₦airaland Forum

How stoopid can some of you Tinubu haters be

You have consistently embarked on a campaign of calumny against a man whose shoes your 10th generation can never be worthy to carry

From the days of APC merger,APC Primaries both Lagos and Presidential,the elections and now to the formation of cabinet members....you have consistently and foo..lishly taken a dig at APC,Amaechi,Tinubu,Fashola and Buhari at different times depending on who you want to attack

Buhari having won the election is being momentarily let off the hook while Tinubu is being virulently attacked yet the man continues to do what is best in the interest of his convictions and party

While he continues to increase,the traducers have continue to decrease

Contrary to what some lowlifers believe Tinubu does not singularly take decisions,he consult with his associates which is why many of his associates have stucked with him since 1999. Those who decamped even came back like Femi Pedro etc

He is the gatekeeper of his caucus hence is seen and always used as a battering ram by traducers

As much as i am not a fan of Timipre Sylva

Yet every smart Nigerian knew that he fell out with Jonathan and his wife who wanted to control him just like they want to control Seriake Dickson but he refused hence their use of EFCC to scare him and deny him a 2nd term ticket

Now we should all ask what has become of the case at EFCC since he was charged about 5years ago.......Nothing

The last time he was again invited was when the Jonathanians knew of his attempt to work for APC and Buhari in Bayelsa and SS hence they quickly went to dust up his case at EFCC

By now i expect him to have been disgraced and jailed if indeed they have a solid case against him

We must speak against the use of anti-corruption agencies to score political point......The fight against corruption must be sincere and wholistic

STPEACE:
General, ure a military man so why afraid?
Thats nice shaa, u really understood this world, not everybody thats says congratulation that is happy with your victory, some are just pretending so you need to tread with caution,

Long life General Mohammed Buhari okechukwu Akintunde Oluwakayode.

You dont seem to get it

It is not about being afraid......Buhari moving over to the DEFENCE House is part of the protocol which the outgoing Government must do to ensure a smooth transition and exchange of power

As it stands,Buhari will now be treated like a quasi-President by the outgoing Jonathan government because he is now the embodiment of Nigeria's mandate and they must ensure that nothing must happen to him

What is in play is a standard practise all over the world

Mogidi:
[s]Good to know he takes his personal security and welfare seriously.
Watch your back I say, beware of Tea prepared by Tinubu or Osinbanjo.

Sai baba[/s]

You must have a Gold Medal in Sorrowing

If my memory serves me right you never really cared about Buhari least of all be concerned about him hobnobbing with anyone....so your advice is unsolicited

abdulwastecx:
[s]babangida appointed him as military governor[/s]

Buhari appointed him in January 1984 but IBB retained him after Buhari was ousted

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_Niger_State

David Mark has simply gone to visit his Former C-In-C who appointed him as Military Governor of Niger State

Mogidi:
[s]Seems Tinubu lost out.

He was expecting Mrs Remi Tinubu to become the Coordinating Minister for the Economy.

Why not central bank governor eh, mr frog eyes?[/s]

If it has not dawned on you till this moment,your moniker is now been looked upon with pity and wholesome disdain

Owing to your penchance for pettiness

There is no way Tinubu would ever lose out in nominating very brilliant and astute individuals into the new cabinet

You should quit being bitter and sorrowful

Lemon12:
So buhari get house in kaduna? Na wahala God is watching him and his lies

How old are you and when did you start following Nigerian politics?

Even a toddler knows that Buhari has two Houses......one in Kaduna and the other at Daura

Wetin this Buruji Drug man dey find for Tinubu hand sef wey no go allow the man rest

FORGIVE ME JUST AS MY FATHER OBASANJO FORGAVE YOU

Runaway Drug Kingpin and Senator elect under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party , PDP, Mr Buruji Kashamu has urged a National leader of the All Progressives Party, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forgive him, just as the former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who he described as his father forgave the former Lagos State governor.

Kashamu responding to Tinubu’s reaction to the congratulatory message he earleir sent to him said that ”My attention has been drawn to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reaction to the innocuous congratulatory messages that I sent to him and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

”First, I must say that I doubt if the statement was approved by him. However, if it was, I must state that I am taken aback by the unwarranted attacks against me as if we were still campaigning. It is unbecoming of someone of his stature and calibre.

”For me, it is high time politicians and leaders rose above petty issues and raise the bar in constitutional democracy. We should not just be democrats in words but also in deeds. We should play politics without bitterness.

