₦airaland Forum

Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has declared that he will contest the governorship seat of Ekiti State if the verdict of the Appeal Court didn’t favour the governorship candidate of Action Congress (AC), Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Fayose, who had joined the Labour Party (LP) after dumping Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), revealed his political plan for the 2011 general elections while addressing supporters and members of LP at Emure Ekiti over the weekend.

He explained that if Fayemi lost the appeal against the verdict of the election petition tribunal, which upheld the declaration of Governor Segun Oni as the winner of the election re-run in the state, he would set to return to the Government House in 2011.

According to the ex-governor, “if by any means they don’t give it to Fayemi, I will come out and contest. Oni is between two Red seas, if he does not surrender to Fayemi, he will surrender to me. “He’s a loser whichever side the verdict goes. My history will be ‘he was unjustly removed and justly returned. I will be returned by my people.”

Fielding questions from newsmen after the rally, Fayose said no candidates would be imposed on the party, including the governorship aspirants. He said: “We are not going to coerce or harass people, we are going to do our primaries democratically, including the governorship aspirants.” Fayose, however, disclosed that in case the AC governorship candidate won at the appellate court, he would join the race to the Senate in Ekiti Central Senatorial District.

Addressing the supporters and members of the party, the ex-governor implored the women in the party to come out en-masse and contest for all the elective positions on the platform of the party. He charged all men in the state not to prevent their wives from going into politics, which he described as one of the main reasons the wide gap between men and women in politics was too wide.

Fayose explained that mass participation of women in politics was another opportunity to empower women and allow them to make contributions to policy decisions in the state and at the federal level. In his words: “Try and try your luck, it may be your turn to win. Husbands don’t stop your wives from contesting. Allow your wives to participate in politics, if you don’t allow them to join the moving train, you may live to regret this later in life.

“As you allow them, you empower them in the process. When you win a woman, you win about 10 people,” Fayose advised.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/aug/02/national-02-08-2010-005.htm

Is this IBB plan or who ?

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) on Sunday raised an alarm over what it said were threats and booby-traps on the path of next year’s general elections. The CNPP in an apparent reaction to changes in the order of elections said it was the “final masterstroke to enforce a one party state” and further diminish the chances of a free and fair election.

Accordingly, it said political parties and Nigerians must rise up and reject “the attempt to use legislation in rigging next year’s general elections even before they are conducted.” In a statement by Chief Willy Ezugwu, the secretary-general, the CNPP also canvassed the extension of the date of the election to April next year to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) enough time to conduct a credible election.

The coalition lamented that all its earlier cries over the need to have genuine electoral reforms were ignored by the people and the government. The CNPP regretted that the country was now being forced to again adopt a fire-brigade approach in preparing for elections when it had all the time in the world to do it. “From the look of things, it is important that the federal lawmakers must again invoke the doctrine of necessity to shift the elections to April next year. This will allow enough time to sort the mess they created through their un-coordinated amendment of the constitution

“The National Assembly must also quickly change the Electoral Act to revert to an order that will not enslave other level of elections to the outcome of the presidential election, the statement said.”
By the new order the presidential election will come up before other categories of elections such as national and states assembly elections as well as the gubernatorial elections.

“There is obvious danger in the domino effect that will follow once the result of presidential election is announced. The People Democratic Party has already shown those in the opposition what it means not to be on the side of government,” Ezugwu, noted in the statement issued in Abuja.
He also added that “once a particular political party (even if not the PDP) wins the Presidency, the most likely thing is for people to immediately queue up behind that party because no one wants to be in the opposition, especially since our federalism still runs like a unitary government.”

Short of accusing the federal legislators of having been bribed to change the order of the next general elections and describing denials from the National Assembly as laughable, CNPP asked: “Who does not know that the President is automatically the party leader in the PDP, which presently controls the National Assembly? How many of the lawmakers were bold enough to challenge the President during their meeting with him.And is it not also a curious coincidence that the criminal change to the order of elections came just after the meeting?”
He continued: “The President usually sounds convincing whenever he recounts how he appointed a radical Professor Attahiru Jega to head INEC but this has now shown that the only improvement being made to the electoral process is the seeming image of the Professor.

“Even now, the INEC Chairman has made it known that we have all been on a delusion trip because there is no voter register in place to conduct the polls,” the statement noted. He alleged that there were plans by the government to cripple INEC by starving it of funds or releasing money to the commission a few days to elections thereby making it impossible to do anything. “Everything that creates loopholes for rigging must be stopped immediately. The future of Nigeria is too important and sensitive to be toyed with,” said CNPP.



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/aug/02/national-02-08-2010-001.htm

Evangelist (Dr.) Kenneth Oti, a poet, author and publisher, is President General of the Nigerian Youths For Goodluck Jonathan 2011.
He said that President Goodluck Jonathan should be supported to continue in office beyond May 28, 2011.

You were once the President-General of the National Youth Movement For Igbo Presidency. What happened to that group?
The motivation behind the formation of the organisation has, to a large extent, been assuaged, though silently. Besides, racial politics is grossly outdated now internationally. Globalisation has made it imperative for the world to move into a community in diplomacy and politics.

Does that imply that the need to campaign for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction has been eroded?
That’s just what am saying in other words. The realities on the ground do not encourage regional politics. It is outdated. The need for national unity and peaceful co-existence among the Nigerian tribes and numerous ethnic groups does not permit sectional bigotry and parochialism, either. We have gone beyond that evolution.

Suspicion and aggression always trail youth political activism. What is the main focus of your organization, especially as many outfits and interest groups have sprouted for Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency 2011?
are not an official or government sponsored youth organisation. We are rather productive Nigerian youths with sound convictions and vision, exercising our constitutional rights in a democracy. We are out to defy the corrupt, inept and brutal establishment. And, if Nigerians act in concert, we believe, everyone will do, this drastic change and silent revolution, which God has offered us through the emergence of President Jonathan, should be the last spasm of vicious regimes in their iniquitous throes.
Youth politics in Nigeria has been illegitimated and de-prioritized. We are out to rekindle “clean” youth activities and participation in Nigerian politics. The hope we need is in the youths, for modern and positive transformations in our society.

What is your take on the many organizations and interest groups with statements on 2011?
It is a kind of seduction; because Nigerians want a break. And it is healthy for our cause. This is obviously the dawn of a new beginning. Goodluck Jonathan is God’s therapy to Nigeria’s very many problems. He offers the best hope we need of changing our society for the better. There’s something un-nervingly gracious about Jonathan. He is a perfect profile of humility, patience, intelligence and grace. And, we believe, he shall be the nemesis of our country’s very powerful and entrenched political thugs masquerading as leaders. This is a new dawn for Nigeria; and President Jonathan is a different proposition.

How do you intend to realize your objectives?
President Jonathan has proved to be a leader with listening ears. He responds to public demands, pressures, and criticisms. These are attributes of a skillful leader. We are scared that he may cave in to the pressure by some individuals not to contest the 2011 elections. So we shall, through advocacy, rallies, seminars, workshops, campaigns and conferences carry out our activities.
Nigeria needs a national leader, not a tribal, ethnic or zonal leader. We shall, therefore, appeal, beg most humbly, lobby; and because politics is supposed to be an act of persuasion; encourage President Jonathan not to abandon the youths to the woeful fate that had fallen them. He should kindly run for the presidential office in 2011.

How is your organization funded?
We are funded through individual donations, contributions, fund raising programmes, etc. In fact, a woman who has no political interest donated a brand new Coaster Bus to us. People who share our similar ideas and aspirations are donating their cars, office complexes all over the country; computers and many are sponsoring our numerous projects.
We shall add a lot of creativity and innovations in our campaigns. We shall contribute in our own little ways to make President Jonathan a superstar; though he is already one. That exactly is the demand of our present


Link:
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/politics/2010/july/31/politics-07-31-2010-001.htm

All is life !

President Goodluck Jonathan’s political camp was in celebration mood this week, after the declaration by northern Nigeria governors that the president was free to contest next year’s election.

However, there are indications that the president might be in for a shocker if he relies on the outcome of the northern governors’ meeting. Saturday Sun gathered that the position of 10 of the 19 northern governors that Jonathan could contest the 2011 presidential election was not an endorsement of the president’s candidature. It was just an affirmation of the constitutional provision that all Nigerians are free to vie for elective offices provided they are qualified.

Sources said that the northern governors may have sold a dummy to the Jonathan camp, making the president’s men to believe they are in support of his aspiration, when, in actual fact, they are playing games. It was gathered that the northern governors deliberately avoided taking a stand on zoning, as doing so would betray their real position that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should give the zone the opportunity to complete eight years in government, just as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, from the South, did between 1999 and 2007.

