₦airaland Forum

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commended the courage of the Northern Governors in supporting the zoning policy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Atiku described the outcome of the governor’s meeting in Kaduna, Tuesday as a demonstration of uncommon courage and patriotism, according to a statement released by his media office in Abuja yesterday. By voting overwhelmingly for zoning, Atiku said the governors have given all segments of Nigeria a sense of belonging.

“The zoning policy protects minority groups against domination by the majority,” Atiku said.
“In a country as heterogeneous and complex as Nigeria, the zoning policy will ensure fairness and equity in the distribution of political offices”.

The former VP said it was sad and unfortunate that the issue has been politicized by dishonest and selfish politicians.
“We must cultivate the culture of honouring agreements in this country. We will not make progress in this country if our actions are driven simply by convenience,” he noted.
He called for a closure on the zoning debate and advised state and federal governments to devote their energies and resources to real governance.

The Alliance for Democracy (AD), on Tuesday, in Lagos, dispelled rumours of a merger with any political party ahead of the 2011 elections.


Musa Umar, the deputy National Chairman of the AD, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, dismissed the rumour as untrue. "People have been calling me to find out if AD has fused into AC in a political relationship.

Though discussions are ongoing with several other parties, we have not finalised what kind of relationship the parties wanted," he said.

He said that the decision to merge with AC, or any other party, would be made public after its National Executive Council meeting, scheduled for Abuja later this week. "Discussions are ongoing but that does not mean we would not entertain candidates who want to use our platform to vie for elections," he said. "But AD is still available until the end of the discussions, then we shall know whether to fuse into another or not."

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President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria is currently stranded in Kampala after attending an African Union conference in the east African country after the presidential jet he was traveling in developed mechanical fault before take off.

The Nigerian president was attending the 15th African Union (AU) summit in Uganda

The jet stalled soon after it taxied for take off from the international airport in Entebbe.


Mr. Jonahan and members of his delegation returned to theMunyonyo Commonwealth Resort in Kampala while the plane's crew battled to fix the aircraft.

Nigeria traveled to Uganda with two jets, the second jet took off with the first lady and her delegation earlier in the day.

http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/jonathan-stranded-uganda-presidential-jet-develops-fault

The Anambra State Election Petition Tribunal ruling in the case of Peter Obi versus Mike Okoye, the Hope Democratic Party candidate, today in Awka declared Governor Obi the winner of the February 6 gubernatorial election in the State.

The tribunal began sitting last March when the candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), seeking to stop the swearing-in of Governor Peter Obi of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), challenged his election.

In its long ruling read by Justice Damulak, the tribunal held that Obi won the highest number of valid votes cast at the election and therefore met the provisions of Section 179, subsection 2 (b) of the Electoral Act.


Chris Ngige, the candidate of the Action Congress (AC), is yet to conclude his case at the tribunal, but today's ruling seems to signify the direction of the tribunal ruling regarding his and other pending cases.

Already, opposition politicians have accused the governor of compromising the tribunal’s judges. They allege that Mr. Obi has used a top businessman, Rochs Okorocha, who doubles as the chairman of the Red Cross Society in Nigeria, to cut a deal with Justice Damulak, who hails from Jos, Plateau State. Okorocha has lived in Jos for a long time, but he recently commissioned the Anambra State Red Cross Society headquarters, an occasion during which he generously praised Obi.
Obi was declared winner of the February 6 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/election-tribunal-decides-peter-obi-won-anambra-election-after-six-hours-rigmarole

The Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, said on Tuesday in Abuja, that debate over zoning of the presidency between the North and South is unconstitutional and illegal.

Mr. Adoke, speaking at a roundtable meeting called "2011 Elections: Imperatives and Challenges for Credible Polls," called the debate "trivial" and urged Nigerians to focus on more important developmental issues. "I am indeed surprised that what was regarded as an internal arrangement of a political party has been elevated to the front burner while down-playing the express provisions of the constitution regulating who is qualified to contest election as president," he said.

The justice minister said that the process of evolving a new constitution would be incomplete without President Goodluck Jonathan assenting to it, as required by law, adding that he was alarmed that political parties were being more autocratic than democratic in the procedure for picking the candidate who should represent them at the general elections.

"It is alarming that whilst political parties openly canvass for the opening of the political space, they appear not to be ready to yield ground on the issue within their parties," he said. "To ensure the emergence of credible leaders who owe allegiance to the people, political parties must democratize the process of choosing their candidates. That is the only way we can develop the right political culture required to sustain our democracy."

Wasteful delays

Mr. Adoke commended the National and State House Assemblies for their recent role in amending the 1999 constitution. He said the amendments have strengthened the independence and autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and paved the way for credible election in 2011.

However, he decried the long delays in the resolution of election disputes, pointing out that such delays allows illegitimate occupants of elective offices to serve the greater part of their tenure before "the petition is disposed of in accordance with law."

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5599761-146/attorney_general_says_zoning_is_illegal.csp

The Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday in Kaduna rose from a crucial meeting and resolved to throw back the contentious zoning issue to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Instead of taking a position on the issue, 18 out of the 19 governors said it was a PDP affair and as such, a wider consultation was needed within the party before taking a position.

They also said a position would be taken bearing in mind the best interest of the generality of Nigerians. All the governors, except that of Bauchi, attended the meeting. The governors, however, noted that President Goodluck Jonathan has the constitutional right to contest the 2011 elections just as they added that every other eligible Nigerian could run.

In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting and read by the Chairman of the Forum, Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State the governors noted that their decision on Jonathan’s eligibility to run was based on the supremacy of Section 1 of the 1999 Constitution.

“The special meeting of the Forum was held sequel to the resolve made during its meeting of July 1, 2010 to allow members go back for wider consultation with stakeholders for the unity and progress of Northern states within the context of a united Nigeria on zoning of position of the president before eventually taking a position on the matter.

“The Forum then noted that the desired wider consultation with stakeholders had taken place and various positions have been taken by respective states.
“The Forum after collating the report from all the 19 Northern states and after exhaustive deliberation recognizes the following: The Supremacy of the 1999 Constitution as encapsulated in Section 1, the provision of Section 131 of 1999 Constitution, which states the qualification for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Arising from the above therefore, the Forum acknowledges the right of President Goodluck Jonathan and indeed any other Nigerian to legitimately and constitutionally contest for the office of the President.
“On zoning, the Forum recognizes the fact that the issue is a PDP affair as contained in section 7 (2C) of the party constitution. Therefore, in acknowledging the circumstances of ‘force majure’ arising from the demise of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and subsequent ascendancy of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the presidency.

“The Forum resolved that wider consultations should continue at all party levels within the PDP with all stakeholders across the nation to address the concerns of all in the interest of peaceful co-existence and advancement of democracy in our dear country Nigeria.
Meanwhile, heavy presence of securitymen was a noticeable feature of yesterday’s meeting.

As early as 7a.m., plain and uniformed securitymen, especially the police were deployed in strategic locations within the Kaduna metropolis, to forestall any breakdown of law and order, following threats from some northern youths to disrupt the governors’ meeting.
Police armoured tanks were also mounted in strategic locations, especially on the road leading to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, venue of the meeting. Besides, a helicopter was also noticed hovering around Kaduna metropolis, ostensibly for air surveillance.
Daily Sun gathered that all those measures were taken to ensure that hell was not let loose, following the insistence of the northern youths, led by one Ibrahim Waya, to stage a protest.

Despite the heavy presence of police, some of the youths were still seen by the road leading to the venue of the meeting, with banners, which had inscriptions such as “governors be courageous, take a stand,” “zoning is the only solution to peace and stability in the country,” “zoning is the only way to guarantee fairness and justice in ruling Nigeria.”

Besides the banners, the same group had posted bills bearing the same messages on major streets in Kaduna metropolis, especially around the Lugard Hall area, which serves as the State’s House of Assembly and the road leading to the venue of the meeting. But the bills were torn in areas like the road to Government House and the ones around the State House of Assembly.

However, contrary to the agreement earlier reached between the youths and the security agencies on Monday, on the need to send a 25-man delegation to the venue of the meeting, only three members of the group arrived the venue of the meeting in company with the state Police Commissioner, Tambari Yabo, only to say they had changed their mind on the planned protest.

That, became the first that the governors’ meeting, might as well downplay the issue of zoning, a situation that later turned out real.
The governors’ position, might have been informed by the sudden realisation that the PDP was waiting for the governors to lead the way.
Meanwhile, speaking earlier ahead of their decision yesterday in Kaduna, the northern governors agreed to base their stand on the controversial zoning on simple majority decision from each of the states in the region.

Declaring the meeting open, the Chairman of the NGF, Dr. Aliyu said, “At today’s crucial meeting we shall take responses from the states, and I believe that we shall all be bound by what the people say on the matter, because we are only their elected representatives who Allah has saddled with the responsibility of providing leadership and taking the difficult decision in their best interest.”

Aliyu also maintained that the interest of the nation must be protected no matter the circumstances the people find themselves, saying, “While we must respect the fundamental rights of people to hold and express opinions, may I urge that we should always put the interest and future of the nation first in everything we do or say, no matter the circumstances.”

He, therefore, reminded the 18 governors out of the 19 present in the meeting that, “I believe we have agreed that we shall be binded by the decision of simple majority for the sake of our unity and the progress of our people.
“I urged each one of us to be honest , sincere, partriotic and God-fearing in presenting our positions and those of the people on the issue of zoning, while we leave the future to God so that our nation will endure to take its right place in the comity of nations.
“We must remember that as political leaders of this generation, God has now put the responsibility on our nation for the improved wellbeing of the present and future generations of Nigerians.

“Indeed, to many of us, the issue is not a simple issue of rotational zoning as is being hyped, but rather the issue of integrity, honesty and discipline.
“It s also an issue of good governance, the issue of equity intertwined by pragmatism.
“We must, therefore, be courageous in taking decisions, wise in negotiating properly and sincere in our determined effort to get Nigeria working properly,” he said.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/28/national-28-07-2010-001.htm

This one na MR LECTURER if you want to pass your exam come and see me in my office.

As the Abia State governor turns the beautiful bride for political parties, his estranged party, the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) came to literally beg him to return to the fold at the weekend.

A delegation of the party, led by Iboko Imo Iboko, the board of trustees’ chairman, apologised to Governor Theodore Orji for the treatment meted out to him by the party’s former chairman, Larry Esin, which Mr. Iboko claimed did not reflect the party’s perception of him as the Abia State governor.

“We are principally in the state to apologise, to say ‘sorry’ for what the outgone chairman did,” Mr. Iboko said.

“We are asking you to come back to the party. Please come back, but if you cannot come now, know that we are there for you. If anything happens to you along the line, fall back to PPA,” he said.

Rather than accept the apology of his estranged party, Mr. Orji charged the new leadership to join him in his new party and see the light of liberation.

The delegation, which visited the Government House, Umuahia, the state capital, after the PDP delegation made a similar visit to the governor, included the national chairman, Chris Anele.

No internal democracy

Mr. Orji added that it was regrettable that a party that won two states after the election was now without any, because of the lack of internal democracy, adding “I don’t know where the former chairman, Larry Esin was brought from; that’s why he behaved the way he did. A party I built and sustained was run like a family business,” he said.

He said he was shamefully treated by the party’s former leadership, stressing that even when he had the humility to ask for time to answer the query issued to him by the national executive the next day, “I was given conditions. No one can take that; I am gone for good.”

The governor asked the PPA leadership to join him because it would be difficult to contest election on PPA’s platform, either in the state or in other parts of the country, adding that the development has made Abia people politically aware and conscious.

“Their eyes are now open, they want to thrust their future in the hands of a political party that is democratic, that can be trusted. If I am not a performing governor, other political parties would not come to me. I challenge PPA to publish my reply to their query. They published their query to me. I have nobody in the party at all levels,” he said, adding that he was ordered to mend fences with his deputy, who he said wanted to take over from him, without caring to know what the problem was.

The new national chairman, Chris Anele, who disclosed that the visit was the first assignment of the new executives, said the way the former leadership of the party handled the matter was regrettable, and appealed to Mr. Orji to return to the party.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5599170-146/governor_rejects_partys_apology__.csp

Worried by the effect of the recent allegations of assassination threats levelled against him and the government, Adebayo Alao-Akala the governor of Oyo State has said that he is ready to waive his immunity and stand trial if a prima facie case is established against him.

Abdulsalam ‘Ladi Abdullah, the state Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, said this in a letter to the Nigeria Police, Oyo State Command, asking the police to conduct a thorough investigation and forward the outcome to him.

Lam Adesina, a former governor of the state and Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, have, at different times in the last three weeks accused Mr Alao-Akala of planning to assassinate them.

Mr Abdullah expressed concern over the allegations and media reports that followed, adding that he had hoped that the police would have conducted investigations on them.