”It is on record that no Nigerian politician has taken former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the cleaners even as a sitting President like Asiwaju Tinubu did. Yet, Chief Obasanjo forgave him. As for me and Baba Obasanjo, he remains my father and leader, just as I am his son and follower. At no time did I abuse Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

”As a true party man, I campaigned vigorously for my party and its candidates. Now, the elections are over, and as a true sportsman, I thought I should congratulate those who won.

”Short of any praise-singing, what I said in the congratulatory message that they chose to react to a week after it published was that there was no way anyone can wish away the achievements of Asiwaju Tinubu in the nation’s political annals, particularly in Yoruba land.



Part of the message also reads: “Although I now belong to the opposition, your achievements transcend political divides and I am not ashamed to publicly acknowledge them.
“I salute your courage, commitment, doggedness, forthrightness and tenacity of purpose even in the face of daunting opposition and challenges.

“By your sheer wit and unwavering commitment to democratic ethos, true federalism and economic prosperity, you led the Alliance for Democracy (AD) from a one-party state to a regional party, and now a national party that is about to form the government at the centre.”

He therefore asked; ”How do these translate to praise-singing? Are they not facts of history that I merely adumbrated?

”He accused me of purchasing my election with money, the appropriate forum to prove that is the election petitions tribunal and not the pages of newspaper.

”On the U.S case, I wish to state for the umpteenth time that the United States as the bastion of democracy and the Rule of Law would not lend itself to any form of abuse of the fundamental human rights of an innocent soul, especially one that has been arrested, tried and freed by its most trusted ally – the United Kingdom.

”I am not running from any trial. All I have asked is for the relevant parties to follow due process – if they believe that I yet have a case to answer.

”I believe in the supremacy of the almighty Allah who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish. He is the ultimate decider of the fate of all mortals. When He says yes, no man can say no and when He says no, no man can say yes!

”I stand with the almighty Allah Subhana Wa Tala. He is the protector of all humans. He is my refuge and shield. Let no one play God!” he said.

SOURCE:http://www.theparadigmng.com/?p=30944

barcanista:
[s]Wow, received over 30 mentions already from the same people that said "barcanista is irrelevant". Well only relevant people are being talked about. The irrelevant ones are being overlooked. Hence, everyone talk about some celebrity that wee on the street but care less about a random guy that does same. Make una continue...but two things are guaranteed:
1. It won't make me to relent in criticising Buhari incoming administration and APC. Be rest assure that my defection to PDP is the BEST political decision of my life.

2. This Barcanista moniker will NEVER go on retirement contrary to your expectation.


Btw: I'm launching my blog soon where I will be doing most of my writing....Thank You all for your contribution in making this "barcanista brand" an online celebrity!!!!

Aluta Continua... Dearpreye, allow them their liberty of expression.[/s]

The word SHAME does not exist in your dictionary

dealslip:
Thank you so much for the correction, the error was mine. I mistook him for Akele

OK.....You got it right if you were referring to Comrade Ayodele Akele then

Caleycash:
My friend you are a bloody liar...this thing wey I even Google now chai.you win...I no talk to you again b4 your lie go make me go hell fire; Nawa ooo

Stop making a mockery of your self

Jonathan's Ebele is a shortened version of Ebelemi and it has nothing to do with the Igbo Ebele which is a Prefix

And he is an Ogbia man

theV0ice:
Yet some went to town screaming that this guy wasn't fit.....

bad belle people

Did anyone noticed that he didnt disappear after the elections to go and rest somewhere

Immediately after the results,he has been receiving visitors shuttling between Abuja and Daura.......Little wonder they call him Dogo N'Daura

Xetima:
I support Lamido/Obi combo to kick-out Baba One chance. Jonathan will be heading the AU Leadership in next few months. Obviously, Baba would be too old to handle the affairs of Nigeria in 2019. He seems already overwhelmed before resuming self. Too many promises and too little money.

i laugh at your combination,so some of you have come to the realisation that Northerners matter abi........