Reliable sources in the North revealed that most of the governors from the zone want the zoning arrangement to be respected but are pretending to be against it in order to remain in the good books of Jonathan and PDP leadership. The governors’ interests, it was gathered, are their second term tickets.

Saturday Sun found that the governors are banking on a previous arrangement, where political parties, with special reference to the PDP, conducted their governorship primary elections before the presidential primaries. However, there is apprehension that the Jonathan camp may reverse the order, to ensure that the presidential primary election comes before that of the governorship, so that the loyalty of the governors would be guaranteed, in a situation that Jonathan eventually throws his hat into the ring for the 2001 presidency.

The governors’ real plot
Knowing the influence a sitting president has on the choice of who becomes the standard bearer of a political party at any level, sources revealed that the governor just wants to play the “good boys” and secure their second term tickets, after which they would switch camps before the presidential primaries. Going by the Electoral Act, the presidential primaries of the political parties are likely to hold between October and November this year. Before that, the state House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship primaries would have held.

A competent source from one of the northern states that has announced its support for Jonathan’s rumoured interest, told Saturday Sun that anybody who takes what happens now as the real thing is deceiving himself.
He said: “It’s true that some prominent people from our state have endorsed the president for next year’s election. But we are playing politics. It is still a long time before the presidential election. A lot would still change.”

It was gathered that the ploy to deceive the president is not peculiar with governors from the North. Governors from the South are equally playing the hide-and-seek game. In the South, it was gathered that states, like Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Lagos, Edo, Abia, Enugu, Anambra, Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta may not be fully with Jonathan. Also, states in the far North or North East and North West as well as a few in the North Central are not with the president.

The governors also have an antidote to the plot to hold the PDP presidential primary election before the governorship primary election, just as the Electoral Act has placed the conduct of the presidential election before the governorship poll. In the event of this, it was gathered, the PDP governors would work for the emergence of Jonathan as the party’s candidate but would dump him at the presidential election, when they would have secured their tickets.

The Babangida and Atiku factors
Former Military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, who had declared his interest in the presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are believed to have infiltrated the fold of governors, both in the North and South.
It was learnt that the duo, working with other northern leaders, such as Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and many others, have been meeting with governors and other political leaders across the country to canvass support for the retention of zoning. The group is said to have worked seriously on Niger State governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, who is the chairman of the Northern Governor Forum. It appears that the governor is listening, as he was quoted by a national newspaper, last week, to have declared that Niger State would produce the next president of the country.

Governor Aliyu was quoted as saying that Niger State had produced two heads of state - General Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and would produce the third federal chief executive in next year’s president. Sources said that the governor’s position shows that he supports the retention of zoning and therefore, against Jonathan’s perceived aspiration.
Apart from working on the governors to dump Jonathan, it was learnt that Babangida has established a powerful political network, where prominent politicians and community leaders are lobbying on his behalf. It was gathered that these lobby groups are holding meetings in the North, South West and South East, seeking support for the former soldier.

Jonathan’s ace
Despite the avalanche of endorsements, it was gathered that President Jonathan is still studying the situation, with the view to being sure that he would not only pick the PDP presidential ticket but also win the election next year.
Sources close to the presidency said that Jonathan may not eventually contest the election if he’s not sure of winning. “The president will not contest the election if he would not win. His people are in the field investigating if Nigerians would support him. The president is not carried away by the statements by groups and individuals angling for his candidature. He wants to be sure that voters will support him. Now, a group is conducting popularity research across the country. If the outcome is not good, the president will not contest,” the source said.

In the event that Jonathan declines to contest, sources say that his option B is to pick a candidate from the North, who would fly PDP flag next year. The searchlight is said to be beamed on Vice President Nemadi Sambo and a few governors. Apart from Sambo, Mallam Isa Yuguda, governor of Bauchi State, is believed to be positioning himself to be picked as a compromise candidate from the North if Jonathan fails to contest. Severally, Bauchi has been planning rallies to support Jonathan’s anticipated aspiration.

South South fears
South South political leaders are also afraid that some people are deceiving Jonathan. The fear that the resolve by the zone’s stakeholders to back President Jonathan may not go beyond mere wishful thinking. This is because the belief that some self-seeking politicians in the zone might play the traitor and go behind to negotiate for the position of vice presdent with another candidate.
To avoid a crack in their ranks, prominent woman activist and politician, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa wants leaders of the zone to forge a formidable platform, to ensure unity of purpose and “unquestionably honest” in their resolve to support the president.
Speaking to Saturday Sun in Port Harcourt, the senator harped on the need for water-tight unity and honesty among politicians in the zone, if the Jonathan project must succeed.

Ita-Giwa said: “What I am saying is that the South South, not only the delegates but the South South as an entity, must, first of all, come together. They must be united and apart from that, they must, I repeat, must be unquestionably honest in handling the 2011 elections. We need to be able and willing to be honest to one another.
“So, the question is, if we have this kind of strong body, do we come up as a body to fight? Again, apart from our boys, who ended up in the creeks and became warriors, how have we fought for the number of years we have been trampled upon? How much have we fought apart from these boys that have now been branded criminals?
“We produce the wealth of this country and yet we have been trampled upon. The issue now is not about militancy …, The issue today is unquestionable honesty and the issue of realism.

“I am a realist because I am a very active female politician and I believe that if I go into election, I would win. The reality is that for you to win election, you must be numerically strong. In this instance, how do you achieve that numerical strength?”
Senator Ita-Giwa said that beyond forging and sustaining a united front, the zone must also be ready to dialogue with the rest of the country and get northern politicians to see reason.

“You have to go out and dialogue, to confirm and not only to say I want to grab. We must have to fight, put up a fight, a big effort.
“We have to let the North appreciate the fact that politics and love are reciprocal and that for many years, we have played politics with the North and supported them. And so, today, the North should appreciate the fact that eight years will not kill anybody. They should allow us”.

The senator who represented Cross River North District and later served as Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on National Assembly Matters, emphasised that the zone needs more than merely mouthing its wish for Jonathan’s victory at next year’s polls.

“For people to come and talk about Jonathan, let us first of all unite. We should all be campaigning for him. That is politics. If Jonathan wants to contest, he will win, but we must come together and we must dialogue and seek for understanding.”
Earlier in the forum, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief O. C. J. Okocha, drew laughter from the participants when he urged the gathering to pointedly declare nobody from the zone should, “Nicodemusly negotiate to be vice president” to any presidential candidate from other zones. He spoke of the need to, “take the tide when it serves,” warning: “If we lose our momentum, it could be dangerous.”

One of the representatives of Edo State, Dr. F. Onifum, also spoke in the same vein. “God has given us pounded yam on our palm. If that morsel of pounded yam must get to the mouth, then we need to clear the hurdles. The problem is unity. Please let us together fight for this cause,” he said.

Professor P. I. C. Ijeoma from Delta State counseled the governors from the zone to go back and convene smaller meetings of prominent leaders and prevail on them to agree to work together and put a structure in place that will enable the success of the project.

• With additional report from Henry Chukwurah and Ezedike Joshua, Port Harcourt



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/31/national-07-31-2010-001.htm

It is completely disgusting that Leaders fight for cheap glory! If because of a bridge, Mr. Gbenga Daniel can rush at glory, what then will happen if he was saving a poor child in Ogun state or paying teacher's salaries. People are hungry and angry, OGD is fighting for a bridge. I can't laugh enough. OOU staff members are troubled. Too many sack letters to add more to our jobless population, are not enough? OGD! OGD! OGD! Remember tomorrow, today will expire (if you ever have time to read these sincere comments) I wish I knew why Dijemi Bankole took the matter serious.

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday called on Nigerians to demand that President Goodluck Jonathan keep to his promise of ensuring that all votes count in the next general elections by relieving electoral officers, who presided over fraudulent elections in the past, of their duties.

The governor, who was special guest of honour at the 2010 Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) plenary session in Benin-City with the theme: Corruption: The bane of Nigerian Society, also said corruption of the electoral process “is the heart of corruption in Nigeria.”

While commending the appointment of Prof. Attahiru Jega as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Oshiomhole reiterated that “we must demand that President Jonathan keep to his promise beyond rhetorics and return power to the people.”
According to him, “it is not morally correct for President Jonathan, a potential candidate in the 2011 elections to determine who will be umpire.”

The governor noted that the choice of the topic for the plenary session of CAN, Corruption: The bane of the Nigerian Society was very timely, saying that even as the nation celebrates 50 years of independence, the people are getting poorer.

“We are getting poorer everyday but our volume of oil exports are increasing at prices much higher per barrel. The problem is the level of corruption in our society,” he said, adding that, “the heart of the matter is corruption which is a reflection of the general society and the electoral process.”
The electoral process has been so corrupt that Nigerians are now distant spectators and few people are presiding over their affairs.