Last week the governor said the death of his two accusers is worth nothing to him.

The attorney general, in the letter said the governor was prepared to jettison the immunity he enjoys on account of his position if that would be required to establish the facts about the allegations.

“This ministry will not sit on the fence and have its fingers crossed on issues that border on the security of citizens of this country and in the premises, you are to send the report of your investigation to the office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Oyo State as soon as investigation is completed so as to enable the Attorney-general of the state to perform his constitutional duty,” the letter dated 23 July read.

Besides the outcome, the commissioner also asked the police to ensure that the reports are made public.

He said the culprits in the saga would be prosecuted immediately no matter how highly-placed they are, adding that, ‘in the event that the result of the investigation revealed a prima facie case against the governor, this office will prevail on him to waive his immunity and stand trial.”

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The PDP in Osun East senatorial district declared on Monday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, that it had disqualified governorship aspirants in the area who had less than N500 million in their bank accounts. Duro Famojuro, the party’s deputy leader of Ijesa Elders’ Caucus, said this at a news a conference in Ilesa, organised to present the party’s aspirant from the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Gbenga Onigbogi, a House of Representatives member, who was adopted by the group, formally declared his intention for the 2011 governorship election. Mr. Famojuro said the caucus investigated the background of about 14 aspirants, to determine their legibility and financial strength through their bank accounts. He said the scrutiny was necessary to avoid the mistake of the past when the party sponsored campaigns for aspirants.

“Anybody who has less than N500 million can’t go for the governorship race. It is the caucus’ decision that nobody will give aspirants the money to campaign.”

Mr. Famojuro said Mr. Onigbogi met the criteria and had been adopted as the only aspirant qualified to run the race in Ijesaland for the governorship seat.

He also said that many young aspirants were eliminated because they had not contested for even a councillorship position before aspiring to become governor.

Paupers are not welcome

Ebenezer Babatope, a PDP chieftain and a member of the caucus, said the race was not for paupers. On complaints by some aspirants that the group was exploiting them, Mr. Babatope said they failed to meet the requirements.

The former minister of transport said a committee was set up to scrutinise aspirants who were required to pay money for the exercise. He said that though many of the aspirants failed to pay the levies, the caucus did not stop anyone from pursuing his governorship ambition.

“If the party at the state level conducts free, fair, and open primaries, we, the elders here, are ready to embrace whoever emerges as the PDP candidate for the election,” he declared.

Onigbogi, who represents Ijesa South federal constituency, pledged to embark on an agrarian revolution to turn around the agricultural fortune of the state, if elected.

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Former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday told a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, that it lacked the power to try him over allegations of abuse of office as minister. He said that the proper court to try him was the Abuja High Court.

Counsel to the former minister, Akin Olujimi, filed a preliminary objection saying that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Matters Commission (ICPC) Act of 2000, which his client had been charged on, had been repealed and so the federal court lacked the jurisdiction to try the matter. “The prosecution acknowledges that the charges stand on nothing,” said Mr Olujimi. “The effect of a repealed law is that it is a nullity, and no charges founded on it can stand.”

In response to the preliminary objection, the prosecution said that the court could assume jurisdiction in the matter because it involved an agency of the federal government and a former minister in the federal cabinet. Trial Judge, Adamu Bello, adjourned ruling on the case to 13th October.

Mr. El-Rufai and two others were accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of illegally allocating land in the FCT to friends and relatives, some of whom included Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, the daughter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. The other accused persons are Altine Jubrin, former director general of the Abuja Geographical Information System, and Ismail Iro, former general manager of the agency. All three men pleaded not guilty.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5599228-146/el-rufai_says_court_lacks_power_to.csp

The leader of Igbo socio-political group, Obigbo, Chief Charles Ahize has promised to work for President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential bid in 2011. However, the businessman-turned social commentator hinged his support on the president’s assurance to convene a sovereign national conference after his election.

Speaking with Daily Sun in an interview in Lagos, Chief Ahize said: “Nobody has a right to tell Jonathan whether to contest the presidency next year or not. It is within his constitutional right to contest if he wants to. Why won’t Jonathan run? Why is the North complaining? Is he not a creation of the North? Jonathan must run for the presidency. It is his inalienable right to contest if he so wishes. However, I will only work for his election if he promises to convene a sovereign national conference during his tenure.”

According to the Obigbo leader, the present contentious zoning arrangement had its roots in the last constitutional conference where former vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, canvassed that rotational presidency be enshrined in the constitution. “The same North that is crying foul now, fearing that such arrangement would likely produce an Igbo president, fought Ekwueme and shot the proposal down. Instead, they created the six geopolitical zones, willfully neglecting to do the right thing because Ndigbo must be stopped.”

Chief Ahize said it was “ironical that the same North is crying now because their own creation has come back to haunt them. What goes round must come round. They used the late Ken Saro-Wiwa to fight Ndigbo and seize their property in Port Harcourt after the civil war, declaring such as abandoned property. Years later, this same North killed their comrade in hatred for the Igbos.
“They created the south south zone to spite the Igbos and today, the south south youths have carried guns, aiming it at their heads. Now they are begging and flying them to Abuja in presidential jets. You cannot bring Ndigbo down and expect to move forward.
Zoning arrangement between the north and south was a contraption by a cabal to put the Igbo man down but it cannot work. Whosoever rises against the Igbo man ends up paying heavily for it.”

Ahize, however, could not hide his disappointment that Nigerians were busy talking about zoning or no zoning without asking the people aspiring to be president to unveil their manifestoes, containing their projects, policies and plans for the nation.
“It is a shame that 50 years after independence, Nigeria is still playing ethnic politics in 2010. You don’t talk about this in Ghana or South Africa,” he said, adding that he wished God would exterminate “all the wicked and corrupt leaders holding Nigeria down.”

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/27/national-27-07-2010-012.htm

Former Minister of Works and Housing and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has urged the northern people to reciprocate the age long friendship between the zone and the South-south by supporting a South-south presidency in 2011.

Anenih, who made the plea in his remarks at the South-south Consultative Forum in Port-Harcourt yesterday, asserted that “in the political history of Nigeria, the South-south has also been a close ally of the North.”
Going down memory lane, the elder statesman reminded that “we have fought political battles together, contested elections on the same political platforms and formed alliances,” adding that “we have given support to the North when it mattered most.”

Against this backdrop, the former PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, who was of the strong conviction that “the current situation, therefore, calls for reciprocity and co-operation,” said “nonetheless, in appealing to the conscience of Nigerians in the prevailing uncommon circumstance, we would claim our right, with dignity and determination, in the interest of our dear country.”

While extolling the virtues of his zone, Anenih explained reasons for the people to be very proud saying, apart from serving the country meritoriously, his people, according to him, have even paid various sacrifices, including the supreme one, to keep the country one and to enhance its economic growth.

His words: “We have reasons to be proud of the contributions of the South-south to Nigeria’s development. The zone had over the years, made sacrifices (including supreme sacrifices) not only to keep this country together but towards its economic development. The South-south had, in the past, played a unifying role among the various regions of the country. Our sons and daughters, such as Chief Tony Enahoro, Chief Okotie-Eboh, Mr. Isaac Boro, General David Ejoor, Chief Dennis Osadebe, Chief Jereton Mariere, etc., have served this country with great distinction.”

In reference to the expected declaration of intention to be President by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan against 2011, Anenih stressed the need for persuasion rather than being combative over it, just as he assured that no zone would be marginalised under Jonathan presidency.
He said further: “We would not be combative in our approach. Rather, we need to persuade our northern brothers and sisters to understand and appreciate that we have made so much sacrifices in the past for the unity of this country; that we have contributed and will continue to contribute so much to her development. Therefore he continued, “we deserve our own turn of the presidency which we have not had in the history of Nigeria.

“More importantly, we must persuade our Northern brothers and sisters to appreciate the fact that we are seeking to occupy the Presidency, not because we are an oil-rich region but because our son, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is a capable leader; he is humane, credible, detribalized and willing to take Nigeria to the promised land.
“We need to embrace those who are with us across the nation and educate or enlighten those who are opposed to us. At the end of the day, our desire is for a peaceful, united and prosperous Nigeria. I believe that those holding out want to be sure that we are not taking them for granted; that we truly and strongly want that position and that when we have it, they would not be marginalized. It is our duty to use all available democratic means to reach out to them.”


Link: http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/27/national-27-07-2010-011.htm

Leaders of the South South geo-political zone, on Monday declared that they would settle for nothing less than the presidential ticket with President Goodluck Jonathan as standard bearer in the 2011 elections. Consequently, they would want the rest of the country, especially the northern zone to allow them have their way in appreciation of decades of loyalty to the national cause and unequalled contribution to the nation’s wealth.

Speaker after speaker at the one – day stakeholders, meeting with the theme, “Dynamics of the 2011 Presidential Election: the South South Perspective”, held in Port Harcourt, submitted that the zone had served the rest of the country long enough to merit the number one citizen’s slot for the next four years.

It was also the unanimous opinion at the meeting attended by top politicians from the six states of the zone that the issue of zoning which in the words of Chief Tony Anenih, had been “battered beyond recognition” should be dumped for good.
Setting the pace for the outcome of the historic gathering were the speeches of three eminent sons of the zone namely, Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Tony Anenih and Ambassador Mathew Mbu.

Elder statesman, Clark reminded Nigerians that, “there is no Nigeria where some people are superior and some are second class citizens,” stressing that “no region can rule without the co-operation of the others.”
On the zoning issue, which, he said, “has been taken care of by the Almighty God,” Chief Clark argued that political maneuverings in 2003 provided adequate proof that it was jettisoned after the 1999 elections.

“If there was zoning in 1999, there was no zoning in 2003. The matter had been breached.”
Urging the people of the zone to close ranks and “cast away our suspicion of each other.” Chief Clark harped on the need to shop for the co-operation of other sections of the country if the set goal must be achieved.

Also speaking, former Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih recalled the past nationalistic roles of the natives of the zone.
“We have reasons to be proud of the contributions of the South south to Nigeria’s development. The zone had over the years, made sacrifices (including supreme sacrifices) not only to keep this country together but also towards its economic development.

“The South South has, in the past, played a unifying role among the various regions of the country. Our sons and daughters such as Chief Tony Enahoro, Chief Okotie-Eboh, Mr. Isaac Adaka Boro, General David Ejoor, Chief Denis Osadebe, Chief Jereton Mariere, etc, have served this country with great distinction.”
In apparent answer-back to protests from the north, he recalled the cordial political relations between the two zones in which the South-south had been at the giving end, and urged for reciprocity.

“In the political history of Nigeria, South-South has also been a close ally of the North. We have fought political battles together, contested elections on the same political platforms and formed alliances. We have given support to the North when it mattered most.
“The current situation therefore, calls for reciprocity and co-operation. Nonetheless, in appealing to the conscience of Nigerians in the prevailing uncommon circumstance, we would claim our right with dignity and determination in the interest of our dear country”.

However, Chief Anenih assured that the zone would not be combative in its approach.
“Rather, we need to persuade our Northern brothers and sisters to understand and appreciate that we have made so much sacrifices in the past for the unity of this country; that we have contributed and continue to contribute so much to her development and therefore, deserve our own turn of the Presidency which we have not had in the history of Nigeria.
“More importantly, we must persuade our Northern brothers and sisters to appreciate the fact that we are seeking to occupy the Presidency, not because we come from an oil-rich region but because our son, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is a capable leader. He is humane, credible, detribalized and willing to take Nigeria to the Promised Land”.

Elder statesman and Second Republic politician, Ambassador Mathew Mbu was happy that unlike in the past when the presidential ambition of some governors at the time, clashed with the common interest, the zone now stands, “very very erect, singing one song of unity of purpose”.
Like Chief Anenih and Clark, he appealed for the cooperation of the other sections of the country.
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief O.C.J. Okocha (SAN) urged the forum to ensure that nobody from the zone, “nicodemusly negotiates to become Vice President”.

Other speakers include: Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Major General Godwin Abe (rtd), Dr. Ombo Isokariari, Prof. P.I. Ijeoma, Senator Idoma Egba, former Govenor of Bayelsa State, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha and Major General Obada (rtd) from Delta State who demanded a marching order to begin dialogue with other parts of the country.