Indeed Sule Lamido the Thief who has an EFCC case around his neck like an Olympic Gold Medal and Peter Obi the bigot who allegedly got Billions from GEJ for campaign expenses but pocketed same abi

AFTER READING THE POST

I laugh seriously at the thought process behind this article......Did i just read that Liyel Imoke would be made the Party Chairman and Jonathan should take over the party apparatus

Where is the charisma and leadership acumen inherent in Jonathan such that he would call people after May 29th and they would answer

Except he wants to waste the remainder of the looted funds already kept with fronts and some loyalists

The owners of PDP if indeed they intend to use the party to play opposition would soon show their faces by the time Buhari is sworn in and i wont be shocked if they dont even extend an invitation to Jonathan....because most of them are seething with rage and anger over the fact that he made them lose out on the National Cake due to his clueless,dull and dour leadership qualities, a situation which decreased the value of PDP in the minds of most Nigerians

dokyOloye:
[s]I don't know when the US and co will start requesting extradition of looters like Nyako,Tinubu,IBB,Obasanjo,etc.
I guess that's because it's their loot stashed in their banks that sustains d economy of d west.
A single treasury looters is way worse than 100 drug dealers,at least,nobody forces another person to use drugs.[/s]

Use your brain for once if you have any

Tinubu has been without immunity for the past 8years

Is it that everyone in PDP is afraid of writing a petition,submit same to EFCC and have them act on it for once


The man has been dancing 'Sekem' all over PDP running them ragged and out of town yet all what charlatans like you can do is to come online to cry 'a wo lam ooo' (apologies to African China CRISES)

I wonder this fixation on Tinubu by fake bloggers

Ralphlauren:
that dude is chatting rubbish ! Ignore him!

dele alake is to bola tinubu what Lai Mohammed is to APC.

both of them are two intelligent men who know how to use their pen and wit

God Bless you

Dele Alake is one of the inner caucus member of BAT thinkthank

maestroferddi:
It really might not be expedient to indulge your infantile indiscretions at this material time.

Talking of chest-thumping at an electoral victory...

Well, we are praying that future developments bode well for a victory procured under the background of lies, intimidation, threats and primordial sentiments. Let's not even broach the horrendous electoral heist that eventuated in some northern states in an inexorable attempt to achieve a pre-determined end

In the final analysis, I see nothing bigger than capitulating to forces that would have ensured that several thousands of innocent Nigerians perished in post-election violence had results gone contrariwise.

Looool

I dey always gbadun your Patrick Obahiagbon-like use of grammar

Horrendous electoral heist yet PDP says it would not challenge same at the Tribunal

What say you about the magical numerical concoction from the South of the Limpopo( using your thematic grandiloquent style)

If you want to be sincere,you would know that Northerners have the numerical advantage hence if they choose to support a candidate totally,the person is likely to win.

Chiaka:
So his effort alone made it happen right

Can you stop hating

While no one says he did it alone but to diminish the Leadership role he offered to entrench opposition politicking while tactically building bridges and alliances across the Niger is to play blind

Have you come of age in 2003 when PDP under Obasanjo tricked,rigged and bulldozed his way into the SW and almost all the States in the SE where people affirmed that APGA won most elections but for the rigging machinery of the PDP whereby figures were falsified

It was only Tinubu who warned the then AD Governors about adopting Obasanjo as Presidential candidate just like APGA is foolishly doing now

The AD Governors(apart from Tinubu) claimed SW solidarity with Obasanjo and the need not to disgrace him hence asked people in their states to vote OBJ for President and them as Governor a situation which got the electorates confused........thereby allowing PDP to rig unconscionably

It was Tinubu who kept drumming it to Lagosians then that AD had no Presidential candidate and should not make the mistake of voting for PDP......

Having won his re-election,he took it upon himself to singularly finance the resurgence and sponsor of candidates in several states since most politician then were battle weary and didnt want to play in the opposition as most of them never believed a ruling party could ever be defeated in Nigeria but for Tinubu's doggedness and vision

PDP penetrated and distabilised all the opposition parties by planting moles amongst them thereby making them to become factionalised.....

That was what led to the formation of AC.......and later rechristened ACN when some other politicians like Oshiomhole,Ngige,Ikimi,Atiku,Lawan Gwadabe,etc from across the Niger join to make it a National party

dealslip:
Dele Alake don tey o. He almost singlehandedly ruined Tinubu's tenure as Governor, he was revealing too many damning information about Tinubu that almost crippled him.

How sure are you about the bolded

He almost ruined Tinubu yet the same Tinubu appointed him as the Managing Director of TVC where he is even up till now and was also one of the people Tinubu drafted to work on rebranding Gen Buhari in the SW as the Director of Media Strategy of Buhari Campaign Organization

godoluwa:
if u are in support of Ajimobi, may the Almighty God do unto the remaining of ur life the exact way Ajimobi did to Oyo state, Amen. Jega is a Scam, Akeju will receive God judgement. all those Oba's that backed up the scam because their son & daughter's are in Ajimobi's cabinet should know that God is powerful than them

Some of you are a disappointment unto whatever education you claim to possess

How could APC/Ajimobi/Akeju have swung an election in favour of APC when we had 5 very solid contestants who all ran neck to neck with attendant checks on each other at every polling booths with their agents

The fact was that the 4 aggrieved estwhile PDP candidates viz Folarin,Akala,Ladoja and Seyi Makinde would always split their votes in any election......

maestroferddi:
What defies logic and common sense is how Jonathan allowed APC and Jega to hijack INEC under Jonathan's very eyes.

