₦airaland Forum

Wish you all the best

Yes i can do that over and over

That is why they call him AREA FATHER

Well yes & No

The House of Representatives has finally sworn in the winner of the Uyo federal constituency election, Emmanuel Obot, three years after the elections, and months after turning down court orders that he be inaugurated.

Mr Obot’s case became the House’s equivalent of the Senate’s reluctance to swear in Alphonsus Igbeke, despite several court pronouncements that he be inaugurated. Mr Igbeke announced his decamping from his former party, the All Nigerian People’s party, this week.

After prolonged litigation, Mr Obot received the certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission in June 2010, shortly before the House commenced its long vacation.

The commission’s decision supported an earlier ruling of the election tribunal in 2008 that the seat was illegally occupied by Bassey Etim, his opponent at the election.

Days after the release of the certificate, which implied a vacation of the seat, Mr Etim, the House deputy chairman on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, described the act as “fraudulent” and spoke of his hope that the House leadership will handle the matter with “maturity” when they resume.

Mr Obot, a former aide to the former Akwa Ibom state governor, Victor Attah, presented himself for inauguration for a week, and the House leadership said he could not be sworn in owing to a continuing court case.

The House spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, said yesterday that, in taking the decision to swear him in finally, the House believed it acted according to the decision of the court. He said although the decision arrived late, it is justice served.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5605561-147/house_swears_in_new_member_after.csp

The House of Representatives yesterday asked the Federal Government to investigate the security breach on the Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, by the security staff of British Airways (BA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

Addressing the press after the House had passed the supplementary budget for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the registration of voters for next year’s general elections, the House noted that, to deny the Speaker to board the BA aircraft amounted to a national security breach.

Bankole was on his way to London on Saturday night, using a British Airways ticket when a private security man insisted on searching the hand luggage of the Speaker against international protocol.

He discontinued the journey as a result of the embarrassment. Reacting to the development, Spokesman of the House, Mr Eseme Eyiboh, said the action of the private security should be seen as a security breach that must not be treated with levity. According to him, ‘that the Speaker protested the humiliation and the breach of his security, and declined travelling on BA and boarded another plane should be applauded.

“When the Speaker was returning, he came by British Airways,” he said, “but he was not subjected to any search in the United Kingdom,” he pointed out. Eyiboh pointed to the Schedule 6 of the British Home Office, which lists persons exempted from search among Commonwealth countries, including Speakers of member countries as number 10.

“The privileged and the security of the Speaker has been breached, undermined and injured, not as a person, but as the institution of the Nigerian House of Representatives. “We are calling on the president to investigate this incident, as a way of preserving our national sovereignty and security,” he said. The spokesman added that, “a private security hired by a foreign airways has no right to subject the institution of the House of Representatives to such disrespect,” he added.

On the swearing in of a new member, representing Uyo Federal Constituency, Mr Emmanuel Obot, Eyiboh said it was the triumph of the rule of law, which the House was proud to be associated with. “It is a promised fulfilled by the leadership of the House to allow the rule of law to prevail,” he stated.
Mr Obot thanked the leadership of the House and promised the people of Uyo Federal Constituency that the little time remaining for the end of the legislative year would be used to further their interest.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/aug/13/national-08-13-2010-015.htm

The contentious zoning threatening the fragile peace in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was settled yesterday with the party retaining the arrangement, but with an addendum that its presidential ticket is open to all interested aspirants.

National Chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo had given an indication of how the controversial issue would be resolved at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in his opening speech before the attendees went into a closed-door session.

Nwodo told the party faithful at Wadata Plaza, venue of the NEC meeting in Abuja that the PDP had not jettisoned the zoning arrangement for party and elective offices. Daily Sun also learnt that the PDP governors had also at their meeting on Wednesday night as well as at the expanded caucus meeting later at the Presidential Villa, canvassed the retention of zoning, while also allowing any willing aspirant to seek party’s presidential ticket.
The NEC ended at about 6.pm yesterday without a communiqué from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

But a Daily Sun source revealed that the party resolved to sustain the existing zoning arrangement, even as it resolved to throw open the party’s presidential ticket to interested aspirants. The source further revealed that the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema moved the motion to sustain zoning, while the former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih seconded it.
The party, however, advised the PDP NWC to stay action on the orchestrated e-registration scheme for party members. The PDP governors spoke in unison against it at the well-attended meeting.

The NEC also resolved to re-admit the Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji into the party. The Abia governor had on Wednesday paid a visit to the party national secretariat to formally declare his intention to return to the PDP.
Incidentally, most of the positions taken at yesterday’s NEC meeting seemed to tally with what was agreed upon at the late night meeting of the expanded caucus meeting of Wednesday as well as another meeting of PDP governors, which held at the Kwara Lodge, Abuja.