In a communique, later, the stakeholders observed that despite its enormous contributions to the nation’s GDP, the zone was yet to produce a president, in the 50 years of Nigeria’s existence as a sovereign nation.
Consequently, they unanimously urged President Jonathan, to “openly declare his interest in the 2011 Presidential election without further delay”.
Dignitaries who graced the occasion included the governors of the five PDP – controlled States in the zone, serving and former ministers and Federal Legislators from the zone.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/27/national-27-07-2010-001.htm

Each time he speaks, he sounds sufficiently commanding, his insight into post-colonial Nigeria ever so refreshing, although sometime provocative to some. Elder statesman and passionate Northerner, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, is not new to political debates, and often has very strong views. His position on the raging and controversial issue of zoning of the presidential slot in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is characteristically not any different, as he has consistently argued that power should be returned to the North regardless of the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua. He speaks on this and other issues. Excerpts…

Suddenly, it appears another group is outshining yours in the struggle for the retention of power in the North in 2011
The proper name of our group is Northern Elders Assembly. We are elders. Although we have younger people among us, our chairman is the oldest politician in the North today; that is Alhaji Inuwa Wada, a former Minister of Defence and a former Acting Prime Minister. Virtually, every important politician in northern Nigeria is younger than him; I think in the whole country. There is only one person who is his colleague - that is Dr Majekodunmi, who once served as Administrator of Western Nigeria. He (Wada) is our chairman and the vice chairman is Alhaji Bello Kirfi.

So, we are called Northern Elders Assembly. The new group you are referring to is the Northern Political Leaders Forum. You see the difference; we are elders, they are leaders. Their own is forum, ours is assembly. So, our opinion is that the more the merrier.
Our initiation of this campaign is intended to sanitize the polity and highlight the moral aspect of the zoning arrangement at this point in time, because it is the height of dishonesty for anybody to use the power of incumbency to promote his interest at the expense of other people’s interest, whether we talk of the President himself or his ethnic group. We think it is wrong and it is inappropriate.

The Peoples Democratic Party decided to adopt the zoning system from its inception. It is in the constitution of the party. Article 7 Section 2(c) of the party’s constitution provides for zoning and rotation. That section also decided that the executive committees at all levels must implement zoning and rotation. It is on the basis of this that the position of Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the National Chairman of the party, National Secretary and all the principal officers in the National Assembly are divided.
Chief Tony Anenih claimed that after 1999, the late Abubakar Rimi and some other politicians from the North breached the zoning principle in PDP. What is your response to this?

Well, the question you should ask is, did they contest in any of the elections he cited in his claim?
But they bought forms to contest
They can buy form, but did anybody vote for them? That is the question. If you buy form and you signify your intention to run for an election by buying forms, it is only an indication of your interest. But when you present yourself and the people voted for you, then you have contested the election, otherwise you are not a candidate.
In fact, you journalists make a distinction between a candidate and an aspirant.

My good friend Tony Anineh was a police officer and rose from the scratch to the rank of, I think, deputy or an assistant commissioner. And throughout this time, I am sure he cannot count the number of traffic offenders he arrested in his capacity as police officer and had charged to court for breaking traffic regulations. Traffic regulations are still being broken till today but have the rules been abandoned or stopped? The mere fact that somebody has violated or committed an offence does not invalidate the law that made it an offence.

The second argument is that as far back as 2006, the current constitution of the PDP retained the same provision of zoning and rotation. So, Anenih could have moved a motion for the amendment of the constitution to remove the provision that adopted zoning and rotation in the party because of his complaints that some party members, in 2003, three years earlier, had violated or offended the party by expressing interest in the race.

The last point I want to make is that there is record of a resolution by the national caucus of the PDP in 2002, whereby a resolution was adopted. Ghali Na’Abba, then Speaker of the House (of Representatives), moved a motion, which was seconded by a member from Kano, and then opposed by Lawal Kaita and seconded by somebody else. There was a heated debate, which lasted for hours. At the end of the debate, Audu Ogbeh, the then national chairman (of the party) put the question to vote.

Forty-seven members present voted in favour of Kaita’s motion that zoning should be retained while two persons, the mover of the motion and the person who seconded it, voted in favour of the motion to abandon zoning. Two other persons abstained. Till today, even the caucus that passed that resolution has not changed its position. That resolution is still in force in the PDP. And if you go through its constitution, caucus is one of the recognized bodies in the PDP.

But why did the elders and the politicians speaking in favor of zoning now fail to speak out with the same passion when it was technically being breached by the late Rimi and others?
People like me - I am not a member of the PDP - and other Northerners persuaded Rimi and (Barnabas) Gemade to give up the race in the spirit of zoning.

On the day of the PDP convention in 2002, Rimi campaigned up to Jos, you remember?
It doesn’t matter. Rimi and Gemade were not voted for. So, it cannot be counted as violation. Nobody voted for them in the end and northerners were responsible for dissuading them to drop their interest.
The PDP National Chairman, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, recently spoke against zoning on the same note of an existing breach…

The new PDP chairman has been away from the party for so long such that he has totally forgotten some of the events that happened in the party or he is totally ignorant about them. The three consecutive amended constitutions of the party, including the current one, contains Article 7 and 2c, which state clearly that the party shall maintain zoning and rotation formula in pursuance of the principle of equity and fairness; that the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels. He (Nwodo) is a product of zoning. Otherwise why did the party limit the replacement of the former chairman to the South East?

The President and the Vice President as well as the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and all the principal officers of the National Assembly were elected on the basis of the zoning policy of the party. Ditto all the national officers of the party. Rotation and zoning in the PDP cannot be dropped until the party amends its constitution at the national convention. Nobody else can drop it.

Former Vice President Alex Ekwueme recently said zoning should be a one-tenure five-year rule for each zone. Do you share his views?
Dr Ekwueme was speaking the mind of all the delegates that went to the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference. We recommended a single tenure. We recommended that zoning should rotate among the six geo-political zones for once. And Sani Abacha accepted our recommendation and he went on to add an additional Vice President for the zone that is producing the President. So that in case of death or anything that makes it impossible for the President to continue, the Vice President from his zone will take over. It was when General Abdulsalam (Abubakar) took over as Head of State that he abrogated that Constitution and jettisoned zoning and rotation, which brought us to this unfortunate situation. So, everybody who attended that conference shares Ekwueme’s view.

It is the PDP which now came back to say zoning should be for two terms. And I think they did that because they taught four years was not enough for somebody to make impact, and I agree with them. So, it was that shortness in period of tenure that probably made them to adopt the option of two terms instead of one. But zoning of five years for just one term is a good proposition. The only thing is that there is no amendment presently in the National Assembly to change the tenure from four to five years and I doubt if it is possible to go back to the National Assembly to change the situation. But Dr Ekwueme probably knows how it will be implemented now. The point is that a Southerner, (Olusegun) Obasanjo, has benefited from rotation for eight years on the premise and commitment that it will go to the North for eight years.

Do you mean that the zoning recommended by the late General Abacha, which was partly adopted by the PDP, would have been a better way to address the distribution of leadership in Nigeria?
Honestly, because there was unanimity at the constitutional conference on that. We were unanimous that zoning should be rotational – and this is the reason we had the six geopolitical zones. So that the Igbo will have it; the Yoruba will have it, the Southern minorities will have it and then we come to the North: North West, North Central and North East. We have no problem like the South.

How would you react to claims by a section of the North that you people do not speak for the whole region?
You see, we are in a democracy where the minority will have their say but the majority will have their way. So, let them talk; it is a democracy. Fundamental human right is in our Constitution for everybody to express whatever opinion he has. So, it is their business. But whether they like or not, they are minorities. Once you are created a minority, you will remain a minority forever and forever, and you are entitled to your expression.

But these so-called minorities are scattered in different smaller units and if they pull themselves together they become a voice. Don’t you feel threatened that the North no longer talks the way it used to talk?
Let me tell you the truth. In this group, there are minorities who are with us. Simon Shango from Benue State attended our last meeting. In the meeting of the Northern Political Forum, Iyorchia Ayu, a Tiv - I don’t always like the word minority - from Benue attended the meeting. So they too cannot speak with one voice. It is natural.
Another elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has severally challenged the North to stop President Goodluck Jonathan if it can. What is your take on such comments coming from the South?

Edwin Clark has been my friend for 42 years. So I know him very well. That is his nature. Even at his Ijaw National Congress meeting, that is the way Clark speaks. You cannot change him overnight. He just celebrated 83 years and the way he speaks is exactly the way he spoke the first time I met him sometime in 1967. But in the South South, we have the Isoko, the Ibibio, Ijaw, Annang and other ethnic groups. Some leaders from these areas do not speak the way Clark speaks. So, this is his nature.

But Clark is only responding with the same passion some Northern leaders are speaking on this subject?
The line of argument is different. Our line of argument is based on patriotism; it is not based on ethnicity. Our argument is based on principle. A political party adopted a policy and put it as part of its election manifesto. A political party that goes to an election with a manifesto and programme is duty bound to implement that programme. PDP won election in 1999 with the zoning and rotation as part of its election manifesto. And for that reason, Northerners supported it as other Nigerians.

Now, the zoning has come to the North and after it has run its course for three years, calamity happened. The President died and the Vice President from the South took over. Naturally it is a constitutional issue and there is no problem there. But to scuttle the rotation arrangement midway is like changing the rule of the game midway, like the English people say. This is the issue. They are arguing on the basis of ethnicity and threat, but we are arguing on the basis of principle. Anybody issuing a threat has no point. If you can convince people, you will not issue threat. People who run out of ideas are the once who make use of threats. I don’t listen to them.

What makes Clark’s argument a threat and that of Northern leaders a matter of principle?
I will tell you the difference. Clark is the prominent leader of the Ijaw people. I am not a Hausa leader; I am not a Fulani leader. I am a Northern leader. There is a big difference. That is why we have Arewa Consultative Forum and other related organizations. But our own is the Northern Elders Assembly. The issue here is community. We always think in terms of the community. The same applies for the Northern Political Forum. In the South, they have the Ijaw National Congress, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Afenifere.

They go on the basis of ethnicity. The reason is because in the South, they had no contact with one another before and 100 years is not enough to inculcate this culture of oneness among them. It will take time. We would wait for them. If we were lucky to have one pan-Southern organization, it would have made the unity of the country much easier. Because all you need to do to amalgamate the two groups, take the northern groups together, take the southern groups together and form a national understanding.

It appears the core protagonist, the ACF, is reaching out to the South East to help retain the principle of zoning. What progress has been made?
Well, there is no deliberate effort to talk to the East alone. There are efforts to talk to the South. But if there is any group of people here in the North and in the East who are thinking of talking to one another, that is no problem. In 1959, in spite of the antagonism that existed between the NPC (Northern Peoples Congress) and NCNC (National Council of Nigerian Citizens), which were seen as parties representing the North and East in the contemporary situation then, they still came together to form a coalition government that got the independence of Nigeria from the British.

So, it is not the first time that the people of the East will relate with the people of the North. The irony of it is that there was no formal contact between the Northerners and the Easterners before the British came while there was contact between Northerners and the Westerners long before the British came. The irony of it is that in spite of the similarity of culture and tradition between the North and West, the North and the East relate more with one another than the North and the West.
Regardless of this supposed relationship, it was said that at the last hour the North betrayed the South East in 1999 when the former dumped Ekwueme when he was almost emerging as the PDP presidential candidate
No, no, that is not true.

So what happened to Ekwueme, the supposed choice of the defunct National Party of Nigeria faction?
(Cuts in) No, that is not true. Dr Ekwueme was dumped by the combined strength of anti-Ekwueme elements from the North and the anti-Igbo elements from the South, particularly from the South South.
But the NPN, of which you were a member, fielded Ekwueme in 1999. So, what exactly happened?
I’m not a PDP member. The old NPN, if you want to be fair, did not join PDP as a group. It split. A majority of the old NPN were outside the PDP. That is why the APP (All Peoples Party) won nine states out of 19 in the North. So, if you look carefully, you will find that the nine states were areas the NPN was more dominant.
Still on the Ekwueme matter, you are aware of the opposition from mostly retired northern Generals that it was ill-advised to give power so soon after the civil war to an Igbo man. The argument was said to have been canvassed at a meting which took place in one of the core northern states

You are falling into the same trap like Clark. You see, Clark regards Goodluck Jonathan as the representative of the Ijaw people and the South South. But the South South and Ijaw people is one thing and Jonathan is an individual. Ekwueme is also an individual while the Igbo are a group of people. Today, the Igbo man in Maiduguri, Sokoto, Bida, Jos, Yola is free. His previous property were kept for him. He came back and took over them. He is more accommodated in the North than he is in Port Harcourt or Calabar, Yenagoa or Warri where there are Igbo that are also indigenous to the state.

So, this is human nature as you can quarrel with your wife or your brothers. When you quarrel, ultimately you have to reconcile. When you reconcile, if everybody forgets the past, then you forget the past. If a few Generals sat down to talk like that, these are narrow-minded people. You cannot deny the fact that in every society you have narrow-minded people, and you have to allow them to exist.
What is your reaction to the fact that at present some northern governors are rooting for Jonathan? For instance, the Bauchi State governor was reported to have said that whoever challenges him is challenging God
I talked to the governor of Bauchi and I asked him: “If Jonathan comes out tomorrow and Ibrahim Babangida declares that he is going to contest, so he (Babangida) is contesting against God?”