Take a look at all the state RECs and you can discover that over 70% of them are APC apologists.

Was it not this Akeju fellow that left a trail of infamy in Osun State in a previous election? Should we then conclude that there are no upright public officials other than Akeju to supervise elections in a key state like Oyo?

I watched as this recalcitrant REC was gloating over his victims with an air of patronising aloofness daring to go to court...

Those who surmise that Jonathan is a weak leader probably have some point after all. I am still at loss as to why he elected to take his eyes off the ball when and where it mattered most.

Will you tuck your mouth where it is indeed suppose to be if you cant but use it to spew trash

You have been known to speak 'gibberish jargons' on this forum while trying to canvass the failed candidature of Jonathan and PDP

All your postulations of doom about APC and all its leading lights all came to nought.......every of your rantings about how APC would fail,Atiku would defeat Buhari at the primaries,Jonathan would pulverise Buhari to smithereens or that Jimi Agbaje would win in Lagos all hit the cross-bar

Now just like all PDP band of losers,you have taken a job in monumental wailing with Akeju as a scape-goat all in the bid to diminish Ajimobi's sweet victory yet you are not from Oyo State

Tinubu has been in the thick of the fight for democratic emancipation of Nigerians from the Military no be today

Rabblerousers and Haters who were born yesterday would probably not know this

I read a part where his house in Victoria Island( as at 1993) was Bombed yet some will ask how he became rich..... as if a pauper could afford to even rent a boysquater in V.I talkless of owing a home there

For him to have been close to MKO as to participate in all the negotiations with the Military shows how important he was both to the struggle

It is a pity that many PDP stalwarts made serious money from Jonathan by latching unto his naivety and gullibility

Little wonder it was alleged that he personally distributed money to people when he came to Lagos and the SW owing to the fact that he could no longer trust any of the Presidential Committee members again as most of them would obviously divert these monies

The fact was that most of them took it for granted that Jonathan was going to win anyway since they felt that it was impossible to defeat an incumbent President hence they decided to corner the money with the mindset that any which way,the PDP would still win either by hook or crook even if it means rigging

The totality of all these occurences made Jonathan to concede defeat without waiting for any of these hawks to talk him into grandstanding

If Jonathan ever says what this people did to him most of us might shed tears for him he was used to feather their own nest

REAL REASONS PLOT AGAINST JEGA FAILED

There was no doubt that the plot to remove Jega was real. Except for the air he breathes, the INEC chairman was close-circuited or wired in such a manner that even sensitive text messages he exchanged with the powers-that-be on the preparation for the election were made public by the press.

According to sources, in such instances, Jega would say: “Why should we descend so low to this level?” Yet he refused to change his mobile line. His saving grace, however, was his tremendous goodwill with Nigerians. The presidency at a stage found it difficult to run against the overwhelming positive public opinion about Jega.



Even when the then supervising Minister of Information, Edem Duke tested the public pulse with comments that suggested that Jega’s position was less than 100% secure, the public stood like the rock of Gibraltar behind the INEC boss.

Duke had said: “On the issue of the INEC chairman, I align myself with what the President said that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman. That is not to say that if it is time for the INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of things will not take place. It is like saying a civil servant has done 35 years or achieved the age of 60; we now begin to say that he must not retire or he must retire. I think all of that is in the terrain of the Presidency and he has spoken. I have nothing to add to that.”

A team headed by a former chairman of INEC was hired by some pro-Jonathan campaign strategists to understudy the system and expose how to circumvent it, including the likelihood of weaving any scandal around Jega.

Right from the time he assumed office Jega has studiously avoided banana peels and was always telling his team of five aides to shun any bait from civil servants in INEC in terms of award of contracts and perks of office. To insulate him and key aides from being influenced, he made sure that they draw their salaries from an electoral basket fund provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Even with such a concession, he ensured that the UNDP evaluates him and the aides on monthly basis.

Secondly, Jega’s reforms in INEC made every staff a stakeholder in the electoral business. A highly-placed source said: “Unlike in the past, there was no cult system where only few knew what was going on in the commission. He used to lay all the cards on the table for everyone. This transparency made it difficult for any of the National Commissioners to rock the boat. One or two of them may have collected slush funds to destabilize Jega and INEC, but they could not go far at all. All they could do was to leak official memos.”

