Politicians Setting Rivers On Fire – Ex-SSS DG

Politicians have been accused of setting Rivers
State on fire for their own selfish interests even
as the Soku oil wells dispute and the jostle for
political space between the All Progressives
Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, have been identified as the major cause of
the political crisis in the oil-rich state.
A former
Director General, State Security Service (SSS),
Chief Albert Horsfall, who made this known in a
statement issued in Port Harcourt Wednesday,
also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to
intervene to ensure that the state and the
nation are not plunged into turmoil.
He said: "As an elder statesman, not involved in
current partisan politics, my main interest is to
advise and caution against the repeat of some
of the irresponsible practices which in the past
had landed the state and even Nigeria in serious
turmoil and bloodshed; and indeed to protect
the interest and wellbeing of the ordinary people
from the repeat of similar sad events of the
recent past.
"The latest in the series of regrettable events
appeared centred on two issues, namely the
issue of Soku oil wells and the political activities
in the state, of the newly created APC and PDP
led by leaders of these parties, Governor
Chibuike Amaechi, and his group and
Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom
Wike, and his group".
On the issue of Suku oil wells, Horsfall, who also
was Chairman of defunct Oil Minerals Producing
Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC),
said while both Rivers and Bayelsa States had
laid claims to the oil wells, the matter now
seemed to be further made worse by the issue
of oil proceeds from the disputed oil wells and
as to which state ought to receive the
payments.
According to Horsfall, who is from Kalabari,
"Ordinarily, the people in these areas of the two
neighbouring states are all Ijaws and therefore
brothers. Whereas the two governments will be
more interested in allocation of the oil proceeds,
these communities are in fact rather interested
in territories and peoples.
"The communities concerned have for hundred
years been indigenes of Kalabari (in Rivers) or
Nembe (in Bayelsa) as the case may be.
Therefore, what these communities are
interested in is to return to the status quo ante
so that those who are Kalabari will remain in
Kalabari territory and those who are Nembe will
remain in Nembe territory. Pure and simple!
"I am therefore calling on President Jonathan to
intervene and either restore the position as they
were before the disputed administrative map of
2000 or to order a stay of action on both sides in
claiming and counter claiming one position or
the other until an amicable and agreeable
solution has been found to the issue by a
competent tribunal or court of law".
On the recent turn of events in the political
scene of Rivers State, Horsfall recalled that last
year he warned politicians on the implications of
encouraging ex-militants to return to the streets
by engaging them in partisan politics.
"Apparently, my advice had never been heeded
because it would appear that many of these
elements are still being encouraged by
politicians to return to their previous activities in
support of partisan politics. This, to say the
least, is regrettable. Politicians from both sides
will do well to practice politics as we understand
it, canvass for votes, mount rallies, picket
individuals and groups for their own interest", he
said.
The former number one spy chief lamented that
both parties in the political feud in the state
were not only engaging the ex-militants but also
the police in their desperation for political
control, adding that the trend was setting the
state on fire.
"To discover that as it appears now, both parties
are once again instigating and supporting
political violence and even getting the Nigerian
police allegedly involved in favour of one party
or the other is bad politics and therefore
condemnable. The latest violent event is the
one that led to the alleged shooting with rubber
bullets of a distinguished Senator of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. Surely such inimical
practices are not good politics, not in anyone's
interest and must stop immediately.
"The Nigerian police even in the days of some of
the worst tensions in this country such the one
that has led to the civil war, had usually been
seen to be impartial and professional.
"Once again, the time has come to call on the
police authorities to insulate their personnel at
all level from being involved in these alleged
acts and to maintain their usual good integrity
and impartiality especially in this matter of
partisan politics.
"Also we must advise political parties not to
encourage their members to break the law like
the recent case of the legislator who allegedly
brazenly and wilfully allowed his car to be used
to crush a serving police officer and an alleged
political opponent to death, events which led
the police to release the questionable story that
the legislator then tried to flee from justice via
the state government`s owned private jet. That
must be properly investigated and the culprits
brought speedily to book", Horsfall said.
He appealed to all sides to sheathe their swords
and allow peace to reign in Rivers State so as to
allow the ordinary folks go about their daily lives
without fear of violence and unnecessary
tension.
"I will want to conclude by saying that politics is
for politicians. Both sides are free to play politics
according to the rules. But don't bring the police
into politics and don't play politics with the
police", he cautioned.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Aregbesola Tasks INEC On Free, Fair, Credible Polls In Ekiti, Osun

Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola
has said for the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to be credible in the
forthcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun States, it
must conduct itself in such a way that it will be
difficult to find fault with the commission in the
management of the process.
This was just
as he noted that his bid to contest for a second
term in office is the best way to pursue his
objectives on governance as well as maintaining
the dictate of the constitution to meet his
aspiration for people of the state.
Aregbesola, who made this known yesterday in
a chat with media practitioners in Osogbo, the
state capital, recommended that the voter
register for the elections must be sacrosanct
such that whoever is registered is not denied the
right to vote as was experienced in Anambra
State governorship election.
He also advised INEC to ensure that election
materials are given to those who can manage
the effective distribution of such materials with
the assurance that it would get to polling unit as
expected.
According to him, "For INEC to be seen as
credible, it should ensure that election materials
are not given to people who cannot manage it,
the results as announced at the various centres
are not influenced and that they must be as
they were at the polling units.
"People must be free during the period of
election to exercise their franchise; from the
register to the management of the electoral
materials, process and procedure of voting and
the ultimate declaration of results, there must
be transparency that would satisfied the most
cynical and skeptical Nigerian.
"Once those essentials are met, then INEC will
be out of blame. To guarantee security, the
police and other security agencies must ensure
that nobody takes undue advantage or
manipulate the process".
On the issue of seeking re-election, the governor
stated that if not for the people, he would not
seek to return to office. He argued that before
assuming office, he had a mission of running a
people-centered administration that would give
meaning to the lives of people of the state,
adding that what's he has done with governance
was unprecedented in the history of the South
West state.
According to him, "We have done what most
people claimed has never been done in the
history of the state, we are so people-centered
that it will be difficult for us to abandon the
people mid-stream.
"The best way to pursue our objectives about
governance is to run the whole hug of the
mandate give to us by the constitution and the
people, and that will give us enough time to
meet all our aspiration for the people, therefore,
it is in the interest of the people that we are
seeking re- election".
The governor faulted a system where three
separate arms of government are competing for
their share of whatever is available to the state.
Aregbesola held that the system is wasteful and
that no serious developing nation must consider
it as its own structure of government, adding
that it is out of tune with the African nature.
He also recommended the parliamentary
system of government which he described as
one embodied arm of government.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Breaking News: OBJ Leaves PDP, Says He Cannot Stand a Wanted Criminal as Zonal Party Leader in the South-West