The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, Edo State branch, Rt. Rev. Peter Imasuen, said democracy remains a government of the people, by the people and for the people and the leaders are the servants of the people because the power of the ballot box belongs to the people.
“This is why the church is solidly behind the clarion call for ‘one man one vote’ in all future elections in Nigeria.

There is no doubt stating that the theme of this year’s plenary session, Corruption- Bane of the Nigerian Society was appropriate and timely. “Elections are at hand, prayers and efforts to ensure a free and fair election cannot be overstressed,” he added.
A paper on the theme of the session, was delivered by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Solomon Asemota Esq.



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/30/national-07-30-2010-011.htm

Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has laid to rest speculations about his next political moves after the expiration of his tenure next year as he has declared his ambition to go to the Senate.

The governor, at a rally witnessed by bigwigs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), top political functionaries and people from all walks of life in Okuku, his hometown, formally declared his intention to vie for the senatorial ticket of Osun Central on the platform of PDP.
Oyinlola said his intention to go to the Senate was to fulfill his earlier desire to represent his people at the National Assembly, before he was drafted into the governorship race in 2003.

According to him, given his experience and his connection nationwide, he had no doubt that he would give the people of the senatorial district, responsive and responsible representation at the Senate, if elected. He thanked party leaders, traditional rulers and others whom he said God had used to bring him to politics and to ensure the success of his administration so far.

The governor allayed fears of partiality in the selection of candidates by the PDP for elective posts, adding that the party would provide a level playing field for all.
He urged party members to support those the party would field for elections, stressing that no matter the ambition of an individual and efforts he put in to realising it, only God could make such a dream come true.

Earlier, party leaders, including PDP National Vice-Chairman, (South-West), Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo and the state Chairman of the party, Alhaji Ademola Razak, praised Oyinlola for his efforts in taking Osun to a greater height and his contributions to the growth of the party.




http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/30/national-07-30-2010-015.htm

Protem national chairman of Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), Pat Utomi says the party will provide platform for women, youth and Nigerians in Diaspora to contest for elective positions in the 2011 elections.

Mr. Utomi, who stated this during a meeting with some women advocates, also said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally recognised the party to participate in the elections.

The women group, supported by a joint basket of international agencies and donors such as UNIFEM and USAID, visited Mr. Utomi to canvass more positions for women in the party ahead of the polls.

Olubori Obafemi, a media officer of the party on Wednesday, quoted Mr. Utomi as saying that the group’s aspiration is in tandem with the manifesto of the SDMP, which is a fusion of about 25 political parties and over 150 political leaders across the country.

“It is our informed desire to give more spaces to women, people in Diaspora and the youth in the mega party also referred to as the new Social Democratic Party,” Mr. Utomi said. “This aspiration is in tandem with the provisions of our manifesto to show others how to run a real political party, where inclusion and participation are the key to party building.”

The protem chairman said the party’s manifesto produced by a technical committee led by a former governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande has already settled the fact that women and other vulnerable sections in the society should be given more leverage in party.

“I therefore recommend this great party, initiated by a great patriot and living legend of our time, Anthony Enahoro to every Nigerian woman as a party, the deprived can own and use for their total emancipation,” he said.

Change the polity

Leader of the delegation, Kesiah Awosika, ensured that the group would encourage more female professionals to join forces with credible politicians to change the face of the polity.

“We appreciate your progressive gesture towards Nigerian women and we shall encourage our associates who are interested in politics to further consult you in building synergy for a new Nigeria,” she said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5600125-147/pgtmega_party_begins_mobilisation_for_2011.csp

The National Assembly has approved amendments to the law establishing and guiding the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in accordance with the request of the new leadership of the commission.

The Harmonised INEC Act, which was adopted by both chambers of the National Assembly, on Thursday, shows that the lawmakers’ voted in favour of the special amendments requested by the new INEC team. Atahiru Jega, the chairman of INEC, had, in his maiden press conference on 22 July, requested for specific amendment of some sections of the existing INEC act to enhance the commission’s chances at conducting a credible free and fair elections in 2011. Mr. Jega requested the special amendments to sections 10 (5), 21 and 11 (4) of the 2006 INEC Act, which was at that point being amended by the National Assembly, to reflect the changes caused by the amended 1999 constitution.

The amendments

Mr. Jega said the new leadership requested the amendment of section 10 (5) of the electoral act to reduce the time for end of registration, updating and revision of the voters’ register from 120 days before election to 60 days. “This gives us an additional eight weeks, bringing the total period available to compile a new register to 16 weeks,” he said. He also requested for the amendment of section 21 of the act to reduce the time for completion of supplementary list of voters, integration into the existing register and final certification from 60 days before the election to 30 days.

Although the amendments sought by the new INEC team was the initial position of the senate on the amendment of the INEC Act, the House of Reps had voted to retain the old timelines. The process of lawmaking requires both chambers to agree on every section of the Act before it will be passed into law. During the harmonisation, the representatives however voted in favour of the stance of the senate and as requested by the new INEC team. The harmonised copy of the bill will be forwarded to the president for his assent and subsequent passage into law. The new INEC act reflects a radical deviation from the past stipulating stiffer regulation for campaigns and party funding and harsh penalties for offenders.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5600184-147/legislators_adjust_laws_to_favour_inec.csp

Bankole fights Daniel in Ota !

The disagreement between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, led to a public brawl yesterday during the commissioning of the overhead bridge constructed by the federal government at Ota, Ogun State.

The programme had kicked off before the arrival of the Speaker, and Mr Daniel, who came with a large entourage, has spend some time delivering a speech which was largely disparaging to the speaker. The Minister of Works, Sanusi Daggash and his minister of state, Osa Ogiemwonyi were both at the occasion although the town’s most famous resident and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, did not show up at the event.

Mr Daniel quickly cut short his speech when an aide told him that Mr Bankole had finally arrived at the venue.

In his speech, the governor had made allusions to the speaker’s alleged quest for cheap glory and dabbling in the state’s affairs, instead of striving to get the best out of his office in the few months remaining for his tenure to end.

The road project was started about ten years ago by the government of Mr Obasanjo, but it was abandoned half way and Mr Bankole had began the campaign to complete work, during a well-publicised visit to the town last year.

“Tell the Speaker, to stop claiming responsibility for the construction,” said Mr Daniel in his speech. “The project was started by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ebora Owu, and we want to thank him. Tell my junior brother, the speaker that he should do something before his tenure lapsed, we all have less than few months to leave office,” he said.

Hurried commissioning

As Mr Bankole arrived the venue, a loud ovation was heard from his supporters but before he could even come down from his car, the governor hurriedly concluded his speech and headed straight to cut the tape of the commissioning.

Apparently sensing mischief, the Speaker moved to the tape cutting spot, but he was obstructed by one of the security aides to Mr Daniel. Mr Bankole pushed him aside and hurried towards the dais. But before he reached there, Mr Daggash, in company of the governor, moved quickly to cut the tape for the commissioning.

As this drama unfolded, the atmosphere became tense as security aides to both parties began waving their guns dangerously, creating more disorder. The charged atmosphere forced many people to run for safety and avoid any harm which might result from the fracas.

Among those who fled for their lives was the traditional ruler of Ota town, Alani Oloyede. The royal father had to tuck in his flowing gown, or agbada, as he fled the scene in the midst of his chiefs.

As the speaker moved to confront the governor, Mr Daniel and the ministers were hurriedly led into the official bus by their aides. Mr Bankole headed straight for the white coaster bus and ordered an aide to call the minister, Mr Daggash. The aide returned moments later to say the minister wouldn’t come out because he was speaking with the governor.

Shouting bout

In annoyance, Mr Bankole forced his way into the bus where he engaged in a shouting bout with Mr Daniel. The tainted glasses of the bus prevented onlookers from getting a clear view, but Mr Bankole could be seen ordering the driver of the bus not to move an inch. Noises were also heard from the bus for the 3-4 minutes the speaker was in the bus. As soon as he came out, the governor and his crew immediately left.

Mr Bankole was however loudly praised and hailed by indigenes of Ota, who were also seen throwing objects at the governor’s bus and booing him.

Mr Daggash, in his speech, said the third phase of the project would commence in the next two months, to pave way for the completion of the project.

“In the next two months, the third project will start. The next phase would not be delayed like the second phase. This is important for the benefits of all Nigerians passing through this road.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5600268-146/bankole_fights_daniel_in_ota_.csp

Two-time presidential candidate on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, and presidential aspirant on the platform of the newly registered Congress for Progress Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has called on Nigerians to forget about where a presidential candidate comes from, but should rather concentrate on whether such a person could be trusted.

Buhari made the statement in Kaduna yesterday at the launch of a book written in his honour by Professor Tam David-West, former petroleum minister and dyed-in-wool supporter of the former military Head of State.
Similarly, David-West, on his part has equally called on political office holders in the country to take their various religions into politics.

