The Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Power and Steel, Senator Chris
Ngige, has assured that there would be improvement in power supply
across the country soon.
The senator, representing Anambra Central District, gave the assurance
while fielding questions from journalists in Awka on Tuesday.
According to him, the Independent Power Plant (IPP) programme being
carried out by government is aimed at alleviating the suffering of
Nigerians over the epileptic power supply in the country.
The senator assured that theIPP programmes would savesmall and medium
scale industries from closing shops.
Ngige assured that Awka residents would soon begin to enjoy improved
power supply with the new transmission line at Agu-Awka power station
coming on stream.
He said the Agu-Awka powerstation, a new transmission line in Anambra,
was alreadybeing test-run for the past three weeks, and would be
officially commissioned soon.
"This is part of the Independent Power Plant (IPP) programme of the
Federal Government on the power sector.
"What we have in Agu-Awka power station is a new transmission line
under a test run and that explains why in the past three weeksmajor
parts of the state capital have been enjoying uninterrupted power
supply,'' the News Agency ofNigeria quoted Ngige as saying to
journalists on Tuesday.
He said that it had helped to reduce transformers' overloading in the
state capital and improved power supply to the neighbouring
communities of Nibo, Mbaukwu, Umuawulu and Amawbia towns of Awka South
Local Government Area. (NAN)
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013
PDP Suffers Setback As Abuja Court Adjourns Convention Suit To Sept 23
An attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to set aside last
Thursday's order by an Abuja High Court, restraining the ruling party
from organizing its special national convention on August 31, suffered
a setback on Monday.
The court had stopped the convention following a suit filed by three
members of the party, Abba Yale, Yahaya Sule and Bashir Maidugu. At
theresumed hearing of the suit, two counsels, Jubril Okutepa, a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria, and F.N Nwosu, announced their appearance for the
plaintiffs, a development that shocked the judge, Justice Suleman
Belgore. Mr.Nwosu based his claim on a letter said to have been
written and signed by the plaintiffs.
Following the confusion, counsel to the PDP, Onyechi Ikpeazu, a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria, made an oral application for the discharge of the
July 25 restraining order against the planned convention of the party,
but the judge rejected it.
"It will be inequitable to discharge the restraining order, based on
numerous applications before this court," Mr. Belgore said. However,
Mr. Okutepa maintained that he had not been debriefed by the
plaintiffs even as Mr. Nwosu stuck to his guns, claiming to have been
briefed over the weekend. Mr. Belgore eventually stood down thematter
for 30 minutes to enable the lawyers claiming to be appearing for the
plaintiffs, sort themselves out. Messrs Okutepa and Nwosu who
addressed the court, upon resumption said that they were not able to
agree on the issue.
This forced the court to adjourn for another 30 minutes to enable the
judge deliver a ruling on the embarrassing development. Upon his
return, Mr. Belgore expressed"sadness" over the appearance
disagreement, adding that "it is certainly a trying moment for the
legalprofession." "This thing that has happened would certainly
reverberateoutside the walls of the court." "I'm very sad at this. The
legal profession is at a crossroads and my advice to you is that we
should leave politicians to play their politics," he said.
The judge consequently adjourned thematter to September 23. Confusion
on reconciliation Earlier, a statement allegedly signed by the three
aggrieved members of the PDP was released to journalists with the
members stating their intention to withdraw the suit. Messrs Yale,
Sule and Maidugu reportedly signed the statement after meeting with
the party's recently inaugurated committee headed by the Bayelsa State
Governor, Seriake Dickson.
The statement said, "At the behest of the newly constituted National
Reconciliation Committee of our great party, the Peoples Democratic
party, we have the pleasure to announce the discontinuance of the law
suit we instituted in pursuance of justice, equity and fair play. "In
furtherance of this therefore, we hereby totally submit our grievances
to the Committee with a view to amicably addressing them as family
members ofthe Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.Consequently, we undertake
to fully support and cooperate with the National Reconciliation
Committee and the National Special Convention Committee and other all
agencies of the PDP towards the organisation of a successful
convention of the party." The statement also advised all aggrieved
members of the party as well as those that had left it due to
disagreements to utilize the opportunity presented by the Committee to
address their grievances.
"We also advise all aggrieved party members and those that left the
party as a result of certain disagreements to utilize the opportunity
presented by the National Reconciliation Committeeof the party so that
their grievances could be addressed. We thank all thosethat made this
impending peace a possibility," it states.
We could not reach any of the three plaintiffs to confirm the
authenticity of the statement which was given to journalists at the
PDP national secretariat in Abuja on Monday evening. However, Francis
Agbo, the media aide to Mr. Dickson confirmed that the reconciliation
committee met with the plaintiffs last weekend.
It is not clear if the plaintiffs hired a new lawyer, Mr. Nwosu, to
replace Mr. Okutepa after the peace meeting; or whether they truly
intend to withdrawthe suit. The adjournment by the judge, however,
means the ruling party cannot hold and indeed fix a newdate for its
planned convention to elect new members of the National Working
Committee earlier than September 23.
Thursday's order by an Abuja High Court, restraining the ruling party
from organizing its special national convention on August 31, suffered
a setback on Monday.
The court had stopped the convention following a suit filed by three
members of the party, Abba Yale, Yahaya Sule and Bashir Maidugu. At
theresumed hearing of the suit, two counsels, Jubril Okutepa, a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria, and F.N Nwosu, announced their appearance for the
plaintiffs, a development that shocked the judge, Justice Suleman
Belgore. Mr.Nwosu based his claim on a letter said to have been
written and signed by the plaintiffs.
Following the confusion, counsel to the PDP, Onyechi Ikpeazu, a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria, made an oral application for the discharge of the
July 25 restraining order against the planned convention of the party,
but the judge rejected it.
"It will be inequitable to discharge the restraining order, based on
numerous applications before this court," Mr. Belgore said. However,
Mr. Okutepa maintained that he had not been debriefed by the
plaintiffs even as Mr. Nwosu stuck to his guns, claiming to have been
briefed over the weekend. Mr. Belgore eventually stood down thematter
for 30 minutes to enable the lawyers claiming to be appearing for the
plaintiffs, sort themselves out. Messrs Okutepa and Nwosu who
addressed the court, upon resumption said that they were not able to
agree on the issue.
This forced the court to adjourn for another 30 minutes to enable the
judge deliver a ruling on the embarrassing development. Upon his
return, Mr. Belgore expressed"sadness" over the appearance
disagreement, adding that "it is certainly a trying moment for the
legalprofession." "This thing that has happened would certainly
reverberateoutside the walls of the court." "I'm very sad at this. The
legal profession is at a crossroads and my advice to you is that we
should leave politicians to play their politics," he said.
The judge consequently adjourned thematter to September 23. Confusion
on reconciliation Earlier, a statement allegedly signed by the three
aggrieved members of the PDP was released to journalists with the
members stating their intention to withdraw the suit. Messrs Yale,
Sule and Maidugu reportedly signed the statement after meeting with
the party's recently inaugurated committee headed by the Bayelsa State
Governor, Seriake Dickson.
The statement said, "At the behest of the newly constituted National
Reconciliation Committee of our great party, the Peoples Democratic
party, we have the pleasure to announce the discontinuance of the law
suit we instituted in pursuance of justice, equity and fair play. "In
furtherance of this therefore, we hereby totally submit our grievances
to the Committee with a view to amicably addressing them as family
members ofthe Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.Consequently, we undertake
to fully support and cooperate with the National Reconciliation
Committee and the National Special Convention Committee and other all
agencies of the PDP towards the organisation of a successful
convention of the party." The statement also advised all aggrieved
members of the party as well as those that had left it due to
disagreements to utilize the opportunity presented by the Committee to
address their grievances.
"We also advise all aggrieved party members and those that left the
party as a result of certain disagreements to utilize the opportunity
presented by the National Reconciliation Committeeof the party so that
their grievances could be addressed. We thank all thosethat made this
impending peace a possibility," it states.
We could not reach any of the three plaintiffs to confirm the
authenticity of the statement which was given to journalists at the
PDP national secretariat in Abuja on Monday evening. However, Francis
Agbo, the media aide to Mr. Dickson confirmed that the reconciliation
committee met with the plaintiffs last weekend.
It is not clear if the plaintiffs hired a new lawyer, Mr. Nwosu, to
replace Mr. Okutepa after the peace meeting; or whether they truly
intend to withdrawthe suit. The adjournment by the judge, however,
means the ruling party cannot hold and indeed fix a newdate for its
planned convention to elect new members of the National Working
Committee earlier than September 23.
Exodus: Sen Ohiare, 1000 Others Dump PDP For APC
Over one thousand (1,000) ruling Peoples' Democratic Party's (PDP)
devotees of central senatorial district of Kogi State, with Senator
Muhammed Salami Ohiare in the forefront, have over the weekend
defected to the yet-to-be-registered All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ohiare had, at a press conference, explained their decision to seek
alternative platform: "We have waited too long for better life to be
ushered into this country in general and Kogi State in particular, but
like an 'abracadabra', the more we expect it, the further it is made
to elude us."
Stressing the fact that Kogi State situation is 'most pathetic' in
terms of putting concrete infrastructures on ground, he further said,
"It is most disheartening that a party, All Nigeria Peoples Party
(ANPP), that ruled this state for four years can still point to
greater achievements than the one that has been in power for almost
triple same period."
Ohiare, a former governorship candidate of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) in 2007, expressed his regret that other states created
in the same period as Kogi are enjoying 'better infrastructural
provisions'. He added that the lives of the Kogi peoplehave been
'wasted in endless expectations'.
Speaking on the reasons to leave the PDP and call on his comrades to
do the same, he described the situation metaphorically: "If you are
travelling ina vehicle that either breaks down often or too slow to
take you to your destination for an important and urgent purpose, the
wise thing to do isto disembark from it and take a healthier and
faster vehicle."
According to Ohiare, the expected accelerated development can only be
attained when good governance evolves from the actions of politicians
who have the conscience of bringing the greatest happiness to greater
number of the electorate.
devotees of central senatorial district of Kogi State, with Senator
Muhammed Salami Ohiare in the forefront, have over the weekend
defected to the yet-to-be-registered All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ohiare had, at a press conference, explained their decision to seek
alternative platform: "We have waited too long for better life to be
ushered into this country in general and Kogi State in particular, but
like an 'abracadabra', the more we expect it, the further it is made
to elude us."
Stressing the fact that Kogi State situation is 'most pathetic' in
terms of putting concrete infrastructures on ground, he further said,
"It is most disheartening that a party, All Nigeria Peoples Party
(ANPP), that ruled this state for four years can still point to
greater achievements than the one that has been in power for almost
triple same period."
Ohiare, a former governorship candidate of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) in 2007, expressed his regret that other states created
in the same period as Kogi are enjoying 'better infrastructural
provisions'. He added that the lives of the Kogi peoplehave been
'wasted in endless expectations'.
Speaking on the reasons to leave the PDP and call on his comrades to
do the same, he described the situation metaphorically: "If you are
travelling ina vehicle that either breaks down often or too slow to
take you to your destination for an important and urgent purpose, the
wise thing to do isto disembark from it and take a healthier and
faster vehicle."
According to Ohiare, the expected accelerated development can only be
attained when good governance evolves from the actions of politicians
who have the conscience of bringing the greatest happiness to greater
number of the electorate.
Al-Mustapha Prepares To Join PDP
When Major Hamza al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to late
Head of State, General Sani Abacha was recently discharged and
acquitted of change of murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of
presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Bashorun
M.K.O Abiola, by an Appeal Court in Lagos, it felt like somebody
messing in ones mouth and putting salt as well, as the Yoruba would
say.
[image]The mess, one can't swallow, the salt one cannot spit out,
ifyou understand what that means. It was a sweet/bitter verdict that
could be described as both victory and defeat for justice at the same
time. To al-Mustapha and family, it was victory for justice while the
Abiola family naturally felt otherwise. I guess most Nigerians felt
the same way as the Abiolas but because the appellate court had
spoken, are resigned to leaving everything in the hands of God, the
ultimate judge.
But the Lagos state government (the prosecutor in this case) I guess,
might not be inclined to handing over to God yet, as there is still
one window of appeal to the Supreme Court left and might be willing to
explore that, if only to be seen to have tried everything legally
possible to get what the majority (at least in the South west)
believes to be justice in this celebrated murder case. I deliberately
refused to join the bandwagon in condemning or praisingal-Mustapha's
acquittal for obvious reasons even though I smelt rat in the whole
thing.
I could see politics at play here even though one could not point at
any particular politician as being behind it. But with speculations in
the air that al-Mustapha is about to pitch his tent with the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), coupled with the reception he got when he
visited the Government House in Kano shortly after his release,one
needs no soothsayer to conclude that the former CSO had the support of
the ruling party while his trial lasted.
It might not be out of place to also conclude that the powers that be
in the north were sympathetic towards al-Mustapha's cause as could be
seen not only in the enthusiastic welcome he had received so far from
his home region, but also in the shocking silenceof that class on how
to get justice for the Abiolas, after all somebody shot and killed
Kudirat and the person was acting under somebody's order.
So, who did it and who gave the order?Until that person or those
people are found and punished, al-Mustapha remains guilty in the minds
of the people here, the show of shame by Dr Fredrick Faseun of the
Oodua People's Congress (OPC) hailing his acquittal notwithstanding.
In spite of the court'sverdict, if al-Mustapha and his co-accused as
they were then, had a hand in Kudirat's murder or any of the numerous
unresolved murders of the Abacha era, definitely they will not go
unpunished, both here and in the hereafter.
My concern here is not even about their punishment if they were indeed
involved in the murder, but the red carpet being given to al-Mustapha
in particular as if (the murder case apart) he was a honourable, just
and competent officer while he held court as the unseen number two in
the administration of the late maximum ruler. Don't forget that
al-Mustapha, a mere Major in the Nigerian Army was more powerful than
most of his seniors, Major Generals et al including the official
second in command in that regime, a three-star General, Lt. General
Oladipo Diya. After Abacha, no other person was most feared than
al-Mustapha.
Have we suddenly forgotten all those revelations made at the Oputa
panel about the activities of the death squad of that regime that were
answerable only to al-Mustapha? Has anybody been punished? If
al-Mustapha had no hand in the killing of Kudirat what of the other
crimes committed under his watch as CSO? Are we sweeping such under
the carpet or has he been cleared? Until we are told that the manis
free of all the baggage attached to him as Abacha's CSO, it would be
wrongto parade him as a kind of a hero or victim of vendetta as he
wants us to believe.
It would even be worse if any political party should roll out the red
carpet for him and admit him into its fold. It is unfortunate that the
PDP already smells opportunities for electoral gains in the release of
al-Mustapha, and the young man himself seems to wants to make
political capital of it. Apart from visiting the Government House,
Kano, controlled by the PDP, shortly after his release, he had been
making some political comments and visitations as well.
He was at the Abuja home of the leaderof the Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo at the weekend
where he was beating his chest as being the one whose actions shortly
after Abacha's death gave birth to this democracy. Can you imagine
that, coming from an al-Mustapha? He wants us to praise him for not
taking over power then, which he could have easily done according to
him if he wanted to.What an insult? I think the young man is better
advised to take it easy and lie low for some time and not reopen
healing wounds. His choice of words and association tend to portray a
man with an exaggerated view of his value. The Asari-Dokubo that he
visited would either be in detention or a deadman under the Abacha
administration that he served. We have not forgotten who killed Ken
Saro Wiwa. In any case politics they say is all about interest.
So, an Asari-Dokubo can hobnob with an al-Mustapha? Wonders shall
never cease. All for a Jonathan presidency again in 2015? So all those
derogatory things Asari-Dokubo has been saying about the north, what
E. K Clark, the Ijaw leader has been saying against the Hausa/Fulani
no longer hold water as long as al-Mustapha can help win the northern
votes for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015? Nigeria we hail thee.
Since al-Mustapha's release, different Ijaw groups and leaders have
been failing over each other to outdo one another in hailing his
acquittal, nothing wrong in that if only they are genuine and sincere,
but we all know why; 2015. But al-Mustapha should remember the party
story of the Biafran leader late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu, who
because he was granted pardon by the NPN government of President Shehu
Shagari in the second republic, quickly joined the on his return from
exile andtook Ndigbo to NPN, thinking that the interest of his people,
who had followed Dr Nnamdi Azikwe to NPP that time would be better
protected inthe ruling party, he was wrong.
The rest is history. Nothing personal against al-Mustapha, but he
should tread softly and realise that the murder of Alhaja Kudirat
Abiola is still fresh and hurting in our memory, beating his chest all
over the place or jumping into the political arena would do nothing to
heal the wounds, he needs to show remorse and seek ALLAH's forgiveness
for the pains he inflicted on so many Nigerians as Abacha's CSO. This
is more honourable than joining the political fray. A word for
President Jonathan and his group as well, Nigerians are no fools
again; our mumu don do.
Head of State, General Sani Abacha was recently discharged and
acquitted of change of murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of
presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Bashorun
M.K.O Abiola, by an Appeal Court in Lagos, it felt like somebody
messing in ones mouth and putting salt as well, as the Yoruba would
say.
[image]The mess, one can't swallow, the salt one cannot spit out,
ifyou understand what that means. It was a sweet/bitter verdict that
could be described as both victory and defeat for justice at the same
time. To al-Mustapha and family, it was victory for justice while the
Abiola family naturally felt otherwise. I guess most Nigerians felt
the same way as the Abiolas but because the appellate court had
spoken, are resigned to leaving everything in the hands of God, the
ultimate judge.
But the Lagos state government (the prosecutor in this case) I guess,
might not be inclined to handing over to God yet, as there is still
one window of appeal to the Supreme Court left and might be willing to
explore that, if only to be seen to have tried everything legally
possible to get what the majority (at least in the South west)
believes to be justice in this celebrated murder case. I deliberately
refused to join the bandwagon in condemning or praisingal-Mustapha's
acquittal for obvious reasons even though I smelt rat in the whole
thing.
I could see politics at play here even though one could not point at
any particular politician as being behind it. But with speculations in
the air that al-Mustapha is about to pitch his tent with the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), coupled with the reception he got when he
visited the Government House in Kano shortly after his release,one
needs no soothsayer to conclude that the former CSO had the support of
the ruling party while his trial lasted.