The season of letters continued on January
11, 2014, Saturday, as a new document from
Olusegun Obasanjo has leaked the web.
In the new message OBJ narrates about his
decision to withdraw activites in the ruling party,
PDP.
The photocopy of the letter dated January 7, 2014,
has been published by SaharaReporters:
See the full message below:
January 7, 2014
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,
National Chairman,
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP
National Headquarters,
Wadate House, Abuja
Dear Chairman,
While I believe that a good and truly national
political party must be a microcosm of the
nation in its membership made up of all sorts of
characters from near-saints to near-satan, I also
believe that on no account should a known
habitual criminal that is wanted abroad to face
criminal that is wanted abroad to face criminal
charges leveled against him should be extolled
as a political leader in a respectable and
wholesome nation-building political party.
Buruhi Kasharnu has been so extolled in PDP in
South-West geo-political zone which I personally
find unsavoury. Politics played by any national
political party must have morality, decency,
discipline, principles and leadership examples
as cardinal practices of the Party. O have
attached here recent documents that clearly
indicated that your extolled PDP Zonal Leader
in the South-West Zone of Nigeria and in
indigene of Ogun State is, to say the least, not a
credit to the Party as a member let along being
a zonal leader.
Since I stack in my practice of party politics to
the hallowed and cherished principles
enunciated above, I take this opportunity to let
you know that while I continue to remain a
card-carrying member of PDP, I cannot and I
will not subscribe to a wanted habitual criminal
being installed as my zonal leader in the Party;
a criminal for who extradition has been
requested by the US Government, in the
meantime, I will consider withdrawing my
activity with PDP at Local, State, Zonal and
national levels until the anomalous and
shameful situation is corrected.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Olusegun Obasanjo
Copy to: President Goodluck Jonathan

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

2014 Budget for Lagos State Is Approved

Lagos State House of Assembly has
approved a total N489.69b to be spent
by the state government during the
2014 fiscal year. The finalised sum is
by 3.43 percent lower than the budget
for 2013.
Out of the total sum, N234.665 billion is for
recurrent while N255.025 billion is for capital
expenditure.
The Assembly, presided over by the Speaker, Hon.
Adeyemi Ikuforiji, passed the Budget, having
considered the outcome of its Appropriation
Committee headed by Hon. Obasa.
The Committee had read a breakdown of the
budget on sectoral basis, even as the committee
has reduced allocations to some ministries,
agencies and departments (MDAs) and added to
others, based on their needs.
The breakdown of the budget is given below:
Education - N51.378 billion
Health - N22.07billion
Works and Infrastructure - N100.12billion
Environment - N25.67 billion.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Jonathan Okays PDP BoT Visit To Obasanjo Over Letters

The
chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, is
leading other top leaders of the board in a
renewed effort to end the well-publicised rift
between President Goodluck Jonathan and his
estranged political godfather, ex-President
Olusegun Obasanjo.
Anenih and his
team, it was learnt, have the president's
blessing and have resolved to intervene at the
BoT meeting scheduled for next week in Abuja.
Their intervention, sources in the BoT said, is to
ensure that the ruling party goes into 2015 a
united house.
President Jonathan and Obasanjo had engaged
in a game of denial last year over speculation
that their once rosy relationship had turned sour
and what proved to be incontrovertible evidence
that their relationship had broken down
irretrievably, was the exchange of open letters
on some burning national issues at the tail-end
of 2013.
Since the exchange of letters became public and
the tension it generated in the polity
heightened, moves have been made to
reconcile both leaders to enable the PDP settle
down to the rigours of strategizing for 2015
electioneering campaigns.
A top PDP BoT member, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity, said a lot was being
done underground to reconcile the two leaders
of the party.
"It is true that the Board of Trustees of our party
has resolved to intervene in the feud between
President Jonathan and former president
Obasanjo. The matter must be urgently resolved
in order to put the party back on the track as we
approach the general elections.
"Nobody is happy with the situation and a lot is
being done behind the scenes to address it and
reconcile the two leaders. The party needs the
two of them operating on the same page in
order to stop the opposition from destroying the
country," he said.
"Whether it is on the agenda [of the BoT] or not,
we are deliberating on the issue with a view to
bringing the two leaders together.
"It is when they are together that our party can
move forward. Our chairman, Chief Tony
Anenih, is interested and we the trustees are
also interested. We don't mind going to meet
Obasanjo in Ota or Abeokuta. We have the
support of President Jonathan who is the leader
of the party", he added.
The source explained President Jonathan's
dilemma in replying the former president's letter
saying, "He would have shelved the idea but
doing so would mean admitting all the grave
allegations leveled against him, and replying the
letter would escalate it. But it was a situation
when silence was no longer golden".

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Fresh Crisis Hits PDP As NWC Members Ask Jonathan To Drop Tukur