At that meeting which began at about 5.00 p.m. the governors agreed to harmonise their position on zoning before proceeding for the expanded caucus meeting at the Presidential Villa. The governors’ positions are: 1. Zoning should be retained, because it’s in the party constitution and the constitution of Nigeria through federal character provision. 2 It’s the constitutional right of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest and he shouldn’t be denied that opportunity going by the circumstance he emerged as the president.

3 The party should allow any member of the party to contest and also provide a level playing field for all contestants in principles of equity, fairness and justice. The national caucus was expanded to accommodate the governors to make whatever agreed upon to sail through at the NEC. All the positions of the governors were adopted by the expanded caucus and literally all of them sailed through at the NEC meeting. To ensure that nothing went amiss, the governors met again before going for yesterday’s NEC meeting.

Speaking earlier at the opening of the NEC meeting, the PDP Chairman, Dr Nwodo said: “The PDP as a responsible organization is responsive to the spirit and letters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which enjoins the practice of federal character in the distribution of public offices.
“The misconception and accusations that PDP has abandoned zoning is very far from the truth. When our president emerged, he chose a northern Muslim as his vice president. When the chairman resigned, he was replaced by another chairman from the South-eastern zone. Our Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker are from different zones of the country.

“At the state level, we encourage rotation of our governors among the three senatorial zones in our state. How then can PDP be said to have abandoned zoning or rotation?” But Nwodo declared that even when zoning existed in the party constitution, there had never been hindrance to the aspiration of individual members within the party who showed interests in the presidential ticket, since the inception of the party in 1999. But he acknowledged that the speculated presidential ambition of President Jonathan was a test case for the party’s constitution and could be likened to the dilemma the nation faced when the late president Umaru Yar‘Adua was ill and his office was vacant.

“In the 2011 presidential primary, we were faced with unforeseen circumstances, which can only be likened to a national crisis we faced recently when our late president Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua was ill and couldn’t transfer power to the then vice president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan. “The country rose to the occasion and parliament successfully transmitted power to the vice president as acting president. “In the zoning arrangement, we didn’t envisage that a serving president would die in office, unfortunately we lost our dear president.

“Today, Dr Goodluck Jonathan by the dictate of our constitution is exercising the term of a joint mandate, given by the people of our great country. If our late president were alive today, we wouldn’t be contesting his right to run for a second term under our national constitution. It was his entitlement.
“But Dr Jonathan who is part and parcel of that mandate has a right to contest the remaining of that joint ticket in 2011. This will of course, not exclude any other aspirant from any part of the country from contesting the presidential primary, as it has become the custom of our party.

“You will all recall that this scenario played out in the past in Adamawa State in the case of his Excellency, Atiku Abubakar and His Excellency Boni Haruna. This was when Atiku Abubakar was nominated as the running mate to President Obasanjo. Boni Haruna, in spite of the court challenge to deny him that mandate was adjudged by the courts as the right beneficiary of that ticket and he went on to do two terms as governor of Adamawa State.
Nwodo also told the PDP NEC members that a special convention to amend the party’s constitution would soon be convened to take care of emerging development, in line with the dictate of the Electoral Act.

In his remarks before the gathering entered into a closed-door session, President Jonathan appealed to the PDP members to work for the progress of the party and admitted that party faithful were bound to hold dissenting views on issues, but must be amicably resolved in the overall interest of the party. He observed non-PDP members had showed more than passing interest in the contentious issue on zoning, in the party, an indication that they had conceded the 2011 presidency to the PDP.

“At our NEC, we don’t stay here and box ourselves and we must maintain that tradition, because that is one of the good things we must bequeath to the next generation and we will disappoint Nigerians if we box ourselves and burn down our houses.
“We will work together as a party, because what happens in the PDP happens in the whole country. Just look at the issue of zoning or no zoning, it is PDP primaries, whether we zone or don’t zone, it is our own internal affairs. But the debate is even being spearheaded more by non-PDP members. That shows that what happens in PDP, in fact, they already conceded the presidency to us. Otherwise, they have no business coming to join our own debate. That means that already they know that the PDP will produce the president of this country, but do it well.”

Meanwhile, former Plateau State governor and foundation chairman of the party, Chief Solomon Lar, yesterday expressed delight over the decision taken by the NEC to allow President Jonathan to contest the 2011 presidential election. Lar told journalists that the position taken on zoning was in the best interest of the country.
“The party has been able to resolve the matter in the interest of the country.
I am happy that the party has said President Jonathan can continue with the joint ticket he enjoyed with the late President Yar‘Adua. That’s the position of the party,” the former national chairman of PDP submitted.
But elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai in his reaction last night said the outcome of the PDP NEC meeting was a total defeat for President Jonathan and his aides given that “technically speaking, it means that Jonathan is disqualified to contest the 2011 elections on the platform of the PDP.”