When the card reader supplier was arrested by security agents, it was said to be an opportunity to unravel the other side of Jega but there was no blemish.

BEHIND THE SCENE POLITICS AT NATIONAL COLLATION CENTRE AND WHY JEGA DARED ORUBEBE

Though Nigerians were glued to their television boxes watching the development at the National Collation Centre, they had no advantage of knowing the behind-the-scene politics of releasing the results. Ambassadors and representatives from some Western countries supported Jega and his team in such a manner that they were always in and out of the collation centre to make sure the will of Nigerians prevailed.

The constant feedback from these shuttles by diplomats who disguised as foreign observers, actually accounted for a joint statement by the US and the UK that the poll must be conclusive. Although the action of some of the ambassadors was rated as “undiplomatic” and interference in the nation’s internal affairs by the Federal Government, the international attention on the collation of results and the support given to Jega by these foreign powers strengthened his resolve to see the process through to the logical conclusion.

The INEC chairman made the International Conference Centre (ICC) his permanent abode and if there was any message from any government official or Nigerian, it had to be delivered in the open. The scene created by ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe, was a script drafted by some forces but the pressure from the international community aborted it.

While Orubebe was barking at Jega, he intermittently raised his fist as if he was expecting an invasion or a back-up from some sources but there was no reinforcement from anywhere. Faced with no better choice, President Jonathan conceded defeat, a development which threw Orubebe off balance at the collation centre. He later left the ICC abruptly before Jega announced the final result.

LAST-MINUTE SECURITY CHALLENGE AT THE COLLATION CENTRE

Before the final results of the presidential election were released by INEC chairman, most of the security operatives at the centre suddenly withdrew their services, except for a few policemen and members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Jega’s saving grace was the live telecast of the announcement which enabled Nigerians to have first-hand knowledge of how things were going. At almost zero point security, he braved the odds to complete the 2015 poll assignment.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA’S HISTORY

The 2015 polls will go down in history as the most expensive campaign because the spending of US dollars took centre stage. Between $3 and $4 billion might have gone down the drain in violation of Section 90(1) and Section 91(1-10) of the Electoral Act on campaign funds. The sections state in part: “Election expenses shall not exceed the sum stipulated in subsection (2-7) of this section.

“The maximum election expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a Presidential election shall be N1billion. The maximum election expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a Governorship election shall be N200, 000.000. The maximum amount of election expenses to be incurred of Senatorial seat by a candidate at an election to the National Assembly shall be N40, 000.000, while the seat for House of Representative shall be N20, 000.000.In the case of State Assembly election, the maximum amount of election expenses to be incurred shall be N10, 000.000.”

Different groups emerged to milk the party system of funds. There was the case of a renowned party chieftain who converted his hotel suite in Abuja to a vault where money was stashed from wall to wall. Public officers seized the moment to tamper with funds under the guise of contributing their quota. It was also a season of betrayal as some party stalwarts, especially PDP, collected huge funds and later diverted such to personal use or defected to other parties.

During the countdown to the April 11 governorship poll, a PDP chieftain in the South-East had raised the alarm to forces in Abuja that the party was cash-strapped. A quickie N20million was raised but barely 24 hours after, the man abandoned the party after collecting what a source described as a “parting gift.”

The source said: “The struggle for personal benefits overshadowed the target of winning the election. Virtually everyone wanted to make money from the campaign as if there will be no tomorrow or as if we were going to lose at the poll. The President saw the gaps and decided to personally drive his own campaign but it was too late.”

It is not surprising that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which was helpless during the general election, has now limited foreign exchange withdrawal to $50,000 a year and $300 per day.

FIVE REASONS JONATHAN CONCEDED DEFEAT

Jonathan has been widely lauded for calling Buhari to concede defeat even before the final results were in. The reason most readily proferred for the action was the need to save the nation from the tension and violence that could have followed any attempt to contest the election’s outcome.

But were there other reasons? Findings indicate that there were five reasons why the President accepted defeat and they are: spiritual, loss of international goodwill, personal experience/ decision, obvious betrayal by some people and wise counsel from some aides he has respect for

A top source said from Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ground in Enugu to some other Christian clerics consulted in the inner recess of the Presidential Villa, there were signs that it was time for Jonathan to leave power although he might bounce back in the future. The source added: “I think he chose to tread the right path by heeding the spiritual voice. Some had argued for selfish reasons that he had been ordained to rule for second term but he opted for the lonely path.”