If
feelers coming out of Thursday's Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) National Working
Committee, NWC, meeting with President
Goodluck Jonathan is anything to go by, the
days of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as National
Chairman of the ruling party may have been
numbered and it is only a matter of time before
he is asked to go.
The president,
who reportedly only got first-hand knowledge of
the depth to which the goodwill of the
embattled national chairman had sunk within
the party, watched on Thursday night in
disbelief as 11 members of the organ openly
revolted against Tukur in what could best be
described as a stormy meeting.
The displeased NWC members told Jonathan
that the party would fumble at the 2015 general
elections with Tukur at the helm of affairs.
Stunned by the development, the president
reportedly rose on his feet and told members of
the NWC: "Anyway, we have meetings next
week" before he dismissed his guests shortly
after and made his way out of the venue of the
meeting which held at the presidential villa.
The PDP Board of Trustees and the National
Executive Committee are scheduled to meet on
Wednesday, January 15 and Thursday, January
16 to "chart a course for the party following
mass defection of members to the All
Progressives Congress (APC)".
Thursday's meeting it was reliably gathered was
meant to douse the tension in the party in the
build up to the NEC and BoT meetings. It was
also particularly called on account of a
perceived cold war between Tukur and Deputy
National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus.
It, however, turned out that almost all the NWC
members had bone or the other to pick with
Tukur, because as it turned out, the session
provided a vantage opportunity for the anti-
Tukur forces to openly confront him with his
alleged sins in the presence of President
Jonathan.
According to a source, Tukur was put to task on
such allegations as:
•Holding party /NWC meetings at Tukur's
residence instead of the PDP Secretariat;
•Running a parallel NWC, leaving Tukur to take
decisions on critical party matters with only his
aides;
•Mass defection from the PDP due to lack of
confidence in Tukur;
•Governors, National Assembly members, BOT,
NEC unhappy with Tukur;
•No concrete achievements since Tukur took
over in the last two years. He could not even
complete the ongoing National Secretariat of the
party;
•Globe-trotting without any result to enhance
the electoral fortunes of the party;
•Lack of access to Tukur sometimes for two
weeks.
The source said: "The meeting was amazing and
the President was shocked when he asked each
NWC member to talk.
"Of the 12 NWC members at the meeting, 11
spoke against Tukur. Tukur was only there
rationalizing his actions.
"A pin-drop silence dominated the venue at the
Villa because the President did not know that
the situation had degenerated.
Another source said: "At a point, NWC members
prevailed on the President to ask Tukur a
question: What benefit has Tukur added to the
PDP since he came on board?
"The NWC members demanded a response
which they could not get at the session.
"They also went further to ask Tukur to tell the
President which of the organs of the party is
happy or pleased with him. Is it the BOT or NEC
or NWC or National Caucus?"
A third source at the meeting said the NWC
members pointedly told the president that the
PDP cannot win elections in 2015, if Tukur
remains in charge and the situation in the party
continues to deteriorate.
He said the NWC members accused Tukur of
unilaterally taking crucial decisions and passing
instructions instructions to the NWC through his
aides "in a cabinet that every member is equal
having been elected at the National Convention
of the party.
"We also drew the attention of the party to the
fact that Tukur has not been able to complete
the ongoing construction of the National
Secretariat of the PDP which was started by a
former National Chairman of the party, Dr.
Ahmadu Ali".
The source said: "The President did not respond
to issues raised, but he merely said: 'Anyway,
we have meetings next week.' That was how
the session ended".
However, a source in the embattled chairman's
camp said: "The meeting was a confidence-
building session between the NWC and President
Goodluck Jonathan to put the PDP in a better
shape.
"The President asked Tukur and NWC members
to close ranks. He pleaded for peace and
reconciliation.
"I think the President may still meet with NWC
members on Sunday", he said.
Among those who attended the meeting
according to the sources included the National
Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; Deputy National
Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; National
Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju; National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh; National
Organising Secretary, Abubakar Mustapha;
National Treasurer; National Financial Secretary,
Elder Bolaji Anani; National Woman Leader, Mrs
Kema Chikwe; National Legal Adviser, Victor
Kwom and National Youth Leader, Abdullahi
MaiBasira. Only the Deputy National Secretary,
Onwe Solomon Onwe was said to be absent
because he was still in the East.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Alleged Non-Remittance Of Crude Oil Proceeds To Federation Account: Act ‘Presidentially’ By Suspending Sanusi Now – Ezeife Tells Jonathan

Third
Republic governor of Anambra state, Dr.
Chukwuemeka Ezeife yesterday called on
President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately
suspend the Governor of Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over
the alleged false alarm he raised concerning the
non-remittance of $49.8 billion crude oil
proceeds by the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, into the federation account.
The CBN
governor has since clarified that only about
$10.8 billion is yet to be accounted for; a figure
the government-run oil corporation insists is not
missing.
Ezeife made the call yesterday while speaking
to Saturday Vanguard in Abuja.
"I am surprised. I didn't know that the report of
the CBN indicating that a whopping sum of
$49.8 billion was missing from the federation
account was false. That gives the impression
that the CBN Governor is working against the
government he is serving. He tried to make
President Jonathan look bad in the eye of the
public. The money involved was so huge that to
lie about it is a serious affair", Ezeife said.
He continued: "Irrespective of who is involved or
my personal relationship with them, given the
present situation, the President should act
presidentially. There is no way the Governor of
CBN could be trading words with the
President. He should be suspended immediately
from office. If this had happened under former
President Olusegun Obasanjo, the CBN Governor
wouldn't have been allowed to enter his office
again after making a bold statement that the
President could not remove him from office.
"I read the second statement made by the CBN
about the alleged missing billions of dollars but
there was no mention of the fact that the
Governor's earlier claim was a mistake. The
statement simply mentioned the role of the
CBN. That kind of mistake is impossible. It was a
deliberate action to impugn the President and
his government. This is not a matter of being a
Christian, humble or simple; there are
presidential powers that must be respected", he
said.
The former governor noted that the incident
involving Jonathan and Sanusi created the
impression in the media that the president can
never bite even though he has teeth.
According to him, "Sometimes the President
needs to exercise his powers. This time
around, even though the President won't bite
anybody, he needs to show his teeth and
perhaps bite. Falsehood is not acceptable. The
present case won't affect the economy".
Ezeife added that "Even though Sanusi insisted
that $10 billion of the sum NNPC ought to have
paid into the federation account is still missing,
the difference between approximately $50
billion and $10 billion is like the difference
between night and day. My position is that his
later admission that it was a mistake and now
said it was only $10 billion is like the action of
a sinking man who is ready to hold on to any
straw to prevent him from going under"
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Ibori, others to complete jail terms in Nigeria

Nigeria and the United Kingdom signed an
agreement on Thursday on the exchange of
prisoners between them.
Under the agreement, high-profile prisoners like
former Governor James Ibori of Delta State, and
other Nigerians in the UK prisons will be
transferred to Nigeria to complete their jail terms.
The UK Minister of Justice, Mr. Jeremy Wright,
signed on behalf of his country while the Minister
of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation,
Mohammed Adoke, SAN, signed for Nigeria in
Abuja.
Wright, who visited the Acting Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and the Minister of
Interior, Abba Moro, added that the British
government would give the Federal Government
£1m [about N280m} for a comprehensive reform
of Nigerian Prisons.
During the visit to Onwuliri, Wright told
journalists that under the agreement, the consent
of a prisoner was not required before his
repatriation could take place.
He said, "In relation to individual prisoners, there
has to be a good deal of discussion between our
two countries about individual prisoners and the
agreement of both countries to be secured before
individual transfers.
"The compulsory nature of this prisoner transfer
agreement is that the prisoners' themselves do
not have to choose where they go or not but the
respective countries do still have an opportunity
to discuss whether a transfer should be made.''
In April 2012, a British court sentenced Ibori to jail
for 13 years for money laundering and associated
crimes.
Ibori's wife, Nkoyo, his sister, mistress and
London solicitor were also convicted of related
crime.
Onwuliri, who described the pact as "historic,''
said experts from both countries would work out
modalities for its implementation.
"We have been on the prisoners agreement for a
long time and we are happy that we are beginning
the year on a happy note by signing this
agreement,'' the News Agency of Nigeria quoted
her as saying.
The minister expressed delight that the
agreement would improve the condition of Nigeria
prisons based on earlier pacts reached before the
signing.
She pledged that Nigeria would continue to
improve the condition of its prisons.
Also, the Director of Consular and Immigration
Services in the ministry, Mr. Abdulazeez
Dankano, noted that both countries were
signatories to the Scheme for the Transfer of
Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth.
Dankano stated that the scheme allowed for
transfer of prisoners between Nigeria and the UK
where the consent of both states and the prisoner
was obtained.
He said that under the Commonwealth Scheme,
only one Nigerian had been repatriated from the
UK since inception.
After the agreement was signed, Wright stressed
the importance of respecting the agreement by
the two countries, adding that there was a need
for the prisons in Nigeria to be improved
considerably.
The UK minister, who led a five-man delegation
to Moro said, although the prisoners were paying
for the crimes they committed, conditions in their
detention centres should be made humane and
accommodating enough for them.
He thanked the Federal Government and Moro for
making it possible for the two countries to finalise
the agreement.
"We believe that the agreement today is a
positive step in furthering our mutual relationship
and partnership with Nigeria for prisoner
exchange. Under the agreement Nigerians in UK
prisons will be repatriated to Nigeria to complete
their terms,"Wright said.
On his part, Moro promised to do everything
within his powers to ensure that the agreement
became operative before the end of the year.
He said, "I think that it is in the mutual interest of
the two countries that the agreement reached
should be implemented to the letter especially
with the kind of traditional historical relationship
that Nigeria shares with the UK; we have no
reason to say one thing and do another.
"This government, anchored on transformation, is
desirous of ensuring that we do things very
differently from the way we were doing them in
the past which have not given us results."
He assured the visiting minister that even though
Nigeria was grappling with prison congestion, it
would not hamper the new agreement.
Moro commended the British government for
assisting in the reform and transformation of
Nigeria's prison system, especially in the
provision of necessary facilities that would make
the prisoner transfer viable.
There are 521 Nigerians currently serving jail
terms in the UK and only one British national in
Nigerian prison .
According to officials, about 60 per cent of
Nigerians in UK jails qualify for the compulsory
prison transfer agreement.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