According to him, since none of the religions condoned stealing and corruption, religion would be and should be used to sanitize the system, and to launch the country into prosperity.
This is even as he called on Nigerians to be prepared to revolt against any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to use Iwu’s voters’ register for the 2011 elections, which he noted was full of names that were alien to Nigeria.
David-West spoke in Kaduna at the book launch on Buhari, entitled “The Sixteen ‘Sins’ of General Muhammadu Buhari, while delivering his welcome address.

Chairman on the occasion, M.T Waziri wept openly while outlining some of rare attributes of Buhari, which according to everyone who spoke on the occasion, were lacking in the country’s leaders. About N15. 6 million was realized in cash and pledges. The chief launcher, Alhaji Ahmadu Yaro, made the highest donation of N5 million, which was delivered in bank draft. He was represented on the occasion by Alhaji Abubakar Saidu.

David-West noted that there was something divine about his appointment by Buhari, who made him minister without knowing him from Adam. He further described Buhari as a leader who abhorred corruption and one who could lead Nigeria from darkness to light.
“Obasanjo’s administration tried all it could to indict him but failed. He used the EFCC, but they could not find any skeleton in his cupboard. Nigeria needs a leader like him because he can take Nigeria from darkness to light.
“We must take religion into politics. No religion preaches stealing and corruption. So, religion will be used to sanitize the system.

“Ninety percent of all what Nigeria has abroad in foreign currency is from petroleum, 85 percent of our national budget is petroleum. The man is from Katsina, a Muslim; I don’t know him from Adam. Buhari is a Northerner, I am a Southerner, he is Fulani, I am an Ijaw, he did not know me at all before then. So I say there is divine guidance for Buhari to elect me. And by the grace of almighty God, we served this nation. OPEC was founded in 1960, Nigeria joined in 1971, Buhari performed a feat that no country has ever achieved. No one country has been selected to be given increase in oil quota, Nigeria made over 20 billion dollars.

“Yet here is a man that Nigeria is suppressing. His enemies are vocal, but he is not vocal, he is a very humble man, he will not challenge them. So I have to stand up for Buhari, I have to shout from the Niger Delta creeks to the Sahara, that here is a good man that Nigeria is suppressing, please God, let him lead us. And no one can challenge me, I have challenged them, all those who are vocal against him, I don’t want to mention names, but they know. I challenge them to meet me in public fora, gather all the television, say what you know about Buhari, and I will respond to them adequately, none of them have answered.

“Your votes must count, if you sell your votes, you are doing evil to Nigeria. If they bribe you collect it, and vote against them, vote by your conscience. If you vote by your conscience, we will have credible elections and credible leadership. Voter register, if INEC will use Iwu’s voters register, this country should go on revolution. INEC must have new voters register. We can’t use the old one where you have Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali and co as Nigerians. They must not use that. And if they insist, all Nigerians must go on the streets and stop them. They must get new register. There is nothing we sacrifice to get good election that is too much. If we must shift the time to give INEC good time to get the register cleaned up, no problem. But the caveat is that every political office holder must be on half salary because a good leader must be able to serve without salary.

All privileges must be cancelled, including constituency allowance.
“When Buhari took over, he used Shagari’s furniture till the end, he did not change anything. They are afraid of him and when people are afraid of truth, then they are evil. Nigeria must move forward. If you ask Nigerians what the greatest evils in this country are, they say corruption and indiscipline. Who is one leader that is not corrupt and indiscipline, they say Buhari, then, why are they afraid of him. Buhari must win by the grace of God,” West said.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/30/national-07-30-2010-018.htm

The International Police Organization (INTERPOL) has stepped into the raging controversy over the marriage of an Egyptian minor by former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima.

Specifically, the INTERPOL has contacted the Nigerian authorities to furnish it with relevant information on the matter.

In Nigeria, the issue has taken a legal dimension with a suit filed by the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria against the National Human Rights, Commission (NHRC), the Senate President, David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.

In the suit filed by Suleiman Abdulkadir (SAN), the group is calling for the abolition of the Child Rights Act, 2003 and said Senator Yerima, its pioneer member, had the right under Islamic laws to marry a minor as allowed by the Quran and tradition authorized by Prophet Mohammed.
Yerima, who is now a serving Senator was accused of taking an underaged girl from Egypt as a wife, contrary to sections 21, 22 and 23 of the Child Rights Act, 2003.
The marriage attracted national and international condemnation, as well as protests by women’s groups at the National Assembly.

At the home front, the embattled senator had severally been quizzed by officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic In Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) which had since submitted its recommendations for prosecution of the case to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. A statement by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs and Communications, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Lambert Oparah, said Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Roland Ewubare, had received a letter from INTERPOL on the subject matter.

According to the statement, “the letter signed by the General Counsel, Joel Sollier, INTERPOL thanked the Commission for bringing the matter to the attention of the organization.
“INTERPOL posited that its General Secretariat had carefully considered the child rights issues raised in the matter by the NHR C, especially the worldwide pedophile alert raised in respect of the matter. It stated that the issue had been transmitted to competent police directorates within the General Secretariat for appropriate follow up.”

In the suit against NAPTIP and the National Assembly, the Sharia group prayed the court to stop the NHRC and the National Assembly from taking steps, decisions and actions against Yerima with respect to the said marriage.
It contended that Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution guaranteed and protected every citizen (including members of the group), his family members, among others, against invasion, intrusion or interference by anybody, group of persons or institutions.

The group was also asking for a declaration that Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution guaranteed and protected every citizen’s right to practice, propagate and manifest the doctrine of his religion either individually or in community with others and privately or in public, without hindrance by any person, group of persons or institutions.

Besides, they were pressing for a declaration that the act of the National Human Rights Commission by writing a petition to the President of the Senate against the acts of marital relationship of Senator Yerima to an Egyptian girl, amounted to an infringement and invasion, contravening the applicant’s and its members’ right to privacy and family together with their right to practice, propagate and manifest the doctrine of their religion as enshrined in Sections 37 and 38 of the 1999 Constitution.

The group was also seeking a declaration that the NHRC, by placing reliance on Section 21 Child Rights Act, 2003 for the basis of writing a petition to the leadership of the National Assembly, was clearly in conflict with Sections 37 and 38 of the same Constitution.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/30/national-07-30-2010-008.htm

The power play between Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, robbed the shine off the commissioning of the long-abandoned Sango-Ota bridge, in Ogun State yesterday, as the ceremony almost resulted in a bloody clash.

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had awarded the contract for the construction of the bridge as part of the dualisation of the Ota-Abeokuta Road. The project was, however, not completed before Obasanjo left office in 2007. The bridge project was abandoned for many months, while residents of the area and travellers suffered untold hardship.

Hopes were, however, kindled late last year when the Speaker influenced the Federal Government to release funds and the contractors, Julius Berger, returned to complete the abandoned project.
The Speaker had also on several occasions visited the site, assuring the people that the project would be completed, while the residents grappled with bad adjoining roads, which the state government had also abandoned.

Apparently elated that he had scored a political victory with the Sango-Ota bridge, Bankole had issued a statement, announcing that the project would be inaugurated on Thursday.
Governor Daniel and the Minister of Works, Senator Sanusi Daggash had arrived the ceremony earlier than the Speaker and taken their seats not too far from the Olota of Ota, Oba Moshood Alani Oloyede.

No sooner had he taken his seat than the governor’s supporters, carrying placards of aspirants in the forthcoming elections, called on the governor to address them. Daniel, while addressing the gathering, made some scathing remarks about Bankole, but did not mention the Speaker’s name.
Amidst the hailing of the governor by his supporters, Bankole’s arrival at the venue also enlivened the area, as many residents hailed him for facilitating the completion of the abandoned bridge.
The Speaker was inspecting the project and trekking down to where the governor and the minister sat.

Then drama ensued as the minister and governor sighted the Speaker and hurriedly moved to commission the bridge without waiting for the Speaker to join them. Both Governor Daniel and Daggash, after the inauguration of the project, went straight into the waiting white Coaster bus, bearing the state government’s number plate. The Speaker, who was visibly disappointed at the action, forced his way to meet the governor amidst tight security, apparently to express his displeasure.

The development almost resulted in a bloody face-off between the governor and Speaker’s security guards and aides, while the guests scampered for safety. Immediate the Speaker disembarked from the governor’s bus after about three minutes tete-a-tete and headed for his official car, miscreants who had converged on the scene took advantage of the rowdy situation and began unleashing terror on the people.