It might not be out of place to also conclude that the powers that be
in the north were sympathetic towards al-Mustapha's cause as could be
seen not only in the enthusiastic welcome he had received so far from
his home region, but also in the shocking silenceof that class on how
to get justice for the Abiolas, after all somebody shot and killed
Kudirat and the person was acting under somebody's order.
So, who did it and who gave the order?Until that person or those
people are found and punished, al-Mustapha remains guilty in the minds
of the people here, the show of shame by Dr Fredrick Faseun of the
Oodua People's Congress (OPC) hailing his acquittal notwithstanding.
In spite of the court'sverdict, if al-Mustapha and his co-accused as
they were then, had a hand in Kudirat's murder or any of the numerous
unresolved murders of the Abacha era, definitely they will not go
unpunished, both here and in the hereafter.
My concern here is not even about their punishment if they were indeed
involved in the murder, but the red carpet being given to al-Mustapha
in particular as if (the murder case apart) he was a honourable, just
and competent officer while he held court as the unseen number two in
the administration of the late maximum ruler. Don't forget that
al-Mustapha, a mere Major in the Nigerian Army was more powerful than
most of his seniors, Major Generals et al including the official
second in command in that regime, a three-star General, Lt. General
Oladipo Diya. After Abacha, no other person was most feared than
al-Mustapha.
Have we suddenly forgotten all those revelations made at the Oputa
panel about the activities of the death squad of that regime that were
answerable only to al-Mustapha? Has anybody been punished? If
al-Mustapha had no hand in the killing of Kudirat what of the other
crimes committed under his watch as CSO? Are we sweeping such under
the carpet or has he been cleared? Until we are told that the manis
free of all the baggage attached to him as Abacha's CSO, it would be
wrongto parade him as a kind of a hero or victim of vendetta as he
wants us to believe.
It would even be worse if any political party should roll out the red
carpet for him and admit him into its fold. It is unfortunate that the
PDP already smells opportunities for electoral gains in the release of
al-Mustapha, and the young man himself seems to wants to make
political capital of it. Apart from visiting the Government House,
Kano, controlled by the PDP, shortly after his release, he had been
making some political comments and visitations as well.
He was at the Abuja home of the leaderof the Niger Delta Peoples
Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo at the weekend
where he was beating his chest as being the one whose actions shortly
after Abacha's death gave birth to this democracy. Can you imagine
that, coming from an al-Mustapha? He wants us to praise him for not
taking over power then, which he could have easily done according to
him if he wanted to.What an insult? I think the young man is better
advised to take it easy and lie low for some time and not reopen
healing wounds. His choice of words and association tend to portray a
man with an exaggerated view of his value. The Asari-Dokubo that he
visited would either be in detention or a deadman under the Abacha
administration that he served. We have not forgotten who killed Ken
Saro Wiwa. In any case politics they say is all about interest.
So, an Asari-Dokubo can hobnob with an al-Mustapha? Wonders shall
never cease. All for a Jonathan presidency again in 2015? So all those
derogatory things Asari-Dokubo has been saying about the north, what
E. K Clark, the Ijaw leader has been saying against the Hausa/Fulani
no longer hold water as long as al-Mustapha can help win the northern
votes for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015? Nigeria we hail thee.
Since al-Mustapha's release, different Ijaw groups and leaders have
been failing over each other to outdo one another in hailing his
acquittal, nothing wrong in that if only they are genuine and sincere,
but we all know why; 2015. But al-Mustapha should remember the party
story of the Biafran leader late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu, who
because he was granted pardon by the NPN government of President Shehu
Shagari in the second republic, quickly joined the on his return from
exile andtook Ndigbo to NPN, thinking that the interest of his people,
who had followed Dr Nnamdi Azikwe to NPP that time would be better
protected inthe ruling party, he was wrong.
The rest is history. Nothing personal against al-Mustapha, but he
should tread softly and realise that the murder of Alhaja Kudirat
Abiola is still fresh and hurting in our memory, beating his chest all
over the place or jumping into the political arena would do nothing to
heal the wounds, he needs to show remorse and seek ALLAH's forgiveness
for the pains he inflicted on so many Nigerians as Abacha's CSO. This
is more honourable than joining the political fray. A word for
President Jonathan and his group as well, Nigerians are no fools
again; our mumu don do.
Orji Kalu Threatens To Sue Fashola Over Igbo Maltreatment By Lagos
Former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu has given the
Lagos State Government a seven day ultimatum to offer an apology to
the allegedly deported 67 personof Igbo heritage or he will head to
court.
[image]Orji Kalu criticized the actionof the Lagos State government as
lawless and vexatious and further said that it threatens the corporate
existence of the country and there wasno law in the country, that
gives a state or governor power to deport any Nigerian citizen to any
part of the country.
In a statement made available to THISDAY Monday, Kalu said there was
right to freedom of movement for every Nigerian as enshrined in
Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
Besides, the former governor argued that it was an open secret that
the Igbo contribute about 55 per cent to the Lagos economy.
"It is appalling to learn that the deported Igbo were even detained in
Ikorodu for about six months before their illegal deportation.
"They were taken to Onitsha in four buses, escorted by anti-riot
policemen," he said.
One of them, Osondu Mbuto, a trader from Ohaozara in Ebonyi State, was
on his way to his shop on December 18, 2012 when he was arrested by
officials of the state's Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and detained
for no reason until he was deported in his father's land.
"The reaction of the state government that the Igbo were deported to
reunite them with their families was the worst insult to any race.
"Governor Fashola's Special Adviser on Youths and Social Development,
Dr. Enitan Dolapo Badru, said: 'The end result is to reunite them back
with their families.'
"What an affront against the collective will of Ndigbo or any other
race in Nigeria to live and do business in any part of the country?
"The action of the state government is not only wicked but a clear
breach of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as
amended.
"To worsen the matter, most of those deported are not even indigenes
of Anambra State. Is Anambra State now a dumping ground for any act of
illegality? Is Lagos State Government above the law of the country? If
not, can it operate another set of laws without recourse to
constitution amendment? Is it not a travesty of justice that officers
of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) were even used for this illegal act
against the Nigerian state? Was the supervising officer, whoallowed
the deployment of the policemen, not told that they were going to be
used for the deportation ofNigerians they were paid by tax payers'
money to protect in their fathers' land?
"The action is a gross infraction to the rights of the deportees to
dwell in any part of Nigeria without discrimination. With this wicked,
crude and primitive deportation, I just wonder why a component unit of
Nigeria, under the authority and supremacy of a constitution would
choose to be lawless in such an unconstitutional conduct. Not even
under the military would such an action have happened.
"Even if a criminal offence was committed, the place to take them to
is the court, not for them to be deported. The action of the Lagos
StateGovernment is lawless as it is vexatious and I condemn it in
strong terms because it threatens the existence of our country. All
patriotic Nigerians should say no to this xenophobic action of Lagos
State Government because it usurps the powers of the federal
government anddisregards our constitution.
"I demand a public apology from the governor within seven days to all
those illegally deported and a repeat of such an act must be stopped
or I willhead to court to defend the interest of the Ndigbo in Lagos.
Enough is enough."
Lagos State Government a seven day ultimatum to offer an apology to
the allegedly deported 67 personof Igbo heritage or he will head to
court.
[image]Orji Kalu criticized the actionof the Lagos State government as
lawless and vexatious and further said that it threatens the corporate
existence of the country and there wasno law in the country, that
gives a state or governor power to deport any Nigerian citizen to any
part of the country.
In a statement made available to THISDAY Monday, Kalu said there was
right to freedom of movement for every Nigerian as enshrined in
Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
Besides, the former governor argued that it was an open secret that
the Igbo contribute about 55 per cent to the Lagos economy.
"It is appalling to learn that the deported Igbo were even detained in
Ikorodu for about six months before their illegal deportation.
"They were taken to Onitsha in four buses, escorted by anti-riot
policemen," he said.
One of them, Osondu Mbuto, a trader from Ohaozara in Ebonyi State, was
on his way to his shop on December 18, 2012 when he was arrested by
officials of the state's Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and detained
for no reason until he was deported in his father's land.
"The reaction of the state government that the Igbo were deported to
reunite them with their families was the worst insult to any race.
"Governor Fashola's Special Adviser on Youths and Social Development,
Dr. Enitan Dolapo Badru, said: 'The end result is to reunite them back
with their families.'
"What an affront against the collective will of Ndigbo or any other
race in Nigeria to live and do business in any part of the country?
"The action of the state government is not only wicked but a clear
breach of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as
amended.
"To worsen the matter, most of those deported are not even indigenes
of Anambra State. Is Anambra State now a dumping ground for any act of
illegality? Is Lagos State Government above the law of the country? If
not, can it operate another set of laws without recourse to
constitution amendment? Is it not a travesty of justice that officers
of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) were even used for this illegal act
against the Nigerian state? Was the supervising officer, whoallowed
the deployment of the policemen, not told that they were going to be
used for the deportation ofNigerians they were paid by tax payers'
money to protect in their fathers' land?
"The action is a gross infraction to the rights of the deportees to
dwell in any part of Nigeria without discrimination. With this wicked,
crude and primitive deportation, I just wonder why a component unit of
Nigeria, under the authority and supremacy of a constitution would
choose to be lawless in such an unconstitutional conduct. Not even
under the military would such an action have happened.
"Even if a criminal offence was committed, the place to take them to
is the court, not for them to be deported. The action of the Lagos
StateGovernment is lawless as it is vexatious and I condemn it in
strong terms because it threatens the existence of our country. All
patriotic Nigerians should say no to this xenophobic action of Lagos
State Government because it usurps the powers of the federal
government anddisregards our constitution.
"I demand a public apology from the governor within seven days to all
those illegally deported and a repeat of such an act must be stopped
or I willhead to court to defend the interest of the Ndigbo in Lagos.
Enough is enough."
Registration: Will APC become a political party tomorrow?
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU
WILL the All Progressives Congress (APC) be registered as a political
party tomorrow or will the leaders be asked to return to the drawing
board and come up with a new name and other paraphernalia?
These are some of the questions that are expected to be answered
tomorrow by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Going by the provision of Section 84 (4)of the Electoral Act 2010, the
All Progressives Congress should have started functioning as a
political party since July 10, 2013, which was exactly 30 days the
leaders submitted a formalrequest for merger of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) and Congress
forProgressive Change (CPC). The request was dated June 5 but the INEC
receivedit on June 10.
Section 84 (4) of the Act says: "On receipt of the request for merger
of political parties, the Commission shall consider the request and,
if the partieshave fulfilled the requirements of the Constitution and
this Act, approve the proposed merger and communicate itsdecision to
the parties concerned before the expiration of 30 days from the date
of the receipt of the formal request- provided that if the Commission
fails to communicate its decision within 30 days the merger shall be
deemed to be effective."
However, APC is yet to start functioningas a political party for a
number of reasons. The INEC wrote the chairmen of the merging parties
on June 12 forwarding 35 copies of the commission's Form PA 1 for
completionand return along with 35 copies each of APC's proposed
constitution, manifesto and affidavit in support of claims in Form PA
1.
The political association submitted therequested documents on July 1.
INEC stated in its June 12 letter that it wouldcommence the processing
of the request after receiving the demanded documents. In essence, the
electoral umpire, by its statement, is expected to verify the
documents and come up with a decision within 30 days, a timeline that
will elapse at 12 midnight today.
Although, the INEC timeline is at variance with the provision of the
Electoral Act, which is 30 days from the date of the receipt of the
formal request not 30 days from the date 35 copies of certain
documents are submitted to INEC, APC cannot operate without INEC's
confirmation.
Aside INEC's nod, APC, which has vowedto snatch presidential power
from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, may to have to wait
longer to realize its quest. Reason: there are calls on INEC not
register All Progressives Congress on account of a pending litigation
challenging the acronym "APC."
Buhari, CPC; Onu,ANPP; Okorocha, APGA and Tinubu, ACN
Another political association, which shares the same acronym, the
African People's Congress has commenced an action at the Federal High
Court, Abuja in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/224/2013 challenging INEC's
refusal to register it as a political party, and one of the reliefs it
is seeking before the court is an order prohibiting the registration
ofany other association known as and called African Peoples Congress
or having the acronym, APC, as a political p arty pending the
determination of the suit.
INEC'll register APC if it meets registration requirements
However, Mr. Kayode Idowu, chief press secretary to the INEC National
Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega reportedly said that the commission
would register the merger APC if it metthe requirements.
"The Independent National Electoral Commission conducts its operations
based strictly on its existing guidelines and rules. "Every
application that meets the prescribed rules and conditions set by the
constitution, gets registered, and any that does not meet the
prescribed rules, does not get registered," he said.
Factional APC opposes registration of merger APC
As the battle for the ownership of APC franchise linger, the African
Peoples Congress, one of the associations laying claim to the APC
acronym has told the INEC that the plan to register the merger APC
would be an effort in futility.
National Legal Adviser of African Peoples Congress, Mr. Kingsley Nnadi
who accused INEC of being bent on registering the rival APC said even
after the African Peoples Congress had gone to court challenging the
refusal of the commission to register it, which he claimed first
applied for registration after 'fulfilling' all the necessary
requirements.
Nnadi said that INEC being aware of thepending matter in court and
having entered appearance for the case was not supposed to continue
with the process of registering the All Progressives Congress.His
words: "INEC is bent on registering the All Progressives Congress even
when our matter is in court. They are not supposed to do anything
until further determination of the matter. We are the first that
applied to INEC with the APC acronym and INEC refusedto register us
with the claim that we did not furnish them with the addresses of
national officers which we did.
"We are optimistic that the court will do justice to our matter that
is why we did not bother to apply for an injunction restraining INEC
from registering anybody with the acronym.Whoever is registered apart
from us the original owners of the acronym, the court will void it and
it will amountto building on quick sand which will not last."
The rival APC legal adviser further argued, "When there is a pendency
of a matter, in law, you are not supposed to do anything that will
destroy the subject matter. Now that INEC is bent on registering them,
the commission is touching the subject matter which isbefore the
court.
"INEC is aware of the matter, it has been served and it has entered
appearance. Common law knowledge should tell them (INEC) that they are
not supposed to touch the matter. Jegasaid there is no injunction
restraining him, but when you are aware of a matter, you don't need an
injunction, but we are not bothered," he stated.
INEC has no reason not to register APC – ACN
Reacting to the issue, weekend, the ACN said that the merger APC had
met all the requirements to consummate its merger; hence the electoral
umpirehad no defensible reason not to approve the merger.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said in spite of recent media reports
concerning the antics of some negative forces within INEC over APC's
registration, the emerging party's leadership had no doubt that in the
end the electoral body would do what was right in accordance with the
law.
It therefore dismissed as a mere speculation the report that INEC was
planning to write a letter to the proponents of APC to find another
name because of a court case instituted by a political association
over the APC acronym.
''We are convinced that INEC has no discernible reason to write such a
letter to us. In the first instance, there exists no court injunction
anywhere restraining the commission from registering APC. There could
be many court cases, but until there is a court order, no one can
pre-empt what a court will do and act on that basis.
''Again, we have met all the stipulated requirements. INEC has also
inspected our proposed headquarters in Abuja and sighted all our
interim officers. The merger process may be novel, but we have played
according to the rules and we expect nothing less from INEC,'' the ACN
said.
Why rival APC went to court
At the peak of the crisis of identity rocking the All Progressives
Congress and African Peoples Congress the INEC, after a long silence,
came up with a definitive position that was meant to seal the African
Peoples Congress.
In a letter to the group, the commission rejected its bid for
registration on the ground that it breached Section 222 (a) of the
1999 Nigeria Constitution as amended.
In the letter duly signed by the Secretary to the commission, Abdulahi
Kaugama and dated March 21, 2013, INEC also noted that the Form PA 1
the association submitted did not contain the addresses of the
association's national officers.
The letter: INEC/DPPM&L/APC/490/V.1/76, read in part: "Your
application for registration as a political party dated 28th February,
2013 refers. The Commission has observed that your association is in
breach of Section 222 (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)which stipulates as follows: "No
association by whatever name called shall function as a political
party unless; the names and addresses of its national officers are
registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission; A close
observation of your submitted form PA 1 established that it does not
contain the addresses of your national officers as stipulated in the
provisions above. Consequently,the commission shall not register the
proposed African Peoples Congress (APC) as a political party."
With this, the African Peoples Congresswas left with no option than
the law courts.
Responding to the issue, a lawyer, Mr. Kelvin Okoro, said he would
fight for the association free of charge at the law court because the
matter portended grave danger to the nation's democracy.
His words: "We singled out the African People's Congress case because
it is a litmus test for democracy in Nigeria. African People's
Congress has fulfilled all legal requirements as stipulated in Section
222 of the 1999 Constitution (asamended) and Section 78 of the
Electoral Act."As such, they should be given the legal power to
operate as a political party, notwithstanding whose onus is affected
and we expect INEC to do what the law expects them to do. We are not
trying to pre-empt INEC but we are saying that in the event that INEC
fails to do what the law expects them to do, our services would be
given pro bono (free)," he assured.
WILL the All Progressives Congress (APC) be registered as a political
party tomorrow or will the leaders be asked to return to the drawing
board and come up with a new name and other paraphernalia?
These are some of the questions that are expected to be answered
tomorrow by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Going by the provision of Section 84 (4)of the Electoral Act 2010, the
All Progressives Congress should have started functioning as a
political party since July 10, 2013, which was exactly 30 days the
leaders submitted a formalrequest for merger of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) and Congress
forProgressive Change (CPC). The request was dated June 5 but the INEC
receivedit on June 10.
Section 84 (4) of the Act says: "On receipt of the request for merger
of political parties, the Commission shall consider the request and,
if the partieshave fulfilled the requirements of the Constitution and
this Act, approve the proposed merger and communicate itsdecision to
the parties concerned before the expiration of 30 days from the date
of the receipt of the formal request- provided that if the Commission
fails to communicate its decision within 30 days the merger shall be
deemed to be effective."