Yakasai explained that the two core items, which the president expected to happen in his favour, did not materialize at the end of the day, noting that the NEC did not eventually anoint him as the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2011 elections, just as he failed to get the party to register its members by e-registration.
Yakasai, who admitted that he was yet to be fully briefed on the decisions reached by the NEC, explained that he was also not unaware of the structure of the party’s decision, which sounded rather ambiguous.
In his words: “I am happy that the NEC retained zoning in the party. But if they say that Jonathan can contest the elections in their party, then something is still wrong with their decision. My feeling is that they lacked the courage to come out and tell Jonathan that he cannot contest, because they cannot retain zoning and still say that anybody, including President Jonathan, can contest.”

He expressed joy over the cloud that is gathering in favour of zoning the presidency to the North, but expressed bitterness over the attitude of Jonathan and his supporters. Hear him: “What is worrying me is that Jonathan and his supporters are now holding us hostage. This is because we are being asked to give him our votes as ransom money. It is wrong for Jonathan to encourage the division of this country because of his political ambition.”
He concluded that, “My fear is that the way the whole drama (on zoning) is going, it is going to eventually end up creating a dichotomy between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria and that would be most unfortunate. All over the world, the president is seen as an agent of unity, but more and more, the way things are being played out, Jonathan and his supporters are becoming the agents of disunity in the land.”

Suleiman Argungu, former deputy governor of Kebbi State and a chieftain of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in another reaction last night said the decision was PDP’s pecular of playing with people’s intelligence.
“Ordinarily, the party should have come clearly to state where it stands instead of the usual abracadabra. It is also an indication that the party is not willing to follow due process and rule of law, because the constitution of any party or organisation is supposed to be sacrosanct and any deviation from the constitution is supposed to be met with severe sanction.
“Although I am not a member of the ruling party but I want to advise Jonathan to abide strictly by his party’s constitution and not to allow PDP to mess him up,” Argungu stressed.

Roll call at the PDP NEC meeting
President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, PDP Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and other members of the NWC, former national chairmen, Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Barnabas Gemade, Chief Solomon Lar.
Speaker Dimeji Bankole, Deputy Speaker Bayero Nafada, President of the Senate, David Mark, Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu.

Former Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, Deputy Governor Kaduna, Alhaji Ramalan Yero, former Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, Governor Oyo, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Sokoto Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, Ebonyi Governor, Martins Elechi, Second Republic Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, Governor of Niger, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, Governor of Enugu, Sullivan Chime, Governor of Jigawa, Sule Lamido, Governor of Bayelsa, Timipre Silva, Governor of Adamawa, Murtala Nyako, Governor of Katsina, Ibrahim Shema, Governor of Imo, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, Governor of Ogun, Gbenga Daniel, Governor of Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of Nasarawa, Akwe Doma, Deputy Governor of Plateau, Paulin Talen, Governor of Osun, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Governor of Ekiti, Olusegun Oni, Governor of Delta, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governor of Bauchi, Isa Yuguda, Governor of Gombe, Danjuma Goje, Governor of Kwara, Bukola Saraki, Governor of Cross River, Lyel Imoke, Governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswan, Governor of Kebbi, Saidu Dakingari, Governor of Zamfara, Aliu Shinkafi.
Senators Annie Okonkwo, Lee Maeba, Osita Isunazo, Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane.

Samuel Ogbemudia, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Professor Jerry Gana, Adamu Hassan, Senator Walid Jibrin, Senator Stella Omu, Major-General Mohammadu Magoro (retd), Senator Abubakar Sodangi, Shuaibu Oyedokun, Nana Aisha Kadiri, Yekini Adeojo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Kassim Ibrahim Imam, Hajia Hauwa Kida, Mrs Christy Silas, Hajia Rabi Murktar Mohammed, Garba Matazu, Farouk Lawal, Ataii Idoko.




http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/aug/13/national-08-13-2010-001.htm

The country has no adequate electricity, not good roads, no water supply, no good health care, unemployment to the bream plus bad roads and the best thing these criminals called leaders could quickly do is purase of airplanes. God de! Very very soon, all of you will vomit all you have stolen from this great Nigerian country. Just wait as God de see una one by one. I believe that the best thing that will happend to Nigeria is to vote Rabadu for president, because only him can stop these corrupt, dillusionl, braindead, senseless, vissionless, and reckless self-made leaders/government. All Goodluck Jonathan does is talk-talk but no action. if he realy mean business people like Obasanjo should be prosecuted by now, instead they are friends. He is afraid that if Obasanjo is prosecuted he will not be re-elected, Selfish! selfish! selfish. God de see all of you, and none of you will ever go unpunished.