There was pandemonium as guests and residents ran for their lives with the miscreants throwing chairs. When the scene became too rowdy, the Oba Oyede and other traditional rulers took to their heels with their chiefs. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has awarded the third phase of the bridge to Julius Berger despite the un-completed phase two of the project.
In his remarks, the minister apologized for the delay in the execution of the phase two, adding that the third phase would not be prolonged.

He stated that Julius Berger would complete the last aspect of the project within the next 15 months and described the project as economic infrastructure, which would enhance economic development of both Lagos and Ogun states. The Speaker, who arrived the Presidential lounge of the Lagos Airport in a convoy of cars, after the ceremony, looked slightly ruffled, and spoke on the incident before returning to Abuja. As he alighted, he went straight into the inner chamber to have some rest.

When he eventually spoke to Aviation correspondents, Bankole said there was no problem among himself, the works minister and Daniel, stressing that his desire was to ensure Ogun State enjoyed as much Federal Government support as possible. He also denied the rumour that he had threatened to sack the minister, adding, “ask him. He should tell you if it is true or not.

“There was no fracas in Ota, I cannot remember whether anything like that happened. We went to commission a bridge and that was all that happened. I did not see or witness any drama; we only commissioned a bridge; that is all I can remember.

“As an indigene of Ogun State, I am committed to seeing federal presence in the state. That is my commitment. I do not have powers to sack any minister. How can I do that? All I can tell you is that there was no drama and we commissioned a bridge, nothing less,” he explained.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/30/national-07-30-2010-001.htm

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), on Tuesday, warned the Northern Political Forum (NPF), not to drag its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, into the raging internal crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the zoning of positions.


A member of the NPF, Yahaya Kwande, had reportedly described Mr Buhari as a selfish man for allegedly opposing the zoning arrangement in the PDP. Spokesman of the CPC, Dennis Aghanya, told journalists in Abuja, said the party is not comfortable with the statement credited to Mr Kwande, saying since the former military ruler is not a member of the PDP, he should be left out of zoning debate in the ruling party. “The CPC is not very comfortable with the statement credited to one of our elder statesmen and a member of the Northern Political Forum, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, that some northerners like the former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who did not support zoning were selfish, and that many of them had forgotten that they need the support of the north for their political aspirations,” Mr Aghanya said. “CPC, has made it very clear that we don’t believe in the principle of zoning because it is against the tenets of democracy. Some of the self-styled leaders of the PDP of the northern extraction have continued to call our leader names simply because he has refused to involve himself in issues that do not concern him and his party.”


Worried party


The CPC spokesman wondered why northern politicians keep blaming Mr Buhari instead of encouraging him to realize his ambition of returning to power since he is also a northerner. He also stated that Mr Buhari has suffered a lot of injustice and wondered why he should not be left alone. “The CPC is worried because we don’t understand why we cannot be left out of this matter,” he said. “Gen. Buhari has suffered a lot of injustice in the hands of this same group of people, same with his followers. Why would one subject himself to all sorts of worries when he has a solution to his problem?”


Mr Aghanya also said that the CPC has offered itself as a genuine political platform for anyone who feels uncomfortable with his party, adding that Mr Buhari is the only one who has offered to run under the platform of the CPC during the forthcoming 2011 presidential election. He noted that top members of the PDP are reaping from what they sowed in the past by attempting to diminish Mr Buhari’s influence in the polity. “Their game has now backfired and they are now looking for innocent people to pull into their struggle. For over 30 painful months they made Gen. Buhari and his followers to pass through the rigours of court processes, seeking for justice that never came.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5599737-147/opposition_warn_northern_pdp_leaders_on.csp

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other South-West Peoples Democratic Party leaders have warned governors in the zone against supporting the presidential ambition of former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd).



A source at a meeting of the PDP leaders told our correspondents on Wednesday that the elders of the party were aware that some of the governors had been holding clandestine meetings with Babangida and his supporters.



The source at the PDP meeting, which was held in Abeokuta on Saturday, said that the governors were told of the consequences of such a support which was against the wish of the Yoruba.



Our correspondents learnt that although the zone was yet to announce its position, the leaders were aware that public opinion in the region is against zoning and they were not ready to go against it.



But it was gathered that the zone could support President Goodluck Jonathan in next year’s presidential race.



One of the South-West leaders, who pleaded anonymity, said, “What Babangida did is still fresh in the memory of the Yoruba. He annulled the June 12, 1993 election won by the late businessman, Chief Moshood Abiola, and he has not repented. The popular opinion in the South-West is not in support of the former military dictator.



“Any South-West governor who supports Babangida, will be swimming against the tide. We are not ready to incur the wrath of the Yoruba. Any attempt to back the former military president will make the PDP more unpopular in the South-West.”



An investigation by our correspondents showed that at least, three governors in the zone were supporting Babangida’s presidential ambition.



It was gathered that they had not openly declared their support for the former military president because of the fear that their popularity would worsen.



“While their counterparts in other zones have condemned zoning, most South-West governors have tactically kept quiet because of their relationship with Babangida,” the PDP leader said.



According to him, the governors plan to keep their support for IBB to themselves, until they get to the PDP national convention, where they will direct their aides to vote for Babangida.



He added, “They have confided in their commissioners and aides. They plan to surprise the leaders during the convention by mobilising support for IBB.



“Their thinking is that if elected president, the former military leader will not only give them a soft-landing, but also shield them from any investigation by anti-graft agencies.”



Meanwhile, a socio-political organisation, New Nigeria Initiative for Goodluck and Sambo, on Wednesday condemned the silence of the South-West governors on the zoning of the presidency.



It said that since South-South governors and their northern counterparts had made their views on zoning known, South-West governors should disclosed their stand.



The group, at a press conference addressed by its national leader, Chief Omenife Izuegbu, and member, Board of Trustees, Alhaji Abubakar Jada, supported the call on President Goodluck Jonathan to contest next year’s presidential election.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100729441446

Before the presidential debate for would-be presidents in 2011 was postponed on that fateful day, the moderator listed some of the followings as the next heated debate:

(1) Whether it'd not make perfect sense for citizens who dwell in the region where petrol or other natural resources are mined, to be the ones who'd give the go-ahead for prospecting companies to mine oil in their backyards (2) Why have past governments not ploughed back money gotten from petrol tax into repairing roads? (3) How each aspiring presidential candidates would change the can't-do attitude in governance in Abuja since 1999 and replace it with a can-do one where institution is put above the worship of individual ruler (4) How money would influence the 2011 elections and whether being born rich would not hamper the electability of highborn contenders etc ,

Chris Okotie has just opened the first of a series of debates to come. By saying that his first presidential task in 2011 if elected, would be to cancel the National Honour Award, disqualify all winners since - re-negotiate and re-award it only to those who honours are due. The outspoken presidential aspirant cum pastor bashes Jonathan Goodluck for awarding honours to robber politicians, businessmen, weird jet-set Nigerians and notorious highborn in our society. After which, he calls Jonathan a hypocrite for professing to be a devout christian and despite enmeshed in taking bribe or anticipating to, while bastardinsing our National Heritages for his 2011 election self-gain. Ending with the note that Nigerians must not vote for Jonathan Goodluck for another four years to massage the egos of the rich and famous, mighty and almighty in Nigeria.

Ribadu immediately, fires from the podium attacking Jonathan Goodluck for adding and abetting the Halliburton, Siemens, Daimler suspects instead of prosecuting them. Telling Nigerians that they should vote for him and not Jonathan Goodluck. He'd compounds his argument by stating that Jonathan has a lustful bent to look after the special interests of the haves in our society at the brunt of the have-nots. Ribadu would opine that Jonathan, while still vice-president, had said that's not the corruption from top-down that hampers Nigeria's progress but the ones done by ordinary citizens. Punching the air with youthful seriousness, Ribadu would maintain that Jonathan and wife were criminal indictees and his suspects when he championed EFCC. Now with soberly mood, away from the air-punching posture, Ribadu warns Nigeria to prepare for the direst of consequences should they venture vote another four-year for Mr. Goodluck.

Jonathan Goodluck not wanting a greenhorn 'foreign-sponsored' president-to-be, like Ribadu to spoil his chances of making Aso Rock back, would sincerely repent and confess that what Ribadu has just accused him of was the same thing he did when he exempted Obasanjo from the monumental corruption he did during his era. He'd dress Ribadu down, that the Halliburton and other scams happened under his watch without doing nothing. He'd badmouth Ribadu for being a system man and part of the problem and not the solution. He accuses Ribadu for being an outcast who allies with other countries, leaking Nigeria's secret for personal self-aggrandisement. With a very weak appeal, Jonathan would beg Nigerians to give him another chance, promising to hand himself to law-enforcement people for probe after his tenure ends in 2011. In addition, almost on bended knees while still holding the podium furniture, he promises to bring Obasanjo, Bankole, IBB and co. to justice and jail if given another chance. And all of a sudden, an eruption of boo greeted Jonathan's conclusion. Meaning that the crowd of attendees did not believe that Jonathan would do any better if given another four-year opportunity.