However, APC is yet to start functioningas a political party for a
number of reasons. The INEC wrote the chairmen of the merging parties
on June 12 forwarding 35 copies of the commission's Form PA 1 for
completionand return along with 35 copies each of APC's proposed
constitution, manifesto and affidavit in support of claims in Form PA
1.
The political association submitted therequested documents on July 1.
INEC stated in its June 12 letter that it wouldcommence the processing
of the request after receiving the demanded documents. In essence, the
electoral umpire, by its statement, is expected to verify the
documents and come up with a decision within 30 days, a timeline that
will elapse at 12 midnight today.
Although, the INEC timeline is at variance with the provision of the
Electoral Act, which is 30 days from the date of the receipt of the
formal request not 30 days from the date 35 copies of certain
documents are submitted to INEC, APC cannot operate without INEC's
confirmation.
Aside INEC's nod, APC, which has vowedto snatch presidential power
from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, may to have to wait
longer to realize its quest. Reason: there are calls on INEC not
register All Progressives Congress on account of a pending litigation
challenging the acronym "APC."
Buhari, CPC; Onu,ANPP; Okorocha, APGA and Tinubu, ACN
Another political association, which shares the same acronym, the
African People's Congress has commenced an action at the Federal High
Court, Abuja in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/224/2013 challenging INEC's
refusal to register it as a political party, and one of the reliefs it
is seeking before the court is an order prohibiting the registration
ofany other association known as and called African Peoples Congress
or having the acronym, APC, as a political p arty pending the
determination of the suit.
INEC'll register APC if it meets registration requirements
However, Mr. Kayode Idowu, chief press secretary to the INEC National
Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega reportedly said that the commission
would register the merger APC if it metthe requirements.
"The Independent National Electoral Commission conducts its operations
based strictly on its existing guidelines and rules. "Every
application that meets the prescribed rules and conditions set by the
constitution, gets registered, and any that does not meet the
prescribed rules, does not get registered," he said.
Factional APC opposes registration of merger APC
As the battle for the ownership of APC franchise linger, the African
Peoples Congress, one of the associations laying claim to the APC
acronym has told the INEC that the plan to register the merger APC
would be an effort in futility.
National Legal Adviser of African Peoples Congress, Mr. Kingsley Nnadi
who accused INEC of being bent on registering the rival APC said even
after the African Peoples Congress had gone to court challenging the
refusal of the commission to register it, which he claimed first
applied for registration after 'fulfilling' all the necessary
requirements.
Nnadi said that INEC being aware of thepending matter in court and
having entered appearance for the case was not supposed to continue
with the process of registering the All Progressives Congress.His
words: "INEC is bent on registering the All Progressives Congress even
when our matter is in court. They are not supposed to do anything
until further determination of the matter. We are the first that
applied to INEC with the APC acronym and INEC refusedto register us
with the claim that we did not furnish them with the addresses of
national officers which we did.
"We are optimistic that the court will do justice to our matter that
is why we did not bother to apply for an injunction restraining INEC
from registering anybody with the acronym.Whoever is registered apart
from us the original owners of the acronym, the court will void it and
it will amountto building on quick sand which will not last."
The rival APC legal adviser further argued, "When there is a pendency
of a matter, in law, you are not supposed to do anything that will
destroy the subject matter. Now that INEC is bent on registering them,
the commission is touching the subject matter which isbefore the
court.
"INEC is aware of the matter, it has been served and it has entered
appearance. Common law knowledge should tell them (INEC) that they are
not supposed to touch the matter. Jegasaid there is no injunction
restraining him, but when you are aware of a matter, you don't need an
injunction, but we are not bothered," he stated.
INEC has no reason not to register APC – ACN
Reacting to the issue, weekend, the ACN said that the merger APC had
met all the requirements to consummate its merger; hence the electoral
umpirehad no defensible reason not to approve the merger.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said in spite of recent media reports
concerning the antics of some negative forces within INEC over APC's
registration, the emerging party's leadership had no doubt that in the
end the electoral body would do what was right in accordance with the
law.
It therefore dismissed as a mere speculation the report that INEC was
planning to write a letter to the proponents of APC to find another
name because of a court case instituted by a political association
over the APC acronym.
''We are convinced that INEC has no discernible reason to write such a
letter to us. In the first instance, there exists no court injunction
anywhere restraining the commission from registering APC. There could
be many court cases, but until there is a court order, no one can
pre-empt what a court will do and act on that basis.
''Again, we have met all the stipulated requirements. INEC has also
inspected our proposed headquarters in Abuja and sighted all our
interim officers. The merger process may be novel, but we have played
according to the rules and we expect nothing less from INEC,'' the ACN
said.
Why rival APC went to court
At the peak of the crisis of identity rocking the All Progressives
Congress and African Peoples Congress the INEC, after a long silence,
came up with a definitive position that was meant to seal the African
Peoples Congress.
In a letter to the group, the commission rejected its bid for
registration on the ground that it breached Section 222 (a) of the
1999 Nigeria Constitution as amended.
In the letter duly signed by the Secretary to the commission, Abdulahi
Kaugama and dated March 21, 2013, INEC also noted that the Form PA 1
the association submitted did not contain the addresses of the
association's national officers.
The letter: INEC/DPPM&L/APC/490/V.1/76, read in part: "Your
application for registration as a political party dated 28th February,
2013 refers. The Commission has observed that your association is in
breach of Section 222 (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)which stipulates as follows: "No
association by whatever name called shall function as a political
party unless; the names and addresses of its national officers are
registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission; A close
observation of your submitted form PA 1 established that it does not
contain the addresses of your national officers as stipulated in the
provisions above. Consequently,the commission shall not register the
proposed African Peoples Congress (APC) as a political party."
With this, the African Peoples Congresswas left with no option than
the law courts.
Responding to the issue, a lawyer, Mr. Kelvin Okoro, said he would
fight for the association free of charge at the law court because the
matter portended grave danger to the nation's democracy.
His words: "We singled out the African People's Congress case because
it is a litmus test for democracy in Nigeria. African People's
Congress has fulfilled all legal requirements as stipulated in Section
222 of the 1999 Constitution (asamended) and Section 78 of the
Electoral Act."As such, they should be given the legal power to
operate as a political party, notwithstanding whose onus is affected
and we expect INEC to do what the law expects them to do. We are not
trying to pre-empt INEC but we are saying that in the event that INEC
fails to do what the law expects them to do, our services would be
given pro bono (free)," he assured.
2015: Jonathan is toyingwith S-East support – Uko, Igbo youths leader
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE
PRESIDENT of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), an amalgam of 42 associations,
Evangelist Elliot Uko, in this interview said the South-East would not
support President Goodluck Jonathan's re-election in 2015 unless he
fulfils his promises to the zone. Excerpt:
The IYM recently carpeted South East governors, saying they have not
done the needful, can you explain further?
The South East governors forgot that the South-East has been
deliberately forgotten by successive federal regimes for more than 40
years. They forgot that what is needed is an aggressive and united
development agenda. It is necessary to recreate the Eastern Nigerian
Development Commission of the 1950s and 1960s. The region should
integrate economically for maximum results.
Our industrial base take-off must include a petrochemical plant and
the business areas of Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha must be integrated to
form a Dubai of West Africa, the governors must work together to
address electricity challenge in the zone in order to meet energy
requirements in order to explode our manufacturing dream. Without the
by products of a petrochemical industry here our dreams of industrial
revolution will remain a mirage.
They should as a matter of urgency develop a South East
industrialization blue print and invite foreign partners to develop an
economic road map for the transformation of this zone which is
blessed with abundant human talents. What is lacking is the drive
which only government can engineer.
Are the governors responding positively?
They have made a case for the development of the 9th Mile corner,
Enugu as an industrial hub which is a good one, but they must go
beyond that. They must integrate the South East as one giant
industrial unit. Only the government can drive that, the private
sector will only partner with government that is the way it's done the
world over. Lack of Igbo development agenda, regrettably is
responsible for the decay and confusion in the South East. Latent
talents are ignored. These talents should be ignited. There should be
an Igbo political road map. They should develop an Igbo agenda without
delay.
The IYM also said President Goodluck Jonathan has not really
appreciated the massive support Ndigbo gave him in 2011. What do you
mean?
We expected massive industrial and infrastructural development. We are
not seeing that. We thought he would keep his promises. From the way
things are going, it is clear that only the Enugu international
airport could materialize before 2015. He promised us at Enugu
Stadium, at Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and Anambra campaign rallies 29 months
ago that we would see a functional seaport at Onitsha and Oguta, Power
plant at Oji river, dry inland port at Aba, second Niger bridge,
re-work on the Enugu-Onitsha road, Enugu-PH road etc.
Ukoh
But we suspect he wants to shift all those to his second term; that is
not fair. We want him to establish a South East office in his office
and review weekly the fulfillment of his promises to Ndigbo if he
wants a second term. He will have problems with his second term dream
if he does not fulfill all the infrastructural promises he made to
Ndigbo. That is the truth. We gave him 100 per cent support in 2011;
we will only repeat that, if he fulfills all his infrastructural
promises to the South East. He is our man but he must not take Ndigbo
for granted.
We are on ground and we know the grumbling of our people. We believe
we are doing him a big favour by giving him early warning signal.
Ndigbo are not happy with the delay tactics of shifting every thing to
his second term. Those telling him that Ndigbo are dead meat are only
deceiving him. We want him to fulfill his promises to Ndigbo. We
plead withhim to watch again the video of his campaign rally at Nnamdi
Azikiwe Stadium in March 2011 and remember all the promises he reeled
out one by one. Our people are waiting expectantly.
Ndigbo paid a heavy price for supporting him. Igbo votes saw him
through and gave him the needed 25 per cent in 24 states thereby
averting arun-off. In anger over 800 Igbo souls were slaughtered as
the results of the polls were announced, only the 10 youth corpers
were compensated, nobody remembers the 800 Igbo lives lost in gruesome
decapitations in Kano, Bauchi etc in April 2011. We made him
President, we will do it again, if he endeavors to fulfill his
promises to our people.
We also want him to hand over power to an Igboman. He should
reciprocate our massive support. It is only fair he does. We also want
him to protect lives and properties of Nigerians resident in the
North. We note an improvement and pray that sanity eventually returns
to the North. We also want him to set up a committee towork out the
modalities for the convening of a National conference to restructure
Nigeria along the lines of true federalism. Promises made in 2011 must
be kept before talk of second term.Northern elders led by Prof Ango
Abdulahi have said that power must return to the North by 2015 and
that they will keep power as long as they wish. What do you say to
that?
The truth is that Nigerians including Northerners do not really care
about where the president hails from; all they want is good
governance. Nigerians want a government that will fight corruptions,
grow the economy, create jobs, build modern infrastructure and give
everybody a sense of belonging. They don't care if the president is
Yoruba, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo or Tiv. The new generation wants to see a
Nigeria where thinks work. So those who want power for their regionto
dominate others are only living in the past. Fierce struggle for
central power by respective regions portends danger to our survival as
a nation.
Nobody wants to be dominated by others. Such unguarded utterances by
elders are unfortunate and worrisome Nigerians want good governance
not ethnic or regional president. It is clear that Prof Ango Abdulahi
and company are only banking on exploiting religion and ethnicity to
drive their regional agenda the very bad factors that led to the birth
of Boko Haram. Nigerians have grown beyond that. Prof Abdulahi and
his ilk will find out that Nigerians will not vote according to
religion and ethnicity. People like him are only working towards the
early destruction of Nigeria. They will not succeed.
As Nigeria prepares to mark our centenary as a Nation, do you support
a loud celebration?
My brother, Nigeria is going through a very trying period in our
nation's history. Millions of unemployed youths, some of them
educated, insurgency, which is man-made, fierce regional struggle for
central power which is very unhealthy.
All these point to the urgent need for aNational conference. The
centenary should be used for quiet reflection on our nationhood and
the journey so far. All the political crises here and there are all
actually about regional strugglefor power. Some people are bent on
pushing out Jonathan in order to return power to their region; it
simply means that a national conference is needful at this time.
The centenary should be an opportunity to convene a national
conference to address the problems facing this great nation whose
potentials are stifled by ethnicity and corruption. We should use this
great opportunity to search for a workable structure and system that
would douseall the tension in order to enthrone true federalism, good
governance that would give every section of Nigeria a sense of
belonging.
I can only add that we must as a nation stop rewarding crooks, corrupt
elements, religious bigots and other divisive elements and instead
honour and reward nationalists and those whosacrificed to keep Nigeria
one. Those who Laboured for one Nigeria Have notbeen properly
rewarded. People like Herbert Macauley and Nnamdi Azikwe. We have been
celebrating those who have contributed to the destruction of Nigeria.
It's a shame really.
PRESIDENT of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), an amalgam of 42 associations,
Evangelist Elliot Uko, in this interview said the South-East would not
support President Goodluck Jonathan's re-election in 2015 unless he
fulfils his promises to the zone. Excerpt:
The IYM recently carpeted South East governors, saying they have not
done the needful, can you explain further?
The South East governors forgot that the South-East has been
deliberately forgotten by successive federal regimes for more than 40
years. They forgot that what is needed is an aggressive and united
development agenda. It is necessary to recreate the Eastern Nigerian
Development Commission of the 1950s and 1960s. The region should
integrate economically for maximum results.
Our industrial base take-off must include a petrochemical plant and
the business areas of Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha must be integrated to
form a Dubai of West Africa, the governors must work together to
address electricity challenge in the zone in order to meet energy
requirements in order to explode our manufacturing dream. Without the
by products of a petrochemical industry here our dreams of industrial
revolution will remain a mirage.
They should as a matter of urgency develop a South East
industrialization blue print and invite foreign partners to develop an
economic road map for the transformation of this zone which is
blessed with abundant human talents. What is lacking is the drive
which only government can engineer.
Are the governors responding positively?
They have made a case for the development of the 9th Mile corner,
Enugu as an industrial hub which is a good one, but they must go
beyond that. They must integrate the South East as one giant
industrial unit. Only the government can drive that, the private
sector will only partner with government that is the way it's done the
world over. Lack of Igbo development agenda, regrettably is
responsible for the decay and confusion in the South East. Latent
talents are ignored. These talents should be ignited. There should be
an Igbo political road map. They should develop an Igbo agenda without
delay.
The IYM also said President Goodluck Jonathan has not really
appreciated the massive support Ndigbo gave him in 2011. What do you
mean?
We expected massive industrial and infrastructural development. We are
not seeing that. We thought he would keep his promises. From the way
things are going, it is clear that only the Enugu international
airport could materialize before 2015. He promised us at Enugu
Stadium, at Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and Anambra campaign rallies 29 months
ago that we would see a functional seaport at Onitsha and Oguta, Power
plant at Oji river, dry inland port at Aba, second Niger bridge,
re-work on the Enugu-Onitsha road, Enugu-PH road etc.
Ukoh
But we suspect he wants to shift all those to his second term; that is
not fair. We want him to establish a South East office in his office
and review weekly the fulfillment of his promises to Ndigbo if he
wants a second term. He will have problems with his second term dream
if he does not fulfill all the infrastructural promises he made to
Ndigbo. That is the truth. We gave him 100 per cent support in 2011;
we will only repeat that, if he fulfills all his infrastructural
promises to the South East. He is our man but he must not take Ndigbo
for granted.
We are on ground and we know the grumbling of our people. We believe
we are doing him a big favour by giving him early warning signal.
Ndigbo are not happy with the delay tactics of shifting every thing to
his second term. Those telling him that Ndigbo are dead meat are only
deceiving him. We want him to fulfill his promises to Ndigbo. We
plead withhim to watch again the video of his campaign rally at Nnamdi
Azikiwe Stadium in March 2011 and remember all the promises he reeled
out one by one. Our people are waiting expectantly.
Ndigbo paid a heavy price for supporting him. Igbo votes saw him
through and gave him the needed 25 per cent in 24 states thereby
averting arun-off. In anger over 800 Igbo souls were slaughtered as
the results of the polls were announced, only the 10 youth corpers
were compensated, nobody remembers the 800 Igbo lives lost in gruesome
decapitations in Kano, Bauchi etc in April 2011. We made him
President, we will do it again, if he endeavors to fulfill his
promises to our people.
We also want him to hand over power to an Igboman. He should
reciprocate our massive support. It is only fair he does. We also want
him to protect lives and properties of Nigerians resident in the
North. We note an improvement and pray that sanity eventually returns
to the North. We also want him to set up a committee towork out the
modalities for the convening of a National conference to restructure
Nigeria along the lines of true federalism. Promises made in 2011 must
be kept before talk of second term.Northern elders led by Prof Ango
Abdulahi have said that power must return to the North by 2015 and
that they will keep power as long as they wish. What do you say to
that?
The truth is that Nigerians including Northerners do not really care
about where the president hails from; all they want is good
governance. Nigerians want a government that will fight corruptions,
grow the economy, create jobs, build modern infrastructure and give
everybody a sense of belonging. They don't care if the president is
Yoruba, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo or Tiv. The new generation wants to see a
Nigeria where thinks work. So those who want power for their regionto
dominate others are only living in the past. Fierce struggle for
central power by respective regions portends danger to our survival as
a nation.
Nobody wants to be dominated by others. Such unguarded utterances by
elders are unfortunate and worrisome Nigerians want good governance
not ethnic or regional president. It is clear that Prof Ango Abdulahi
and company are only banking on exploiting religion and ethnicity to
drive their regional agenda the very bad factors that led to the birth
of Boko Haram. Nigerians have grown beyond that. Prof Abdulahi and
his ilk will find out that Nigerians will not vote according to
religion and ethnicity. People like him are only working towards the
early destruction of Nigeria. They will not succeed.
As Nigeria prepares to mark our centenary as a Nation, do you support
a loud celebration?
My brother, Nigeria is going through a very trying period in our
nation's history. Millions of unemployed youths, some of them
educated, insurgency, which is man-made, fierce regional struggle for
central power which is very unhealthy.
All these point to the urgent need for aNational conference. The
centenary should be used for quiet reflection on our nationhood and
the journey so far. All the political crises here and there are all
actually about regional strugglefor power. Some people are bent on
pushing out Jonathan in order to return power to their region; it
simply means that a national conference is needful at this time.