There goes the cabal again,

Hadi Al-Mustapha, the younger brother of detained Army officer, Hamza Al-Mustapha has told a Kano chief magistrate court that several unsuccessful attempts were made on his life by a senator, Usman Al-Bashir, who wanted to acquire Al- Mustapha’s wealth. Hadi is married to Mr Al-Bishir’s daughter.

Led by police inspector, Idris Mallam, in evidence, Al-Mustapha said Mr. Al-Bishir invited him to a private discussion on several occasions, at which he asked him to reveal all details pertaining to the finances of the detained former Chief Security Officer to late General Sani Abacha.

“He asked me to tell him where my brother kept all his money and the account number, and said if I didn’t tell him, the powers that be will seize and confiscate everything. He said he was trying to help me as my father-in-law,” Al-Mustapha’s brother said, adding, “He said he heard what the government of the day in 1999 was trying to do, that I should handover everything I have to him and flee the country to the United States with his daughter, who is my wife.”

He told the court that the senator vowed to deal with him if he failed to comply with the demand to surrender Al-Mustapha’s wealth and desist from romancing his political opponents, adding that “he kept pressurizing me to succumb, I told him that I will think about it. He said that I should not be afraid of Al-Mustapha coming out to quarrel me for handing over all his secrets and belongings to him; he said that all arrangements have been made to make sure my elder brother, Hamza Al-Mustapha will rot in jail and he will never be released,” Hadi said.

Mr Al Mustapha also alleged that the trio of Adamu Danladi, a police orderly attached to Mr Al Bishir; Umaru Tata and Musa Abdu who are domestic aides of the senator, recently threatened him with assault rifles, almost killing him. He said he sought refuge at Bompai police station where the alleged armed men were apprehended by the police .

God saved me

The witness informed the court that prior to the last assassination attempt on his life, a group of bandits on the alleged pay roll of Mr Al Bishir, popularly referred to as ECOMOG Boys, “carrying kerosene, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons attacked my car, smashed the windscreen, God saved me,” he said.

The aides to Mr. Al-Bashir were arraigned before the court on a three count allegation of criminal conspiracy, and intent to commit offences, to wit culpable homicide.

The prosecution alleged that the accused persons acted contrary to section 96,397 and 95 of the penal code laws.

The presiding magistrate, Aminu Yusuf Waziri adjourned the matter to 22nd September for continuation of hearing.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5605368-146/senator_al-_bishir_wanted_to_kill.csp

The Governor of Ekiti State, Olusegun Oni, said on Wednesday that the ongoing debate over the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest in the 2011 presidential elections on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform was purely an internal affair.

Mr Oni made the remark in Abuja while on a courtesy visit to the Education Trust Fund. The governor, who was a former board member of ETF, representing the South-West, was at the organisation’s headquarters to solicit its support towards improving tertiary education in his state. He said that the party should be allowed to resolve its own problems. “The zoning we are talking about is PDP problem,” he said. “Allow us to solve our own problem. Every party should be allowed to solve their own problems their own way.”


A Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, had ruled that the Ekiti State governorship election will hold in 2011 as it will in other states in the nation. The court ruled that Mr Oni’s tenure began on May 29, 2007, and not on May 6, 2009, when he was sworn in for a second term after his victory at the re-run election in the state. However, the governor said he will seek the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the judgment. “We are going to the Court of Appeal and we will get to the Supreme Court, ultimately, and the interpretation of the constitution will be very clear then,” he said. “It is at the Supreme Court that we will know when the term will end.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5605370-146/zoning_is_an_internal_affair_says.csp

The Mega Progressive Peoples Party, yesterday, unveiled its protem national executives, with Aderemi Banjo as its National Chairman.

The National Leader of the party, Rasheed Shitta-Bay, a House of Representatives member in the second republic, said the party is out to ensure quality leadership in Nigeria.

“We invite you today to witness a new political understanding. A new approach to politics, which is a coming together of progressively minded Nigerians,” Mr. Shitta-Bay said.

“The talk to have a Mega party started last year, but the aberration of some partners of the project led to the delay in its establishment.”

He expressed belief that despite this, the MPPP still remains the only truly Mega party in Nigeria.

Another mega party, the Social Democratic Mega Party, is headed by Pat Utomi.

But Mr. Shitta-Bay claimed that the MPPP remains the only mega party to have been approved by the Independent Electoral Commission.