The betrayal by some PDP leaders, governors and members of the cabinet during the election was said to be emotionally challenging too for the President. Before the poll, it was learnt that his cabinet had split along North-South lines. Some governors, ministers and PDP leaders from the North were pretending to be for the President but they did not do anything practical to demonstrate this. Apart from the general and symbolic campaign at each state capital, most of the ministers from the North did not on their own mount the soap box to campaign for their boss. A minister said: “There was always this security fear of mob attack.”

More importantly, the body language of some Western nations, like the US, UK, France, and Germany, showed that they were not keen on Jonathan as they did in 2011. These nations, according to sources, only kept to a “tolerable” diplomatic relationship with Jonathan’s administration. And the bashing of Jonathan’s government by some Western media organisations pointed to the perception of their governments. So, the President fought the just-concluded election on two fronts -local and international.

At personal level, investigation revealed that Jonathan had always marveled at the electoral model of some African countries without post-election crises. Since 2010, he had been relating with some African leaders on the magic wand behind their electoral successes. He had promised to emulate some of them. It was gathered that the peace accord brokered by the ex-UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan weighed down the President too and for once in six years, he chose to paddle his own canoe. It was also learnt that the fear of the backlash of rejecting the results of the presidential poll and the consequential turmoil made Jonathan to take his destiny in his own hands. Having been warned by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo not to play Laurent Gbagbo, he did not even consult members of his kitchen cabinet before doing the needful.

The National Security Adviser, Mr. Sambo Dasuki gave an insight in the week on the personal factor. He said: “President Jonathan had already given his words to all the security and service chiefs before the election that he would abide by the decision of Nigerians. At the meeting, he also told them to perform their duties professionally during the polls.

“While we anticipated that he would congratulate his opponent if the result was announced in favour of the opposition candidate, he gratuitously without the prompting of anyone conceded defeat to the surprise of all.

“By that singular gesture, he had saved the security agencies and the nation of unnecessary tension and stress in maintaining law and order and curtailing excesses of likely protesters.”

Notwithstanding these factors, some ministers and aides of the President have been credited with the task of persuading the President to concede defeat on March 31st. These “heroic” aides included the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN); the Aviation Minister, Mr. Osita Chidoka, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Matters, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa.

Whatever is the correct position, the President’s memoir will reveal what transpired before he conceded defeat. His saving grace however was that PDP hawks were not around at the crucial moment. And it is amazing that no one was able to give an account of the whereabouts of the First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan on the March 31st. It is also not clear whether or not she played any role in her hubby’s landmark decision. Until Jonathan joins the league of memoir writers, the untold stories of Jonathan’s presidency and the 2015 poll will continue to make the headlines.

SOURCE:http://thenationonlineng.net/new/intrigues-that-cost-jonathan-the-presidency/

2015 Polls: Intrigues that cost Jonathan the presidency



The ballot box verdict doesn’t tell the entire story of the 2015 general elections. In this piece, YUSUF ALLI, MANAGING EDITOR, NORTHERN OPERATION reports on the intrigues and high-wire politicking that toppled an incumbent president for the first time ever in Nigeria.

If some politicians could rewind the hands of the clock, they would have done so over the just-concluded general elections. Every moment before, during and after the elections presented its own unique features until it became evident that Nigerians have voted for change. What were the behind-the-scene issues? These were intrigues bordering on President Goodluck Jonathan, the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others.

DEALING WITH BUHARI

Apart from the hate documentaries aired against the President-elect, there were desperate underground moves by a South-South governor to force the Nigeria Police to arrest him for forgery and perjury over the certificate saga and disqualify him from contesting.

Armed with a war-chest running into billions of naira, the governor and his small committee of some stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sought for judicial fiat to subject Buhari to trial. But the project failed because the subterranean team put the cart before the horse, they did not follow due process.

To get a fiat for prosecution of Buhari, there must be a formal complaint lodged before the Nigeria Police Force. The allegation(s) ought to be investigated and a prima facie case established beyond reasonable doubt. After the long and winding process, the Police then write a formal letter to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation calling for Buhari’s trial. The AGF, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) was alleged to have refused issuance of such a fiat to save the nation from conflagration.