The centenary should be an opportunity to convene a national
conference to address the problems facing this great nation whose
potentials are stifled by ethnicity and corruption. We should use this
great opportunity to search for a workable structure and system that
would douseall the tension in order to enthrone true federalism, good
governance that would give every section of Nigeria a sense of
belonging.
I can only add that we must as a nation stop rewarding crooks, corrupt
elements, religious bigots and other divisive elements and instead
honour and reward nationalists and those whosacrificed to keep Nigeria
one. Those who Laboured for one Nigeria Have notbeen properly
rewarded. People like Herbert Macauley and Nnamdi Azikwe. We have been
celebrating those who have contributed to the destruction of Nigeria.
It's a shame really.
Rivers Crisis: Activists warn politicians against truncating nation’s democracy
By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE
CIVIL Society groups under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society,
CCS, Tuesday stormed the office of Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde
Fashola to register their displeasure over the political crisis in
Rivers State.
They also warned political jobbers in the country against truncating
the nation's democracy.
Speaking during the protest, the coordinator of Coalition of Civil
Societies, Comrade Raji Rasheed stated that the protest was about
democracy and Nigeria, saying "we arenot happy with the show of shame
in Rivers State. In 1966, people said such issue was a party one and
at the end ofthe day military took over. So we do not want such thing
to repeat itself. So all of us must come together and call them to
order. We cannot just fold our hand and look."
He said that the rally was organised to protect the nation's
democracy, notingthat "we want to warn those in power to be careful
and to sensitize Nigerianson the need for active participation in the
polity".
A coalition of civil society groups during the protest in Lagos
The CCS Coordinator decried the developments in Rivers state urging
those concerned to call themselves to order in the interest of peace.
He seized the opportunity to advice the National Assembly to vote for
local government autonomy and vote against the immunity clause in the
on-going efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of Concerned Human Rights Nigeria,
Comrade Declan Ihekaire said the protest was against anti-democratic
elements in the country and the need to protect the nation's
democracy.
Ihekaire said "we are saying no to those who want to truncate the
democracy that we fought for. We are saying that whoever that are
causing the trouble should be called to order. President Goodluck
Jonathan should also call his wife to order, women make issues bigger
than it should be. We are saying that the President's wife should be
quiet in this matter."
He said the crisis in Rivers State was capable of crippling the
nation's democracy adding that most of the actors involved never
fought for democracy.
On his part, the Executive Director of Centre for Rights and
Grassroots Initiative, Mr Nelson Ekujumi, said the protest was " to
express our displeasure and to pass a message to the National
Assembly, that we won't fold our hands and watch any of our elected
officers truncate our democracy because the Nigerians sacrificed their
blood, sweat and everything they have to bring about this democracy.
Today, we have seen that the beneficiaries of our democracy are our
elected officers andnot the people, which is why they are treating us
with disdain. We are here to say 'NO'."
The protest walk tagged "Save our Democracy", which kicked off from
the testing ground bus stop on Agidimgbi road Ikeja, terminated at the
Governor's office in Alausa.
Governor Babatunde Fashola, represented by his Chief of Staff , Mr
Lanre Babalola, assured the protesters of prompt delivery of their
message to the appropriate authorities.
We're not happy with show of shame in Rivers
*Warn politicians against truncating democracy
By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE
CIVIL Society groups under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society,
CCS, yesterday stormed the office of Lagos State governor, Mr
Babatunde Fasholato register their displeasure over the political
crisis inRivers State.
They also warned political jobbers in the country against truncating
the nation's democracy.
Speaking during the protest, the coordinator of Coalition of Civil
Societies, Comrade Raji Rasheed stated that the protest was about
democracy and Nigeria, saying "we arenot happy with the show of shame
in Rivers State. In 1966, people said such issue was a party one and
at the end ofthe day military took over. So we do not want such thing
to repeat itself. So all of us must come together and call them to
order. We cannot just fold our hand and look."
Also, coordinator of Concerned Human Rights Nigeria, Comrade Declan
Ihekaire said the protest was against anti-democratic elements in the
country and the need to protect the nation's democracy.
Ihekaire said "we are saying no to those who want to truncate the
democracy that we fought for. We are saying that whoever that are
causing the trouble should be called to order. President Goodluck
Jonathan should also call his wife to order, women make issues bigger
than it should be. We are saying that the President's wife should be
quiet in this matter."
He said the crisis in Rivers State was capable of crippling the
nation's democracy adding that most of the actors involved never
fought for democracy.On his part, Executive Director of Centre for
Rights and Grassroots Initiative, Mr Nelson Ekujumi, said "thisprotest
is about the state of our democracy. We cannot fold our hands and
watch the Presidency truncate the democracy we have all laboured for.
We saw it start at the Governor's Forum when President Goodluck
Jonathan, who claims to have a doctorate degree, telling the Nigeria
people that 16 is greater 19. So we wonder what type of school he went
to. In arithmetic, we know that 19 is greater than 16. And he has
translated this level of impunity to Rivers State, with the current
show of shame going in the state."
He added that "we are today to express our displeasure and to pass a
message to the National Assembly, that we won't fold our hands and
watch any of our elected officers truncate our democracy because the
Nigeria sacrificed their blood, sweat and everything they have to
bring about this democracy. Today, we have seen that the beneficiaries
of our democracy are our elected officers andnot the people, which is
why they are treating us with disdain. We are here to say NO."
In the same vein, the protest walk tagged"Save our Democracy",which
kicked off from the testing ground bus stop on Agidimgbi road Ikeja,
terminated at the Governor's office in Alausa.
Coordinator of the Group, Mr Raji-Rasheed Oyewumi said that the
protest rally was all about protecting the nation's democracy.
Oyewumi stated that "we want to warn those in power to be careful and
to sensitize Nigerians on the need for active participation in the
polity".
He said that Nigeria needed a democracy that would benefit all and not a few.
The CCS Coordinator decried the developments in the Rivers House of
Assembly urging those concerned to call themselves to order in the
interestof peace of the nation.
Oyewumi seized the opportunity to advice the National Assembly to vote
for local government autonomy in the on-going vote on amended portions
ofthe 1999 constitution.
He also urged the Lawmakers to vote against the immunity clause
insisting that it would make the nation's leaders sit up.
Chief of Staff to governor Fashola, Mr Lanre Babalola who received the
protesters on behalf of the governor, said that he would extend the
issue forwhich the were protesting to the governor.
CIVIL Society groups under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society,
CCS, Tuesday stormed the office of Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde
Fashola to register their displeasure over the political crisis in
Rivers State.
They also warned political jobbers in the country against truncating
the nation's democracy.
Speaking during the protest, the coordinator of Coalition of Civil
Societies, Comrade Raji Rasheed stated that the protest was about
democracy and Nigeria, saying "we arenot happy with the show of shame
in Rivers State. In 1966, people said such issue was a party one and
at the end ofthe day military took over. So we do not want such thing
to repeat itself. So all of us must come together and call them to
order. We cannot just fold our hand and look."
He said that the rally was organised to protect the nation's
democracy, notingthat "we want to warn those in power to be careful
and to sensitize Nigerianson the need for active participation in the
polity".
A coalition of civil society groups during the protest in Lagos
The CCS Coordinator decried the developments in Rivers state urging
those concerned to call themselves to order in the interest of peace.
He seized the opportunity to advice the National Assembly to vote for
local government autonomy and vote against the immunity clause in the
on-going efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of Concerned Human Rights Nigeria,
Comrade Declan Ihekaire said the protest was against anti-democratic
elements in the country and the need to protect the nation's
democracy.
Ihekaire said "we are saying no to those who want to truncate the
democracy that we fought for. We are saying that whoever that are
causing the trouble should be called to order. President Goodluck
Jonathan should also call his wife to order, women make issues bigger
than it should be. We are saying that the President's wife should be
quiet in this matter."
He said the crisis in Rivers State was capable of crippling the
nation's democracy adding that most of the actors involved never
fought for democracy.
On his part, the Executive Director of Centre for Rights and
Grassroots Initiative, Mr Nelson Ekujumi, said the protest was " to
express our displeasure and to pass a message to the National
Assembly, that we won't fold our hands and watch any of our elected
officers truncate our democracy because the Nigerians sacrificed their
blood, sweat and everything they have to bring about this democracy.
Today, we have seen that the beneficiaries of our democracy are our
elected officers andnot the people, which is why they are treating us
with disdain. We are here to say 'NO'."
The protest walk tagged "Save our Democracy", which kicked off from
the testing ground bus stop on Agidimgbi road Ikeja, terminated at the
Governor's office in Alausa.
Governor Babatunde Fashola, represented by his Chief of Staff , Mr
Lanre Babalola, assured the protesters of prompt delivery of their
message to the appropriate authorities.
We're not happy with show of shame in Rivers
*Warn politicians against truncating democracy
By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE
CIVIL Society groups under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society,
CCS, yesterday stormed the office of Lagos State governor, Mr
Babatunde Fasholato register their displeasure over the political
crisis inRivers State.
They also warned political jobbers in the country against truncating
the nation's democracy.
Speaking during the protest, the coordinator of Coalition of Civil
Societies, Comrade Raji Rasheed stated that the protest was about
democracy and Nigeria, saying "we arenot happy with the show of shame
in Rivers State. In 1966, people said such issue was a party one and
at the end ofthe day military took over. So we do not want such thing
to repeat itself. So all of us must come together and call them to
order. We cannot just fold our hand and look."
Also, coordinator of Concerned Human Rights Nigeria, Comrade Declan
Ihekaire said the protest was against anti-democratic elements in the
country and the need to protect the nation's democracy.
Ihekaire said "we are saying no to those who want to truncate the
democracy that we fought for. We are saying that whoever that are
causing the trouble should be called to order. President Goodluck
Jonathan should also call his wife to order, women make issues bigger
than it should be. We are saying that the President's wife should be
quiet in this matter."
He said the crisis in Rivers State was capable of crippling the
nation's democracy adding that most of the actors involved never
fought for democracy.On his part, Executive Director of Centre for
Rights and Grassroots Initiative, Mr Nelson Ekujumi, said "thisprotest
is about the state of our democracy. We cannot fold our hands and
watch the Presidency truncate the democracy we have all laboured for.
We saw it start at the Governor's Forum when President Goodluck
Jonathan, who claims to have a doctorate degree, telling the Nigeria
people that 16 is greater 19. So we wonder what type of school he went
to. In arithmetic, we know that 19 is greater than 16. And he has
translated this level of impunity to Rivers State, with the current
show of shame going in the state."
He added that "we are today to express our displeasure and to pass a
message to the National Assembly, that we won't fold our hands and
watch any of our elected officers truncate our democracy because the
Nigeria sacrificed their blood, sweat and everything they have to
bring about this democracy. Today, we have seen that the beneficiaries
of our democracy are our elected officers andnot the people, which is
why they are treating us with disdain. We are here to say NO."
In the same vein, the protest walk tagged"Save our Democracy",which
kicked off from the testing ground bus stop on Agidimgbi road Ikeja,
terminated at the Governor's office in Alausa.
Coordinator of the Group, Mr Raji-Rasheed Oyewumi said that the
protest rally was all about protecting the nation's democracy.
Oyewumi stated that "we want to warn those in power to be careful and
to sensitize Nigerians on the need for active participation in the
polity".
He said that Nigeria needed a democracy that would benefit all and not a few.
The CCS Coordinator decried the developments in the Rivers House of
Assembly urging those concerned to call themselves to order in the
interestof peace of the nation.
Oyewumi seized the opportunity to advice the National Assembly to vote
for local government autonomy in the on-going vote on amended portions
ofthe 1999 constitution.
He also urged the Lawmakers to vote against the immunity clause
insisting that it would make the nation's leaders sit up.
Chief of Staff to governor Fashola, Mr Lanre Babalola who received the
protesters on behalf of the governor, said that he would extend the
issue forwhich the were protesting to the governor.
Monday, July 29, 2013
2015: We will surprise those predicting crisis in APC – Edebiri
By BILESANMI OLALEKAN
Solomon Edebiri contested the 2012 governorship election on the
platform of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, in Edo State. His party
is teaming up with other parties to form the now All Progressives
Congress, APC, for the forthcoming elections. In this interview, he
says the emergence of APC is good for Nigeria, democracy and the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, controlled Federal Government even as
he returns to the drawing board for the 2016 governorship election in
Edo State. Excerpt:
Do you think the APC experiment can work?
Yes, it will work. Let everybody, the Federal Government, PDP support
it because it is only by doing so that theycan help the polity . it is
going to stimulate the polity in a positive direction, it is going to
create healthy competition in the polity, it is a complete exercise of
domination where one party tends to dominate the others. If you look
at the polity today, you will see that it is one national party which
is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Other parties are regional.
ACN is merely a regional party, known in the West. If you look at
ANPP, it only won election in the North-east and West of the North.
And you know certainly well that if you go to APGA, it is a mere
eastern party. The CPC only won election in the North. What the
merger has come to do is to put these regional parties together, so
that we can have a true national party so that while you are saying
PDP is a true national party, you can be saying the same of APC. Of
course other parties like Labour, Accord and the rest will still be
around.
Secondly, having multi-national parties would make the ruling party to
be on its toes so that it can sit up, because once you know there are
other parties which can remove you in the next election, you will
work hard. This is a positive development, we should pray for its
success, and we should allow it to work.
Your party appears not to see any tangible merit in the emergency rule
in some parts of the North. Do you agree?
I don't think there is any time too late to impose emergency rule in
these troubled states. It is better to act late than not acting at
all. The decision of the president is well taken. We cannot have two
governments in a nation. Youcannot have two military authorities ina
country. When a group tries to make the nation ungovernable, of course
thecommander-in-chief of the armed forces rose to the occasion. I
believe he should have taken the decision earlier, but, as I said
earlier, every government has its style.
The style of the president may be to explore all options until when
all options seem not to be working, he can now take the inevitable one
whichwas the emergency rule. And I hope it corrects the situation at
the end of the day. But, beyond that, I think we should look for a
permanent solution to insecurity in the country, I believe it should
be addressed permanently. People cannot just wake up one day and start
taking the people for a ride just because they feel they have arms and
become lords unto themselves. It is like those who are kidnapping
people for a million naira and above which has suddenly become
free-for-all trade. I think the president must rise up to these
challenges.
Solomon Edebiri
You contested under the ANPP platform during the last election, though
some have argued that it was agood man contesting on the platform of a
wrong party?
One problem we have in politics is thatwhen you lose election, you go
back tosleep. I think that is immaturity. As soon as the election was
over, I called my people that we should go back to the drawing board
and start strategizing for 2016; so we have started on the road to
2016. That the platform I sought to govern Edo State was faulty was
not correct. Two things worked against us. First, the mentality of the
people. We have not completelytaken away the personality rather
thanparty away from our electoral system,but we are gradually getting
to that. Second is the incumbency factor.
The performance of the governor aided the election in favour of the
governor. Knowing fully well that fromwhere Edo was before coming to
officeafter about 10 years of PDP administration, of course Oshiomole
was making the difference and it was even a visible difference. People
will naturally say, 'oh, this man has done this, let us vote for him
again'. But a lotof people called us at the end of the election
saying, 'don't worry' Edebiri, you are the best candidate in this
contest but please let us allow this man to finish his second term so
that he can conclude all that he has started'.I know that you can
never conclude anything in governance. The only thing is that one
must sustain that continuity factor, so that somebody must be able to
continue from where the immediate person stops. That was another
factor that didn't help our case. And if you look at it, they are
germane factors because nobody would have done otherwise in the faceof
these factors. Now we are going to 2016, there will be no incumbency
factor as everybody is going to be coming on a level playing ground
and a lot of us will go into the primaries as APC, not ANPP against
ACN or CPC. All ofus are going into the same house to vie for one
ticket.
Many people think the primaries could actually be the beginning of the
end ofAPC eventually?
Contest is contest, it has nothing to do with unity of the party. The
party is one but when one, two, three, four begin to have an interest
in a particular position, of course the party will be divided along
that line. The party would be split into four interest groups, in fact
into five because there is going to be a group that is neither here
nor there. Once the contest is over and one person emerges as the
candidate, everybody will rally together to give him total support.
Are you sure they will?
Of course, there is no reason why they should not.
You talk confidently about a party that is not fully on ground?
Yes I am confident of the party becauseI have been part of the
process, all through. And the way we arrived at thename of the party
,the logo, constitution, manifestoes, the way decisions have been
taken so far by the committee, shows that it is a party that is
united. I have been part of the internal machinery right from the very
day the idea of the merger was mooted. I was and still part of the
merger committee, sub-committees, part of my own party committee, I
was the vice deputy chairman, South–southof my party.
So I am equipped enough to know what is going on. The way we have come
along in the last six months fromFebruary when we said we should form
the merger shows that, yes, therewould be political divide when the
time comes, particularly during internal election, but as soon as it
is over, we shall put it behind us. Like when we were coming up with
the logo, we were divided, may be four different camps, but, as soon
as decision was taken on the type of logo we wanted, everybody came
together and accepted it.
But we have seen how ambitions of members divide parties…
For APC, ambitions should be put aside until we have fully
consummated. A lotof the leaders who are ambitious have said they are
willing to say yes and no;.they are willing to step aside for the
party to carry on. What the people want is what they will take. That
is oneof the decisions that have been taken by a lot of the leaders.
So I don't see a situation where at the end of the day ifyou are given
a position, you will decamp, decamp to where? PDP? You won't go to
PDP.
A political party must have people withambitions, but all of them
cannot be in one office. If 10 people are interested in being a
governor, of course we all know that it is only one person that will
emerge eventually. We must learnto develop accepting favourable
results so that if you win, to God be theglory and if you lose, all
the same, you just move closer to them in order to move the state
forward.
So it is not a do-or-die for you?
No, no. If the people say they don't want me, fine. We will rally
round whoever emerges for the good of the state. The people is the
issue here, notme or the other person contesting. Wemust do everything
in our power to continue to protect their interest. I have my work. I
don't live on politics to survive. I am a professional. If they give
me the opportunity to help my people, fine, if it turns out the other
way, fine, I return to my office, just as I did in 2007 and just as I
have done now.
You contested the last election, and you intend to contest the 2016
election, is it compulsory you contest for the office of governor?