“Initially, we started as Mega summit Movement with notable political leaders. At a stage due to over ambition, some fell by the way side. However, our political transformation is to strengthen the brand of progressive elements in the country,” he said.

“We are set to replace the bad government of the PDP with good governance. We are going to out in place appropriate democratic leadership to change the course of our nation for good.”

The elderly politician said he has left his former party, the Alliance for Democracy.

“I have now resigned from AD, because I am now fully a Mega Progressive Peoples Part member. I want to assure you that AD is not dead, from my information and from my knowledge, AD is still functioning,” he said.

Asked how the party will survive with the exit of Anthony Enahoro, who was part of the movement, Mr. Shitta-Bay said individuals such as former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande are still with the party.


Party for the youth

Mr. Banjo, the party’s chairman who said he still in his thirties, said Nigeria’s political future now depends on what the youth do.

“We believe the politics we are having today is about the generation next. I was formally in AD and we are ready to stand against the tyrant, that is the opposition PDP,” he said.

Other members of the party’s executive include Babangida Mohammed, a former speaker in the Niger State House of Assembly; Usman Abubakar, former Deputy Speaker, Kebbi State; Mohammed Kotangora, Niger State and Saminu Abubakar, Kogi State.

The party says its main objective is to make life better for Nigerians through free education at all levels, free health services, quality transport system across the country, modern security systems and improved employment rate amongst other things.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5605386-146/new_party_promises_quality_leadership_.csp

But we know that 250,000 children were born to nigerian soldiers,

I see that the Gov of Nigeria have finally decided to make this a public issue of concern, Yes Nigeria has done well with their peace keeping force but if only Nigerians knew how many troops died during the Samuel Doe/ Charles Taylor war, they will shiver with fear. I don,t think that story can ever be told. It was so embarrassing that many of the dead were not brought back home.

The Federal Government is not happy with the way Nigerian soldiers are killed in the course of their peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan, Adetokunbo Kayode, the minister of defence, has said.

Mr. Kayode made the comments, yesterday, at the United Nations (UN) regional conference on deterrence, use of force and operational readiness in peace keeping operations at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre (NAPKC) in Jaji, Kaduna.

The minister said members of the Nigerian contingent recently disarmed in Darfur were caught between abiding with the mandate of the mission and protecting themselves in the midst of rebels’ attacks.

“It is hoped that the outcome of the conference will be clear policy that will streamline the bottlenecks and create guidelines for efforts at reducing the complexity of mandates and the immediate resolution of conflicts.”

Chief of Army Staff, Abdulrahaman Dambazau, said that the guidelines should aim to answer immediate issues that affect the performance of troops in the field, but not hamper their performance.

“The sacrifices made in terms of lives by peacekeepers should not bolster the spirit of warring factions, rather every form of sacrifice should make us design better ways for our peacekeepers to have an edge over belligerents,” he said.

Mr. Dambazau called for policies that would enable the organisation prepare peacekeepers for effective duty on UN missions, especially in Africa.

“The successes that will follow any peace support mission are determined by the state or level of preparedness of the troops.”

Nigerian peacekeepers honoured

Eleven Nigerian soldiers were among United Nations international peacekeepers honoured posthumously in May as part of the eighth annual International Day of UN Peacekeepers at the world body’s headquarters in New York.

The occasion was marked with several events at the UN on the previous day, including the presentation of service medals to peacekeepers, including two Nigerian military officers.

The UN list tracked the loss of international peacekeepers from January 2009 to February 2010.

On the list of fallen peacekeepers were two Nigerian officers: Johnson Umana, who died in Darfur on May 7, 2009, and Bala Etsu, who died in April 27, also in Darfur.

Others from Nigeria included John Itebu, who died on May 25, 2009; Gonjing Toma, who died in Darfur on June 10, 2009; Mathew Abel, who died in Lebanon on June 23, 2009; John Ahmed, who died in Darfur on March 17, 2009; and Leonard Ajibo, who also died in Darfur on February 25, 2010.

There were also Yusuf Ibrahim, who died in Darfur on September 28, 2009; Bello Ishaku, who died in Darfur on October 14, 2009; Taryuhua Ningir who died in Lebanon on October 30, 2009; and Dede Fadairo, who died in Haiti on January 12, 2010, in an earthquake.

As a mark of their sacrifice, the Dag Hammarskjöld UN Medal will be sent to the next-of-kin of the fallen soldiers. More than 700 UN peacekeepers have died in the course of duty in the past five years, with more than 3,000 lives lost since the first operation in 1948.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5605344-146/death_of_soldiers_on_peacekeeping_mission.csp

Opposition parties in the country are worried over the increasing defection of elected public office holders, especially the federal and state legislators, from the parties under which platform they were elected to others.