Buhari has just taken the podium thanking his opponent Jonathan, for sincerely repenting that he and Ribadu were guilty of bedfellowing corruption heavies and giving them leeway to thrive unopposed. With a stretched hand, Buhari adjusts his agbada and delve into memory lane how he containerised Umoru Dikko from abroad en route to face corruption charges in Nigeria because sleaze irritated him majorly. With one hand in the air to stop the crowds from endless cheers, he positioned himself as the only one who has the temerity and moral fineness to cashier criminals across the board for their criminalities. Pontificating further, Buhari told the crowd that he has rock solid family, booming with all the moral decency there are. Crying out loud that a good president is the person who could control his home and has a responsible family, not dysfunctional ones where father in-law bed son's wife. He also took a swipe at the dire conduct of Turai Yaradua for grave sins against the Nigerian state and pointed accusing finger at Patience Goodluck for siphoning Bayelsa State money. Arguing that future First ladies must live by modest discipline. Buhari almost by sheer mistake nearly praised his wife before the public as not being irresponsible like the two women he had just mentioned, but resisted the temptation, before he is labeled a 'woman wrapper!' If elected president, he promised to appoint Ribadu as his EFCC champion while banning Jonathan from Aso Rock, not because Ribadu is from the north and Jonathan not; but because Ribadu is a better human than Jonathan. Okotie and other would-be presidents just laughed aloud after Buhari ended his debate, you could notice with the way they nodded their heads that, they enthused how to curtail their personal interests when voted president. Just then, there was pandemonium as NEPA aka PHCN took light and everyone sweated like ewu December. Then there was half-current light.

In heat of the moment, a saharareporter.com blogger who was present at the presidential debate gatecrashed by asking the aspiring presidents how they'd check the kind of disconnect that went on during Obsanjo and late Yar'Adua's eras when there were no love lost between president and vice-president? Yaradua had hardly trusted Jonathan Goodluck to give him any assignment. The hatred that churned between Obasanjo and Atiku at the tail end of their regime is a blockbuster in the history of officedom. As our by-now president Jonathan neared the podium to clear the air on how he wished to mastermind amity between him and his vice, before other contenders would say their own version, the moderator announced an extension of the debate which will last for a whole month.


This writer will inform you about all the debates that our presidents in-waiting would engage serially. Thank you!

President Obama opines "And I think that if you think of the presidency just as a bureaucratic job, then you will not be effective. If you think of it only as a rhetorical, political job, you will not be effective. And I think that our goal has been to say, how we function as good managers and good stewards of government and reform it and clean it up and make it work and make it right , "

Talk about rhetoric!? It is in the newspapers of today that the same Jonathan Goodluck who gave National Honour to criminals lately, had while addressing a section of diaspora Nigerians Niger State, said that corruption will cripple Nigeria if the rich would not check their ways. Jonathan has been high on rhetoric, assuming that the presidency is just another office job not meant to add value to people's lives.

Since the Obasanjo political class of 1999 hit town, we have come to see their loose underbelly. And no one is left in doubt that their lack of readiness has been the reason while Nigeria has raced to the bottom of Ice Age backwardness. In 2011 or before, we want to see fierce hustle of political campaign and debate amid mostly presidential candidates and sundry political officeholders in-waiting. It should not be the traditional pushover of presidents being begged and forcefully goaded to come and govern Nigeria. Would-be presidents in 2011 have to hanker and sweat it out on their way to Aso Rock - that's when they realise that the government of men and resources is not a cakewalk done by children at birthdays. Past presidents and the extant one, have pooh-poohed the esteemed office because they get there with no hassle of proving either their intellectual or interpersonal sociocentrism or street-smartness. They rig their way through, that trend has to stop henceforward. We want to see them debate, campaign, challenge one another, throw mud at themselves, do due diligence on others, spy upon and wash their co-contenders dirty linen in the public. That's how it is done in the USA and other First World countries that we copied their democracies and way of civilisation.

It's noteworthy in today's world, that the ability to set up a political campaign from the ground and win any election devoid of malpractices is a signal that one has the clout to succeed in that post or office. Political campaign these days is a serious business that involves all aspect of institutionalism that prepare you proper. You have to manage man and material while campaigning. And it takes a real man to excel these stumbling blocks. In the end, you are ready to take up the challenges of office, inclusive of good management and stewardship. Away from mere rhetoric and mediocre that comes in when you are godfathered into the presidency with the ease of not throwing a punch or slinging mud at your opponents or receiving any.

http://www.saharareporters.com/article/2011-presidential-debatejonathan-goodluck-ribadu-buhari-chris-okotie-etc-sunday-njokede

Senate President David Mark and other federal lawmakers from Benue State, yesterday, declared their support for President Jonathan Goodluck to seek a new term next year, a day after 19 northern governors said they have not decided on who to endorse as president in 2011.

The Benue representatives in the National Assembly, under the name of Benue State Caucus of the National Assembly, said they are in support of Mr. Jonathan running in 2011 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The caucus said its position tallies with governor Gabriel Suswam’s rejection of the controversial zoning system which has pitched Mr. Jonathan’s supporters against many politicians urging for a power shift to northern Nigeria. The president himself has yet to whether he will contest in 2011.

Mr. Suswam was one of the eight governors who voted against the “zoning” option at the northern governors’ meeting.

At a press conference attended by eight of the 12 Benue State members of the House of Representatives and Joseph Akaagerger, a Senator representing Benue North East senatorial zone, the lawmakers said the governor’s position was the true reflection of the wish of Benue people.

Ten northern governors, however, voted in support of the “zoning” Tuesday in Kaduna but added that the president, like any other Nigerian, has the right to contest elections as stated in the 1999 constitution.

According to Mr. Akaagerger, “the attention of the Representatives of the people of Benue State in the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) has been drawn to recent media publications relating to the current burning national question as to whether or not President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is competent to and should or should not contest the 2011 Presidential Election.

“We wish to state unequivocally as follows: that consequent upon consultation with the Benue State National Assembly legislators’ caucus, the governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam was mandated to hold consultation with all principal stakeholders of the PDP and Benue people generally,” he said.

Mr. Akaagerger, who is the vice chairman, senate committee on communications, explained that the Senate President David Mark is personally aware of the position and is in support of it. He said Mr. Mark and other members absent at the briefing could not attend due to other engagements.

Members of the caucus at the briefing were Solomon Agidani (Apa/Agatu federal constituency), Terngu Tsegba (Gboko/Tarka), David Idoko (Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo), Augustine Adikpe (Oju/Obi), Emmanuel Jime (Makurdi/Guma), Orker Jev (Buruku),

Chile Igbawua (Kwande/Ushongo) and Christy Allaga (Gwer East/Gwer West).

Only Hernan Iorwase Hembe (Vandeikya/Konshisha), Mzenda Iho (Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo) and Nelson Alapa, were absent from the meeting.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5599974-147/mark_benue_lawmakers_back_jonathan_for.csp

Former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, said that the Action Congress (AC) is working assiduously to unseat the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), come 2011 general elections.

Mr. Tinubu, one of the prominent personnel of the Action Congress, while speaking to aviation correspondents at the presidential wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, on issues affecting the new voter register, declared that his party will not pardon the excesses of any political platform that tries to jeopardise the peaceful conduct of the polls.

“As for May 29, we are in a hurry to send away PDP. But if they have to still do their mosquito style of election, then we will resist. We will do everything possible to strengthen the path of democracy in this country,” he said.

Expressing his support for a new voter register, the former governor disclosed that Nigeria will only hold credible elections with the new register in place, as he describes the old register as faulty and unrealistic.

“I don’t think we can conclude that we will not have free and fair elections yet, but I agree hundred percent that we must have a fresh voters register. A new registry of voters that will produce reliable, very viable and biometrically compliant voters register that will eliminate all duplications, and all irregularities.

“This is the way to start the beginning of the next fifty years, after the first fifty years of Nigeria’s independence,” he said.

Mr. Tinubu maintained that it will be a huge disgrace should Nigeria fail to conduct smooth elections, and that the entire components of the former registry is corrupt, as he added that the former chairman of the Independent and National Electoral Commission (INEC), Maurice Iwu, reproduced the old voter register.

“It will be a shameful thing to have all the professionals and the competent and capable human resources that we have in this country if we cannot do that (peaceful elections) for our nation. Otherwise, it will be a disaster.

“There is no way they can patch up what is now on ground, for you cannot plant a mango and expect to reap corn, there is no way. Once the foundation is bad, the entire structure will collapse. So, this voter register that they think they will panelbeat is a record that is irreparable,” he said.