I need a position where I can help my people and the only position
where you can effectively help your people is the executive position.
I have been around many countries of the world and I have seen a lot
of things and I know that there are lot of things still lacking in Edo
State and the only way I can be of help is to go for an elective
position; without that, it will be difficult to achieve all those
things. Yes, as senator, you can have impact but not as immediate as
that of the office of the governor.Do you have the war chest to
execute this ambition?
No, I don't. But it does not end there because politics is changing.
You must not have all the funds to execute the project. We are working
and we are earning money and we are sure that between now and 2016, we
would be able to put in a lot of resources to execute the project.
Because of the way the people have accepted us, we are not going to
spend that kind of money others will be spending for the same project
at the end of the day. We are going to ride on the good will of the
people because they have already seen us, they know our capability and
they know that their money will be safer after Oshiomhole in the hands
of Edebiri; so they will be willing to give us their support. Already
we have grassroots support.
Can you objectively assess governancein Edo State?
I have said it before that this government's performance is a good
departure of the previous. And the governor has done quite a lot but,
given what is on ground, I think he stillhas a lot to cover. But I can
say that the good work he has laid as foundation will help subsequent
governments coming. He has done very well, no doubt about that. As a
matter of fact, his performance is now going to be used as benchmark
for the in-coming government because you must perform better than him
if you must betaken seriously at the end of the day.
Solomon Edebiri contested the 2012 governorship election on the
platform of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, in Edo State. His party
is teaming up with other parties to form the now All Progressives
Congress, APC, for the forthcoming elections. In this interview, he
says the emergence of APC is good for Nigeria, democracy and the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, controlled Federal Government even as
he returns to the drawing board for the 2016 governorship election in
Edo State. Excerpt:
Do you think the APC experiment can work?
Yes, it will work. Let everybody, the Federal Government, PDP support
it because it is only by doing so that theycan help the polity . it is
going to stimulate the polity in a positive direction, it is going to
create healthy competition in the polity, it is a complete exercise of
domination where one party tends to dominate the others. If you look
at the polity today, you will see that it is one national party which
is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Other parties are regional.
ACN is merely a regional party, known in the West. If you look at
ANPP, it only won election in the North-east and West of the North.
And you know certainly well that if you go to APGA, it is a mere
eastern party. The CPC only won election in the North. What the
merger has come to do is to put these regional parties together, so
that we can have a true national party so that while you are saying
PDP is a true national party, you can be saying the same of APC. Of
course other parties like Labour, Accord and the rest will still be
around.
Secondly, having multi-national parties would make the ruling party to
be on its toes so that it can sit up, because once you know there are
other parties which can remove you in the next election, you will
work hard. This is a positive development, we should pray for its
success, and we should allow it to work.
Your party appears not to see any tangible merit in the emergency rule
in some parts of the North. Do you agree?
I don't think there is any time too late to impose emergency rule in
these troubled states. It is better to act late than not acting at
all. The decision of the president is well taken. We cannot have two
governments in a nation. Youcannot have two military authorities ina
country. When a group tries to make the nation ungovernable, of course
thecommander-in-chief of the armed forces rose to the occasion. I
believe he should have taken the decision earlier, but, as I said
earlier, every government has its style.
The style of the president may be to explore all options until when
all options seem not to be working, he can now take the inevitable one
whichwas the emergency rule. And I hope it corrects the situation at
the end of the day. But, beyond that, I think we should look for a
permanent solution to insecurity in the country, I believe it should
be addressed permanently. People cannot just wake up one day and start
taking the people for a ride just because they feel they have arms and
become lords unto themselves. It is like those who are kidnapping
people for a million naira and above which has suddenly become
free-for-all trade. I think the president must rise up to these
challenges.
Solomon Edebiri
You contested under the ANPP platform during the last election, though
some have argued that it was agood man contesting on the platform of a
wrong party?
One problem we have in politics is thatwhen you lose election, you go
back tosleep. I think that is immaturity. As soon as the election was
over, I called my people that we should go back to the drawing board
and start strategizing for 2016; so we have started on the road to
2016. That the platform I sought to govern Edo State was faulty was
not correct. Two things worked against us. First, the mentality of the
people. We have not completelytaken away the personality rather
thanparty away from our electoral system,but we are gradually getting
to that. Second is the incumbency factor.
The performance of the governor aided the election in favour of the
governor. Knowing fully well that fromwhere Edo was before coming to
officeafter about 10 years of PDP administration, of course Oshiomole
was making the difference and it was even a visible difference. People
will naturally say, 'oh, this man has done this, let us vote for him
again'. But a lotof people called us at the end of the election
saying, 'don't worry' Edebiri, you are the best candidate in this
contest but please let us allow this man to finish his second term so
that he can conclude all that he has started'.I know that you can
never conclude anything in governance. The only thing is that one
must sustain that continuity factor, so that somebody must be able to
continue from where the immediate person stops. That was another
factor that didn't help our case. And if you look at it, they are
germane factors because nobody would have done otherwise in the faceof
these factors. Now we are going to 2016, there will be no incumbency
factor as everybody is going to be coming on a level playing ground
and a lot of us will go into the primaries as APC, not ANPP against
ACN or CPC. All ofus are going into the same house to vie for one
ticket.
Many people think the primaries could actually be the beginning of the
end ofAPC eventually?
Contest is contest, it has nothing to do with unity of the party. The
party is one but when one, two, three, four begin to have an interest
in a particular position, of course the party will be divided along
that line. The party would be split into four interest groups, in fact
into five because there is going to be a group that is neither here
nor there. Once the contest is over and one person emerges as the
candidate, everybody will rally together to give him total support.
Are you sure they will?
Of course, there is no reason why they should not.
You talk confidently about a party that is not fully on ground?
Yes I am confident of the party becauseI have been part of the
process, all through. And the way we arrived at thename of the party
,the logo, constitution, manifestoes, the way decisions have been
taken so far by the committee, shows that it is a party that is
united. I have been part of the internal machinery right from the very
day the idea of the merger was mooted. I was and still part of the
merger committee, sub-committees, part of my own party committee, I
was the vice deputy chairman, South–southof my party.
So I am equipped enough to know what is going on. The way we have come
along in the last six months fromFebruary when we said we should form
the merger shows that, yes, therewould be political divide when the
time comes, particularly during internal election, but as soon as it
is over, we shall put it behind us. Like when we were coming up with
the logo, we were divided, may be four different camps, but, as soon
as decision was taken on the type of logo we wanted, everybody came
together and accepted it.
But we have seen how ambitions of members divide parties…
For APC, ambitions should be put aside until we have fully
consummated. A lotof the leaders who are ambitious have said they are
willing to say yes and no;.they are willing to step aside for the
party to carry on. What the people want is what they will take. That
is oneof the decisions that have been taken by a lot of the leaders.
So I don't see a situation where at the end of the day ifyou are given
a position, you will decamp, decamp to where? PDP? You won't go to
PDP.
A political party must have people withambitions, but all of them
cannot be in one office. If 10 people are interested in being a
governor, of course we all know that it is only one person that will
emerge eventually. We must learnto develop accepting favourable
results so that if you win, to God be theglory and if you lose, all
the same, you just move closer to them in order to move the state
forward.
So it is not a do-or-die for you?
No, no. If the people say they don't want me, fine. We will rally
round whoever emerges for the good of the state. The people is the
issue here, notme or the other person contesting. Wemust do everything
in our power to continue to protect their interest. I have my work. I
don't live on politics to survive. I am a professional. If they give
me the opportunity to help my people, fine, if it turns out the other
way, fine, I return to my office, just as I did in 2007 and just as I
have done now.
You contested the last election, and you intend to contest the 2016
election, is it compulsory you contest for the office of governor?
I need a position where I can help my people and the only position
where you can effectively help your people is the executive position.
I have been around many countries of the world and I have seen a lot
of things and I know that there are lot of things still lacking in Edo
State and the only way I can be of help is to go for an elective
position; without that, it will be difficult to achieve all those
things. Yes, as senator, you can have impact but not as immediate as
that of the office of the governor.Do you have the war chest to
execute this ambition?
No, I don't. But it does not end there because politics is changing.
You must not have all the funds to execute the project. We are working
and we are earning money and we are sure that between now and 2016, we
would be able to put in a lot of resources to execute the project.
Because of the way the people have accepted us, we are not going to
spend that kind of money others will be spending for the same project
at the end of the day. We are going to ride on the good will of the
people because they have already seen us, they know our capability and
they know that their money will be safer after Oshiomhole in the hands
of Edebiri; so they will be willing to give us their support. Already
we have grassroots support.
Can you objectively assess governancein Edo State?
I have said it before that this government's performance is a good
departure of the previous. And the governor has done quite a lot but,
given what is on ground, I think he stillhas a lot to cover. But I can
say that the good work he has laid as foundation will help subsequent
governments coming. He has done very well, no doubt about that. As a
matter of fact, his performance is now going to be used as benchmark
for the in-coming government because you must perform better than him
if you must betaken seriously at the end of the day.
Dialogue with Boko Haram is inevitable – Senator Ojudu
BY BASHIR ADEFAKA
Senator Femi Ojudu, a journalist, represents Ekiti Central Senatorial
District in the Senate. He spoke to Sunday Vanguard in his Abuja
office on several national issues.
When you wake up in the morning andyou look at the Nigerian situation,
what comes to your mind?
What comes to my mind is that things could be better and ought to have
been better if we have taken Nigeria seriously.
How do you mean taking Nigeria seriously?
I have a feeling that those of us who are leaders have not taken
Nigeria seriously and there is a need for us to do so, quickly, before
things got out of hand. There are so many problems thatneed to be
solved quickly. And I look atthe environment and see most of our
people moving around without hope; that does not portend a society
that will create a future. Today, the young ones do not even have any
compass as to where they are going, and we are not assisting them to
know. So, how dowe have a future that is going to be better than
today?
When you have a problem and you have a solution, you are happy that
things will get better. But we have so many problems today and nobody
seems to be addressing them or, do I say, they are not being addressed
seriously. There is no hope for a better future if we continue this
way.
When one observes the Nigerian situation so well, it is possible to
see a disconnect between the leadership and followership, which makes
it difficult for anybody to want to believethat there is any good
leader left in the country. What is the problem with Nigeria and the
leaders?It is true that there is a gulf between the leaders and the
led. And this is dueto the fact that the masses lost hope inthe
leaders. Anybody in the position of authority, either at the
executive, legislative or the judicial level, is seen as a thief. And
why it is so is that the people have been betrayed over the years by
the leadership. You believe insomebody and you sing his praise to high
heavens, he gets to the position of power and he begins to do things
contrary to what you have known him to profess. Under no circumstance
would you then believe in such personagain. So, we need to work very
hard to return that credibility into the person because if you are not
trusted by those that you are leading, there is no way they would
follow you. We must work hard to return that credibility.
You were one of those who had it rough under military regime. But
given our current experience under civil rule, some people have been
tempted to say things can be better under the military. What do you
think?
Under no circumstance would I glorify military regime. I believe that
what wehave today, as unfortunate as it may seem, is much better than
the military.Again, we have to be cognizant of history. How did we get
to where we are? History will show you that we were brought to where
we are today by the military. The few years that we had civil rule
before and after independence showed the giant strides the country
made. Suddenly there was military intervention till 1979 when soldiers
handed over power briefly and they came back again up till 1999. So,
all of the things you are seeing today are symptoms that came into
being when we were under the military. Therefore, glorifying the
military is not going to help.
Sen Ojodu
The problem with the country is that our yesterday is always better
than ourtoday and our today, the way things are going, will always be
better than our tomorrow. But we have to stem the tide of this
abnormality.
But what it should be is that today should be better than yesterday…
But it is not so here! That is why somebody, during Obasanjo
administration, say, "Oh, Obasanjo is not good." But now that Obasanjo
is not there, they say, "Oh, Obasanjo was much better than Jonathan."
Today they say Jonathan is not good and may be tomorrow somebody comes
in and they say, "Ah, Jonathan was much better than this." It is so
because, by our attitude to life, our today is always better than our
tomorrow and our yesterday always better than our today. And by that,
you can explain that we are not planning and we are not progressing.
We are not thinking of development. Ifwe are thinking of development,
why should we stop our national planning process? For more than 27
years ago now, we have stopped the national planning process. We
suddenly stopped and nobody cares. Budgets donot get announced in
January any longer and budget for a year gets announced or starts to
be implemented mid-year. That is why we are in this state of ass and
why our people are becoming so despondent. They are becoming cynical
about society. I am saying now that we all have to come together and
say enough is enough and put a stop to this drift.
People like you have always spoken about the way out of our problems
but none of those in positions of authority to make things work seems
to be interested. What new thing is the opposition putting together to
ensure that, whatever it takes, 2015 would be the time to really come
together and say enough is enough?
People are worried, they are concerned and, as a result of that, they
are organizing to ensure that there is change in Nigeria. What I
cannot assure you is whether this is enough or not enough. We again
may have to wait and see how it translates. But I can assure you that
in our different level we are organizing.
Nigerians as a people don't seem to know what they want from the
leadership. And I think this is part of the problem facing us
generally as a people…?
I disagree. I do not believe that Nigerians do not know what they
want. I have my reason for that deduction. For instance, when
President Jonathan removed subsidy in January of 2012, he and his
lieutenants promised heaven and earth as to how funds from the removal
would be reinvested for the good of Nigeria. Today, even the busesthat
were said to be part of the measures to mitigate the effect of the
subsidy removal in Nigerians have been withdrawn from the roads
without anybody talking. And when Mr.President directs FERMA to patch
a portion of a road, you hear people singing his praises. It also
happens in the case of the governors.Again, it is the failure of
leadership at different levels. And when we talk of leadership, we are
not just talking about those in positions of president, governor.
Although we have leadership at the levels of social organizations and
families, it is about lack of vigilance at all levels. We are too
concerned about immediate survival. We want to eat good food, wewant
to live in good houses and we want to ride good cars. And that is what
we are focusing on. We are not focusing on building a society that
will ensure where all of us can live a comfortable a life; where all
of us will leave legacies for those who are yet tobe born.
That is why we are not often consistent in our assessment of
things;that is why you have people say, "Oh, this system is good
because I have benefited from it and that one is bad because I have
not benefited. If I support this, may be I will benefit in future."
Look at the type of trivialities we are all concerned with. People
whochange societies do not look at 'what do I gain' from this thing?
They look at it from the collective interest. Even if I die in the
process of pursuing this, I will have left the society better than I
met it. People who are real and true leaders, that is the way they
think and that is the way they look at life. But here, we are too
short-term in our approach to matters.
Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Inter-Party
Affairs, has called on all parties in the opposition to come and join
hands with Mr. President to enable him moveNigeria forward. What is
your comment?
That is calling for one-party state and, when you have one-party
state, you donot have a democracy. When you talk of democracy, you
talk of having choices to make as to whether I have to go for Party A
or Party B. When it comes to a point whereby everything becomes come
and chop, then we do not have democracy.
And that is the wish of the PDP, that Nigeria should become one-party
state. But that is not going to happen. That is why some of us raise
up our voices in the Senate to say, "Look, some of us are in
opposition and we should carry out the role of opposition." We cannot
continue to berobots that must be led on. So, no matter the
lamentation of people like Obi, Nigeria cannot become one-party state.
This democracy must stand. There must be progress in Nigeria. There
must be plurality of political parties and there must be plurality of
views.
How workable is the emergency rule as solution we all long for in the
North to the insurgency there?
From information from the military chiefs who came to brief the Senate
Committee on Defence of which I am a member, on how far they have gone
inthe course of the emergency rule in those three states, what they
told us was reassuring. They said they had recovered all the grounds
seized by the insurgents and that normalcy had returned to those
places. People are now moving freely. If we have been able to achieve
that, I think we must commend the military officers and men on ground
and those who are managing the emergency process.
How does that affect the issue of call for dialogue by leaders like
Prince BolaAjibola, Chief Olu Falae?
In fact, if the report given by the military chiefs to our committee
is anything to go by, it is about time to dialogue. You dialogue at a
time when your enemy is at the weakest position.You do not dialogue
when the enemy is as powerful as yourself. But when you have pushed
him to a point of surrender, you can then invite him for dialogue.
Senator Femi Ojudu, a journalist, represents Ekiti Central Senatorial
District in the Senate. He spoke to Sunday Vanguard in his Abuja
office on several national issues.
When you wake up in the morning andyou look at the Nigerian situation,
what comes to your mind?
What comes to my mind is that things could be better and ought to have
been better if we have taken Nigeria seriously.
How do you mean taking Nigeria seriously?
I have a feeling that those of us who are leaders have not taken
Nigeria seriously and there is a need for us to do so, quickly, before
things got out of hand. There are so many problems thatneed to be
solved quickly. And I look atthe environment and see most of our
people moving around without hope; that does not portend a society
that will create a future. Today, the young ones do not even have any
compass as to where they are going, and we are not assisting them to
know. So, how dowe have a future that is going to be better than
today?
When you have a problem and you have a solution, you are happy that
things will get better. But we have so many problems today and nobody
seems to be addressing them or, do I say, they are not being addressed
seriously. There is no hope for a better future if we continue this
way.
When one observes the Nigerian situation so well, it is possible to
see a disconnect between the leadership and followership, which makes
it difficult for anybody to want to believethat there is any good
leader left in the country. What is the problem with Nigeria and the
leaders?It is true that there is a gulf between the leaders and the
led. And this is dueto the fact that the masses lost hope inthe
leaders. Anybody in the position of authority, either at the
executive, legislative or the judicial level, is seen as a thief. And
why it is so is that the people have been betrayed over the years by
the leadership. You believe insomebody and you sing his praise to high
heavens, he gets to the position of power and he begins to do things
contrary to what you have known him to profess. Under no circumstance
would you then believe in such personagain. So, we need to work very
hard to return that credibility into the person because if you are not
trusted by those that you are leading, there is no way they would
follow you. We must work hard to return that credibility.
You were one of those who had it rough under military regime. But
given our current experience under civil rule, some people have been
tempted to say things can be better under the military. What do you
think?