He replied that he was misunderstood and explained that it was God that made it possible for Jonathan to become President at this time. He was not talking of what will happen in the future, which he does not know. If God had not taken Yar’Adua away, Jonathan will never have been the President. Nobody is fighting Jonathan today as President of this country. I have never spoken against him as President when he succeeded the late Yar’Adua. I only spoke against him when the National Assembly passed a resolution to empower him to be the Acting President, which is in contravention of the Constitution of the country. But nobody; I too share the view that it was God’s intervention that brought about the emergence of Jonathan as substantive President, and we should not quarrel with that.

The President has earned the admiration of some Northerners as result of some of his pro-North policies like his refusal to sack the service chiefs, which would have affected Northerners in the military, his appointment of Prof Jega to head INEC and his seemingly good relationship with the Yar’Adua family. How will you rate his performance so far?
There are two sides to every coin. Jonathan himself said he was asked, maybe by Clark and company, to sack the service chiefs. But he said that he refused to do that in the interest of national security. That is his own word. On the appointment of Jega, you have your own view and other people will have theirs too. There are people who think it is an attempt to precipitate the outcome of the next election. That is, put a Northerner there, then Jonathan will manoeuvre and eventually when emerges as the president, they will say after all the election was presided over by a respected Northerner. There are people who believe in this. So, there are two sides in any story.
Also, when he appointed the son of the elder brother of the late President as a minister, there were people and there are people who believe that he did that to break the ranks of the family of late President. But it is only God who knows his intention.

But he also did not interfere, even when he had the power to know the state of late President
He had no power. He had no such powers.
Even as the Commander-in-Chief he cannot get to ascertain the state of health of his boss?
He had no power under the Constitution. Walahi, if he had the power, he would have used it.
Do you still hold the view that he has been unfriendly to the late President’s family?

No. I didn’t say he was unfriendly. I never said that. I said that he manoeuvred people to give the impression that the country was grounded to the halt, because he was not performing the function. But he performed the most critical functions of the President like deploying the military, and they obeyed him. But he did not come out for once to say he was discharging the functions of the President. Which is more delicate, which is weightier between swearing in Permanent Secretaries and deploying military to perform combat duties? But he refused to swear in Permanent Secretaries on the excuse that he had no power to do so. But he deployed the military to Plateau. He received letters of credence of foreign envoys.

He went to perform the laying of wreath during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. So, he selected what to do and what not to do. When the governors were itching for the Petroleum Excess Fund, he held on and pushed them to go and ask the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to confer power on him. He held them to ransom. So, they went, the whole 36 of them went. Later on, they said that they did that to save the nation. Why did they not go to him to plead with him to do the normal duties he was doing, even before the President left?
Some people see Jonathan as a schemer. Do you agree with this view?

The newspapers said he had never won an election. The newspapers said he had always schemed his way to the top. He was said to be vice chairman of the students union and manoeuvred to become the chairman. When he was deputy governor of Bayelsa, he collaborated or schemed with Obasanjo to remove the governor for him to take over. He became the Vice President to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Eventually Yar’Adua died and he took over. So he is an unintended opportunist.

In all this, where do we place Obasanjo, the former President you people love so much?
Obasanjo? (Laughs) Obasanjo is a schemer of the first order. He is vindictive. He is pugnacious. He is unforgiving and a sadist.
But he was your friend when he was in power?
In politics, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interest.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/25/national-25-07-2010-002.htm

The raging controversy over zoning of the presidential slot of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could after all consume the party and its much-vaunted claim of being the largest political party in Africa.

Sunday Sun can confirm that politicians of northern extraction in the party have concluded plans to either leave the party en masse or work against any southern candidate of the party in the 2011 presidential election.
It was learnt that notwithstanding the pronouncement of some politicians at the recent Northern Political Summit in Kaduna, several politicians are resolutely committed to protest what a leader called “the ignoble behaviour of our brothers from the south.”

The leaders of the party had in 1998 resolved that it would rotate its presidential slot between the South and the North, with the South enjoying the first shot as a way of placating the South West, which felt shortchanged that the late Bashorun MKO Abiola was not allowed to exercise his mandate after merging winner in the June 1993 presidential election.

As a result of that agreement, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was preferred ahead of so many other aspirants that vied for the position at the party’a primaries. He spent the mandatory two terms of eight years and handed over to former Katsina governor, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, who unfortunately died after less than 30 months on the seat, paving the way for the ascendancy of Goodluck Jonathan, his deputy.

However, ahead of the 2011 polls, the body language of the party hierarchy indicates that it might jettison the zoning arrangement to allow the incumbent President, who is from the South South state of Bayelsa, to contest the election. That position has pitched many northern members of the PDP against several of their colleagues from the south, a development that many feared may signal doom for the PDP in 2011.

While a section of politicians in the North are said to be seriously thinking of dumping the PDP for another party in 2011 should the party leaders jettison zoning, another set of northern leaders would rather remain in the PDP and work against the party at the general election. Spokesperson of Northern Political leaders Forum (NPLF), Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, during the week hinted that dumping the PDP might be the next line of action should the party drop zoning in 2011.

Kwande said: “One of the strategies of the PDP for winning election is zoning and it was an agreement embraced by all. But if some people feel it could be abandoned midway, they should be ready to face the consequences. I can tell you that the North would abandon the PDP and vote northerners of their choice.”
Kwande, a member of the powerful Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), added: “All we are saying is that it is only morally right to respect agreement whether written or unwritten, formal or informal, especially when such agreement is meant to be for the good of all.”

Although his declaration caused some stir across the party, Sunday Sun gathered that Kwande actually spoke the minds of many northern politicians who felt that the region was about to be cheated by their colleagues from the south.
A PDP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Forget what those shameless people said in Kaduna. What Ambassador Kwande said is the thinking of our people. What they are trying to do by dropping zoning is unfair and they know it. Nobody prayed that Yar’Adua should die, but are they saying the North should be blamed for it or are they trying to punish us for his death?

“We all know there was an agreement in 1998. I was part of it. I can confirm that because I was in the know in the party. But now some people are trying to deny it. That is bad and immoral.”
Another Senator from North Central, while recalling the role played by the region in ensuring the emergence of Obasanjo as president in 1999, said: “We settled for a southerner even when his own people at home rejected him, but unfortunately he did not reciprocate such gesture. I think it is unfair and all this does not help national cohesion.
“I don’t like zoning as a person, but I will not accept the idea of changing the rule of a game in the middle of the game; it will be immoral. There was an agreement.

We must follow it to the end and then sit down to review it. We should not have this mentality that agreements are made to be broken. It is wrong. These are the things killing this country. Simple integrity is what is needed in this matter. Unfortunately people don’t have it.”
A member of party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) from one of the North Central states, however, explained that the threat from Kwande might “just to beat the PDP hawks into line.”

He hinted: “Many northerners are likely to pitch their tents with a northern candidate in another party than vote for any southerner that the PDP presents. If the PDP presents Jonathan and any of the political parties presents a formidable northerner, that is bye-bye to PDP presidency. We won’t vote for PDP.
“The idea of a Jonathan presidency is deeply unpopular in the North. It is so popular that any governor that openly identify with Jonathan’s ambition is seen automatically as an enemy of the North and will not get the people’s support at the polls. If he wants second term, he could as well forget it.”

A key member of the Northern Senators’ Forum corroborated the plan to engage in “anti-party activity” during the election should the PDP present a southerner. The senator affirmed: “The North will go for any formidable presidential candidate that comes up from any party against Jonathan. We are committed to ensuring that the North completes its eight-year tenure, and by 2015 we can then talk of dumping zoning. But definitely not in 2011 as that will amount to cheating us.”

But the House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon. Mohammed Ali Ndume, berated the PDP for making “the issue of zoning, which ordinarily should have been its internal affair, a national affair. They want to force all of us to discuss it. Even President Jonathan is no longer behaving as the President of Nigeria but as presidential candidate, cutting deals and campaigning for 2011 and forgetting to rule.”

Ndume, who said the controversy over the PDP zoning arrangement is an indication that the party is not an organized group, revealed that the issue of zoning was well spelt out in Article 10 page 7 of the All Nigeria Peoples Party’s constitution. “I am of the ANPP and I cannot talk for PDP and their headache. But in ANPP we are very organized and we spell this issue of zoning out clearly in our constitution. It is well spelt out in Article 10 subsections 1,2,3 and our zoning committee is about to come out on what to do in 2011.’’



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/25/national-25-07-2010-001.htm

Several sources in Owerri, capital of Imo State, and Abuja have told Saharareporters that rogue Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo bankrupted the state treasury to buy the verdict of the Supreme Court which a week ago upheld his election as governor.


Several of our sources, who are in Ohakim’s government, told our correspondent that the governor knew before hand that the apex court would award him victory and had prepared dancers and masquerades at the Imo airport in advance. “I have never seen this level of financial recklessness by any other chief executive in the name of buying a judgment,” said one of our highly placed sources.

Another added, “Imo State government became financially bankrupt on the eve of the judgment.”

A senior official of Bank PHB confirmed that several state government accounts in with the bank “had been turned upside down.” The official said that one account (No. 082112000037, officially named JOINT STATE/LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROJECT A/C) was drawn down to zero.

Other officials told Saharareporters that, apart from this account, Ohakim maintains five other similar joint accounts, but that the local government areas are not even aware of the existence of those other accounts.

Account No. 082112000037 was opened at BankPHB Branch No.2, located at 5B Okigwe Rd, Owerri. “It is at this bank that most secret but fake contract values are lodged before evacuation,” an official of the state government disclosed.

Several sources told us that most contracts awarded under this account are not genuine. “This account serves as a conduit through which Governor Ohakim loots the state treasury,” said a government source.

Typically, Ohakim would award a contract, get it approved by Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) and move the funds to the account. Then he would withdraw funds from the account whenever he needed money to pursue some personal end or corrupt agenda. Several sources revealed that Ohakim easily got the collaboration of temporary local government chairmen to make many JAAC payments and illegal withdrawals from this account.

Three of the other fraudulent accounts are held at the bank’s main regional branch office at Bank Road, Owerri.

Both bank and other sources told us that, in the week before the Supreme Court verdict, the account witnessed massive withdrawals to bribe Supreme Court justices. “The justices sold themselves to give Ohakim a favorable judgment in the case between him and Martins Agbaso,” said one source familiar with the financial gutting of Imo State.

In the same manner, Ohakim had made massive withdrawals from the funds of the Imo Road Rural Maintenance Agency (IRROMA) reportedly funded by United Bank of Africa to fund his electoral victory at the Port Harcourt tribunal.

We also learned that most of the Hilux cars and heavy-duty trucks purchased under the IRROMA project have been leased or donated to contractors with links to Ohakim – even though most of the beneficiaries are not doing rural road maintenance for Imo State. “The trucks were to be under the control of the local governments, but today, hardly does any local government in Imo State control any big truck,” said one of the local government officials.

Governor Ohakim, when he launched IRROMA, had claimed that his government donated 100 Hilux cars to police. But a top police source told Saharareporters that only about 50% of divisional police stations in the state’s 27 local governments got the Hilux pickups funded with LGA funds.

“Even school children in Imo State now know that Chief Ohakim is operating a 419 system of government,” said a top PDP leader in the state,” adding that “the so-called elders of the party, including Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, look the other way because they are settled.”

As a result of Mr. Ohakim’s unimpeded looting of the state treasury, Imo State is trapped under a serious debt burden. “When all interests and guarantees are considered, Imo State may well owe in excess of N500 billion in long term loans including bank bond guarantees,” said one source within the government. One of the state finance officers knowledgeable about the various loan scams wondered aloud: “How can a state that gets between N2 and 4b afford to repay more than N500b?”

An Imo State politician said, “the next 25 to 40 years look bleak for Imo state as a result of one man’s greed.”

Another source said it had dawned on Imo indigenes that they had allowed a “common criminal” to take over their state. “As the reality dawns on us, we’re now asking ourselves, ‘what was the job or occupation of Ohakim before he became Governor?’ ‘Where was Ohakim’s office situated in Nigeria before he became Governor of Imo state, and whom did he employ or work for?’ The answer lies in a simple fact: that Ohakim was a petty criminal who engaged in criminal fraud known as ‘419’ before he became governor.”

A week before the Supreme Court decision, Mr. Ohakim relocated to Abuja to maintain close contact with Supreme Court justices, a security source revealed. “He recruited some emirs to help him reach and secure the justices,” added the source.

A few days before the verdict, other Imo State officials, including the Accountant General, Commissioner of Finance, and the Commissioner for Local Government, Kezie Ogaziechi (who is also chairman of JAAC), were ordered by the governor to arrive Abuja. Our sources revealed that the officials had two missions: to manage the funds for bribing the justices or to help empty the state’s treasury if the justices would not accept Ohakim’s offer.