Explaining that the current registry is impracticable, the AC stakeholder argued that the Attahiru Jega’s administration in the electoral commission should be given the right to have a new voter register, as he further indicted the ex-boss of the commission.

“The software that associated with it (current voter register) was pirated by Iwu’s administration, let him sue me. I know the address of the Canadian company; they didn’t pay for the software licence.

“That is why it is unworkable. You can’t panelbeat this management to produce a reliable voter register, otherwise it’s garbage in garbage out, from chaos to crisis and to more catastrophic consequences,” he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5599956-147/story.csp

Crusaders for new states now have a fresh hurdle: ensure all federal representatives from your present states are handed new terms in 2011, and stand a chance of a new state, Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives announced yesterday.

Mr Bankole told hundreds of agitators pushing for the creation of Ibadan and Hadejia States, out of the present Oyo and Yobe States, yesterday, that their request will receive more favourable attention if tabled by long-standing lawmakers when consideration of state creation opens possibly next year. In defence of his claim, Mr Bankole said abiding by a legislative culture of seniority (ranking), whereby long-serving lawmakers are granted attention ahead of newcomers, will favour those clamouring for the creation of new states in the next legislative session. “In the National Assembly, we have the issue of seniority and ranking to contend with, so do not make the mistake of sending new people here, if you do, well I am sorry because the result may not be palatable,” he said while addressing the Ibarapa Consultative forum, a group that has advanced the creation Ibadan State.

No new people wanted

Campaigners have made cases for 25 new states, and the National Assembly has promised that consideration would be given to the requests during a second amendment process of the constitution. Yesterday, Mr Bankole again assured that when the National Assembly begins the second leg of the amendment of the 1999 constitution, state creation “must be on the front burner for fairness and equity if not for any other thing.” He said that in the National Assembly, and House of Representatives in particular, “seniority and ranks were jealously guarded and respected” and the classification will play roles in reaching decisions on the state creation.

“The National Assembly as an institution is growing and it can only continue to grow through experience, what I am saying however is an advice which you have the choice to take or not to take, we are in this thing together and the job has just begun,” he stated. He warned that those who want new states must avoid the “mistake” of voting in new people because according to him, those who have experience would always be listened to and attended to before new members can get any attention. He however advised that people agitating for creation of new states from the existing ones must ensure that it is done in good faith and not to create divisions among locals.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5599962-147/bankole_gives_conditions_for_new_states.csp

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido, yesterday called for the removal of subsidy from electricity, as a means of reviving the power sector.

Mr. Sanusi also said the recent Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) Act, signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan, would soon return Nigerian banks to a global stage through a credible balance sheet.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents, Mr. Sanusi said the present N7 unit price was in sharp contrast with global practice, citing the N22 price charged per unit in neighbouring Ghana as an example of modern global reality.

He said that for the power sector to function properly and attract the much needed foreign investment, there must be a regulator that makes it viable. He also called for the immediate revival of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to oversee the moribund sector.

Specifically, the CBN boss stated that the current N7 per a unit of electricity in Nigeria is not competitive enough to bring the country out of its energy demand shortfall, and suggested an immediate increase of over 200% on electricity prices.

“I am saying we’ve got to have a regulator; we’ve got to have good input for gas pricing. It will encourage investment, deregulate electricity prices. This N7 is a myth because nobody gets power at that price.

“Ghana is paying N22. If we increase it to N22 and you increase gas prices, investments will come into power,” he said.

He also said the CBN is “doing what we need to do on the banking system and the banking system is stabilising and with the AMCON, once we recapitalise the banks, it will improve the balance sheets of banks.”

Recovering market

According to him, the capital market is recovering fast and the government continues to make progress as far as the reforms are concerned.

“Having said that, the financial system does not live in isolation. You’ve got to fix the issues of real economy, and the CBN is not responsible for that. You have an economy in which you do not have power. If you don’t have electricity, you cannot attract investors; you cannot improve production.

“We don’t have power because the reforms that ought to have been carried out in four years have not been done. We keep talking and talking and talking, and we have not yet created the right environment and we don’t even have a regulator for power.”

He also called for a removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

“We are spending N500 billion subsidies on petroleum products and nobody will invest in refineries if they believe that their business model is predicated on government subsidy,” he reasoned.

“We are borrowing N500 billion on subsidies every year, we are borrowing money and we are leaving future generation to pay the debt. The benefits of this subsidies are far outweighed by the long term cost to the economy,” he warned.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5599980-146/sanusi_seeks_200_percent_hike_in.csp

The governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau on Tuesday announced his intention to contest the 2011 Presidential Election on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Mr. Shekarau, who made the declaration in Kano at a dinner with journalists in the state, said he took the decision in response to calls across the country. He said that he accepted to contest the poll ``after due consultation with all those concerned on the matter across the federation’’.

The governor explained that he regarded his presidential bid as an opportunity to serve humanity, stressing that ``it is a matter beyond party affiliation and beyond mere winning an election,’’ although he was determined to win the election.

``My presidential bid is not a do-or-die affair and I will pursue it with clear conscience to win or not to win,’’ he said, adding that he will make a formal declaration of his ambition in Abuja on August 5. He said

he will only make public his programmes for the nation after winning the ANPP presidential primaries.

The governor is currently serving his second term as governor of Kano State, having been elected first in 2003.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5599890-146/shekarau_announces_presidential_bid__.csp

The owners of the popular musical, ‘Fela! on Broadway’, were shocked on Tuesday night when Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, suddenly slipped away, ignoring the elaborate birthday reception organised for him in New York.

Mr. Soyinka was at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre venue in midtown New York to see, for the first time, the highly entertaining musical woven around the life and music of his cousin, the late Afrobeat musician and activist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Apparently unaware of the Nobel Laureate’s dislike for any outward celebration of his birthday, the show owners had ordered a rectangular gorgeous birthday cake, which they planned to present to the professor on stage at the end of the performance.

Food, drinks, and tables were also reserved at the next-door Serafina Hotel, where the 76-year-old writer was to be hosted to a reception.

But somehow, Mr. Soyinka got wind of the plan, and he sneaked out of the “shrine”, just as the cast was taking their bows.

Unaware that the Nobel Laureate had left the venue, the talented Sahr Ngaujah, who acted Fela, grabbed the microphone and announced to the audience,

“This is a very special night for us because we are visited today by Fela’s cousin, the great Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka. Today also happens to be his birthday.”

Ngaujah had hardly finished when two female members of the cast appeared onstage with a rectangular white-red-blue birthday cake.

The audience clapped and buzzed with expectation, hoping that the professor would move onstage to make a brief remark and cut the cake.

But Mr. Soyinka was long gone and the audience, which had a good number of Nigerians, and scores of journalists, were disappointed. A birthday song was, nonetheless, sung for him.

Honour for organisers

Okey Ndibe, a professor of Literature at Trinity College, who saw Mr. Soyinka hurrying out of the theatre and waving down a taxi, said the Nobel Laureate told him that he did not want the performance to be about him, but about Fela.

“He said he did not want to grant interviews or be celebrated,” Mr. Ndibe explained to Stephen Hendel, lead producer of the play.

“He said it is a great play, but that he would come back unannounced to watch the play again and meet the cast,” Mr. Ndibe said.

Publisher of SaharaReporters.com, a popular online news website, Omoyele Sowore, who drove Soyinka from his hotel to the play, also explained that the professor had an early flight for South Africa on Wednesday and could therefore not wait for his birthday song.

Mr. Hendel said although the professor did not wait for the reception, his presence at the “shrine” to watch the play was an enough honour for him and his team.

“We have so much respect for Professor Wole Soyinka,” he said. “For us to have one of the greatest men of the world come to see the show is a great honour for us. It is a thrill for everyone,” he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5599978-146/soyinka_evades_birthday_reception_at_fela.csp

Hon. Tashir Okanlawon Soniyi, representing Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives, parades a rich curriculum vitae. The lawmaker who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier been a member of the Constituent Assembly and chairman of his local government.

Soniyi, who also formerly held senior management positions at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in this interview faults the approach adopted by anti-Bankole elements in the House.

According to him, had the “Progressives” led by Hon. Dino Melaye canvassed the support of other lawmakers ahead, they might have succeeded in having their allegations looked into. He also speaks on the nation’s democracy, 50th anniversary budget, cost of democracy, the legislature, Lagos PDP and lots more. Excerpts:

Democracy score-card
I will say it is good. Compared to what we saw around 1960, there are a lot of infrastructural improvement. There are good roads, better hospitals. I am not saying we have passed as such, but I must add that the attitudinal aspect of Nigerians have not allowed all those improvements to get us to where we are supposed to be.