Under no circumstance would I glorify military regime. I believe that
what wehave today, as unfortunate as it may seem, is much better than
the military.Again, we have to be cognizant of history. How did we get
to where we are? History will show you that we were brought to where
we are today by the military. The few years that we had civil rule
before and after independence showed the giant strides the country
made. Suddenly there was military intervention till 1979 when soldiers
handed over power briefly and they came back again up till 1999. So,
all of the things you are seeing today are symptoms that came into
being when we were under the military. Therefore, glorifying the
military is not going to help.
Sen Ojodu
The problem with the country is that our yesterday is always better
than ourtoday and our today, the way things are going, will always be
better than our tomorrow. But we have to stem the tide of this
abnormality.
But what it should be is that today should be better than yesterday…
But it is not so here! That is why somebody, during Obasanjo
administration, say, "Oh, Obasanjo is not good." But now that Obasanjo
is not there, they say, "Oh, Obasanjo was much better than Jonathan."
Today they say Jonathan is not good and may be tomorrow somebody comes
in and they say, "Ah, Jonathan was much better than this." It is so
because, by our attitude to life, our today is always better than our
tomorrow and our yesterday always better than our today. And by that,
you can explain that we are not planning and we are not progressing.
We are not thinking of development. Ifwe are thinking of development,
why should we stop our national planning process? For more than 27
years ago now, we have stopped the national planning process. We
suddenly stopped and nobody cares. Budgets donot get announced in
January any longer and budget for a year gets announced or starts to
be implemented mid-year. That is why we are in this state of ass and
why our people are becoming so despondent. They are becoming cynical
about society. I am saying now that we all have to come together and
say enough is enough and put a stop to this drift.
People like you have always spoken about the way out of our problems
but none of those in positions of authority to make things work seems
to be interested. What new thing is the opposition putting together to
ensure that, whatever it takes, 2015 would be the time to really come
together and say enough is enough?
People are worried, they are concerned and, as a result of that, they
are organizing to ensure that there is change in Nigeria. What I
cannot assure you is whether this is enough or not enough. We again
may have to wait and see how it translates. But I can assure you that
in our different level we are organizing.
Nigerians as a people don't seem to know what they want from the
leadership. And I think this is part of the problem facing us
generally as a people…?
I disagree. I do not believe that Nigerians do not know what they
want. I have my reason for that deduction. For instance, when
President Jonathan removed subsidy in January of 2012, he and his
lieutenants promised heaven and earth as to how funds from the removal
would be reinvested for the good of Nigeria. Today, even the busesthat
were said to be part of the measures to mitigate the effect of the
subsidy removal in Nigerians have been withdrawn from the roads
without anybody talking. And when Mr.President directs FERMA to patch
a portion of a road, you hear people singing his praises. It also
happens in the case of the governors.Again, it is the failure of
leadership at different levels. And when we talk of leadership, we are
not just talking about those in positions of president, governor.
Although we have leadership at the levels of social organizations and
families, it is about lack of vigilance at all levels. We are too
concerned about immediate survival. We want to eat good food, wewant
to live in good houses and we want to ride good cars. And that is what
we are focusing on. We are not focusing on building a society that
will ensure where all of us can live a comfortable a life; where all
of us will leave legacies for those who are yet tobe born.
That is why we are not often consistent in our assessment of
things;that is why you have people say, "Oh, this system is good
because I have benefited from it and that one is bad because I have
not benefited. If I support this, may be I will benefit in future."
Look at the type of trivialities we are all concerned with. People
whochange societies do not look at 'what do I gain' from this thing?
They look at it from the collective interest. Even if I die in the
process of pursuing this, I will have left the society better than I
met it. People who are real and true leaders, that is the way they
think and that is the way they look at life. But here, we are too
short-term in our approach to matters.
Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Inter-Party
Affairs, has called on all parties in the opposition to come and join
hands with Mr. President to enable him moveNigeria forward. What is
your comment?
That is calling for one-party state and, when you have one-party
state, you donot have a democracy. When you talk of democracy, you
talk of having choices to make as to whether I have to go for Party A
or Party B. When it comes to a point whereby everything becomes come
and chop, then we do not have democracy.
And that is the wish of the PDP, that Nigeria should become one-party
state. But that is not going to happen. That is why some of us raise
up our voices in the Senate to say, "Look, some of us are in
opposition and we should carry out the role of opposition." We cannot
continue to berobots that must be led on. So, no matter the
lamentation of people like Obi, Nigeria cannot become one-party state.
This democracy must stand. There must be progress in Nigeria. There
must be plurality of political parties and there must be plurality of
views.
How workable is the emergency rule as solution we all long for in the
North to the insurgency there?
From information from the military chiefs who came to brief the Senate
Committee on Defence of which I am a member, on how far they have gone
inthe course of the emergency rule in those three states, what they
told us was reassuring. They said they had recovered all the grounds
seized by the insurgents and that normalcy had returned to those
places. People are now moving freely. If we have been able to achieve
that, I think we must commend the military officers and men on ground
and those who are managing the emergency process.
How does that affect the issue of call for dialogue by leaders like
Prince BolaAjibola, Chief Olu Falae?
In fact, if the report given by the military chiefs to our committee
is anything to go by, it is about time to dialogue. You dialogue at a
time when your enemy is at the weakest position.You do not dialogue
when the enemy is as powerful as yourself. But when you have pushed
him to a point of surrender, you can then invite him for dialogue.
APGA accuses INEC of double standards in crisis
by Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
…As pro-Jonathan groups warn govs to face region's problems and forget 2015…
ABUJA — The attempt by influential Northern leaders to rally support
for a consensus presidential candidate to replace President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2015, has backfired, leading to the emergence of sundry
groups flaying the leaders for trying to dictate to them on the way to
go politically.
The crack in the north came barely twoweeks after the Northern Elders
Forum,the Arewa Consultative Forum and three other groups had met in
Kaduna and resolved to coalesce into a Joint Action Committee with a
view to ensuring the emergence of President in 2015.
Under the plot, which was confirmed to Vanguard by the Secretary of
the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the six groups
had accepted to retain their identities, but to work as a team with a
view to stopping Jonathan's return to the top post.
According to Abdullahi, the move was deliberately initiated to bring
the six groups under one umbrella for easy mobilisation and control as
the race to the Villa gathers momentum.
But barely two weeks after the meeting, some northern groups
sympathetic to Jonathan, have opposed the NEF and its allies in the
north, saying that they did not have the right to dictate to them who
becomes the President of Nigeria in 2015.
Apparently drumming up support for Jonathan's re-election, the groups,
noted that the North had never lined up under any particular candidate
and would not be forced to do so in the next election.
One of the groups, which calls itself, Coalition of Concerned Northern
Youths, CNY, said in Abuja, yesterday, that its members were concerned
overthe role of politicians in the north particularly governors, who
seem to have taken it upon themselves to decide for others who gets
the presidency in 2015.
Mohammed Danjuma, who signed the document in his capacity as the
National Chairman of the CNY, warned the northern governors to stop
meddling into the choice of a president for Nigeria in 2015 but to
concentrate on their mandate to provide service to the down-trodden
masses in the region.
"As concerned youths, we have found it necessary to state that the
governors of the North were not elected to be traversing every nook
and cranny of the country in chartered jets for their own personal
agenda instead of tending to the constitutional responsibility for
which they were elected in the first place.
"We have not only found this behaviour not only appalling but also
repulsive, especially when the North iscurrently suffering from the
devastating effect of insecurity, misrule, endemic poverty caused
mainly by the lukewarm attitude of the leaders of the zone, who have
always taken it upon themselves to tackle problems in other states
leavingtheir home in disarray.
"It is because of these developments that we call on the governors to
take urgent steps to concentrate on developing their states instead of
wasting task payers' money on movingaround the country."BY PETER OKUTU
ABAKALIKI—THE All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, weekend, accused
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of contributing
to the crisis that had plagued it for a long time.
It accused the commission of double standard in matters affecting the
party,arguing that APGA wouldn't have been in court, if INEC had
performed its constitutional function to the letter.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr.
Bernard Akoma, APGA called on INEC to ratify its 2011 national
convention heldin Awka, Anambra State, as any action to the contrary
might spell doom for candidates who would want to run for election on
the platform of the party.
Obi: I didn't create the crisis and Umeh: I will do my party job
He said: "It never said that the convention of APGA in 2011 which was
the issue in contention was properly conducted according to its
constitution. The judgment simply leaves INEC with an opportunity to
do its job in this regard because it monitored the convention.
"The truth remains that APGA would not have been in court if INEC had
performed its constitutional roles in APGA as it has done to PDP. It
is the double standard approach of the Commission that has left APGA
where itis today.
"If the party can remain in crisis, it will not muster the strength to
present a common front for elections. If, however, the party is able
to wriggle out and win election anywhere, the opposition parties will
have enough ground to nullify the election in court because APGA
candidates may not claim to have been nominated by validly elected
organs of the party according to the party constitution.
"The issue therefore is why has APGA convention which is in total
violation of the party guideline for congresses and convention become
acceptable to INEC. If INEC is sincere why has it raised that anomaly
only in PDP leaving APGA to remain in crisis.
"It has been revealed that INEC continuous recognition of that
convention is to ensure that the party loses the forthcoming election
in Anambra state and subsequent ones. Itis a double approach plan by
INEC"
"The ostrich game being played by theIndependent national Electoral
Commission, INEC in the protracted crisis rocking the All Progressives
Grand Alliance, APGA has been identified as one of the several
measures designed to consign APGA into irrelevance.
"The electoral body rather than step out boldly to perform its
constitutionalfunctions of monitoring internal democratic mechanisms
of political parties have to pretend in the case of APGA and instead
decided to take side with a faction of the party in order to keep the
party into perpetual crisis.
" The same INEC has failed to release toMaxi Okwu since May, 2013
certified true copy of APGA congresses at the wards, local government
and states monitored by the commission in 2011 which is a clear
evidence that there was no congress of APGA from the wardlevel to the
state monitored by INEC in 2011.
"Should any list emanate for INEC now on that regard, it will only
reinforce a grand plan to keep APGA in perpetual crisis."
…As pro-Jonathan groups warn govs to face region's problems and forget 2015…
ABUJA — The attempt by influential Northern leaders to rally support
for a consensus presidential candidate to replace President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2015, has backfired, leading to the emergence of sundry
groups flaying the leaders for trying to dictate to them on the way to
go politically.
The crack in the north came barely twoweeks after the Northern Elders
Forum,the Arewa Consultative Forum and three other groups had met in
Kaduna and resolved to coalesce into a Joint Action Committee with a
view to ensuring the emergence of President in 2015.
Under the plot, which was confirmed to Vanguard by the Secretary of
the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the six groups
had accepted to retain their identities, but to work as a team with a
view to stopping Jonathan's return to the top post.
According to Abdullahi, the move was deliberately initiated to bring
the six groups under one umbrella for easy mobilisation and control as
the race to the Villa gathers momentum.
But barely two weeks after the meeting, some northern groups
sympathetic to Jonathan, have opposed the NEF and its allies in the
north, saying that they did not have the right to dictate to them who
becomes the President of Nigeria in 2015.
Apparently drumming up support for Jonathan's re-election, the groups,
noted that the North had never lined up under any particular candidate
and would not be forced to do so in the next election.
One of the groups, which calls itself, Coalition of Concerned Northern
Youths, CNY, said in Abuja, yesterday, that its members were concerned
overthe role of politicians in the north particularly governors, who
seem to have taken it upon themselves to decide for others who gets
the presidency in 2015.
Mohammed Danjuma, who signed the document in his capacity as the
National Chairman of the CNY, warned the northern governors to stop
meddling into the choice of a president for Nigeria in 2015 but to
concentrate on their mandate to provide service to the down-trodden
masses in the region.
"As concerned youths, we have found it necessary to state that the
governors of the North were not elected to be traversing every nook
and cranny of the country in chartered jets for their own personal
agenda instead of tending to the constitutional responsibility for
which they were elected in the first place.
"We have not only found this behaviour not only appalling but also
repulsive, especially when the North iscurrently suffering from the
devastating effect of insecurity, misrule, endemic poverty caused
mainly by the lukewarm attitude of the leaders of the zone, who have
always taken it upon themselves to tackle problems in other states
leavingtheir home in disarray.
"It is because of these developments that we call on the governors to
take urgent steps to concentrate on developing their states instead of
wasting task payers' money on movingaround the country."BY PETER OKUTU
ABAKALIKI—THE All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, weekend, accused
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of contributing
to the crisis that had plagued it for a long time.
It accused the commission of double standard in matters affecting the
party,arguing that APGA wouldn't have been in court, if INEC had
performed its constitutional function to the letter.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr.
Bernard Akoma, APGA called on INEC to ratify its 2011 national
convention heldin Awka, Anambra State, as any action to the contrary
might spell doom for candidates who would want to run for election on
the platform of the party.
Obi: I didn't create the crisis and Umeh: I will do my party job
He said: "It never said that the convention of APGA in 2011 which was
the issue in contention was properly conducted according to its
constitution. The judgment simply leaves INEC with an opportunity to
do its job in this regard because it monitored the convention.
"The truth remains that APGA would not have been in court if INEC had
performed its constitutional roles in APGA as it has done to PDP. It
is the double standard approach of the Commission that has left APGA
where itis today.
"If the party can remain in crisis, it will not muster the strength to
present a common front for elections. If, however, the party is able
to wriggle out and win election anywhere, the opposition parties will
have enough ground to nullify the election in court because APGA
candidates may not claim to have been nominated by validly elected
organs of the party according to the party constitution.
"The issue therefore is why has APGA convention which is in total
violation of the party guideline for congresses and convention become
acceptable to INEC. If INEC is sincere why has it raised that anomaly
only in PDP leaving APGA to remain in crisis.
"It has been revealed that INEC continuous recognition of that
convention is to ensure that the party loses the forthcoming election
in Anambra state and subsequent ones. Itis a double approach plan by
INEC"
"The ostrich game being played by theIndependent national Electoral
Commission, INEC in the protracted crisis rocking the All Progressives
Grand Alliance, APGA has been identified as one of the several
measures designed to consign APGA into irrelevance.
"The electoral body rather than step out boldly to perform its
constitutionalfunctions of monitoring internal democratic mechanisms
of political parties have to pretend in the case of APGA and instead
decided to take side with a faction of the party in order to keep the
party into perpetual crisis.
" The same INEC has failed to release toMaxi Okwu since May, 2013
certified true copy of APGA congresses at the wards, local government
and states monitored by the commission in 2011 which is a clear
evidence that there was no congress of APGA from the wardlevel to the
state monitored by INEC in 2011.
"Should any list emanate for INEC now on that regard, it will only
reinforce a grand plan to keep APGA in perpetual crisis."
2015: North’s opposition against Jonathan cracks
by Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
…As pro-Jonathan groups warn govs to face region's problems and forget 2015…
ABUJA — The attempt by influential Northern leaders to rally support
for a consensus presidential candidate to replace President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2015, has backfired, leading to the emergence of sundry
groups flaying the leaders for trying to dictate to them on the way to
go politically.
The crack in the north came barely twoweeks after the Northern Elders
Forum,the Arewa Consultative Forum and three other groups had met in
Kaduna and resolved to coalesce into a Joint Action Committee with a
view to ensuring the emergence of President in 2015.
Under the plot, which was confirmed to Vanguard by the Secretary of
the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the six groups
had accepted to retain their identities, but to work as a team with a
view to stopping Jonathan's return to the top post.
According to Abdullahi, the move was deliberately initiated to bring
the six groups under one umbrella for easy mobilisation and control as
the race to the Villa gathers momentum.
But barely two weeks after the meeting, some northern groups
sympathetic to Jonathan, have opposed the NEF and its allies in the
north, saying that they did not have the right to dictate to them who
becomes the President of Nigeria in 2015.
Apparently drumming up support for Jonathan's re-election, the groups,
noted that the North had never lined up under any particular candidate
and would not be forced to do so in the next election.
One of the groups, which calls itself, Coalition of Concerned Northern
Youths, CNY, said in Abuja, yesterday, that its members were concerned
overthe role of politicians in the north particularly governors, who
seem to have taken it upon themselves to decide for others who gets
the presidency in 2015.
Mohammed Danjuma, who signed the document in his capacity as the
National Chairman of the CNY, warned the northern governors to stop
meddling into the choice of a president for Nigeria in 2015 but to
concentrate on their mandate to provide service to the down-trodden
masses in the region.
"As concerned youths, we have found it necessary to state that the
governors of the North were not elected to be traversing every nook
and cranny of the country in chartered jets for their own personal
agenda instead of tending to the constitutional responsibility for
which they were elected in the first place.
"We have not only found this behaviour not only appalling but also
repulsive, especially when the North iscurrently suffering from the
devastating effect of insecurity, misrule, endemic poverty caused
mainly by the lukewarm attitude of the leaders of the zone, who have
always taken it upon themselves to tackle problems in other states
leavingtheir home in disarray.
"It is because of these developments that we call on the governors to
take urgent steps to concentrate on developing their states instead of
wasting task payers' money on movingaround the country."
…As pro-Jonathan groups warn govs to face region's problems and forget 2015…
ABUJA — The attempt by influential Northern leaders to rally support
for a consensus presidential candidate to replace President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2015, has backfired, leading to the emergence of sundry
groups flaying the leaders for trying to dictate to them on the way to
go politically.
The crack in the north came barely twoweeks after the Northern Elders
Forum,the Arewa Consultative Forum and three other groups had met in
Kaduna and resolved to coalesce into a Joint Action Committee with a
view to ensuring the emergence of President in 2015.
Under the plot, which was confirmed to Vanguard by the Secretary of
the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the six groups
had accepted to retain their identities, but to work as a team with a
view to stopping Jonathan's return to the top post.
According to Abdullahi, the move was deliberately initiated to bring
the six groups under one umbrella for easy mobilisation and control as
the race to the Villa gathers momentum.
But barely two weeks after the meeting, some northern groups
sympathetic to Jonathan, have opposed the NEF and its allies in the
north, saying that they did not have the right to dictate to them who
becomes the President of Nigeria in 2015.
Apparently drumming up support for Jonathan's re-election, the groups,
noted that the North had never lined up under any particular candidate
and would not be forced to do so in the next election.