“These officials were all stationed in Abuja as of July 15, 2010, while the state was left in a depressed mood,” said a source in Owerri. He added, “Authentic contractors in Imo are dying, civil servants are being owed salaries, while the profits of UBA and other banks soar, due to many fraudulent Irrevocable Supply and Payment Order (ISPOs) that Ohakim signed.

Our investigations revealed that there are over 20 fraudulent ISPOs drawing monthly from JAAC funds deposited in BankPHB accounts. “These are payments made to non-existent, questionable or fake companies,” said a government source.

All our sources contended that Ohakim had rendered the local government sole administrators useless and powerless. “The sole administrators are puppets and rubberstamps,” said one of our sources. The Commissioner for Local Government Areas, Kezie Ogaziechi, was jobless before Ohakim appointed him. “Today, he is a billionaire,” said a source at BankPHB.

The majority of Ohakim’s commissioners and special advisers are reportedly dismayed by the governor’s style of governance. “Imo is run like a family business by Ohakim, his wife and his brother,” said one source. “None of the commissioners can initiate or award any contract, and they don’t even receive monies in a timely manner to run the ministries or pay salaries,” said a disaffected permanent secretary.

Ohakim’s Government House controls every contract. Commissioners are often compelled to meet Emma Ohakim, the governor’s younger brother and deputy Chief of Staff, to discuss their needs and concerns. “When it comes to contracts, Emma Ohakim will ask the commissioners to sign and they must sign, without even reading what they are signing or even getting a copy to keep,” said a top government source.

UBA (United Bank for Africa) reportedly controls the state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account and virtually all the ISPOs made from FAAC funds. Ohakim has issued the bank ISPOs for such scam projects as the Petrol chemicals plant, a refinery, Oguta Wonder Lake Resort, the failed mass transit scheme, and N18 billion in bond funds with three other banks. Altogether, the loans, fees, guarantees and interest charges cost Imo State over N500 billion.

Several sources named Ray Ahumibe, the regional manager for UBA’s Mbari Street branch (where the FAAC account is hosted), as a huge beneficiary from the bank’s questionable deals with the Ohakim government. “He has been enriched with government land allocations and was promoted from manager to regional manager due to the shady deals his bank is doing with the state,” said a source.

An Imo indigene in Abuja told Saharareporters that the tragic thing about UBA’s relationship with Ohakim is that “these deals UBA is financing do not exist nor are competitors allowed nor are they published for due process.” The source added: “Ohakim’s desperation and thirst for money, has been a blessing for UBA, which is ready to lend anytime, any minute so long as FAAC is a collateral. So once the money from FAAC arrives, UBA pockets. UBA has taken Imo state to the cleaners, with Ohakim’s permission.”

An Imo official told us that other banks in the state envy UBA. “They wonder, ‘why would UBA and BankPHB who control the FAAC and JAAC [respectively], also control all the loans issued with ISPOs? What have the two banks done for Imo state?’”

Another area of abuse is the Millennium Development Goals, which is operated by Amselem Okorie, Ohakim’s special adviser on Economic Affairs and other close relatives of the governor. “These individuals, in the process of converting the MDGs funds into the governor’s coffers, have also enriched themselves,” said a source.

One special adviser, Chukwem Onuoha, is Ohakim’s kinsman and operates from South Africa. “What is a special adviser employed in Imo State, the seat of government, doing in South Africa, with full compensation and living supports paid by Imo state?” asked a top PDP member in Owerri. He and other sources said it was widely known that Mr. Onuoha “helps Chief Ohakim to funnel state funds abroad.”

A distressed lawyer from Imo State told Saharareporters, “There is no state in Nigeria where the looting is as massive as Imo state, and directly controlled by the governor, his wife and brother Emma Ohakim.”

Several indigenes told us that Ohakim has pocketed members of the state assembly, ensuring that they exercise no oversight over his looting and other criminal activities. Last month, Ohakim, in his quest to bribe the lawmakers, gave each of them funds to build one borehole and one toilet in their respective local government areas. The funds are to be drawn from the MDGs account.

Other MDGs contracts have been given to Amselem Okorie and fake contractors. “Over N4billion of MDGs funds have been misused so far,” said a knowledgeable source. Okorie and Ohakim’s other fronts secure the contracts, then get legitimate contractors to accept 25 to 50% of the sum of the contract. “However, the contractor has to sign a note that he or she was paid 100%. Failure to sign, the contractor would be delisted,” said a source.

The consequence of these fraudulent moves is that most contracts for toilets, bore holes, and hospital renovations, awarded at ridiculous amounts, are littered all over the state without completion.

“The contractors usually cash the checks and return the balance to Mr. Amselem Okorie, for onward transmission to Emma Ohakim,” said one of our sources. He added that “contractors are told that the reason they are getting less was because the Government House said so.”

Our sources revealed that a bank official at Fidelity Bank, Ikenegbu Rd, where the MDGs funds are lodged, noticed all the abuses and alerted the special advisor Amselem Okorie.

Okey Opara, a kinsman of Ohakim’s, is a manager at the Ikenegbu Rd branch of Fidelity Bank. As a result, Ohakim has an easy job of turning the MDG funds into a slush pool of corruption. The governor’s financial greed has led to the widespread failure of MDG projects in the state.

Many of Ohakim’s financial abuses are perpetrated through the Ministry of Works. Ms. Comfort Chukwu, who is also from the governor’s area, heads the ministry. “Other commissioners fear Comfort Chukwu because she is romantically linked to Chief Ohakim,” said a prominent PDP member in Imo. Ms. Chukwu, who nurses senatorial ambitions, has reportedly gutted funds from her ministry on behalf of the governor and herself.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Longinus Anyanwu, is also a big player in Ohakim’s elaborate money laundering schemes. Anyanwu and other Ohakim cronies import fertilizers meant for farmers in Imo, only to sale them to farmers in Northern Nigeria at great personal profit.

“There is no avenue to make money that the Ohakims have not captured,” said a member of a watchdog group that monitors some of the shenanigans in Imo State. He added, “It’s as if the entire state belongs to them to do whatever they want, and with the Imo House of Assembly looking the other way in their oversight function.”

Other sources told us that the governor and his cohorts have grabbed virtually all of the state’s prize lands. One source revealed that “Steve Onu, the director for lands, was once invited to the Government House and asked to produce the open space list.” He was then instructed to allocated choice areas to the governor’s family, bypassing Jude Njoku, then Commissioner for Land. Jude Njoku was later reassigned to serve as Commissioner for Education. “Today, any open land in the New Owerri belongs to the Ohakims, using several fictitious names,” revealed a source in the Ministry of Lands.

All our sources painted a grim picture of life in Imo. Apart from failed MDG projects, the local government areas have no funds to pay the salaries of civil servants or run the local governments. “Since the LGA sole administrators do not have enough to pay salaries and meet other needs, they become selective in what they spend money on. The balance ends in their pocket.”

One indigene of Imo State in Abuja told our reporter: “For all the contracts Ohakim’s government has awarded, let him show Imo State where and what they are.”

http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/governor-ikedi-ohakim%E2%80%99s-looting-spree-continues

Former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had expressed shock over the level of infrastructural decay in the state since he left office in 2003.



Mr. Kwankwaso was speaking to a mammoth crowd of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) supporters in Dala local government at the end of its zonal rally in Kano.

The erstwhile minister of defence said while in his entourage, on his way to the venue of the rally, women and children were saying ‘no drinking water, no drinking water.' He said the people of the state are more impoverished than ever before in the history of the state, saying that the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)-led government have plundered huge amount of money they collected from the federal coffers without putting anything tangible on ground.
He implored the people of the state to come out in the forthcoming polls to vote for the PDP, adding that the PDP is the only party that will deliver to them the benefits of democracy.

The PDP state chairman, Farouk Iya, said they had received 31,554 persons that defected from many political parties in the 15 local government Kano central Senatorial districts.

He urged the members of the party to come out and ensure that they fully participate in the proposed voters registration exercise coming up soon.

Mr. Kwankwanso lost to the incumbent governor, Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP, in the 2003 elections. Mr. Shekarau also defeated the PDP candidate in the 2007 elections for his second term. He has launched a presidential campaign.</

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5598643-147/kwankwaso_says_anpp_government_destroyed_kano.csp

As politicians begin to re-strategize following the release of a tentative schedule for next year’s elections by the new Electoral Act, indications emerged at the weekend that arrangements are almost concluded for President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration for 2011 presidency.
A formal campaign rally has been scheduled to kick off in his home state of Bayelsa, next month.

The rally to be hosted by Governor Timipre Sylva, will be organized under the auspices of Conference of Niger Delta Youths. Daily Sun gathered in Abuja that the rally has been scheduled for between August 25 and 26 and all the Niger Delta State governors are expected to be in attendance as a show of loyalty and acceptability of President Jonathan’s candidature.

The presence of the governors at the planned rally is meant to drive home a message that they are all in support of his ambition. This is expected to finally put an end to speculations that some of them are opposed to his ambition. Coordinator of the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Conference, Hendrick Opukewe confirmed at a press briefing at the weekend that the rally would be a total one and that most Niger Delta youth organizations are involved because they are determined to ensure that, for the first time, a son of the South-South is in vantage position to contest the Presidency of Nigeria.

Tagged ‘Affirmation and Sensitization’ rally, Opukewe explained that the philosophy behind the event is to counter the series of threats and provocative utterances emanating from some quarters against the propriety of President Jonathan’s aspiration to lead the country beyond 2011. He described as ‘an insult to the collective intelligence of the people of the South-South the calls from some quarters, including a section of the South-South, that President Jonathan should just conduct election and go in 2011.

The coordinator, who was supported by other members of the conference, said the his group was already mobilizing toward the rally, adding “we are in support of President Jonathan for 2011 because he represents the generational change we have been clamouring for; he is not a recycled politician like others.

“It would be a monumental morale booster and a veritable instrument of regional solidarity and support for our son if the project is successfully implemented. Youths constitute 60 per cent of all the manpower and therefore the mobilization of the youths to assert ourselves and chart a purposeful direction in the events and processes leading to the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as president beyond 2011,” he said.

“Besides, in a mono-cultural national economy, where oil and gas resources from the bowels of the Niger Delta accounts for over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s federally generated revenue for 50 years and whereas the northern geo-political entity alone has ruled for 38 years, the South-West and South-East, 12 years, there couldn’t have been an appropriate time than now for the South-South to produce the next elected president,” Opukewe stated.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/26/national-26-07-2010-003.htm

The increasing incidence of kidnapping and armed robbery would be reduced to minimum if the police are given sophisticated weapons and other logistics to curtail the activities of criminals in the country, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Ballah Magaji Nasarawa said at the weekend in Owo at the official presentation of two patrol vehicles by a Labour Party politician, Olufemi Adekanmbi.


Mr Nasarawa, who was represented at the occasion by the Area Commander, Owo Division, Sanusi Buba, said police could not tackle the menace of armed robbers without the support citizens and corporate organizations. He commended Mr Adekanmbi for his gesture, and asked other Nigerians to follow suit. While presenting the keys of the two vehicles, Mr Adekanmbi, who aspires to represent Owo/Ose Constituency at the House of Representatives, said he donated the vehicles to the police in order to enhance their battle against crime.

"I didn't donate the vehicle because I want to contest for election, but this is my own contribution towards waging war against criminals," said Mr Adekanmbi. "The vehicles will go a long way in assisting the police to patrol criminals' hideouts. I have to appreciate the police for the role they played in securing the release of my mother's neighbour. They did everything to make sure that the woman was released without paying any dime to the kidnappers." He also advised federal and state governments to create more jobs so that criminal acts and other social vices will be reduced to the barest minimum and commended Governor Olusegun Mimiko for providing 500 bullet proofs jacket for the state police command

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5598535-147/politician_donates_vehicles_to_police_.csp

There are indications at the weekend that the political whirlwind may yet carry the Abia State governor, Theodore Orji into the waiting arms of the Peoples Democratic Party as national leaders of the party yesterday stormed the state to woo the governor back to the party he left in 2007, describing him as their missing rib.


Mr Orji, who won the state's governorship election on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), left the party for the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) recently following a public falling out with his predecessor in office and frontline leader of the PPA, Orji Uzor Kalu.

Incidentally, Mr Kalu has himself been negotiating a return to the PDP amidst opposition from party's leaders in the state. The high powered delegation to woo Mr Orji, led by the PDP national chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo said they were in the state in search of their ‘missing rib' in the same way a man who wants to marry does. The team also said Mr Orji ranks among the best of the former members of the party they want back because of their pedigree. Mr Nwodo said he is bent on restoring it to the original concepts of the founding fathers and to re -enact the covenant it had with the people to form a government where all Nigerians would have a sense of belonging, good education, free health and food.