They are also lamenting the failure of the National Assembly to amend the provisions of the constitution to make it possible for politicians, particularly lawmakers, to lose their seats if they decamp to other parties.

Sections 68 (g) and 109 (d) of the 1999 Constitution says a member of the Senate or of House of Representatives or State House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if “being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected: Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.” During the just-concluded constitution amendment, the National Assembly had proposed to alter the sections to make it possible for lawmakers to defect without losing their seat. The proposal, however, did not get the support of two-third majority of the 36 State Houses of Assembly. Following the rejection, the sections were left intact.

But officials of opposition parties who spoke with NEXT said the rate at which elected office holders are defecting to other parties, particularly the PDP could turn the country into a one-party state.

They also said that the failure to change the law, by the federal and state legislators, during the recently concluded amendment of the 1999 Constitution, has not helped to deepen the nation’s democracy.

Sabo Muhammad, the National Director of Publicity of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, said his party is sad that the amendment of the clauses did not sail through during the exercise.

“You know that is what we have been canvassing. The ANPP under the leadership of Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, and Saidu Umar, from the onset has been in the forefront of the campaign to curtail the cross carpeting of politicians because ANPP has suffered much from this unfortunate thing. And so, you don’t expect us to be happy that the amendment was not carried through,” Mr Muhammad said.

Money-bag politics

The national chairman of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Lisu Akerele described the failure of the amendment as unfortunate. According to him, the defection of members of a political party to others is promoting money-bag politics, and it would not give room for ideology-based political parties to thrive.

“The question of jumping from one party to another has to do with money politics and that is the problem we are having,” Mr Akerele said.

“It is not good for the development of party politics. You have to stand for something and not for naira, not for money all the time. It is either you are on the left or on the right. Because of the way people are looking for money you find that they lack principle and keep moving from one place to another. Is that how to play politics. How do we grow?” The PPA boss said if sanity is to be restored to the nation’s polity, the defection of politicians must be curtailed. He disclosed that his leadership has been trying to build a serious party to which everyone will not only be proud to belong but also find it difficult to decamp to other parties.

Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, the spokesman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and his counterpart in the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Osita Okechukwu also regretted the increasing rate at which politicians are decamping, adding that it is weakening the opposition parties.

But the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Rufai Alkali, whose party has been a major beneficiary of defections in the recent past, said the failure to make the amendment was the wish of Nigerians, adding that the party would abide by whatever law is made by the legislature.

“If that is the decision of the legislature, we will go along with it,” Mr Alkali told NEXT. “It is the wish of Nigerians that the National Assembly is trying to reflect. I think they are handling the amendment well as representatives of the people. We have confidence in them.”

Jumped ship

Since 2007 when the present National Assembly was inaugurated, no fewer than 13 senators and 15 members of the House of Representatives have decamped to other parties. Among the senators who have dumped their parties are Patrick Osakwe (Delta), Uche Chukwumerije (Abia), Patricia Akwashiki (Nasarawa), Satty Gogwin (Plateau), Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi) and Sahabi Yau (Zamfara). Others are Hassan Gusau (Zamfara), Alphonsus Igbeke (Anambra) and Otaru Ohize (Kogi).

In the House of Representatives, those that moved are Uche Ekwunife (Anambra),

Ahmed Wase (Plateau), Abubakar Bunu (Zamfara), Mohammed Takoki (Zamfara),

Suleiman Abdul (Kogi), Salihu Abdulkareem (Kogi) and Bello Moriki (Zamfara).

Idris Keta (Zamfara), Zubairu Dahir (Zamfara), Kareem Abisodun (Oyo), Patrick Obahiagbon (Edo), Samson Osagie (Edo) and Ibrahim Misau (Bauchi) also decamped to other parties. All of them still maintain their seats in the parliament.

Hundreds of state legislatures as well as four state governors have also defected and are still in office.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5604606-147/opposition_parties_worry_over_incessant_defection.csp

Former Director General of Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Prof Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, yesterday broke her silence, telling the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market her removal was political.
Ndi Okereke- Onyiuke was last week sacked by the Security Exchange Commission (SEC), just as the chairman of NSE, Alhaji Aliko Dangote was suspected.

Dangote had raised alarm that accounts of the NSE were in red and that the Exchange was finding it difficult to meet its financial obligations.
But appearing before the House Committee led by Alhaji Umar Buba Jibril, the former NSE boss said that the crisis leading to her removal was political.

She informed the committee that whatever allegations against her were purely political because the account of Stock Exchange was intact. The former DG said that since 28 years that she returned home from the US Stock Exchange, “at no time has my integrity been put to question. “I will not be associated with corrupt practices. I have my name to protect. Whatever allegations you hear are not true. I will give details later, as my present ordeal is purely political,” she insisted.