One of the groups, which calls itself, Coalition of Concerned Northern
Youths, CNY, said in Abuja, yesterday, that its members were concerned
overthe role of politicians in the north particularly governors, who
seem to have taken it upon themselves to decide for others who gets
the presidency in 2015.
Mohammed Danjuma, who signed the document in his capacity as the
National Chairman of the CNY, warned the northern governors to stop
meddling into the choice of a president for Nigeria in 2015 but to
concentrate on their mandate to provide service to the down-trodden
masses in the region.
"As concerned youths, we have found it necessary to state that the
governors of the North were not elected to be traversing every nook
and cranny of the country in chartered jets for their own personal
agenda instead of tending to the constitutional responsibility for
which they were elected in the first place.
"We have not only found this behaviour not only appalling but also
repulsive, especially when the North iscurrently suffering from the
devastating effect of insecurity, misrule, endemic poverty caused
mainly by the lukewarm attitude of the leaders of the zone, who have
always taken it upon themselves to tackle problems in other states
leavingtheir home in disarray.
"It is because of these developments that we call on the governors to
take urgent steps to concentrate on developing their states instead of
wasting task payers' money on movingaround the country."
Constitution Amendment: Majority had their say but minority their way – Ekweremadu
BY HENRY UMORU & JOSEPH ERUNKE
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (CFR), is the chairman
Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. In an
interview with Senate Correspondents, he spoke on Senate's
clause-by-clause voting exercise on the Constitution amendment
process, noting that the requirement of two-third and not simple
majority for amendments to sail through sank many proposed amendments
in the Senate. Excerpts:
Your committee made recommendations that were largely popular among
Nigerians. Are you surprised that some of them were not passed by your
colleagues?
Let me say straight away that I am speaking for the Committee on
Constitutional Amendment. I am just giving you the position of things
regarding our recommendations to the Senate. People voted in
accordance with their consciences and the dictates of their
constituencies.
When we sent our recommendations, we had no delusions whatsoever that
all the recommendations will go through. We believed that some will go
through and some may not. But I believe that as a committee, we were
justified in our conscience that we recommended to our colleagues what
we believed to be in the best interest of Nigeria.
Constitution amendment
So, if people are protesting that we didn't pass it, again I think it
is a justification of the position taken by our committee that, that
was also good. So for me it is like giving a nod to those
recommendations we made. We believed that those things were right but
of course, this is democracy and our colleagues are entitled to
votethe way they wanted. So, the only thing I can say is that the
issue of constitution amendment is a continuum. If in the future we
have theopportunity of going through this process again, these issues
that they feel strongly about will be revisited.
Just as the issue of independence of State Houses of Assembly, you
will recall that though the Section in that particular exercise failed
in the hands of the states Assembly themselves, butthere were
agitations that we need to ensure that it happens. Because of that, we
have brought it back in this exercise and subsequently it has gone
through the Senate and hopefully, it will go through the House of
Representatives and we will send it to the states. If it passes
through the states, it means that we were right to bring it back.
So what will happen to the ones that people are agitating for is to
representthem again when the opportunities come, and recommend to our
colleagues for possible consideration because we cannot be actively
indifferent to the feelings of Nigerians.Possibly, by then our
colleagues will be able to have sufficient votes to see them through.
Don't forget that what is needed to pass any part of the amendments is
two-third, which is 73 votes and some of the amendments got as much as
70, which is a majority. So, what we are saying is that most of the
amendmentsthat failed to pass had more than half of the Senate votes
and this shows that they were quite popular with the Senate, but
because we needed two-thirds, there was nothing we could do about.
This is a situation where the majority will have their say but the
minority will have their way. We believe that in the future, we will
revisit them.
Is it possible to bring back some of the failed clauses into the
amendment process during harmonization?
The answer is yes because once we have set up the harmonization
committee, it is going to be with the mandate of the Senate. If the
House voted positively for it and we voted it out and we believe that
the House members were right, then we will concur with them and it
forms part of the harmonized version and then we bring it back to our
people for voting. That is sincere enough. The fact that it failed in
the Senate will not stop us from adopting it if the House recommends
it and we are convinced that it is the right thing to do.
Sen. Ekweremadu
Your committee recommended that Section 29(4)(b) of the Constitution
be deleted because it infringes on the rights of the girl child. The
inability of the Senate to delete it has obviously put the Upper
Chamber in the eye of the storm. What is the way out?
You are right. The decision of the Senate on this part has been widely
misinterpreted, misreported, and totally taken out of context. In
fact, a highly respected national daily wrote in its editorial that
"Under Section 29 (4a and 4b) of the Constitution, a woman shall not
be qualified for marriage until she is 18 years of age. The Senate, on
Wednesday, proposed to change that provision to 'a woman is deemed to
be of full age once she is married', irrespective of the age she did
so".
This, as you are aware, is totally untrue. First, Section 29 of the
Constitution has absolutely nothing to do with child-marriage. Rather,
the Section in question is about Renunciation of Citizenship.The
section reads: 29. (1) Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes
to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shallmake a declaration in the
prescribed manner for the renunciation.
(2) The President shall cause the declaration made under subsection
(1)of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the
person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of
Nigeria.
Public policy
(3) The President may withhold the registration of any declaration
made under subsection (1) of this section if-
(a) the declaration is made during any war in which Nigeria is
physically involved; or
(b) in his opinion, it is otherwise contrary to public policy.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section.
(a) "full age" means the age of eighteen years and above;
(b) any woman who is married shall bedeemed to be of full age.
So, Section 29(4)(b) is specifically and unambiguously for the
purposes of renunciation of citizenship, not marriage.
In doing its work, the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999
Constitution went through the Constitution to fish out and recommend
for amendment other provisions such as Section 26(2)(a) and Section
42(1) deemed to be discriminatory against Nigerian citizens. These
were passed.
In the same vein, Section 29(4)(b) was recommended for deletion
because the committee considered it discriminatory. Section 29(4)(a)
has already defined "full age" as age eighteen and above. We
considered it gender discriminatory and imbalance to place the man and
woman on different scales in matters of citizenship renunciation.
If there is no gender discrimination in matters relating to voting
rights, education age, driving age, and so on, we felt this
discrimination was abnormal and, in fact, an inelegant drafting. As
such, it was recommended for deletion, but could not pass eventually.
In essence, the Senate has not done anything new to that part of the
Constitution. Therefore, on the issue ofSection 29, I want to appeal
to Nigerians to please show understanding, to possibly read this
Section and understand that the issue has nothing to do with early
marriage. It has nothing to do with Islam. Essentially, it has to do
with the renunciation of citizenship.
Sen. Ekweremadu
So, you have to give it a proper perspective. I want to assure them
thatin the future, we are ready to revisit it if Nigerians feel
strongly about it. We have no Bill to approve early marriage.We are
not sponsoring any Bill against Islam.
Renunciation of citizenship
This particular provision has been in our Constitution since 1979.
Ours was an attempt to remove that aspect so that men and women would
have equal footing regarding the issue of renunciation of citizenship.
And we will never support early marriage.
On the issue of Section 29, one of your colleagues addressed a press
conference where he pleaded that he voted in error. What is your take
on this?
I am not in a position to say whether they looked at it or not. The
only thing I can say is regarding my colleague from Ondo State. It has
been said that he made a mistake in the process of voting and I
believe him because he had no reason to vote against that particular
clause.
Secondly, in the Senate, just as in the House of Representatives, our
pattern of voting is usually voice vote. You will recall that it is
only when we are voting in constitutional amendment that we insist on
electronic voting so itis almost a new thing and some are not used to
it. So we tried to do it over and over before we proceeded. So, it was
possible for anybody to make a mistake and press "No" instead of "Yes"
and press "Absent" instead of "Present". I understand that it was
quite possible for one to make a mistake.
What is your take on comments that your Committee's recommendations on
Section 9 which was passed by the Senate to create a process for
enactinga new Constitution is a ploy to silence the agitation for a
Sovereign National Conference?
We are not trying to silence anything. Rather, we are trying to ensure
that we cover all interests, including the interest of those who are
asking for a new constitution or a constitutional conference. Now, as
you say in law, you can't put something on nothing and expect it to
stand. Our stand has been yes, Nigerians may need a new constitution,
Nigerians may need a conference, but there must be a legal foundation
for it. There is no way we can go and set up a group of people to
start writing a constitution. On what basis? Where do you derive the
authority from? So, that has been the problem.As I said, you can't put
something on nothing and expect it to stand, otherwise, you are
calling for anarchy. We decided after going round in other
jurisdictions to do what others have done in the past- like Kenya,
Zimbabwe and Brazil. They too had no such provisions in their
constitutions and the first thing they did was to put in their
constitutions the powers to make a new constitution or the processes
through which that can happen, then thereafter, they proceeded to do a
new constitution.
So you cannot be calling for a referendum or sovereign national
conference, when there is no such provision for it. Where do you get
the powers to do so? So, we decided to putin place a legal foundation
upon whichnot only the National Assembly who has been given powers
under Section 4 of the constitution to make laws for the country, to
do so, but also to ensure that the people are directly involved in the
process.
This is why we now decided to involve the people directly to have the
final say on the constitution through a referendum. That is what we
have done now. So that has taken care of all interests- the interest
of those who are asking that Nigerians should be involved and the
interest of the National Assembly who are saying it is our
constitutional power under Section 4 to make laws for this country.So,
Section 9 covers both interests andwe believe that if it scales
through, that will be one of the best things to have happened to this
country.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (CFR), is the chairman
Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. In an
interview with Senate Correspondents, he spoke on Senate's
clause-by-clause voting exercise on the Constitution amendment
process, noting that the requirement of two-third and not simple
majority for amendments to sail through sank many proposed amendments
in the Senate. Excerpts:
Your committee made recommendations that were largely popular among
Nigerians. Are you surprised that some of them were not passed by your
colleagues?
Let me say straight away that I am speaking for the Committee on
Constitutional Amendment. I am just giving you the position of things
regarding our recommendations to the Senate. People voted in
accordance with their consciences and the dictates of their
constituencies.
When we sent our recommendations, we had no delusions whatsoever that
all the recommendations will go through. We believed that some will go
through and some may not. But I believe that as a committee, we were
justified in our conscience that we recommended to our colleagues what
we believed to be in the best interest of Nigeria.
Constitution amendment
So, if people are protesting that we didn't pass it, again I think it
is a justification of the position taken by our committee that, that
was also good. So for me it is like giving a nod to those
recommendations we made. We believed that those things were right but
of course, this is democracy and our colleagues are entitled to
votethe way they wanted. So, the only thing I can say is that the
issue of constitution amendment is a continuum. If in the future we
have theopportunity of going through this process again, these issues
that they feel strongly about will be revisited.
Just as the issue of independence of State Houses of Assembly, you
will recall that though the Section in that particular exercise failed
in the hands of the states Assembly themselves, butthere were
agitations that we need to ensure that it happens. Because of that, we
have brought it back in this exercise and subsequently it has gone
through the Senate and hopefully, it will go through the House of
Representatives and we will send it to the states. If it passes
through the states, it means that we were right to bring it back.
So what will happen to the ones that people are agitating for is to
representthem again when the opportunities come, and recommend to our
colleagues for possible consideration because we cannot be actively
indifferent to the feelings of Nigerians.Possibly, by then our
colleagues will be able to have sufficient votes to see them through.
Don't forget that what is needed to pass any part of the amendments is
two-third, which is 73 votes and some of the amendments got as much as
70, which is a majority. So, what we are saying is that most of the
amendmentsthat failed to pass had more than half of the Senate votes
and this shows that they were quite popular with the Senate, but
because we needed two-thirds, there was nothing we could do about.
This is a situation where the majority will have their say but the
minority will have their way. We believe that in the future, we will
revisit them.
Is it possible to bring back some of the failed clauses into the
amendment process during harmonization?
The answer is yes because once we have set up the harmonization
committee, it is going to be with the mandate of the Senate. If the
House voted positively for it and we voted it out and we believe that
the House members were right, then we will concur with them and it
forms part of the harmonized version and then we bring it back to our
people for voting. That is sincere enough. The fact that it failed in
the Senate will not stop us from adopting it if the House recommends
it and we are convinced that it is the right thing to do.
Sen. Ekweremadu
Your committee recommended that Section 29(4)(b) of the Constitution
be deleted because it infringes on the rights of the girl child. The
inability of the Senate to delete it has obviously put the Upper
Chamber in the eye of the storm. What is the way out?
You are right. The decision of the Senate on this part has been widely
misinterpreted, misreported, and totally taken out of context. In
fact, a highly respected national daily wrote in its editorial that
"Under Section 29 (4a and 4b) of the Constitution, a woman shall not
be qualified for marriage until she is 18 years of age. The Senate, on
Wednesday, proposed to change that provision to 'a woman is deemed to
be of full age once she is married', irrespective of the age she did
so".
This, as you are aware, is totally untrue. First, Section 29 of the
Constitution has absolutely nothing to do with child-marriage. Rather,
the Section in question is about Renunciation of Citizenship.The
section reads: 29. (1) Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes
to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shallmake a declaration in the
prescribed manner for the renunciation.
(2) The President shall cause the declaration made under subsection
(1)of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the
person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of
Nigeria.
Public policy
(3) The President may withhold the registration of any declaration
made under subsection (1) of this section if-
(a) the declaration is made during any war in which Nigeria is
physically involved; or
(b) in his opinion, it is otherwise contrary to public policy.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section.
(a) "full age" means the age of eighteen years and above;
(b) any woman who is married shall bedeemed to be of full age.
So, Section 29(4)(b) is specifically and unambiguously for the
purposes of renunciation of citizenship, not marriage.
In doing its work, the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999
Constitution went through the Constitution to fish out and recommend
for amendment other provisions such as Section 26(2)(a) and Section
42(1) deemed to be discriminatory against Nigerian citizens. These
were passed.
In the same vein, Section 29(4)(b) was recommended for deletion
because the committee considered it discriminatory. Section 29(4)(a)
has already defined "full age" as age eighteen and above. We
considered it gender discriminatory and imbalance to place the man and
woman on different scales in matters of citizenship renunciation.
If there is no gender discrimination in matters relating to voting
rights, education age, driving age, and so on, we felt this
discrimination was abnormal and, in fact, an inelegant drafting. As
such, it was recommended for deletion, but could not pass eventually.
In essence, the Senate has not done anything new to that part of the
Constitution. Therefore, on the issue ofSection 29, I want to appeal
to Nigerians to please show understanding, to possibly read this
Section and understand that the issue has nothing to do with early
marriage. It has nothing to do with Islam. Essentially, it has to do
with the renunciation of citizenship.
Sen. Ekweremadu
So, you have to give it a proper perspective. I want to assure them
thatin the future, we are ready to revisit it if Nigerians feel
strongly about it. We have no Bill to approve early marriage.We are
not sponsoring any Bill against Islam.
Renunciation of citizenship
This particular provision has been in our Constitution since 1979.
Ours was an attempt to remove that aspect so that men and women would
have equal footing regarding the issue of renunciation of citizenship.
And we will never support early marriage.
On the issue of Section 29, one of your colleagues addressed a press
conference where he pleaded that he voted in error. What is your take
on this?
I am not in a position to say whether they looked at it or not. The
only thing I can say is regarding my colleague from Ondo State. It has
been said that he made a mistake in the process of voting and I
believe him because he had no reason to vote against that particular
clause.
Secondly, in the Senate, just as in the House of Representatives, our
pattern of voting is usually voice vote. You will recall that it is
only when we are voting in constitutional amendment that we insist on
electronic voting so itis almost a new thing and some are not used to
it. So we tried to do it over and over before we proceeded. So, it was
possible for anybody to make a mistake and press "No" instead of "Yes"
and press "Absent" instead of "Present". I understand that it was
quite possible for one to make a mistake.
What is your take on comments that your Committee's recommendations on
Section 9 which was passed by the Senate to create a process for
enactinga new Constitution is a ploy to silence the agitation for a
Sovereign National Conference?
We are not trying to silence anything. Rather, we are trying to ensure
that we cover all interests, including the interest of those who are
asking for a new constitution or a constitutional conference. Now, as
you say in law, you can't put something on nothing and expect it to
stand. Our stand has been yes, Nigerians may need a new constitution,
Nigerians may need a conference, but there must be a legal foundation
for it. There is no way we can go and set up a group of people to
start writing a constitution. On what basis? Where do you derive the
authority from? So, that has been the problem.As I said, you can't put
something on nothing and expect it to stand, otherwise, you are
calling for anarchy. We decided after going round in other
jurisdictions to do what others have done in the past- like Kenya,
Zimbabwe and Brazil. They too had no such provisions in their
constitutions and the first thing they did was to put in their
constitutions the powers to make a new constitution or the processes
through which that can happen, then thereafter, they proceeded to do a
new constitution.
So you cannot be calling for a referendum or sovereign national
conference, when there is no such provision for it. Where do you get
the powers to do so? So, we decided to putin place a legal foundation
upon whichnot only the National Assembly who has been given powers
under Section 4 of the constitution to make laws for the country, to
do so, but also to ensure that the people are directly involved in the
process.
This is why we now decided to involve the people directly to have the
final say on the constitution through a referendum. That is what we
have done now. So that has taken care of all interests- the interest
of those who are asking that Nigerians should be involved and the
interest of the National Assembly who are saying it is our
constitutional power under Section 4 to make laws for this country.So,
Section 9 covers both interests andwe believe that if it scales
through, that will be one of the best things to have happened to this
country.
African leaders can overcome obstacles – Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan Monday in Abuja called on African leaders
to take more concrete steps towards fulfilling their often declared
commitment to improving trade and economic relations amongst African
countries and that with the right will and commitment African leaders
can overcome obstacles.
Speaking with the outgoing Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs.
Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, President Jonathan said that there was an
urgentneed for African leaders to move beyond declarations of support
for greater intra-African trade and act in unison to overcome
obstacles which currently hinder economic relations between the
nations and people of the continent.
President Jonathan said that with the right political will and
commitment, African leaders could speedily overcome all obstacles to
intra-African trade such as poor transportation links and achieve a
significant boost in continental economic interaction for the benefit
of their countries and peoples.