Billion naira anniversary
Well, the Federal Government is in a position to really determine how much it will cost to celebrate it. It is a golden jubilee anniversary, and whatever anybody may say, we still have something to celebrate. We are not saying we are satisfied, because one would have expected better performance, but that we are still one today is an achievement. Some other countries, who have similar backgrounds could have broken into pieces, but we thank God that we are still together. You can’t just pick a figure and say something is too high or too low. What is the programme?

Expensive democracy
Democracy all over the world is expensive, especially in a presidential system. You provide for the legislature, executive and of course, the judiciary. Well, I don’t know whether it is too expensive in Nigeria or not. Since we know generally that it is an expensive venture, the question is do we deserve such an expensive venture? My attitude is that whatever that is applied, our attitude to it is the most important thing. Are we doing it right? Or what is happening. Since we opted for democracy, we should be prepared for it whether you run presidential or parliamentary system, let us do it right. Let everybody keep to the rules.

Legislature as drain pipe
I will agree that lawmaking is expensive. When there is lawlessness, it is then you appreciate the beauty of lawmaking. That is the benefit of making laws for the people. When do you have legislature on its own? To avoid a situation where the executive becomes so powerful? When the executive becomes so powerful, then you know you will be running into problems. It is this check and balance arrangement, you can’t have everything. What the executive might do because of absence of control might be too much in terms of cost to the system. So, you cannot really say the cost of legislation is too much. It has some positive effects on the society.

Part-time legislature
If we make it part-time, it is okay. As it is now, even 181 days out of 365 days, isn’t that almost a part-time thing? Does it mean it is only when you are called upon to do something? No! You cannot work that way. As it is now, I think it is okay. You have 181 legislative days in a year.

PDP and democracy dividends
Which democracy dividends? Is the press not as free as possible? What is the dividend we are talking about? One party will control the centre, other fairly large parties have one state or the other.
We are not saying we’ve got there. We’ve not got there. It’s a process. When Obasanjo took over in 1999, he told us that when he left in 1979, he left planes. Many things are on board. It was only that during the military, there wasn’t much happening. But with democracy, corruption is being exposed and people are more careful than they were. A lot of infrastructure had been developed to ensure that certain things are put in place, like the EFCC, ICPC. There are extra-judicial efforts by the government to ensure strict adherence to the rule of law.

House crisis
On that day, we resumed from a short recess and while we were on recess, we had read in the papers certain allegations against the leadership of the House. That is not the procedure. Even on that day, the man who moved the motion to check such attitude came under the order of privileges, that his privileges have been abused by the actions of some members. In fact, he was moving his motion when the leader of the “Progressives” in the House started shouting “no way”, “it cannot happen”.

The man continued and the motion was passed. What I had expected was that the leader of the “Progressives” would have mobilised enough members if there is anything against the leadership or whatever, to move his motion, which normally should be seconded, and if there is any counter-motion, it will be subjected to debate and a position will be taken. You are not to go about maligning everybody, including the National Assembly. No! It’s a question of procedure. If you do that, then you have offended part of the rules of the House.

Journey so far
It has been interesting. We are representing the people in various ways. If there is anything involving your constituency, you have the opportunity of representing the people. It is a collective effort. It is part of the beauty of democracy. We are not perfect human beings. We can make mistakes like any other person.

Lagos PDP and 2011
We are mending fences. All that is necessary is that divisions are narrowed to the barest minimum. Once there is unity within the party, we will do well. We are really on it to ensure everything is properly done to take over Lagos State in 2011.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/politics/2010/july/29/politics-07-29-2010-002.htm

Controversies generated by President Goodluck Jonathan’s perceived presidential interest in the 2011 elections took a new turn yesterday when the presidency called the bluff of the North. Northern governors on Tuesday failed to endorse Jonathan for 2011 presidency.

The North has so far, not given any definitive endorsement of the project. But Senator Polycarp Nwite, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political Affairs, has dismissed the threat from the North as “empty”, advising that they should shed the toga of the past and embrace the future.

Nwite, spoke on telephone with Daily Sun. He described the current position of the Northern governors on zoning as “self serving,” and at variance with national interest and dictates of dynamism.

“In politics, the fact is that people take positions that is vantage to them. If you look at the United States of America, Clinton comes from Arkansas, one of the smallest states in the country but he became President. The fact of where he hails from did not reduce his powers or stop him even from re-election for a second term. The Presidential aide chided the North for holding on to the erroneous and misleading belief that there are no ethnic minorities in the North.

“It is not just Hausa/Fulani that exist in the North. There are other ethnic groups there. Why have they not been able to produce the President over these years. We have overgrown ethnic nationalism in this country. What we need is a visionary leader and he can come from anywhere.”
On the threat, that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would die if Jonathan contests in the elections, Nwite said it was a non-issue as those who were issuing the threats lacked the necessary support base.
He said, the North had outgrown much of its proclivities, as it was now at par with the South in terms of education and enlightenment, and wondered how one ethnic group, would railroad, other minorities in the region into their own desires without raising dusts.

“The North or Hausa/Fulani can’t determine who becomes President. Time has gone when someone will sit down in one place, take a decision and force it down the throat of others. The Northern ethnic minorities can also produce the President. They are many, and I tell you that if they come together, the Hausa/Fulani cannot match them.”
He spoke on some wide insinuations of mass desertion of the PDP for the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP).
He described the threat as empty.

“You can’t threaten the whole country, just because you’re ambitious. Sokoto was not the biggest emirate in the North, yet the Sultan ruled the North from there.” He sued for national understanding and co-operation, saying that the country stood to gain from it.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/29/national-07-29-2010-001.htm

How can i get one of this MP3 Player.

Two engineers were on Monday relieved of their jobs by Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, over poor project supervision, just as he ordered the contractor handling the Ihevbe/Ikao/Otuo Road project in Owan East Local Government Area to repeat the culvert work on the road.

Yahaya Afekhai, an engineer with Edo State Ministry of Works, and Austin Edeki, an engineer and a consultant hired by the state government to supervise the ongoing construction work on the road, were given the sack by the governor for conniving with the contractor.

The contracting firm, Boroni Proni, an Italian construction company, had admitted to subletting part of the road work to some local contractors who used poor and substandard materials for the culvert and side drains of the roads. The site engineer, who refused to disclose his name, said he succumbed to pressure from the local people and sublet the contract to them.

The visibly angry governor berated the engineers for conspiring with contractors to execute poor quality job with sub-standard materials. He said that activities of the government officials were largely responsible for the failure of government projects. He therefore urged residents of areas where similar projects are taking place to always monitor the work and report personally to him any fraudulent activities by the contractors if need be.

Value for money

"These engineers who are paid to supervise government projects but do nothing are liability to the government and have no business being there," he said. "My anger is really not with the contractor. But if we have engineers who are being paid to supervise the job and they do nothing, then they are part of the problem.

"They are the reason why government job never last. We still appreciate the work done by the Ogbemudia government because then, we had committed civil servants who take their job seriously. I have told you guys, I am not like the other government, there must be value to any money being spent buy this government and anybody who conspired with contractors to defraud the government will not be spared."

Mr. Oshiomhole said his government would accept nothing less than what the government paid for, as he vowed to constantly monitor projects being executed by the government to ensure that such projects conform to specification. The sack brought to three the number of engineers that have been relieved of their duties since the governor commenced inspection of road projects.

Meanwhile, Mr Oshiomhole also severely castigated the poor dressing habit and lackadaisical attitudes of teachers towards work. Mr. Oshiomhole, who took time off from project inspection in Etsako West Local Government Area for a brief stopover at Iyamoh Junior and Senior Secondary School, berated most of the teachers who were shabbily and sloppily dressed. He said that teachers must be seen as role models to the students, both in dressing and academic performance, warning that they would be sent home if caught in again in such dresses.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5599660-147/oshiomhole_fires_two_engineers_over_shoddy.csp

Hope it's not a set up for him

The Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday apologised to journalists in Edo State over the brutal attack on the Edo State correspondent of The Nation, Otabor Friday, when he received a beating from suspected thugs during last Saturday's by-election into the state house of assembly in Ovia North-East constituency II.

Mr. Otabor was attacked by thugs while attempting to take shots of hundreds of persons casting their votes at Igo Primary School polling station, even when they were told by the electoral officer that they were not registered in the place.

Mr. Oshiomhole yesterday promised to get to the root of the incident and ensure that those responsible were fished out.

"I am really sorry for what happened. We will ensure that we get to the root of the matter to know what actually happened, because we have a responsibility to protect the media. We need the media to ensure that we have credible election in this country, and that is what I am committed to in this state and beyond," he said.

He also called for the compilation of a genuine voters register before next elections, saying that "the foundation of credible election is in a credible voters register, which we must ensure we get before the election."

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5599711-147/oshiomhole_apologises_to_edo_journalists_.csp