Okereke-Onyiuke likened her ordeal to the Biblical mothers disputing about the ownership of a child during the reign of King Solomon, when one of them wanted the baby split into two, saying “I will rather allow myself to be attacked than to destroy the market I built.

“I will rather not say or do anything that will put heat on the market because for 27 and half years, the market is my baby, which I carried in my womb, my whole life depends on it”. Okereke-Onyiuke told the committee that contrary to newspaper reports and what the public had been fed with, she was honest and had her name to protect as a professional and allayed the fears of Nigerians saying “no money is missing,” the former DG said following the closure of her office, she had no access to all her supporting documents, but promised to give enough necessary information to satisfy the yearnings of the lawmakers.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Umar Jubril said the meeting was a fact finding one to extract information from all stakeholders on the crisis at the Stock Exchange. The meeting later went into a closed-door session after the opening remarks.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/aug/12/national-08-12-2010-002.htm

Electioneering is a game that requires fairness, trust and integrity, among others. While the so-called Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Adebayo Ayoka, is wriggling in integrity crisis arising from her ignoble role in the Ekiti re-run, INEC, as an umpire, is immersed in the same cobweb owing to its condemnable role in the 2007 elections and its re-runs, bye-elections, among other fall-outs.



By giving Ayoka for an umpire job, the INEC commissioner, Prof. Attahiru Jega, is giving Nigerians what to expect from the 2011 elections.



Nigerians don‘t have any problem with Prof. Jega retaining Ayoka Adebayo as an INEC employee; but the woman cannot be seen to conduct any credible election even if she does so with all honesty.



In matters of elections, as in all games, justice must not only be done but MUST BE SEEN TO HAVE BEEN DONE. So, it goes beyond INEC chairman thinking for Nigerians.



Besides, the President has promised Nigerians credible elections and a REC whose integrity is in doubt is a burden to that promise.






http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100812238298

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Bayero Nafada, a serving minister, an ex-Minister of Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, and 13 other Nigerians have been defrauded of about N404m under a phoney stock investment.



The Leader of the Intergrity Group in the House of Representatives, Mr. Farouk Lawan, Mrs. Hauwa Bukar, Mr. Nasiru Dantiye, Ms. Philemon Debuwa, Ms. Blessing Uzoma, and Mr. Zakari Peters are also among the victims.



The others are Mr. Shuaibu Ahmed, Mr. Umar Mohammed, Ms. Esther Detwan , Y. Dayar, Mr. Thomas La’ah, Mr. Aliyu Kalgo, and Taslim Lawan.



They were alleged to have been conned by Mr. Adeniyi Elumaro, Mrs. Rakiya Mamman of an Abuja-based Integrated Capital Services Limited, who told them they were going to invest the sum in major companies— MTN, Starcoms, Equatorial Trust Bank, Access Bank and City Link.



Elumaro, who is the managing director of ICSL and Mamman, the executive director will be arraigned before a vacation judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Thursday.



Already, a 22-count charge have been preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.



They were accused by the EFCC of obtaining various sums from Nafada, Osotimehin and the other victims in Abuja between January 2006 and December 2008 under false pretence.



A copy of the charge sheet obtained by our correspondent revealed that the deputy speaker lost the highest amount of N161m while Lawan lost N25m.



It could not be ascertained as at press time on Tuesday if Taslim Lawan, who also lost N25m, has a blood relationship with the leader of Intergrity Group in the House.



The charge sheet also indicated that Osotimehin put N5m into the deal, while the serving minister, whose name is being withheld by the anti-graft agency for security reason, was defrauded of N16.5m.



The minister, who is said to hold a sensitive portfolio, is said to have deposited the amount in three tranches of N10m, N6m and N500,000.



Dantiye, a former federal lawmaker from Jigawa State lost N25.5m; Bukar, N30m; Debuwa, N5m; Uzoma, N25m; Dayar, N3m; La’ah, N8m ; and Peters, N5m.



According to charge sheet, Ahmed lost N4.8m; Mohammed, N10m; Detwan, N20m; and Kalgo, N5m.



Two firms also listed as having been defrauded were Standard Products Services ,N20m; and Niret Limited, N10m.



The offence said to have been committed by the accused contravenes Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006. The offence is punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Act.



The first charge reads, “That you, Elumaro, being the Managing Director of ICSL; Mamman, being the Executive Director and ICSL on or about January 2006 to December 2008 conspired among yourself to commit felony by:



“ Falsely obtaining money and thereby committed an offence contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.