Again while the South-South governor was coordinating the plot, some aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and strategists of the President from the North were also angry that a case of alleged forgery/ perjury was to be raised against Buhari. Those unhappy with the suits read “ethnic meanings into the whole drama” because all those behind the applications were mostly Igbo. The suits were FHC/ ABJ/ CS/ 01/ 2015 by Chukwuemeka Okafor; FHC/ ABJ/ CS/ 14/ 2015 by Max Ozoaka; FHC/ ABJ/ CS/ 68/ 2015 by Ayakeme Whiskey; and the last at the FCT Magistrate’s Court by Shield Jones Ufot.

Another governor with a leaning to the opposition also bankrolled some of the suits against Buhari to the tune of $1.5million (by underwriting the legal fees) with the hope that the plot will sail through and the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be forced to conduct another presidential primaries.

The problem for those questioning whether Buhari had a secondary school certificate was the interpretation of Section 131 of the 1999 constitution which says the minimum requirement is ability to read and write.

There were also past pronouncements by the court on the eligibility of Governor Adams Oshiomhole which appeared to make the suits mere academic exercises. Time factor, resilience of the police, grave security implications and legal/constitutional issues which were raised by legal experts in government convinced President Goodluck Jonathan that such an adventure could backfire. In fairness to the President, he conceded that Buhari should not be arrested no matter the flimsy excuse.

CONSPIRACY OF THE MILITARY ELITE

Findings indicate that the 2015 poll was settled the day the Nigerian Army claimed that it did not have the secondary school certificate of Buhari. The military elite, especially retired army generals who are now big players in politics and the nation’s economy, felt insulted and opted to back Buhari and APC in their respective states and at federal level.

The subsequent nationwide electoral Tsunami, which led to the loss of governorship seats in many states in the North by the PDP, was a consequence of the anger of these military leaders.

The same military elite who bankrolled and worked for the formation of PDP in 1998 were disenchanted that a platform they had created for the unity of the nation had been hijacked by some hawks and turned into an instrument of hate and disunity. The unhappy military leaders, including the taciturn ones, emptied their bank accounts to finance the election of Buhari against Jonathan.

They said they were not expecting anything in return other than to prove a point that the Jonathan campaign was “dirty and a threat to the survival of the country.”

From an empty purse, a poor Buhari was able to give the then ruling PDP a run for their money in campaign advertising. A big face of this soldierly resentment was ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who openly tore his PDP membership card through a proxy. Many other former military brass joined APC to effect a change in the country.

If there is any Nigerian that President Goodluck Jonathan was looking forward to for backing during the presidential election, it is a former prominent Northern general who is also a Christian. But this respected individual who had warned Jonathan against seeking re-election, stood aloof instead of mobilizing Northern Christian minorities against Buhari. He was neutral, calculating and watching from the sidelines.

This explains why even in Plateau State, the APC has produced the governor-elect. The greatest shock Jonathan received was a security report indicating that the general made his residence in a posh area of Abuja available to Buhari to live in and coordinate his campaign.

A source said: “As a presidential aspirant, Buhari had no house in Abuja and the general decided to bail him out by giving out his imposing white house for him to squat. Buhari lived in the house till he was elected on March 28. He is just planning to move out any moment from now.

THE CARD READER ROADBLOCK

All attempts to portray INEC as a failure over the distribution of PVCs and deployment of smart card readers failed due to the overwhelming public confidence in the electoral agency. Although he PDP never hid its disdain for card readers it was never able to advance acceptable excuses to dump them. The public were forced to conclude that the device would make it impossible to rig the general election or return jumbo figures as was the case in some zones in 2011.

Following INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega’s insistence on card readers, the ruling party and 15 others opted for three options: blackmail him through mass protests and force the presidency to rethink his continued stay in office; go to court to stop the use of card readers, or frustrate him to resign.

All these plots were hatched not minding the fact that the presidency had received legal advice that card readers do not violate Section 52(1) (2) the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

There were protests which began at INEC headquarters and some other parts of the country. In the South-East, the outlawed Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) led the anti-Jega demonstrations, while the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) ran a failed make-shift show in Lagos.

The biggest of the plots was the recourse to the courts to cage Jega who would have had no choice than to obey the order of a court. They had expected the court to determine the following prayers:

* An interim order restraining INEC from proceeding with arrangement and plan to use the CRM for the impending elections.

* An order of interim injunction restraining the defendant, its agents, servants, privies or assigns, by whatever name, from implementing or commencing or further implementing or further commencing or directing or further directing the use and preparation of the Card Reader Machine or any name of like nature, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

* Deployment of card readers for the election is a violation of the provision of Section 52(1) (2) which prohibits the use of any electronic method of voting in the country.