The President pledged that Nigeria will continue to spearhead and
support efforts aimed at promoting regional and continental economic
integration, saying that existing cordial political relations between
most African countries will be further enhanced by greater trade and
economic relations amongst them.
He commended Mrs. Ashipala-Musavyi for working diligently to boost
bilateral relations between Nigeria and Namibia during her tenure as
High Commissioner in Abuja and wished hersuccess at her new post in
the Namibian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
President Jonathan similarly commended Ghana's outgoing High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Baba Kamara whom he also received at
the Presidential Villa on Monday.
Noting that bilateral relations between Nigeria and Ghana have
beenfurther strengthened in several areas during Alhaji Kamara's
four-year tenure, President expressed the hope that the outgoing High
Commissioner's successor will continue his good work.
"We must continue to build and strengthen the cordial relations
between us. We are the same people and colonial boundaries must not be
allowed to keep us apart," President Jonathan told Alhaji Kamara.
According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, of the over 200
projects registered by it last year, Nigeria had 42 projects with a
value of almost $200 million U.S. Dollars. Only China accounted for
more registered projects in Ghana during the period with 56 projects.
to take more concrete steps towards fulfilling their often declared
commitment to improving trade and economic relations amongst African
countries and that with the right will and commitment African leaders
can overcome obstacles.
Speaking with the outgoing Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs.
Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, President Jonathan said that there was an
urgentneed for African leaders to move beyond declarations of support
for greater intra-African trade and act in unison to overcome
obstacles which currently hinder economic relations between the
nations and people of the continent.
President Jonathan said that with the right political will and
commitment, African leaders could speedily overcome all obstacles to
intra-African trade such as poor transportation links and achieve a
significant boost in continental economic interaction for the benefit
of their countries and peoples.
The President pledged that Nigeria will continue to spearhead and
support efforts aimed at promoting regional and continental economic
integration, saying that existing cordial political relations between
most African countries will be further enhanced by greater trade and
economic relations amongst them.
He commended Mrs. Ashipala-Musavyi for working diligently to boost
bilateral relations between Nigeria and Namibia during her tenure as
High Commissioner in Abuja and wished hersuccess at her new post in
the Namibian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
President Jonathan similarly commended Ghana's outgoing High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Baba Kamara whom he also received at
the Presidential Villa on Monday.
Noting that bilateral relations between Nigeria and Ghana have
beenfurther strengthened in several areas during Alhaji Kamara's
four-year tenure, President expressed the hope that the outgoing High
Commissioner's successor will continue his good work.
"We must continue to build and strengthen the cordial relations
between us. We are the same people and colonial boundaries must not be
allowed to keep us apart," President Jonathan told Alhaji Kamara.
According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, of the over 200
projects registered by it last year, Nigeria had 42 projects with a
value of almost $200 million U.S. Dollars. Only China accounted for
more registered projects in Ghana during the period with 56 projects.
2015: Politicians want todistract me – President Jonathan
The President Monday said politicians who are desperate about power
want to distract him from delivering on the mandate given to him by
Nigerians to move the country to a greater level because of their
ambition in 2015.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben
Abati who state this while appearing on a Ray Power Radio Programme
monitored in Abuja noted that the president has consistently state
that he is determined to deliver on the mandate given to him by
Nigerians and will not allow himself to be distracted the campaign for
2015.
President Goodluck Jonathan
According to Dr Abati, " the President has never at any time discussed
2015. He has never at any time say this is his position on 2015.
His position has been consistent and straight forward and that has
been the president saying look let's focus on governance.
"If the Nigerian people have given youan assignment it is your
assignment to deliver and move the country forward, that is what we
want to focus on.
And that was the statement about the mid term report that was publicly
presented. Two years down the line the President presented to the
Nigerian people scorecard of what he has been able to do.
He said I took over and now two years down the line I have moved the
country forward, this is the evidence. Nobody has been able to dispute
the evidence.
want to distract him from delivering on the mandate given to him by
Nigerians to move the country to a greater level because of their
ambition in 2015.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben
Abati who state this while appearing on a Ray Power Radio Programme
monitored in Abuja noted that the president has consistently state
that he is determined to deliver on the mandate given to him by
Nigerians and will not allow himself to be distracted the campaign for
2015.
President Goodluck Jonathan
According to Dr Abati, " the President has never at any time discussed
2015. He has never at any time say this is his position on 2015.
His position has been consistent and straight forward and that has
been the president saying look let's focus on governance.
"If the Nigerian people have given youan assignment it is your
assignment to deliver and move the country forward, that is what we
want to focus on.
And that was the statement about the mid term report that was publicly
presented. Two years down the line the President presented to the
Nigerian people scorecard of what he has been able to do.
He said I took over and now two years down the line I have moved the
country forward, this is the evidence. Nobody has been able to dispute
the evidence.
FG widens charges against Lebanese ‘Hezbollah agents’
The Federal Government, Monday, filedan additional 10-count terrorism
charge against the three Lebanese suspects, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdullahi
Thahini and Tahal Roda, accused of complicity in the illegal
importation of arms into Nigeria.
The action of the FG brought the total charge against the accused
persons who were said to belong to the military wing of an alleged
Lebanon based terrorist group, Hezbollah, to 16-counts.
Meanwhile, the three suspects who were charged alongside their
businessoutfits, Amigo Supermarket Limited and Wonderland Amusement
Park Resort, Monday, pleaded not guilty to the amended charge and were
subsequently remanded in custody of the Department of State Services,
DSS, by trial Justice Ademola Adeniyi.
charge against the three Lebanese suspects, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdullahi
Thahini and Tahal Roda, accused of complicity in the illegal
importation of arms into Nigeria.
The action of the FG brought the total charge against the accused
persons who were said to belong to the military wing of an alleged
Lebanon based terrorist group, Hezbollah, to 16-counts.
Meanwhile, the three suspects who were charged alongside their
businessoutfits, Amigo Supermarket Limited and Wonderland Amusement
Park Resort, Monday, pleaded not guilty to the amended charge and were
subsequently remanded in custody of the Department of State Services,
DSS, by trial Justice Ademola Adeniyi.
Gani Adams Challenges Fasheun to Name His Sponsors Or Cover His FaceIn Shame
Gani Adams, the leader of a faction of the Odua People's Congress
(OPC), has described as a wolf in sheep's skin the septuagenarian
leader of the other faction, Mr. Fredrick Fasheun over the latter's
controversial solidarity with recently acquitted Major Hamza
Al-Mustapha.
The criticism is contained in a statement released by the organization
and signed by the General Secretary, Mr. Tanimowo Babajide, and the
Publicity Secretary, Akeem Ologunro
Referring to Fasheun's threat to nameAdam's sponsors, he challenged
Fasehun to come out and name them or cover his face in shame and keep
quiet.
"Unlike Fasheun, whose antecedents have proved beyond any doubt that
he has always had a price tag that can be paid for anytime by the
highest bidder, Otunba Gani Adams has remained consistent with the
dream behind the formation of the OPC, which was to fight for the
rights of theYoruba race and the right for self-determination," the
statement said.
It noted that "the same people who are paying [Fasheun's] bills" tried
several times to enlist the support of Otunba Adams to support their
cry for the release of their man, Al-Mustapha,but he rebuffed them on
each occasion, remaining steadfast to upholding the Yoruba's age-long
logic of 'Oruko rere san j'owo lo'.
Mr. Adams described Mr. Fasheun as a flip-flopper who has over time
reneged on collective objectives and values to pursue personal
political interests in the company of oppressors of the masses. In
doing so,Adams said that Fasehun's greed has manifested from the time
of General Sanni Abacha, who callously attempted to elongate his stay
in power.
The fraudulent scheme, according to Gani, attracted Fasehun who had
fallen in with the military dictator, even though he also publicly
claimed a stance again the gruesome murder of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.
The statement further said that the OPC, which was said to have formed
to collectively demand justice and restore the mandate of the June 12,
1993 presidential election to the winner, late Chief MKO Abiola, broke
into factions from the greed of Mr. Fasehun which most members of the
group felt was antithetical to the objective that created OPC.
The statement is reproduced below:
FASEHUN A WOLF IN SHEEP'S SKIN
With the comments credited to the Dr. Fredrick Fasheun's group in
Sunday Punch, casting aspersion on the person of Otunba Gani Adams, it
is now very clear to us that Fasehun has chosen to thread the path of
perfidy and self-destruct, with all the dire consequences.
Ordinarily, we would have dismissed the comments as coming from a
drowning man seeking to hold onto anything for survival, having
realized his grievous and damning miscalculation, but we have realized
that there is need for us to answer him and put the records straight.
While trying to justify his support for Major Al-Mustapha, Fasehun, in
the story, entitled 'Gani Adams sponsoredto criticize me, claimed
that Otunba Adams was sponsored to criticize him, and that the
sponsors were afraid of his (Fasehun's) acceptance in the North.
Laughable as this accusation may seem, we would, however, want him and
his cohorts to stick to the subject matter rather than beat around
it. Let him be reminded that Otunba Adams' criticism was based on
Fasehun's unholy romance with Al-Mustapha, who was fingered in the
killing of late
Kudirat Abiola, a Yoruba woman and wife of late MKO Abiola, the martyr
of our democracy.
He also claimed that his visit to Kano had given his political party a
politicalmileage in the North, and that OtunbaAdams is losing members
in drove.
With his threat to name the alleged sponsors of Otunba Adams, Fasehun
would do well to come out and name the sponsors now or better still
cover his face in shame and keep quiet. Unlike Fasehun, whose
antecedents have proved beyond any doubt that he has always had a
price tag that can be paid for anytime by the highest bidder, Otunba
Gani Adams has remained consistent with the dream behind the formation
of the OPC, which was to fight for the rights of theYoruba race and
the right for self-determination.
At this juncture, let us inform Fasehun that the same people who are
paying his bills tried several times to enlist the support of Otunba
Adams to support their cry for the release of their man, Al-Mustapha,
but he rebuffed them on each occasion, remaining steadfast to
upholding the Yoruba's age-long logic of 'Oruko reresan j'owo lo'. But
it is now very clear that Fasehun knows little or nothing about this
age-long practice.
Recent happenings have also confirmed our suspicions over the role
played by Fasehun in the crisis that engulfed the OPC in the past.
While professing to fight for the rights of the Yoruba race, Fasehun
hadalways been a mole eating from both sides of the mouth. For the
benefits ofthose who do not know the genesis of the crisis, it started
after a large portion of our members realized that Fasehun was trying
to use the group as a platform to join the Abacha's five political
arrangements in 1998.In those dark days of the battle for
therestoration of the June 12 mandate, most of us were always
surprised thatAbacha and his men always seemed to know much about our
strategies and plans. But we are now convinced that the source of
those leaks was no other person but Fasehun. What this means is that
Fasehun's unholy alliance with Al-Musapha predates his trial for the
murder of Kudirat. No wonder then, that in 2008, after visiting the
Abachas, Fasehun came out to say the late dictator was the best
president for Nigeria.
In trying to deceive the Yoruba race, Fasehun decided to choose the
UPN as the name for his political party. He also claimed that his
visit to Kano has given his party a political mileage. But nothing can
be further from the truth than this claim. Fasehun's party lacks any
base in any part of the country. His case is like a builder who starts
construction from the roof rather than the foundation. All popular
political parties have their strong base and followers in the base of
the founder. This perhaps informedthe decision of political parties
like APGA, AD (later ACN) and the CPC to first build a base in their
strongholds before seeking further acceptance outside of their bases.
But where can we say is the strong base of Fasehun'sUPN? Fasehun is
like the ostrich that covers its head in sand, and forgettingthat its
anus is open to everybody.
There is no gain repeating the fact that Fasehun is misrepresenting
the OPC and the Yoruba race in general. His claim that we are losing
members in dove is indeed laughable. Let us state here that the truth
of the matteris that true members of the OPC who are still loyal to
the original cause of the group have left the Fasehun group to join
our group, and many more have shown interest in joining us having
realized Fasehun's deceit and warped
sense of leadership.
I hereby throw an open challenge to Fasehun to join me on a walk on
the street of any town in Yorubaland for a popularity test if he is
truly sure of his acceptance.
Barrister Tanimowo
Babajide,
comrade. Akeem Ologunro,
General Secretary, OPC Publicity secretary
(OPC), has described as a wolf in sheep's skin the septuagenarian
leader of the other faction, Mr. Fredrick Fasheun over the latter's
controversial solidarity with recently acquitted Major Hamza
Al-Mustapha.
The criticism is contained in a statement released by the organization
and signed by the General Secretary, Mr. Tanimowo Babajide, and the
Publicity Secretary, Akeem Ologunro
Referring to Fasheun's threat to nameAdam's sponsors, he challenged
Fasehun to come out and name them or cover his face in shame and keep
quiet.
"Unlike Fasheun, whose antecedents have proved beyond any doubt that
he has always had a price tag that can be paid for anytime by the
highest bidder, Otunba Gani Adams has remained consistent with the
dream behind the formation of the OPC, which was to fight for the
rights of theYoruba race and the right for self-determination," the
statement said.
It noted that "the same people who are paying [Fasheun's] bills" tried
several times to enlist the support of Otunba Adams to support their
cry for the release of their man, Al-Mustapha,but he rebuffed them on
each occasion, remaining steadfast to upholding the Yoruba's age-long
logic of 'Oruko rere san j'owo lo'.
Mr. Adams described Mr. Fasheun as a flip-flopper who has over time
reneged on collective objectives and values to pursue personal
political interests in the company of oppressors of the masses. In
doing so,Adams said that Fasehun's greed has manifested from the time
of General Sanni Abacha, who callously attempted to elongate his stay
in power.
The fraudulent scheme, according to Gani, attracted Fasehun who had
fallen in with the military dictator, even though he also publicly
claimed a stance again the gruesome murder of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.
The statement further said that the OPC, which was said to have formed
to collectively demand justice and restore the mandate of the June 12,
1993 presidential election to the winner, late Chief MKO Abiola, broke
into factions from the greed of Mr. Fasehun which most members of the
group felt was antithetical to the objective that created OPC.
The statement is reproduced below:
FASEHUN A WOLF IN SHEEP'S SKIN
With the comments credited to the Dr. Fredrick Fasheun's group in
Sunday Punch, casting aspersion on the person of Otunba Gani Adams, it
is now very clear to us that Fasehun has chosen to thread the path of
perfidy and self-destruct, with all the dire consequences.
Ordinarily, we would have dismissed the comments as coming from a
drowning man seeking to hold onto anything for survival, having
realized his grievous and damning miscalculation, but we have realized
that there is need for us to answer him and put the records straight.
While trying to justify his support for Major Al-Mustapha, Fasehun, in
the story, entitled 'Gani Adams sponsoredto criticize me, claimed
that Otunba Adams was sponsored to criticize him, and that the
sponsors were afraid of his (Fasehun's) acceptance in the North.
Laughable as this accusation may seem, we would, however, want him and
his cohorts to stick to the subject matter rather than beat around
it. Let him be reminded that Otunba Adams' criticism was based on
Fasehun's unholy romance with Al-Mustapha, who was fingered in the
killing of late
Kudirat Abiola, a Yoruba woman and wife of late MKO Abiola, the martyr
of our democracy.
He also claimed that his visit to Kano had given his political party a
politicalmileage in the North, and that OtunbaAdams is losing members
in drove.
With his threat to name the alleged sponsors of Otunba Adams, Fasehun
would do well to come out and name the sponsors now or better still
cover his face in shame and keep quiet. Unlike Fasehun, whose
antecedents have proved beyond any doubt that he has always had a
price tag that can be paid for anytime by the highest bidder, Otunba
Gani Adams has remained consistent with the dream behind the formation
of the OPC, which was to fight for the rights of theYoruba race and
the right for self-determination.
At this juncture, let us inform Fasehun that the same people who are
paying his bills tried several times to enlist the support of Otunba
Adams to support their cry for the release of their man, Al-Mustapha,
but he rebuffed them on each occasion, remaining steadfast to
upholding the Yoruba's age-long logic of 'Oruko reresan j'owo lo'. But
it is now very clear that Fasehun knows little or nothing about this
age-long practice.
Recent happenings have also confirmed our suspicions over the role
played by Fasehun in the crisis that engulfed the OPC in the past.
While professing to fight for the rights of the Yoruba race, Fasehun
hadalways been a mole eating from both sides of the mouth. For the
benefits ofthose who do not know the genesis of the crisis, it started
after a large portion of our members realized that Fasehun was trying
to use the group as a platform to join the Abacha's five political
arrangements in 1998.In those dark days of the battle for
therestoration of the June 12 mandate, most of us were always
surprised thatAbacha and his men always seemed to know much about our
strategies and plans. But we are now convinced that the source of
those leaks was no other person but Fasehun. What this means is that
Fasehun's unholy alliance with Al-Musapha predates his trial for the
murder of Kudirat. No wonder then, that in 2008, after visiting the
Abachas, Fasehun came out to say the late dictator was the best
president for Nigeria.
In trying to deceive the Yoruba race, Fasehun decided to choose the
UPN as the name for his political party. He also claimed that his
visit to Kano has given his party a political mileage. But nothing can
be further from the truth than this claim. Fasehun's party lacks any
base in any part of the country. His case is like a builder who starts
construction from the roof rather than the foundation. All popular
political parties have their strong base and followers in the base of
the founder. This perhaps informedthe decision of political parties
like APGA, AD (later ACN) and the CPC to first build a base in their
strongholds before seeking further acceptance outside of their bases.
But where can we say is the strong base of Fasehun'sUPN? Fasehun is
like the ostrich that covers its head in sand, and forgettingthat its
anus is open to everybody.
There is no gain repeating the fact that Fasehun is misrepresenting
the OPC and the Yoruba race in general. His claim that we are losing
members in dove is indeed laughable. Let us state here that the truth
of the matteris that true members of the OPC who are still loyal to
the original cause of the group have left the Fasehun group to join
our group, and many more have shown interest in joining us having
realized Fasehun's deceit and warped
sense of leadership.
I hereby throw an open challenge to Fasehun to join me on a walk on
the street of any town in Yorubaland for a popularity test if he is
truly sure of his acceptance.
Barrister Tanimowo
Babajide,
comrade. Akeem Ologunro,
General Secretary, OPC Publicity secretary
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