RESIGNATION SAGA: Sanusi Dares Jonathan, National Assembly Keeps Mum

The controversy surrounding the planned
exit of the Governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, deepened on
Thursday with the governor insisting that he
would not quit the post until his term
expired on June 2, 2014.
In keeping with his vow, which analysts see as a
direct confrontation with President Goodluck
Jonathan, Sanusi has said he will not proceed on his
terminal leave in March as initially being
speculated.
Sanusi expressed his determination to remain in
office until the expiration of his one-term tenure of
five years on June 2 during a meeting with top
management officers of the bank on Wednesday.
The Director, Corporate Communications
Department, CBN, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor,
confirmed the development in a chat with
journalist in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the governor used the opportunity provided
by the "family meeting" to clear doubts
surrounding the expiration of his tenure.
Okoroafor said, "The CBN is an important
organisation in the economy of this country and we
have to be careful in whatever we do because our
actions send a strong message to the economy as
a whole.
According to Okoroafor, the CBN governor will
formally announce his retirement in March, when
his successor is expected to be named, and will
remain in office until June 2.
Both chambers of the National Assembly declined
comments on the alleged plan by the Federal
Government to sack Sanusi.
The spokesperson for the Senate, Eyinnaya
Abaribe, and his counterpart in the House of
Representatives, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said the
National Assembly would not be dragged into "a
mere rumour."
Abaribe, in a telephone interview said, "The Senate
will not make any comment on any issue that is
not before it. It remains a rumour until it is properly
communicated to the Senate."
Mohammed also said, "I have no comment to
make. The National Assembly as an institution will
not be dragged into any controversy based on a
mere allegation."
Efforts to get the Presidency's reaction did not yield
any positive result as the Special Adviser on Media
and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati,
did not respond to calls made to his mobile
telephone line, nor respond to text messages sent
to the same line.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Mimiko, Assembly Problems Threatens Unity In Labour Party