“ Falsely obtaining the amount with intent to defraud (the victims) by presenting to him (them) that the said money was meant for the purpose of investing same.



“(The purported investment was) into stocks and private placement such as ETB, Access Bank, MTN, Starcoms and City Link shares, which you knew is false.



“You thereby committed an offence contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.”



The charge sheet dated July 30 was endorsed by the EFCC Principal Detective Superintendent, Chief Steve Odiase.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201008118485860

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, yesterday brushed aside attempts by his colleagues to question allegations made by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, that federal lawmakers are corrupt.

At an event in Niger State last week, Mr Obasanjo accused the lawmakers of high level corruption during his years as president, detailing how he failed to know their true earnings and how legislators often stuffed federal budgets, without request from the executive arm of government. He said the constituency projects which members carry out, is a “conduit pipe for corruption.” At the chamber’s reconvening yesterday, for the approval of the Independent National Electoral Commission extra budget, Mohammed Maifata, from Kano state, said his privilege as a member was breached by Mr Obasanjo’s comments. He prayed the House to decide collectively to institute legal action against the former president if there was no retraction in two weeks, failure which he will proceed on a individual litigation. “One man called Olusegun Obasanjo cannot just begin to make allegations and call people thieves,” he said.

Some members, though willing to share with the criticism, opposed Mr. Maifata’s style of referring to the former president. Mr Bankole urged his colleagues to recall the essence of the emergency session, and leave other issues. “I appeal to you to leave the issue because of the very pressing assignemnet that we have to deal with,” he said. But another member, Igo Aguma, who represents Port Harcourt, Rivers state, insisted that even where the issue is to be allowed, the leadership should make clear position on the truth about the much-criticized consitutency projects. Mr Bankole clarified that projects are only influenced by the members, but are often carried out through the office of the Millenium Development Goals.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5605337-147/bankole_ignores_uproar_over_obasanjos_allegations.csp

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, officially unveiled the clock to commence the 50 day countdown to Nigeria’s 50th Independence Day celebration on October 1st.

In his address, at the event jointly organised by DAAR Communications and Integrated Management Resource at the Banquet Hall of the presidential villa, Mr. Jonathan directed that the countdown clocks be placed in strategic places across the country ahead of October 1, where Nigeria intends to reenact the same event of lowering of the Union Jack and the raising of the Nigerian flag 50 years ago.

“This event is to officially begin the countdown to the 50th year anniversary which will be celebrated on October 1, 2010. I have directed that the counting down clocks be placed at strategic places as a constant reminder of our jubilee independence anniversary,” he said.

“I dare say that current challenges notwithstanding, Nigeria has a glorious past worthy of celebration that should arose in us all the good things about Nigeria.

“We must rededicate ourselves to those patriotic ideas and creative potentials in us all. It is worthy of note that the event to celebrate our 50th independence anniversary is purely private sector initiative sponsored by Integrated Management Resources in partnership with DAAR Communications PLC, those organizations deserve our special commendation for the patriotic vision.”

Mr. Jonathan also stressed that Nigeria has reasons to celebrate the past 50 years adding that the world views Nigeria as a great country not in terms of its population but what it has been able to do in the past 50 years.

“If we have not made any impact globally this past 50 years we would have been written off long ago. We have our challenges we know that very clearly which is why this time around we are committed to move this country forward but we have every reason to celebrate the past 50 years” he added.

Media attention

The Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Management Resource, Oluwafemi Victor Walsh, said his belief in the Nigerian dream fostered his organisation to partner with DAAR Communications to put up the event.

“We believe in the Nigerian Vision and we believe in Mr. President. We believe Mr. President became President by divine intervention and that is why we are supporting this Nigeria at 50 project at our own small level,” he said.

Mr. Walsh further regretted that the tradition where kids used to match to celebrate the nation’s independence has been abandoned adding, “Nigerians now see it as a day to rest at home but this celebration gives us all the opportunity to immortalize and lay foundation for the next 50 years. If we cannot celebrate our past then let us celebrate our future”.

The company is putting together a project that will put Nigeria in the Guinness Book of World Records. It plans to unveil the 65, 000kg World’s largest cake at the National Stadium on 1st October 2010, aimed at rebranding Nigeria on the day.

“We enjoy the greatest global media attention since 1960,” he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5605388-147/countdown_to_independence_celebration_begins_.csp

It’s jarring on my nerves to know what informed most decisions on appointment into executive cabinets in our nation.When are we going to have appointments that will be ossified by records of core competencies required for such tasks? Why must we continue to rotate people that are not adding any value to our system for political reason?This country is in a pitiable condition and hope today’s politicians will not sound death knell for this arguably blessed clime?

The Presidential Air fleet will soon boast a dozen planes