"We have enough in this country to go round. These are the things we want to internalize before we go into elections in 2011," he said. He said the party's leadership was looking for people like Mr Orji because the party was set to remove things that made its candidates win elections without winning the heart of the people.

"To do so, we must remove everything that would prevent people from associating with us," he said.

Unpopular actions

Mr Nwodo listed some previous actions of the party which made it unpopular: "writing results that were not a true reflection of the votes cast for us and imposing leadership on Nigerians within our party and at the national elections. But now we want your votes and earn your confidence. We are making a promise and we will not disappoint you," he said. The PDP chairman, who said the party has removed all obstacles that would prevent people from joining it or flying its flag at elections, said it was ready to present to Nigerians its first eleven to win elections in the country "We are revolutionalizing our party," he said. "There was intrinsic value that we put into our constitution and manifesto. We have intrinsic meaning in our flag and an umbrella that is large enough to accommodate Nigerians. It is these meanings we are looking for to put our party in the front burner." He said the party needs Mr Orji to return to its ranks because the PDP leadership have watched Mr Orji as governor of Abia state and because it is poised to unite the eastern part of Nigeria. "When that unity is achieved, the area would not be left outside when decision are being taken at the national level," he said. Mr Nwodo, who said the party leaders were not in the state to talk to the governor alone, but to the Abia electorate, said the party has removed every obstacles that would prevent people from re-entering the party,

including the clause that puts a time limit of two years before one was allowed to contest for elective positions.


Beautiful bride

Mr Orji, who said he was glad that he is now a beautiful bride, added that the visit of the PDP chieftains was a way of cleaning his face which his former party, the PPA tried to rubbish. The governor said he would have to conduct wide consultations before giving them an answer, just as he did before leaving the PPA. He reminded the PDP leaders that he already has a ticket to contest for the 2011 elections. The PDP team included the Ebonyi State governor, Martin Elechi; Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi; Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; and senators from the state; Nkechi Nworgi, Uche Chukwuwerije and Osta Izunaso. Others were former national PDP Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor; Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu; Chukwunenye Ike, Nkeiru Onyejiocha and Ojo Maduekwe.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5598206-147/pdp_seeks_to_lure_abia_governor.csp

In a bizarre move, the National Assembly which previously criticised the budget for the celebration of Nigeria's 50th independence anniversary, calling it excessive, has turned round to approve a figure that is N7 billion more than the Presidency had requested.



The President had initially asked for N16.4 billion for the anniversary but later reviewed it downwards to N9.48 billion following severe criticisms from the public, civil society groups and even the lawmakers.

When the request for N16.4billion was turned down on July 7 and returned to the Presidency, President Goodluck Jonathan scaled down the request to N9.48 billion in a revised supplementary budget. However, the lawmakers have now approved N17.195 billion, an excess of about N7.715 billion for the anniversary.

Assembly bonanza

In approving the new revised budget, the national assembly accommodated the additions under the capital expenditure budgeted for the ministry of the Federal Capital Territory and the ministry of aviation.

For instance, the president had requested only N97 million for the ministry of Federal Capital Territory for the replacement of the carpets in the International Conference Centre, but the lawmakers ended up approving N3.8 billion for the ministry. This is N2.83 billion above what was requested.

Also, the Aviation ministry which had tendered a N2.25 billion request, out of which N1 billion will be used for the renovation of the Abuja airport, N1 billion for the provision of additional parking and N250 million to buy equipment for safe aircraft parking at five airports, it got an approval of N7.135 billion from the lawmakers.

The addition to the ministry's request was in excess of N4.885 billion.

Tight-lips

Unlike the original budget proposal sent to the national assembly by the executive, which had detailed explanation for each allocation, the budget as approved by the lawmakers had no details, and was arranged in lump sums for subheads only.

Both secretariats of the House and Senate committees on appropriation which handled the computation of the budget denied any knowledge of the details saying they believe details of the approvals will be made available in future.

Also, Ayo Adeseun, chairman of the House of Representatives committee on appropriation, said he will offer explanations on a future date. Mr. Adeseun who was reacting to questions said he will need to consult the records before offering the needed explanation.

However, Iyiola Omisore, the chairman of senate committee on appropriation did not reply to enquiries nor returned calls.

In addition to the N7.715 billion excess made to the revised anniversary budget, every other fund requested by the president for the anniversary was approved as requested.

The designing and hosting of the Nigeria @ 50 website for 2 years will still cost N6 million, anniversary Logo- N30 million, and anniversary parade including march past, fleet review, aerial display - N950 million.

The ministry of foreign affairs plans to use N600 million to organise celebrations for Nigerian missions abroad and the information and communication ministry's plan to use N1 billion to insert special reports on Nigeria in local and international media were also approved.

The women affairs ministry budget of N105 million for seminars for women and children and 50th anniversary party for 1000 children were also approved as requested.

Frivolous and extravagant

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had in criticising the anniversary budget described it as "wasteful and insensitive." The NLC spokesperson, Onah Iduh, said considering that the mass misery and poverty in the country has been made worse with the prevailing cash squeeze due to the global economic crisis, the over N10 billion budgeted for the anniversary was "very frivolous and extravagant.'' He said, "As far as the NLC is concerned our leaders must realise that the logic, essence and philosophy of nationhood is purely the welfare and security of citizens through humanitarian, progressive and egalitarian ideals enforced through the instrumentality of government. These are fundamental obligations that the Nigerian political leadership has abdicated in the past 50 years." However, the Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, while defending the budget said the public perception that the money was wasteful amid pressing economic problems, was wrong because it was tied to capital expenditure.

He had said, "We just tied them to the anniversary budget to make things faster. We are renovating Lagos and Abuja airports, for example. Both airports should measure up to international standards normally. We are doing that and putting in place standard security systems so that the airports will be up to standard. These are places people will visit first. There are many other beneficial projects tied to this budget.

Rather than fault the budget, people should ask, what is the money being spent on?''

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5598727-146/story.csp

The new team at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) appears to have concluded plans to cut down the commission’s staff strength. The impending sack has become a common topic among workers who now gather in small groups discussing the fate that might befall them.
The staff rationalization, it was learnt, would cut across all cadres within the commission.

It was also gathered that the decision to cut down staff strength was based on the need to reposition the commission and “also weed out bad eggs.”
Daily Sun gathered that some of the staffers to be affected were those with bad records, or any other wrongdoings bordering on issues of election or those staffers with proven cases of links with politicians.

Already, sources hinted that the Heads of Department (HODs) had been asked to liaise with the personnel department of the commission to compile a list of staffers who would be relieved of their appointments.
INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Mohammed Jega, had also given a hint of the workers’ retrenchment, when he received the leadership of civil society groups that paid him a courtesy call last Friday.

He said: “There is need for re-positioning and re-organization to ensure that it can cope with the challenges of the election. We will do this with justice and fairness to achieve the level of efficiency that cope with the demands of the next election.” To kick-start the process, Jega had two weeks ago sent Mr. Andy Eziani, who was chief press secretary to the former chairman, Maurice Iwu, on suspension.

It was learnt that Eziani had a case in court over alleged corruption and the new team reportedly relieved him of his post to, according to a source, “enable him sort himself out.” Daily Sun could not confirm the number of staffers to be affected but a source said, “It will be sizable.”



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/26/national-26-07-2010-001.htm

The Frosty fox is back in the news; IBB is advocating the release of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha. He has barely dispensed with the debate on zoning which he appears to have been knocked down, especially with the resolve of the Northern elders to support President Jonathan.
A lot is happening within a short space of time and only discerning minds can decipher the true intentions of those behind these activities. In all, the consequences are gravely dangerous for the individual and the state. By this recent call, IBB has only come out to pre-empt and punctuate any movement to release Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.

You recall, the former Emir of Gwandu, Jokolo threw in a spanner in the ambition of the Chief Security Adviser, Major General Gusau who is yet to recover from that salvo. He has maintained a mute silence in the face of overwhelming guilt with no retraction or denial of the allegations.

General Gusau, you will recall is the henchman of IBB. He has been dented as far as becoming the President of this country is concerned. Major Hamza has therefore become a suitable bride to be raped by either parties to achieve their evil ambitions.

SCENE ONE
IBB’s call for the release of Major Hamza is a ploy to gain acceptance before the masses of the North. At the same time, he has detailed his henchman to covertly eliminate Major Hamza at the Kirikiri maximum prisons thereby creating an irreparable damage to the Government of the day before the electorates in the North.

By his call for the release of Al-Mustapha, he would have established an alibi for himself. The mess will be on President Jonathan to clean up. His skill at this is better imagined.

IBB is desperate; he has invoked emotions and sentiments to achieve the desired effect. Hear him saying; “After 12 years in prison awaiting the unending trial, let him be released to his family.” Is IBB coming from outer space and did he not know that they have been in prison? Why is he lending his voice now that 2011 elections is around the corner.

It smucks of hypocrisy and evil intentions. IBB is a evil genius as himself as admitted and evil geniuses are never up to any good.

SCENE TWO
IBB wants to reap where he did not sow. Perhaps President Jonathan in his usual consultations with interest groups has hinted an end to their detention and the evil genius picked up a loose ball to make a bicycle kick at goal. A killer goal that would checkmate the incumbent President and elevate IBB to the height of an elder statesman with the Northern masses over the issue of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.

IBB’s disdain for their release is an open secret within Northern circles. Major Hamza is the only known obstacle to his ambition as the next President of this Nation. His pretension is therefore like the ostrich who would run to hide his head in a hole with the whole body left outside naked!

President Jonathan, if you must act, act now. The evil genius is at it again. He has anticipated a masterstroke that would checkmate his ambition so he is out to stop it. His call is therefore to take credit and at the same time discredit the Government of the day.

SCENE 3
President Jonathan must be told that he has no Security Adviser as far as the General Gusau is still retained. He will engineer a major embarrassment for the Government sooner or later.

Mr. President, do not under-estimate the capacity and ingenuity of the evil genius. Remember, he once said he is trained to dominate his environment. He has no scrupples if he desires a thing. There is no extent to which he will not go to outsmart his perceived enemies or obstacles to his presidential ambition.

http://www.saharareporters.com/news-page/ibb-about-kill-again

May MP: We are a charity committed to fighting the corruption that has become endemic in Nigeria, the effects of which are felt not just in the degradation of the Niger Delta but also in the increased insecurity and criminality that corruption and under development generate.
Although Nigeria is well endowed with vast natural resources, with the country being the seventh largest producer of oil in the world, there is still widespread poverty in the country due to the high level corruption. 80% of Nigerians currently live on less than a dollar a day. Basic infrastructure such as hospitals, roads, electricity and portable water, are in a state of total disrepair as a result of the corrupt activities of leaders like the ones stated below.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is the Nigerian anti-corruption agency tasked with fighting corruption in Nigeria, is currently perceived as very weak and there are reports that the present head of the EFCC has been involved in corrupt practices. This agency has recently admitted that Nigerian leaders have stolen over $20 trillion dollars between 1960 and 2005. A large proportion of Nigeria’s earnings amounting to several billion dollars have also been stolen since 2005.

According to the Corruption Perception Index released on 1 July 2010 by Transparency International, Nigeria has slipped in ranking from 121 to 130 out of 180 countries.

It is in light of this grim background that we seek a United Kingdom travel ban on the following politically exposed Nigerians and their families against whom we have some information about their corrupt activities. These are:

Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 – 2007)

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 – 2007)

General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Former Head of State, Federal Republic of Nigeria (1998 -1999)

General Ibrahim Babangida, Former Military President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1985 – 1993)

Dr Buba Marwa – Current Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa

Michael Aaondoakaa – Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007 – 2010)

Mrs Farida Waziri – Head of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (2008 to present)

There are widely reported stories of corrupt activities carried out by these individuals, but the current Nigerian government led by President Goodluck Jonathan has not demonstrated the will to investigate and prosecute these individuals.

The media coverage that a United Kingdom Travel ban on corrupt Nigerian leaders will generate will help to deter other leaders in Nigeria from engaging in corrupt activities, which we believe will in turn greatly help reduce poverty levels in the country.

It is a well known fact that the main reason for mass migration from Nigeria to European countries like the United Kingdom, and the increasing influence of extremist groups like Al Qaeda in the Northern part of Nigeria, is due to the high level of poverty in the country caused by the corrupt activities of Nigerian leaders.

In addition to helping to reduce the flow of migration from Nigeria and reducing the influence of extremist groups, a United Kingdom travel ban will also achieve the following:

1) reinforce the international perception that The United Kingdom Government condemns corrupt practices by African leaders.
2) show that The United Kingdom Government will not allow this great nation to be used as a haven where corrupt African leaders can hide their loot as we believe these individuals we are seeking a travel ban against all have assets in the United Kingdom.
3) the negative effect of the media coverage of the travel ban on the individuals mentioned above will help deter other African leaders from engaging in corrupt activities.
4) the negative effect of the media coverage would help to force the current Nigerian government to take action and recover the stolen monies from these individuals.