It is a known fact that the ultimate goal of
political parties is to attain power for service
delivery. However, when such interests run
in opposite directions, crisis is the end
result.
The Peoples Democratic Party, which is arguably
Nigeria's largest political party, is a clear example
of how vested and opposing interests within a
party, could lead to its ultimate destruction if not
properly managed.
It is no longer news that several influential
members of the PDP, who felt that the
umbrella can longer contain their interests as well
as those of their supporters, have defected to the
opposition All Progressives Congress.
Initially, the party felt invincible. But the defection
of five of its serving governors, which was closely
followed by 37 members of the House of
Representatives, has greatly unsettled the party,
forcing it to begin deft moves to stem further
breach of its dominance in the polity.
Without a doubt, conflict of interests is an inherent
part of the evolution of political associations,
especially political parties, but the management of
these interests defines the extent to which they
can succeed or fail. It is in this light that some have
predicted that the going vessel of the newly
formed APC will soon hit an iceberg; this is given
the fact that the party is a union of politicians with
huge as well as strange diversities.
Recent developments have proven that the conflict
of interest is not restricted to the PDP and the APC.
The Labour Party is beginning to experience its
share of crisis. However, unlike the big political
parties, the crisis threatening the LP is beginning to
manifest in Ondo State, which is the party's
national stronghold.
A flash of skirmish between members of the House
of Assembly and Governor Olusegun Mimiko,
precisely on December 31, 2013, just before he
presented his administration's N162bn 2014
budget, gave voice to a hitherto subdued crisis
within the party which was once considered
impregnable.
The Ondo State House of Assembly has been
described by the opposition as a rubber stamp.
Some even argued that it was famous for praise
singing the Mimiko-led administration and acceding
to any request the governor forwarded to it.
The LP controls not only the executive branch; it
also enjoys a comfortable majority in the
legislature with about 98 per cent of its members.
This has, over the years, guaranteed a smooth sail
for Mimiko. This is even more so when he was
sworn in for his second tenure last year. The
Labour Party, with an overwhelming majority in the
House, certainly has no choice but to give its
unflinching support to the ruling party.
Recent developments suggest that the honeymoon
appears to be over. The governor made public his
intention to make the budget presentation in line
with the provisions of the constitution, just before
the close of the 2013 fiscal year. Surprisingly, a
majority of members of the Assembly failed to
make themselves available for the governor to
make his presentation. The event was held up for
several hours in the guise that efforts were being
made to reach the members to report to chambers
from wherever they were.
By the time the business eventually commenced,
only nine of the 31 members of the House were
seated, with the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Dare Emiola,
presiding.
Just before the House received the details of the
budget, Majority Leader of the House, Akinsoyinu
Ifedapo, explained that majority of the members
were away on holiday within and outside the
country.
This, he added, was responsible for the failure of
the House to give the governor the rousing
welcome he was accustomed to, for the event.
This notwithstanding, Mimiko, went ahead to make
his budget presentation.
Events, which followed, have since revealed that
there was much to the budget presentation session
than meet the eyes. It was gathered that most of
the lawmakers did not attend the session on
purpose. It was learnt that their absence was their
own way of registering their displeasure with the
manner the governor was running the affairs of the
state.
It is noteworthy that of the 31-member Assembly,
only one is not a member of the Labour Party.
Akpoebi Lubi, of the PDP, is the only member of
the opposition as well as the Minority Leader.
Therefore, developments within the House can
safely be said to represent the state of the party in
Ondo State.
A source close to the State Executive Council told
our correspondent that the governor and his
government worked hard for the election of all the
members of the party in the House. "The governor
supported all of them and worked hard for them to
be elected. They virtually rode on the platform of
the governor financially and politically on their way
to the House," he said.
Unconfirmed reports have it that the quarrel
between the lawmakers and the governor
stemmed from the failure of the latter to meet the
financial demands of the lawmakers. The
lawmakers have since rejected this claim, noting
that their grouse with Mimiko bordered on his
failure to effectively implement the 2013 budget.
The theory of the demand for money gained some
credence given the fact that none of the
committees of the House raised the alarm over the
alleged poor implementation of the budget during
several oversight visits. The boycott of the budget
presentation was interpreted in government circles,
as an attempt to blackmail the executive into
acceding to the financial demands of the
legislators.
The government was also concerned that the
lawmakers did not consider the fact that it was the
very last working day of the year, which made in
imperative for the document to be submitted that
day.
Although, some of the lawmakers have yet to
openly confront the governor after the standoff,
they have tried to unofficially vent their spleen by
speaking to reporters. One of the legislators, who
pleaded anonymity, said, "We are not happy with
the level of development in Ondo State. Projects
have been moving at a snail speed and the
governor has failed this year."
But the Minority Leader, Lubi, who obviously has
nothing to fear, did not hide his feelings over the
crisis. He rated the 2013 budget implementation in
the state as 30 per cent. He added that the House
rejected the governor's request for a review of the
2013 budget in December.
Lubi said, "The budget presentation ceremony was
illegal," submitting that the governor needed a
two-third majority of the members of the House to
present the budget.
The state Commissioner for Information, Kayode
Akinmade, while reacting to the charge, said the
budget represented the hope for the development
of Ondo State and its people. He argued that the
people could not be kept waiting and their
yearnings threatened by any form of politics. He
argued that there was no need to overheat the
polity, because the governor was in a hurry to
deliver projects that would transform the lives of
the people.
Akinmade explained that the seeming conflict
would certainly be resolved, but the state would
need stability for robust politics.
But the crack has expectedly created a feast for
the APC. It has been waiting for an opportunity to
lash out at the ruling Labour Party.
One of the party's leaders, Ade Adetimehin, was
full of commendations for the lawmakers for daring
Mimiko. He accused the governor of mismanaging
state funds and urged the lawmakers to
immediately commence an impeachment process
against him.
He said, "Ondo State people are regretting that the
governor still found his way to the Government
House. We are not happy and our people are
suffering. I will like to commend the lawmakers for
standing against continuous illegality, which this
present administration led by Mimiko built its
foundation upon."
Whereas the standoff could be described as
unprecedented in the Labour Party-dominated
state, some observers have called it a flash in the
pan effrontery. Those in this school of thought,
argued that it would soon fizzle out in the face of
the prevailing incumbency powers of Mr. Governor.
This they predicate on the inability of the
lawmakers to go to town with their allegations
rather than speaking in hushed tones.
In spite of the feebleness of the reaction of the
lawmakers, the record of perfect harmony of the
ruling party had been dented. The fear that things
may begin to fall apart in larger pieces is endemic.
The burden has, however, been transferred to the
leadership of the party and the governor himself to
ensure that suitable balm is promptly applied to
the ailing parts of the Labour Party in the state.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Stop Harrasing Sanusi - APC Warns Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress, APC, on
Thursday advised President Goodluck
Jonathan to tread carefully on his reported
plan to force the Governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Lamido Sanusi, to
resign.
The APC, in a statement written by its Interim
National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said
asking the CBN Governor to step down, on the
basis of a mere allegation that he leaked the letter
he wrote to the President, over the unremitted
$49.8 billion oil revenue, will dwindle Nigeria's
already weak economy and further impoverish the
country.
The APC warned that any move to suspend Mr.
Sanusi or use security forces to prevent him from
entering his office, as reported by the media, will
be terrible as it will mean the President is willing to
circumvent the provision of the law which states
that the Governor of the CBN can only be removed
by two-thirds of the Senators.
The party said suspending the CBN Governor will
be a replay of the damage that Mr. Jonathan did to
the judiciary when he suspended former President
of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami, until his
retirement, adding that the President could abuse
his power and re-enact such scenario whenever he
feels offended. "Our worry here is that the
President should not destroy our institutions before
he leaves office," the party said.
The APC said its main reason for commenting on
the planned removal of Mr. Lamido, either through
forced retirement or via suspension, is the impact
that a crisis of confidence between the President
and the CBN Governor will have on the nation's
economy. "
These include a loss of confidence in the economic
management of the country, leading to uncertainty
among domestic and foreign investors; as well as
pressure on the exchange rate as foreign portfolio
investors in government bonds and the stock
market make their exit, and the corresponding fall
in the value of share prices," it said.
The party said there was nothing wrong in a CBN
Governor alerting the President to any discrepancy
he may have noticed in the remittance of revenue
from oil, which is the mainstay of the economy,
adding that such action is expected from any CBN
Governor who is worth his salt.
The APC also said there is no reason to believe that
Mr. Lamido leaked the letter he wrote to the
President, especially because the CBN Governor
wrote the letter in September and the letter was
not leaked until December. "It stands to reason
that if the CBN Governor had wanted to leak the
letter, he had no reason waiting for four months to
do so.
Also, the moment the letter was sent to Mr.
President, it has gone beyond the purview of the
CBN Governor, and anyone with a reason to do so
could as well have leaked the letter," it said.
The APC said President Jonathan's alleged move to
sack the CBN governor few months before the end
of his tenure smacks of vendetta. The party warned
the president against the move. "… we advise
President Jonathan against precipitating a crisis in
the economy, and we urge all Nigerians to advise
him against such," the APC said.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

INEC Learnt Its Lessons in Anambra, Promises Better Performance in Ekiti, Osun and in 2015

The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC)
assured Nigerians that the
mistakes and controversy which
surrounded Anambra State governorship
election in November 16, 2013, would not
happen again in the governorship polls in
Ekiti and Osun states scheduled for the year
2014.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega,
expressed the optimism in Abuja on January 8,
2014, Wednesday, during a courtesy call on him by
the Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. John
C.M Groffen.
The INEC boss confirmed that the Commission was
determined not to allow a repeat of the November
16 Anambra governorship election mistakes.
"What happened in Anambra State was
unfortunate and it will not in any way represent
what will happen in 2015. We learnt additional
lessons from it and we are factoring it in our
preparations for 2015. We will have two
governorship elections this year and we are
doing all possible to ensure they are conducted
smoothly, freely and fairly. We have mapped
out detailed plans from previous elections.
"We are aware that stable nation will lead to
improved economic growth. Our job is to use
electoral process to ensure that elections are
conducted with credibility and add to political
and economic stability of the country. We have
also learnt the hard way that sometimes in
spite of our best efforts, things happen which
raise questions about our preparations."
"I am pleased to inform you that prospects of
the coming year are good because we have
done extensive research and preparations since
2011 and we have made remarkable
improvements into the process. As we move to
2015, we are confident that it will be much
better than 2011," Prof. Jega declared.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

