for sale, but a race for votes, a race for the people of Anambra, a race for the peoples’s destiny”. The aspirants who stressed that letters would go to President Umaru Yar’Adua, leader of the party, on the recent development in the state as well as their total rejection of the process, warned that they will go to court to seek redress if the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party fails to withdraw Soludo’s name. But soon after the briefing, Professor Soludo made a surprise appearance and had a private meeting with the aspirants after which he spoke with journalists, where he described his choice as the party’s flagbearer as God’s design. According to him, “To God be the glory. I believe God has destined that Anambra must sing a new song, to break away from the past, I have tried to reach out to my co-aspirants, one is honoured by the choice, evidently, the party has made a choice. “Just to tell you that after the process, we are trying to build back what we have always been, a very strong united family in PDP, with a big umbrella and it will accommodate everyone. And I think it went very well, with some frankness, people had put in their time and effort” Protesters storm Abuja Yesterday’s protest which was led by PDP Legal Adviser in Anambra State, Chuks Okoye, saw the protesters chanting “who can battle with the Lord, we say nobody”, and carried placards with inscriptions, some of which read: “NWC, let’s have our democracy”, “Ogbulafor, leave Anambra PDP”, “Ogbulafor, respect internal democracy”, “We say no to imposition of candidates”, “No Primaries, no peace in Anambra PDP”, “Allow us to choose our candidate for 2010”, “This is rape on democracy” and “NWC purge yourselves”. Anambra PDP candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (middle) flanked by his running mate, Senator Emmanuel Anosike (left) and Hon. Chuma Nzeribe (right) at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan. It took the intervention of the Police, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sunday Odunkoya before they left the gate. Also yesterday, some delegates under the aegis, “concerned Constitutional Statutory Delegates from Anambra State for the Special Congress for the Gubernatorial Primary election, 2010” in a letter to the National Chairman of PDP, called on the party to conclude the process by holding a Special Congress (Electoral College) where a candidate for the party would be elected. In a letter signed by thirty six PDP Chairmen, and Vice Chairmen of the Local Government Councils in Anambra state, they also called for an unreserved apology to them because of the way they said the party treated them. “It is with deep sense of patriotism and undiluted loyalty that we, the undersigned members of our great party, and indeed the constitutionally-approved statutory delegates for election of Anambra State gubernatorial candidate, wish to express our dismay and total rejection over the brazen move to subvert the process succinctly provided for by the constitution of our great party and the guideline governing the conduct of the gubernatorial primary election put in place for Anambra State primary election for 2010. “As we express our rejection of the decision to hoist a candidate on us, we must not fail to recall the herculean processes and stages we have been made to pass through. “We need to recall that the first hurdle which we were subjected to surmount was the unconstitutional punitive and un-receipted fee of Nl0,000 (Ten Thousand Naira) as delegate fee. “Then, of course, we also wish to recall the agony and anguish we were meant to pass through at Awka, Anambra State when we came out to exercise our franchise at the Women Development Centre on Friday the 2nd day of October, 2009 for the scheduled primary before the process was truncated in the most unceremonious way.” Senators divided Meanwhile, Senators from Anambra are divided over Soludo’s choice. While the caucus leader of the state delegation to the National Assembly, Senator Joy Emodi, has pledged to reluctantly back the party’s choice, Senator Okonkwo (PDP, Anambra Central) has pledged not to back what he described as an illegality. The third State representative in the Senate, Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah (PDP, Anambra South) could not be reached for his reaction. Senators Obiorah and Okonkwo were both aspirants for the gubernatorial office before the party’s decision which produced Prof. Soludo as the consensus candidate. While expressing reservations about the process which produced Soludo, Senator Emodi expressed her determination, in the face of the challenges facing the party, to support Soludo and Senator Emma Anosike who was picked as the running mate. She nevertheless appealed to party loyalists to put party interests above other personal considerations. “The position in Anambra State was complicated but as a loyal party member, I have to support him and I think that Soludo will be capable to be Governor of Anambra State. The only problem we had was bringing him out without any form of consultation at all,’’ Senator Emodi told Vanguard on telephone. “I have been trying to calm them down and I am calling on all our members to support him so that we will be able to win our election in Anambra State. No matter how hard the thing may be, I have been telling them to try and eschew bitterness and support him. I am calling on all PDP members and all Anambrarians to support him, he is qualified to be Governor of Anambra State,’’ Senator Emodi said. Senator Okonkwo on his part said: “As far as I am concerned, I will not support any illegality, the decision is illegal, it was not the process that we started and that is why as a legislator, anything that is illegal I will not support it,’’ Senator Okonkwo told Vanguard yesterday on telephone. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/10/13/anambra-23-aspirants-protest-soludos-choice/comment-page-1/ |
I tire oh! |
Meanwhile, some have used the email address, and have made positive contributions which have changed my orientation to even the topic, and many more are still coming in. Some ladies have even mailed me, and I have been introducing myself more to them. There are things that cant be discussed here, but can privately be discussed. |
In as much I appreciate the sense of humour, positive responses will be highly appreciated. Some have used the email address, and have made positive contributions which have changed my orientation to even the topic, and many more are still coming in. Some ladies have even mailed me, and I have been introducing myself more to them. There are things that cant be discussed here, but can privately be discussed. |
cuteruth:Thanks Dear for that positive contribution. |
IGWE_USA:If you say one is ranting, no problem. But it takes one who rants, to identify another who does so. ![]() |
biggjoe:What makes you feel you are better educated? I can feel arrogance here, Mr. man. Repent of it, else you will meet your waterloo soon. Very soon. |
biggjoe:I wonder what makes some people feel they are authority in every issue?. Even in the face of obvious facts, people still feel their stand is final. I think the fact for one to grow up, should be imbibed first by them. I sense tribalism which have beclouded their sense of not being partial. |
Indeed, it is not a joke. |
tpia.:I have my reservations with them. |
ginger1:Honestly, I appreciate you comment. I guess I should have said soon'. Anyway, it might not happen in that two months, but atleast, let someone be there for one to start something with. Already, I know some ladies can even pretend for one year, only for them to show their real colours later. |
Thanks my brother. When one doesnt have any facts, he diverts from issues. |
Irrespective of how you want to classify it, it doesnt mean, the state is at rest. How many states have PDP nominated your so-called tentative candidate? Is that not enough reason that things are not going well in that state?. |
mikeansy:Irrespective of how you want to classify it, it doesnt mean, the state is at rest. How many states have PDP nominated your so-called tentative candidate? Is that not enough reason that things are not going well in that state?. |
mikeansy:What will be said of Democracy, if some people feel that, being or holding any political office, doesnt mean to serve the nation, rather another short cut to power and wealth. What will you call the Democracy, when two brothers wants to possess the soul of a state, and someone here feels it is an opportunity to choose amongst the majority?. What will you call that system of government, when a state is always in the news, and washes its dirty linen outside, even though others are not holy?. Simple guber election is tearing a once peaceful state apart. |
, every Tom, Dick and Harry , |
asha 80:This is a polite insult on the people of Ekiti state, because I see no reason why it should be assumed that, the good people of that state, had to make do with Oni, not minding the fact that, it is the faulty system that gave birth to this man. The case of Anambra, is very different as every tom dick and Harry wants to be what, some are not fit. The situation is so back that, someone that was supposed to be an elder stateman was mentioned to run for the post of a governor, even after being a VP. Just imagine?. |
Ekiti politics is between Fayemi and Oni. What about Anambra? |
asha 80:He is entitled to his opinion, but as Enjoyment1 said, when it is perennial in one section, what happens? |
Thanks man!. Still waiting. |