The information we have against these individuals are disclosed in the following appendix. There are many other leaders in Nigeria who are engaged in corrupt activities, but the ones we are seeking a travel ban on are the ones we currently have sufficient information on. All the information below is in the public domain and we are relatively confident that corroboration from UK police and national intelligence services would buttress our information.

We hope that you will be able to use your good offices to help us in standing up for the millions of voiceless and impoverished Nigerians who are currently suffering untold hardship as a result of the corrupt activities of leaders, who steal and embezzle without thought of the consequences.

Rt Hon Secretary, it may be particularly helpful to invoke the Provisions of the UK POCA 2002 and EU Money Laundering Directive which makes money laundering offences indictable in the UK wherever they are committed and to accordingly instruct the relevant UK agencies to act as appropriate.

We thank you for your time and attention.


Yours sincerely,



Democracy & Governance
Citizens For Change

To: Right Hon Theresa May MP
Secretary of State for Home Affairs
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA



Our Ref: HS/TB/001




cc: Prime Minister -Rt Hon David Cameron
cc: Deputy Prime Minister- Rt Hon Nick Clegg
cc: Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office -Rt Hon William Hague
cc: Secretary of State for International Development - Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell
cc: Leader of the Opposition- Rt Hon Harriet Harman
cc: Shadow Foreign Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs- Rt Hon David Miliband
cc: US Secretary of State- Mrs Hillary Clinton c/o US Embassy, London
cc: Rebecca Schiller -Human Rights Watch, London
cc: John Drysdale, Chairman- Transparency International UK, London


Appendix 1
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 – 2007)

Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 – 2007)

General Abdulsalam Abubakar, former Head Of State Federal Republic of Nigeria (1998 -1999)

Between 1999 and 2002, according to the Security Exchange Commission in the United States and Okiro Panel constituted by the former president of Nigeria, President Yaradua, Mr Obasanjo and Alhaji Atiku were among the four people that collected and shared $74 million bribe money from Halliburton, KBR inc (both American oil companies) and Technip, a French based global engineering and construction company. General Abubakar also received a major share of $37.5million from the same organisations. In return for paying this bribe money, these organisations were allowed to hugely inflate the $6 billion contract for Liquefied Natural Gas Project in Nigeria which was in place between them and Nigeria between 1995 and 2004.
These organisations and their employees have already admitted paying these bribes and have already been sanctioned and fined $917 million dollars by the United States government.

However, the current Nigerian government led by Goodluck Jonathan has not shown any evidence of any desire to prosecute these individuals.

Source: 1) Security and Exchange Commission, United Sates of America 2) Okiro Panel Reports, Aso Rock, Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria

General Ibrahim Babangida, Former Military President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1985 – 1993)

During the first Gulf War in 1991, Nigeria had a $12.4 billion windfall from the sale of oil. However, by the end of the tenure of General Ibrahim Babangida, over $12billion of this money disappeared from the Nigerian treasury. A panel was then set up by his successor, General Sani Abacha to investigate how the funds were spent. The panel submitted the Okigbo report (named after its chairman, Dr Pius Okigbo) which clearly indicted General Babangida as the one solely responsible for the mismanagement and corrupt transactions that led to the disappearance of the money.
However, successive governments in Nigeria, including the current one, have yet to prosecute him.

Source: Dr Pius Okigbo Panel Report, Panel on the Reorganisation and Reform of the Central Bank of Nigeria, August 29, 1994, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Appendix 2


Dr Buba Marwa – Current Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa
A Jersey court convicted and sentenced Mr Raj Bhojwani in June 2010 for money laundering and helping Dr Buba Marwa to steal $100m between 1996 and 1997 from the Nigerian treasury. The Nigerian Authorities have the same evidence used to convict Mr Bhojwani in Jersey, but are currently not holding Dr Buba Marwa to account. In fact, he still retains his position as the ambassador to the Republic of South Africa.

Source: Guardian Newspaper, 27 June 2010

Michael Aaondoakaa – Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007 – 2010)

It is widely known that justice in Nigeria suffered a huge setback during the term of Mr Aaondoakaa when he was in office, and that he corruptly enriched himself. Even the United State government issued a travel ban against him and his family in June 2010 due to the plethora of evidence against him. The Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom are also currently investigating his money laundering activity. There are no signs that he is being held to account by the Nigerian Authorities.
Michael Asondoakaa and his family have recently been banned from entry the USA.
Source: 1) The Punch (Nigerian Newspaper), 02 July 2010 2) Saharareporters.com news report, 01 July 2010

Mrs Farida Waziri – Head of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (2008 to present)

There are currently a string of allegations of corruption against Mrs Farida Waziri which can be verified by concrete evidence produced by different civil society groups.

One of the plethora of reports of her activity is that she collected a $500,000 bullet proof MercedesBenz GL 450 gift from Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria to stop ongoing investigation against the governor on the millions of pounds stolen from the long suffering people of Akwa Ibom state.

The Nigerian government is aware of this and many other reports of corrupt activities she is said to be involved in, but nothing is being done to investigate her.

http://www.saharareporters.com/reports/petitions/6619-request-for-united-kingdom-travel-ban-on-corrupt-nigerian-political-leaders.html

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka said he formed a new political party, the Democratic Front for People Federation, DFPF so that the progressives could rally together to dethrone the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

Soyinka officially launched the party at his 76th birthday lecture yesterday in Lagos, Nigeria, saying that those who felt they were in the wrong party could come forward to join the new political party as it strategises for next year’s elections.

According to him, the party would represent a vehicle of collaboration for progressive forces, adding that the party would hold its first convention on 25 September, 2010.

The Nobel laureate had lamented that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC under former Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu had frustrated his earlier efforts to get the party registered during the last elections.

“Iwu probably acting on the instructions of his employers frustrated and denied the party recognition over the years, but today it is a reality,” Soyinka stated.

“The party is strictly for those who have nowhere to lay their heads, those who have discovered that they are in the wrong political party, progressives in political parties including those in the People’s Democratic Party who have the zest for positive

service,” he added.

Soyinka said the party would provide a viable political platform for its members, adding that despite opposition, the party had come to stay, saying that a group of people had been working together in the last few years to set up the party.

At the event, former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu urged Nigerian youths to rise to the challenges of national rebirth.

In his lecture titled, Nigeria at 50: Crises of a Nation, Ribadu called on Nigerian youths to rise to the challenges of national rebirth, saying the Nigerian project is not a lost cause.

According to him, though Nigeria had missed the mark on many scores in terms of nation building, it was not too late to redirect the course, adding that many nations that had reached the brink of rupture and disintegration “have been able to survive on account of dogged will for collective redemption and with the opportunity of an imaginative leadership.”

Citing Tanzania and Somalia as examples of nations with ethnic and religious diversity on one hand, ethnic and religious homogeneity on the other, the former EFCC boss said while Tanzania, with ethnic and religious diversity, had remained the most stable and peaceful land in the region, Somalia, in spite of its homogeneity in ethnic and religious experience, “has become the foster child of the very example of a veritable failed and rogue state.”

“At this proper beacon of a jubilee anniversary, I want to strongly challenge fellow compatriots in this hall and outside it, to make a pledge of honour on how to give our federal experiment and our democracy a makeover that is mediated by equity, rule of law and transparent sense of justice, and above all, a sincere commitment to build a modern multicultural Nigeria,” Ribadu said.

He lamented that “the boundless energies of our people, the enviable spirit of our youth and the lush resources of our environment all lay in waste and abuse, increasing our embarrassment to see what we are offering the nation, the continent and humanity as the product of labour from the largest black nation on the planet.”

“A nation that produced the likes of Chinua Achebe, Oladele Awojobi, Chike Obi, Bala Usman, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Murtala Mohammed cannot agonize for lack of models. A nation that also threw up the examples of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Sefi Atta and Adichie Chimamanda cannot be said to be deficient in super-brands. Above all, however, the nation that produced the towering presence of Wole Soyinka will lose a rational argument if it pleads the absence of heroes as the basis of failure of Africa’s largest state,” he said.

According to him, “if a new vision is not allowed to take over our political space, 50 years of our federalism and less of our democracy pose the challenge of what can be an endless rite of passage.”

He added that in order to avert this danger, young Nigerians must take the responsibility and accountability for leadership of the country from now on.

“From industry, through civil society to the world of research and development, towards the important crucible of leadership, politics and management of development, I call on fellow young Nigerians today to bury the preoccupation with anger, cynicism and inertia and move in the direction of taking control of the destiny of our nation,” he said.

“I feel a great sense of optimism in spite of the obstacles. That is the power of youth. This nation has had its great and low moments, but that is true of all lands in the world. The energy to draw now from those great moments are embedded in our youth, it is demonstrated in the feat we accomplish when we do great deeds and score remarkable goals at home and abroad,” added Ribadu.

Commending Professor Wole Soyinka for his contributions to the political advancement of the nation, Ribadu declared, “Few men in our history epitomise that sense of investment to community than Professor Soyinka. His life work, either as an artiste or public intellectual or even community activist, has been defined by untainted sense of integrity, selflessness and excellence.

“I call on all here today, and the younger generation in particular, to thank him for all he has done for our country and for always being our conscience and missioner for truth and justice, but for which he has suffered exile, death threats and wanton abuse. Here, truly, is one god that made a pantheon.”

Ribadu also disclosed that not less than $15billion (N2.2 trillion) was recovered from the foreign accounts of public office holders in 2006, adding also that over $10 billion (N1.5 trillion) was moved out of the country into foreign accounts in 2005 immediately after federal allocation was shared among the states.

He said that the money recovered during his time as the EFCC boss was used in the bank recapitalisation exercise in 2006 as well as boost the capital market in the country, including the banking sector.

President, National Association of Seadogs, Mr. Emmanuel Bassey said the celebration of Soyinka by the association was not only because of his 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, “but especially for his life long struggle for justice and peace.”

“Behind his works, through his words and beyond them, he has constructed for over half a century a carapace of scrutiny of the machinery of governance. He has done this so often at great personal risk,” he said.

http://www.saharareporters.com/news/6606-why-i-formed-new-political-party-soyinka.html

I am amazed that we even want God to elect or appoint the next President. Hum The Nigerian people are not yet ready to fight for freedom from within, free ourselves from the rot and decay of the society. It is the weak that want to apply zoning to get the power of office. Was Obama elected by Zoning? Nope. He sold his ideas and vision to the people of American and they voted for him.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the matter of zoning cannot just be wished away. Even if we suddenly agree that there is or there was nothing like a zoning agreement in the People‘s Democratic Party (PDP), we cannot but agree that there was indeed a meeting about zoning political offices (especially for PDP) even though we hear conflicting positions from those who were at that meeting and should know better. Some say they signed a document on zoning. Others say they were there but did not sign the document. Some others say they were not there but heard that zoning was discussed.



And then there are those who cannot understand why former PDP governors from the South-South and Niger Delta like Peter Odili, Obong Victor Attah and the flamboyant Donald Duke publicly and actively campaigned for Presidency in 2003. Were they not told about the zoning policy of the PDP at the time? Or was the zoning policy a creation of a cabal within the PDP itself?



Running a campaign like these people did in 2003 is pretty expensive and I do not think that any of them would have wanted to waste his money if they had been informed that the office of the president had been zoned to the North.



There are those who believe that the term ‘zoning‘ was brought up by the so-called politically disadvantaged groups (especially in terms of number) to tame the tendency of stronger political groups (or blocs) to cling to power as a result of their numerical strength.



At the time, they called it ‘power shift‘, ‘rotation of power‘, etc. The idea was that political power should be made to go round the country in such a manner that no part of the country is left short-changed in the scheme of things on account of its numerical strength or resource deficiency.



The current clamour by the people of the Niger Delta that Goodluck Jonathan should be allowed to run for office of President is a just and moral one, even though it has suddenly become an opportunity for political rent-seekers and opportunists to impress President Goodluck Jonathan.



The current agitation on whether President Goodluck Jonathan will run for presidency next year (2011) therefore calls for basic reasoning.



One of the most intelligent comments made most recently on this matter came from Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, the Senate deputy majority leader. He said ”….it would be awkward for President Jonathan not to run for the office of president come 2011, ”.



Awkward in my view because while it was necessary for Jonathan to finish the term of former President Yar‘Adua after his death, it would also be imperative for Jonathan to finish the programmes he started with his former boss, the late President Musa Yar‘Adua.



Awkward for me because I do not believe that many people will forgive Jonathan if he does not run for Presidency in 2011. If for nothing else, he would be seen as weak; as having given in to the Northern establishment that today seeks to rattle him out of political aspirations.