"APC Is An Islamic Party" - PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the
opposition All Progressives Congress, APC,
were yesterday, locked in a war of words
over use of religion to achieve political goals.
While the PDP, which first threw the gauntlet that
the APC was shaped in Islamic fundamentalist robe
insisted on its claim yesterday and challenged the
opposition party to name its 35 interim officers.
The APC on its part said the use of religion by the
PDP was a new low for a party it claimed stands for
incompetence, looting and election rigging.
Reiterating its earlier accusation that the APC was
a party adorned in religious attire. The PDP in a
statement issued by its National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, thus dared the
leading opposition party to name its interim
officials for the world to know.
Metuh said "it is shocking that the APC would
attempt to hoodwink Nigerians even in the face of
incontrovertible facts exposing its religious
inclinations and plots to divide the nation along
religious lines."
The PDP said contrary to the denials posted by the
APC in a hollow statement yesterday, "the
revelations by an Islamic cleric, Ambassador Yusuf
Garba and the Religious Equity Promotion Council,
REPC, that APC seeks to impose an agenda like the
Egypt Muslim Brotherhood remains a fact that
cannot be brushed aside."
Counter to clams by the APC that the PDP was
playing a religious card to overheat the polity, the
ruling party said it decided to "buttress an alert to
Nigerians on the evil machination of the APC with
every sense of duty to ensure that Nigeria remains
united as one and not fall to the evil plot of the
APC."
The ruling party reiterated that it "remains
committed to the interest of all Nigerians
irrespective of religious, tribal, ethnic or regional
affiliations" adding that it will continue to expose
and resist anything that seeks to cause divisions
among the people and balkanize the country.
"It therefore called on Nigerians not to succumb to
the antics of the APC which is now bitter that its
plans have been exposed, but to be alert and
ensure that the enemies of the nation are not
allowed to have their way."
The APC in a sharp riposte articulated by its Interim
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
said: "this irresponsible accusation by the PDP that
the APC is dividing Nigerians along religious line is
a new low even for a party that stands for nothing
but incompetence, looting and election rigging. It is
an indication that the desperadoes in the PDP will
throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into
their campaign to stop the wave of change blowing
across Nigeria.''
According to the party, the reason it has refrained
from joining issues with the PDP, despite its
sponsored campaign to portray the APC as an
'Islamic party', is because it knows the dangers
that religious politics portends for any nation that
brings religion into politics, and that no nation
which has descended into religious warfare has
survived intact.
The APC said no party wishing to lead Nigeria
aright can do so on the basis of religion or
ethnicity. Therefore, we are compelled to warn the
PDP not to play what it believes to be its trump
card, the religious card, against the APC, because
whatever politicians do, they must refrain from
ethnic or religious politics and put the country
above selfish considerations. Only an irresponsible
party will play the religious card for any reason.
"It alleged that even when President Goodluck
Jonathan decided to wear religion on his sleeve,
kneeling down before respectable religious leaders
and pushing the pictures into the media in an
apparent ploy to score political gains, the APC
refrained from making any comments on it."
The party further alleged that when President
Jonathan also decided to lead a bloated delegation
of his cabinet to an extended pilgrimage in Israel
and ferret to the media back home the pictures of
the delegation members at the Wailing Wall and
other religious landmarks, the APC did not make an
issue of the glaring exhibitionism.
"The basis of our circumspection is that in the first
instance, we believe that all Nigerians are
constitutionally guaranteed their right to any faith
of their own, and that playing their religious card
should be avoided at all cost in the larger national
interest,'' APC stated.
The party said it is neither logical nor rational to
accuse a party whose 35 interim officials are
almost equally split between the adherents of the
two major religions (18 Muslims and 17 Christians)
and cuts across all ethnic lines; a party whose
elected officials - Governors, Senators, House of
Representatives members etc - profess various
faith and a party that has never expressed any
preference for one religion over another as an
Islamic party.
"We are therefore warning the PDP to stop this
dangerous campaign forthwith, unless of course it
has decided that its interest supersedes that of the
nation. If the PDP fails to stop this campaign, we
will be compelled to conclude that the party (PDP)
is trying to plug in to the global stereotype against
adherents of a certain religion just to spread fear
and garner support in certain circles," it said.
APC appealed to Nigerians to ignore the dangerous
game that the PDP is playing by labelling the APC
an "Islamic" party as a scaremongering tactic that
the comatose ruling party hopes will revive it.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha To Run For President In 2015

According to the press release:
Against the backdrop of SunNews' report, the
Imo State government wishes to put the record
straight with regard to the ambition of the Imo
State Governor in 2015.
And to also correct the impression that the Imo
State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is in
the race for the Vice-Presidential slot of the
APC, as the Daily Sun caption had suggested.
The truth of the matter is that Governor
Okorocha is not in the VP race in APC.
There has been unprecedented pressure on the
governor by Nigerians from all walks of life to
vie for the Presidency and he has been
consulting on that.
His consultations have not been on the VP slot
but on the presidency and at the end of the
consultations, he would decide whether to
throw his hat into the ring for the presidential
race or not.
The pressure is also on the Imo governor by
well meaning citizens of Imo State, including
the artisans, farmers, traders, students, etal in
the state to ensure the completion of the
transformation he has begun in the state by
seeking re-election in 2015.
And the governor is also yet to decide on that.
However, it is also good that the stakeholders
said to have met according to the Daily Sun
story where the name of the governor was
mentioned for the VP race must have seen the
qualities in him and what his administration has
been doing in Imo that made them to consider
him for the VP position.
While we appreciate that, the fact remains that
Governor Okorocha is not in the race for VP for
2015. However, everything depends on God
who gives power.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Osun PDP Names Three Aspirants For Party’s Guber Ticket

The Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun on Wednesday
said three persons have indicated their interests
to vie for the party's nomination as its candidate
for the state's governorship race.
The Chairman,
Alhaji Gani OlaOluwa disclosed this in a
statement on Wednesday in Osogbo, the state
capital.
The party had set Dec 31, 2013 deadline for
members interested in the position to pick an
Expression of Interest form after paying N5
million.
OlaOluwa gave the names of the aspirants as;
Hon Oluwole Oke who hails from Obokun Local
Government Area, Sen. Olasunkanmi Akinlabi
from Ayedaade Local Government Area and
Sen. Iyiola Omisore hails from Ife East Local
Government Area.
While Oke was a former member House of
Representatives member, Akinlabi was a former
Senator and one time Minister.
Omisore was a former Deputy Governor and
former Senator.
The PDP chairman said only the trio fulfilled the
conditions set by the party for those wishing to
aspire for nomination.
He assured the aspirants that the party would
give them a "level playground". (NAN)