But Justice Ademola Adeniyi, emerged the unsung hero when he refused to stop the use of the card readers. When the anti-card readers’ forces wanted to take advantage of some challenges with the machine during the poll, the backing of the United States foreclosed their plot. The US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Eintwistle, said: “I was very impressed about the decision by INEC to use technology in this election. I will tell you something, the PVCs are very hi-tech. They are more hi-tech than my voter card from the State of Virginia in the US. My voter card does not have my biometrics; it does not have my fingerprints. So, I was very impressed by the decision to go hi-tech because hi-tech, I think, gives the process more integrity.”

Jonathan is one man that should be given a Gold medal in Cluelessness

Despite all what he was told about trusting people who have no electoral value,he refused to listen only to be scammed

From all the useless Afenifere/Yinka Odumakin in the SW to Gani Adams and Frederick Fasehun to Attahiru Bafarawa and Ibrahim Shekarau and now to Peter AdaObi who all collected money from him and pocketed same

Polls Fallout: 2 Men Divorce Wives For Voting APC

Two women in Kaduna State incurred the wrath of their husbands for choosing to vote for candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the last general elections.

The two middle age men (name witheld) of Kaninkon community in Jema’a Local government Area of the State divorced their wives after the last Saturday gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections.

The two men, LEADERSHIP gathered, are members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A resident of Koninkon community said it was the first time since 1999 that the area was experiencing a different voting pattern.

Mr. Mock Kure, a native of the area, also confirmed that the women were divorced for also carrying out a political campaign in the community, and convincing the people to change their voting pattern.

Kure said: “I don’t want to talk about those that were cut with knives or bottles. These instances too need prayers for God’s healing. We also want the security agencies to take note.

Other findings also revealed that a young man sent his aged mother out of his house because she voted for APC in the last election.

“Simply because she voted for APC, her son sent her out of his house,” said Kure

Efforts to speak to the men concerned were abortive as they refused to admit or deny the report.

SOURCE:http://leadership.ng/news/426064/polls-fallout-2-men-divorce-wives-for-voting-opposition-party

It smirks of high dosage of shamelessness and lack of professionalism for appointed Head of Ministries,Departments and Government Agencies to have started to hobnob with a President-elect at this period in time

Gen. Buhari To Serving Govt Officials- ‘Stay Away From My Residence…Walks Out Customs, NSCDC Boss

The president elect has issued a red card to serving top government officials who in recent times besieged his residence in Daura, Katsina to lobby for retention of their positions.

Buhari, was livid last week when the current Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko Inde, visited his residence in Daura to pay homage. Per Second News learnt that the customs boss who coincidentally hails from, Musawa Local Government Area, Katsina state immediately after informing the President-Elect of his mission was advised to go back to his duty post.

Dikko, shocked by Buhari’s response tried unsuccessfully to inform the retired General of the situation at all Nigeria’s borders, seaport and the airports, but the President-elect upbraided the 55 year-old that the ideal procedure is to wait until he has been sworn in as president, describing the visit as unhealthy, unethical and disloyalty to a government he is still serving.

He thereafter asked the customs boss to leave his residence, rejecting also his gift items.

The Comptroller general and his team hurriedly left the residence, parking the valuables and gifts items along.

The visit of the current Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, on Sunday was more comical, he arrived Daura, the residence of the President-Elect with top officers of the corps, photographers and some members of the press.

According to a member of the Buhari Campaign from Katsina, “The President-Elect was having his normal quiet time when the delegation arrived”. The corps officers led by its commandant were left outside in the scorching sun for over an hour, before the the commandant and two corps officers were allowed entry into the President-elect’s visitors room,Abolurin, still recuperating from a fire burn incident got the shock of his life when an aide of Buhari, said that the retired General wants him out of his residence and will not be seeing him.

Dumbfounded the corps officers left in a haste to the surprise of other delegation members outside, who were waiting and hoping to see the president-elect and take photographs with him.

Per Second News can authoritatively report that a serving minister last week also sent emissaries to the president-elect in a bid to secure a private meeting.

Private business tycoons are not left out of the visits, Forte Oil CEO, Femi Otedola, and Oando boss Adewale Tinubu also visited Buhari last week. The national leader of the APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, shortly before the governorship elections brought the Chagoury brothers to meet with the president-elect in a closed door meeting.

Per Second News gathered that the deluge of top current serving government officials and visitors reaching out to General Buhari at this material time has turned his Daura home to a new Mecca.


Source – http://omojuwa.com/2015/04/gen-buhari-to-serving-govt-officials-stay-away-from-my-residence-walks-out-customs-nscdc-boss/