Recently, President Jonathan, during an overseas trip, posited that ethnic jingoists were at the heart of the current agitation concerning the 2011 elections.



While many from the North rose up in self-defence and, maybe, guilt, there are others who think that he could also be referring to some of his kinsmen from the Niger Delta and the South-South who have been screaming ‘war‘ in the event that Jonathan is not allowed to contest in 2011.



It is important that the North and the PDP be made to understand that President Jonathan deserves to be allowed the right to run for the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on completion of this term, which he is completing on behalf of his former boss.nIt is important that the North be made to understand that Jonathan was a loyal deputy to Musa Yar‘Adua even to the latter‘s death. It is important that the North be made to understand that, so far, Jonathan has provided balanced leadership to all the people and citizens of Nigeria even to the chagrin of the people of the Niger Delta who believe they should be given a little more attention.



It is important that the North be made to realize that President Goodluck Jonathan has always acted in the good interest of all Nigerians in his position as Vice- President, Acting President and now President.



It is important that the North recognizes the tremendous value that the Niger Delta and its people have rendered and provided for the Nigerian state. For decades now, the resources of the Niger Delta have oiled the economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.



Revenues that accrue from oil and gas have been used to build roads, hospitals, schools, bridges, dams, etc, all across the country from the North to the South, while some of the villages that the oil was sourced from lack good roads and other basic infrastructure.



Billions of naira from the Niger Delta was used to transform Abuja from a simple bare land to one of the most glamorous cities in the developing world. The oil from the Niger Delta has transformed struggling businessmen from the North and other regions into world-class billionaires.



The oil and gas from the Niger Delta have been more of a blessing to the North than to the Niger Delta and its people who stay put with their polluted environment where they are left at the mercy of badly poisoned rivers with corrupted sea-life, filthy air, acid rain and contaminated soil.



If these people who have been so badly short-changed suddenly demand that their son, Jonathan, be allowed to run for Presidency in 2011, the North (or rather the northern political elite who seek to stop Jonathan) should give it a thought and quickly accede to their demands. They have not asked for too much.



What is most important right now is for all Nigerians to work together for the success of the current administration in such a manner that the life of the common man in both the North and the South will be improved.



However said, power belongs to God.



http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2010072305818

The newly elected President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has called on former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida to drop his presidential ambition.

Oritsejafor, who made the call while speaking to journalists in Lagos, said IBB had made a costly mistake by joining the race for next year's presidential election.

He said IBB should play the role of an elder statesman, rather than involve himself in the 2011 presidential race, which he said, would not augur well for him.

"IBB is a Nigerian and has the right to contest, but it would be a big mistake for him to contest for the presidency. He should not even be thinking of that; he should advise the younger ones who have indicated interest to run for the presidency," he stated.

Speaking on the spate of kidnaping in the country, the cleric advocated stiffer penalties for kidnappers caught in the act, which would serve as a deterrent to others who might want to engage in such acts.

The CAN president stated that one of his programmes in office was to find ways to resolve the incessant religious crises in the northern part of the country, which had resulted to wanton destruction of lives and property by extremists.

"This issue matters a lot to me. I love this country and I believe God would give us the grace to work with the Muslims. No nation can survive with religious crises. We need to engage in dialogue so as to nip this menace in the bud”, he added.


http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/news/headlines/17938-2011can-president-warns-ibb-to-drop-ambition

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) top brass are already laying out the red carpet to welcome its prodigal son, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, upon report of his planned return to the fold after dining out with two other parties for four years.

Orji left the PDP for the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in 2006, but quit it for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on June 28, 2010.

His volte-face continues the ‘take your pick’ by politicians in the run up to the 2011 ballot.

Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State was elected on the PPA platform in 2007 like Orji. He is now in the PDP.

Senator Uche Chukwumerije last week declared for the APGA, having days before jumped off the PPA ship, which finally sank when its founder, former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, himself jettisoned it and scurried back to the PDP on July 13.

Sources in the PDP confided in Daily Independent on Thursday that its National Chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, and Deputy Chairman (South East), Olisa Metu; are spearheading the move to bring back Orji to the party.

Speaking with Daily Independent on phone last night, the Governor confirmed that the party is wooing him, but insisted that he has not taken any decision. He also said the party bigwigs wrote him requesting for a meeting tomorrow (today).

"The entire PDP leadership in Abia state including Ike Nwachukwu, Ojo Maduekwe, Adolphus Wabara, Mao Ohuabunwa, Vincent Ogbulafor, together with the PDP National Chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, and the PDP Governors from the South East are coming to see me. I did not invite them. They decided to come and I cannot tell them not to come.

"I will hear what they want to say and whatever decision I will take will be after consultations with my people. I cannot take any decision without them. That is the situation. So, it is not true that I have defected to the PDP."

But reliable sources said Orji is depending on his cozy relationship with the Villa to perfect his final move, in the plot by Aso Rock to decimate the opposition in the South East before the 2011 ballot.

This is to compensate for the “expected opposition from other voting blocks, like the North,” it was learnt.

However, some PPA supporters have started mobilising to block Orji, with anonymous text messages.

A source said the supporters are “promising a battle royale. It is clear that Orji believes he can easily be put in office with federal might.

“Is it not a pity the PDP will from the top, in collaboration with some of these people, bring in somebody whose party scored failure in performance?

“The commentary all over the world is that Abia is a failed state, with the preponderance of kidnapping, insecurity; yet the party is wooing the man who presides over such a failure. That is our lot in the state with the so-called elders.

“Each time the party seems to be getting its act together, the interest of a few rears out to scuttle the effort. We are going to resist it now.”

In reaction, Metu has started moving from one stakeholder’s house to the order, cajoling, and convincing them to back up the plan.

An aide to Orji, who did not want his name in print, told Daily Independent in a telephone interview from Umuahia that his return to the PDP is in the interest of Abia people and Ndigbo.

His words: “The truth is that Orji has become the beautiful bride of Abia politics. Everybody and every political party, not only the PDP, is wooing him and whatever decision he takes will be in the people’s interest.”

But Abia PDP Chairman, Ndidi Okereke, said Orji has already made up his mind.

“We are happy with the development. Tomorrow (today), (Nwodo), members of the National Working Committee (NWC), and some Governors will come to Abia to welcome Orji back to the family. We will roll out the red carpet for him,” Okereke pledged.

“When we (the PDP) criticised him in the past, it was not because he has failed but because he was on the wrong side. Now, he has come back, we are welcoming him with open arms, because he is a good man.”

However, APGA National Chairman, Victor Umeh, said he is not aware of Orji’s plan.

Umeh recalled that “when he wanted to join us (the APGA), he told us and we welcomed him. It is only proper that if he is leaving he should also tell us.

“Until he doe so, everything will be rumour, and I don’t lay much stock in rumour.’
Umeh insisted that there is no reason why Orji should leave the APGA, “Assuming the story is true. Nothing has happened since he joined us to justify any such move.

“But, as I said, he has not told us, and I am not going to act on rumour. We are waiting.”

Despite Umeh’s claim of ignorance, two members of the PDP NWC confirmed the story, though anonymously.

“Yes, it is true we are approaching (Orji) to return to the PDP. He was a founding member of the party, one of those who left the party due to the high handedness of our past leaders,” they said.

“He is not alone. Can’t you see that (Ohakim) who left the party in similar circumstances and who wore the same shoe like Orji has since returned?

“It is true he had declared membership of the APGA but he is one of us and can’t afford to be the only one in Siberia when others have since returned.

“How do you expect us to let him be the only Governor that was with us and is not coming back?”

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, recounted that he heard the report from a reliable source in the PDP, who is close to Orji.

Said Okechukwu: “It is unfortunate. Yes, I got the information and I can be quoted on this that Orji is being coerced to come back to the PDP. The meeting to force him to come back took place the day the South East leaders met with President Goodluck Jonathan last week.

“This is not good for our democracy if he returns to the PDP. What it means is that it has given vent to what we have been saying that the PDP wants Nigeria to be a one party state.

“They are doing everything possible to bring all the big politicians to their party, especially those who are not strong willed. This is not good for our democracy. It is not good for Nigeria.”

But PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ahmed Alkali, denied the move but said there is nothing wrong in Orji returning to the party.

He said the PDP leadership will not curtail membership but is expanding to accommodate as many Nigerians as would like to join the party.

http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=17614

Former United States of America envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Walter Carrington yesterday said his country was backing President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration because he had shown that he was sincere and committed to conducting credible elections in 2011 as well as improving on the fortunes of Nigerians.

“I think there is great US support for Nigeria and also frustration because for many years there has been instability. I hope that Jonathan will be able to turn things around,” he said.

Carrington spoke to Vanguard in Lagos ahead of his 80th birthday celebration holding at City Hall, Lagos Island, tomorrow.

Asked if he believed the Jonathan government could conduct credible polls within five months, he said: “Certainly, I think he has made a good appointment in the person of the electoral chief. The problem, I think, is the problem of fraudulent past elections. I feel confident that President Jonathan is going to do his best and I think it is going to be a different election.”

I Am impressed

On whether he is backing the President to contest the polls, he said: “I don’t want to get involved in Nigerian politics. All I can say is that I have been very impressed with the way Jonathan had gone. It is up to Nigerians to decide what should happen.”

Carrington, who said he had no regrets at 80 because he had been fortunate in the things he had done and would repeat them if they recurred, described Nigeria as his most favourite nation after the US, especially since he met his wife here.

Collaboration with US can end kidnapping

He decried the wave of kidnapping in the country and urged the government to collaborate with the US, which he disclosed had similar problems in the 1920s, to tame the monster.

The envoy, who recalled that the late Gen. Sani Abacha military regime almost abducted him in the 1990s, said the rate of kidnapping in Nigeria “is very disturbing. We, at a time in the 1920s, had a lot of kidnappings in the United States. But the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, made its name by foiling kidnapping because it became known to the kidnappers that they were not going to get money or when they got money, they would be tracked.

“The FBI developed a very sophisticated way of being able to track the money and apprehended the kidnappers when they came to collect the money. When the FBI did this over time, the kidnapping stopped. That is the kind of thing that should be done. I expect that the government here must be in touch with the FBI. I think they should meet with the FBI one-on-one.”

Since the Abacha era, Carrington said things had looked up in the country even though a lot still needed to be done starting from the 50th independence anniversary to take Nigeria to the height she should be.

How Abacha regime tried to abduct me

Asked how the Abacha government tried to kidnapped him, he said: “It was difficult under Abacha. US had a policy of sanctions against the Abacha government. As the Abacha government became more dictatorial, it became necessary to speak out against it. And the more I did it, the more the Abacha government did not like it and tried to make things difficult.

There were two instances that they went after me and the US embassy thwarted them. There was one where they were planning to intercept my vehicle on a way to an occasion. We found out and thwarted it. There was a more elaborate plan to try to kidnap me or put me in a compromising position that we found and thwarted. They were clearly not happy.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/07/23/why-us-is-supporting-jonathan-by-carrington/

BENIN—THE stage is set for another political battle between Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s Action Congress, AC, and Chief Tony Anenih’s Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will on Saturday, conduct a bye-election into the state House of Assembly, for the Ovia North East Constituency 1.
The Appeal Court in Benin, had nullified the election held in Oghede Ward in Ovia North East constituency 1 and ordered for a bye-election after it declared that the 14 April 2007 House of Assembly election in the area was marred with violence, declaring therefore that no election was held in the area.

The contest would be between the incumbent Action Congress lawmaker, Bright Osayande and the PDP candidate Osayemwenre Omorogieva.

It would be recalled that the former candidate of the PDP in the April 2007 election, Mr Edoba Aikpitanyi, who initially went to court to contest the victory of the AC candidate, Osayande, had withdrawn his suit and pitched tent with the AC.

His action forced the PDP to anoint a new candidate for this weekend’s election in the person of Omorogieva, the youth leader of Oghede community.

In order to ensure victory for the PDP, the party strategically picked Omorogieva who is from Oghede ward where the election would be conducted.

The ward has 7,000 registered voters and the AC is leading with over four hundred votes.

However, in a statement signed by the Director of Publicity and Strategy of the PDP, Mr Okharedia Ihimekpen, the party alleged that the AC-led government in the state had mobilized thugs to disrupt the election.

It alleged further that “At this meeting held last night at government house, plans had been concluded on how to intimidate and prevent people from voting and carrying out their civic responsibility on the day of the election.”

But the AC through its spokesman, Retti Uzzi, described the allegation as nonsensical asserting that “the PDP is the only party that is known for violence.

AC is the popular party in the state and there is no way the PDP can win election in the state any more. We have campaigned very vigorously and we are going to win.

The PDP is just making noise so as to give the impression that they are still relevant in the state. But they are dead here

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/07/23/oshiomhole-anenih-set-to-clash-again/