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

With Defection Of 27 State Lawmakers, PDP Now Dead In Sokoto, Says Wamakko

Following the defection of 27 out of 30 members
of the Sokoto State House of Assembly from the
Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives
Congress yesterday, the state Governor, Alhaji
Aliyu Wamakko has pronounced the ruling party
dead in the state.
Wamakko said
with the defection, it was evident that the APC
had gained ground among the people of the
state, adding that the remaining three members
of the Assembly, who opted to stay put in PDP,
would not pose any threat to the popularity of
APC in the state.
It would be recalled that the Speaker of the
House of Assembly, Lawal Zayyana and other
Principal officers of the House were among
those that defected. Before the defection of the
state lawmakers, members of the State
Executive Council had defected en mass from
PDP to APC.
They were said to have claimed that their
defection was as a result of immense pressure
from their constituency.
This position was confirmed by the governor,
who said he did not force any of those that
defected to do so.
Wamakko was among five aggrieved governors
of the PDP that defected to the APC.
Others were Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu
Kwankwanso (Kano), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara)
and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).
Wamakko said, "Yes, it is true that 27 members
of Sokoto State House of Assembly have
defected to the APC.
"They were not forced, they did so in their own
volition and even three members of the House
are still in the PDP. We won't force them to
leave.
"With the defection, it is clear to all that the PDP
is dead in the state. The APC is soaring higher in
the state as it has been accepted by all and
sundry".
He promised to carry every member of the APC
along in the state, adding that "we will all work
together to build the party in the state and the
country".
Earlier, Wamakko's Special Adviser on Media,
Malam Sani Umar, had told reporters that the
refusal of the Deputy Governor of the state,
Alhaji Muktar Shagari to defect to the APC was
not an indication that the governor and his
deputy were not in good terms.
He said, "No, we won't force the deputy
governor to move to the APC because in
politics, there is no compulsion.
"You should recollect what happened when
former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
defected from the PDP to the defunct ACN, he
still remained in his position despite that.
"So, we won't force the deputy governor or the
three members of the House to join the APC".

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

[Tested] free domain .com 1 year new trick january 2014

read here

https://plus.google.com/109372813352412156129/posts/L9qajfZ3HxK
or here
http://readmore.16mb.com/free-domain-2014-com-org-net-info-from-homestead-and-intuit.html

free domain 1 year trial,register free domain for 1 year,free .com domain name registration,free domain name registration and free web hosting,how to register domain for free,free domain name registration only

Fw: Four Party Merge To Form Alliance For 2015 Elections

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

-----Original Message-----
From: getnoticed4@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2013 06:40:42
To: <getnoticed4.niger@blogger.com>
Reply-To: getnoticed4@gmail.com
Subject: Four Party Merge To Form Alliance For 2015 Elections

Four Nigerian political parties have declared
that they are coming together to form a working
political alliance as the country prepares for the
2015 general elections.
Announcing their alliance at the emergency
national executive meeting of the National
Conscience Party, the National Chairman of the
party, Yunusa Tanko, said that the Advance
Congress of Democrats, the Social Democratic
Party and the Labour Party are joining forces to
give Nigerians an alternative ahead of the
elections.
"We are pained that up till now, the Nigerian
people are yet to count their blessings without
making unpleasant reference to how they are
being governed. That is why we resolved as a
political party, not to be part of any merger but
in a working alliance with other like-minded
political parties."
The group also asked President Goodluck
Jonathan to address some of the issues raised in
the letter written by former president, Olusegun
Obasanjo.
"It is instructive to note that President Goodluck
Jonathan should address the nation as a matter
of urgency and answer most of the damning
allegations which was leveled by the former
president, which has placed this country in an
unsecured situation."
This is yet another alliance that has emerged in
the country outside the All Progressives
Congress, APC which was announced in
February 2013, and wrestling power from
Nigeria's ruling party, the People's Democratic
Party, PDP has been the major motive behind
these alliances as declared by the parties
involved.
The National Chairman of the Advance Congress
of Democrats, Yusuf Buba, while justifying this
recent alliance, referred to the parties on
ground, as "a mix-up of strange bed fellows with
different ideas and ideologies" which they claim
is an opposite of their alliance that is built on
the similarities in their ideas and ideologies.
The parties also said that details of their alliance
would be made available to the public in 2014,
as the 3rd alternative for the people, ahead of
the 2015 elections.

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

"APC Will Win Majority Seats In 2015Elections"

The interim national publicity secretary of the All Progressive
Congress (APC), Alh. Lai Mohammed, in this interview with newsmen,
declares that the recently registered APC will not only field
candidates for all elective offices in the 2015 general elections, but
will win majority of the seats in the elections.
What are the chances of APC in the 2015 elections?
APC has a date with history and our leaders must bend backwards. I
have been quite impressed with the level ofachievements so far,
because nobody gave this thing a chance. They thought it will unravel
at the level of finding a common name. They thought the logo was going
to divide it. I believe a lot ofsacrifices have gone into this by all
themerging parties. That is why it amuses me when people tag us as an
Islamist party.
The 2015 elections will not be about one party replacing the other or
about one president being replaced with another. 2015 elections will
be whether Nigeria will continue to stay as one country. It will be
where about how do we avert imminent civil war again. That is why the
leaders of the APC must be able to make the ultimatesacrifice to
rescue Nigeria.
But I can assure you that the APC will not only field candidates for
all elective offices in the 2015 elections but will win the majority
of seats in the elections.
What do you think is the solution tothe insurgency in some parts of thecountry?
In Nigeria today, there is a low burningwar. The entire North-east is
like it is not part of Nigeria. The insecurity in the North-West is
palpable. Why the ACN has restrained itself from making further
comments on the Boko Haram insurgency is because of the PDP and
others' mischief to label us an Islamist party. That is completely
untrue. But aslong as we are unable to address the root causes of Boko
Haram, for so long will the solution elude us.
We are not saying that there might notbe religious overtones in the
issue of Boko Haram, bad governance, corruption and hardship have
created a fertile market for Boko Haram. The time bomb that is waiting
to explode is youth unemployment and this mightbe more dangerous than
any other form of ailment that we have seen so far. If we don't tackle
this, nobody will be secure in Nigeria. Therefore, the goal of any
government is to ensure that they are able to calm the restiveness of
our youths.
There are insinuations that Gen. Babangida and former Vice President,
Atiku Abubakar, are jostling for APC Board of Trustees chair. What is
your take on this?
The Nigerian rumour mill is the most active in the world and it amuses
me when some stories make page one or headlines of newspapers. A party
which is yet to be given its certificate of registration; a party
which is yet to have permanent offices; a party yet to have its
convention at which ward, local and state officials would be elected,
a party that has not even got the guidelines for primaries election
within and outside the party, how can that party all of a sudden now
start talking about board of trustees (BoT).
I think the alleged jostling by General Ibrahim Babangida, Abubakar
Atiku andothers for the BoT chair of the APC is a figment of the
rumour peddlers' imagination. The people you have mentioned so far, am
not aware that they have indicated to join the APC. Where will the
issue of fighting for the chairmanship of the BoT come from?
What is the position of your party on the Rivers State crisis?
What is happening in Rivers state should be seen as not a local
matter. Even in a war, war starts on a very insignificant
misunderstanding. But what is happening in Rivers state is worrisome
in many respects, because it is clearly not manufactured in Rivers.It
is manufactured in Abuja. It is a proxywar between the president on
one hand and the governor of Rivers on theother. And it has much to do
with the perceived impression of the president that Amaechi would be a
stumbling block not just to the PDP, but his own ambition to run a
second term.
Now what is the genesis of the Rivers state problem? It started with
the perceived role of Ameachi in his position as chairman of the
Governors Forum as being too confrontational and as if he is behaving
as a unionist, but Amaechi's defense was that he wasspeaking on behalf
of his colleagues asgovernors. Issues such as the Sovereign Wealth
Fund or the excess crude account or issue that border on federalism,
Amaechi became the mouthpiece of the governors to advance their
position against what they saw as the overbearing influence of the
centre. But the presidency and the PDP saw that as being
confrontational, so that earned him a bad name in their book.The
unending internal crisis in the PDPwhich has pitched the governors
against the chairman of the party is again a sore point in the
presidency because the governors as a block wereunhappy when former
governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola was removed as the secretary of the PDP;
they were unhappy also with the treatment Governor Muritala Nyako of
Adamawa state was getting. So they asked Amaechi to speak out their
minds which he did. That again, in was counted against him.
The disputed oil wells between Bayelsa and Rivers states, when Amaechi
suddenly discovered that the funds accruing from this disputed well
which was put in suspense account, had now been credited to the
Bayelsa state government. Of course, he naturally got upset it and he
led the delegation of the elite in the state to go and complain to the
president. Again, didn't endear him to the president. Overall, there
is the issue of no love-lost between Amaechi and thepresident's wife,
who also happens to be from Rivers state.
On many occasions, there have been reports of his being snubbed by the
first Lady. Matters came to a head during the Governors Forum
elections. The presidency was very unhappy and uncomfortable and
mounted a campaign against Amaechi's second coming. Despite the shared
numbers of the PDP controlling 23 governors, when elections were held,
Amaechi came top and the president did not behave statesmanly.
If the president had immediately issued a letter of congratulations to
Amaechi, that would have probably given the image of a statesman, but
hewent the other way by recognizing theJang's faction; that means he
does believe in majority rule, he does not believe in the rule of law.
I think the humiliation that the president suffered from the governors
forum that is now spiraling into what ishappening in Rivers. We must
be honest the role the police has played in this matter is
condemnable. When you have a police commissioner who says the problem
in my state is the governor, then you know that he must have had some
assurances from somewhere else. When we in the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) said put all the problems on the doorsteps on the
president, this is what we were saying.

Nigeria’s Amalgamation a celebration of slavery, bad history – Braithwaite

BY DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA-Former Presidential candidate of the defunct Nigeria Advance
Party (NAP) Dr. Tunji Braithwaite on Tuesday, faulted the planned
centenary anniversary of Nigeria's amalgamation by the presidency in
2014, describing it as a celebration of slavery and bad history.
The Human Rights Activist and lawyer who wondered why despite the
myriad of problems confronting the country, coupled with the level of
poverty, the Federal government still plans to celebrate the Centenary
anniversary of the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, lamented that the
deplorable state of infrastructure in the country and the precarious
security situation are enough reason to halt the celebration.
Dr. Tunji Braithwaite
Speaking as guest Lecturer at the 2013Jesus Carnival, 37th Diocesan
Anniversary and 170th Year of Christianity in Egbaland in Abeokuta,
the Ogun State Capital ,Dr. Braithwaite said the celebration was a
disgrace to the present generation of Nigerians.
He however, suggested that the president should celebrate the
''founding-fathers' birth of Nigerian that over the years had
blossomed into a strong, cohesive and socio/political vibrant force in
the comity of nations.
''Instead of clinking glasses of champagne celebrating and venerating
a bad history of enslavement, this generation, should use the occasion
of its centenary to finally destroy its last inglorious relics and
simultaneously birth a modern and progressive nation.
''The Die is cast!. Thee issue is not about 2015 elections or who
becomes president or governor in 2015, there are a whole lot of
fundamental and foundational matters to be urgently addressed before
2015''.
"The current generation would themselves surely, hopefully in an
orderly but firm manner, resolve this core issue of their own
destiny,'' he said.
He however, warned Jonathan to be wary of the serious implication of
insecurity saying, the on-going revolution in Egypt is a classical
lesson to Nigerian leaders that any charade and fraudulent elections
contrived "will-nilly" is no guarantee of security of tenure of office
for any unfit or insensitive government."The monster of king
corruption and impunity in this country at every level of civil
administration has exposed thetenuous and fragile foundation of
Nigeria's brand of democracy to the danger, it portends for the
people.
"The reality today of the amalgamation is that both in legal and
political context, the amalgamation bond expires in 2014 by effusion
of time, unless the people concerned, now voluntarily agree its terms
and or modify them.
"The single evil corruption has done to us manifests on cultism,
examination malpractices among many others and it now appears as
nothing is a taboo in Nigeria anymore. We prayed and worked for
democracy but what type of democracy do we have now, do the people's
votes count? Are we getting the benefits of the abundance natural
resources God gave us?.
"If you go to government offices, you will see huge generating sets
but what about the poor who can't afford it?, adding "If you know the
huge amount this country generates, the question you will ask yourself
is why should Nigerians suffer?", Braithwaite said.
END.

Islamic law sanctions marriage based on maturity not age – Ahmad Sani

By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- SENATOR Ahmad Rufai Sani, ANPP, Zamfara West Wednesday said
that under the Islamic law, a girl was considered ripe for marriage
based on her physical and mental maturity and not necessarily age,
just as he stressedthat situations could arise where a very big girl
was ready for marriage at age 14, 15, 16 as obtained in other
countries.
According to him, the 1999 Constitutiondoes not in any way provide for
any specific age when a girl could be married, but was quick to add
that the same constitution stipulates that any girl aspiring to be
married must attain a full age.
Speaking Wednesday in an interview on the 'Kakaaki' aired programme by
the African Independent Television (AIT), Senator Ahmad Sani who
denied backing the child marriages during theclause by clause voting
on the report of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu led Constitution review,
said insinuations that he supported child marriage during the exercise
were untrue, misleading and however attributed that entire criticisms
to what he termed, the handiwork of mischief-makers.
According to him, the constitutional provision in the 1999
Constitution was in consonance with the Islamic law which states that
for a girl to be married, she must have attained the age of maturity
and puberty, adding, "What is the criteria for defining maturity or
otherwise of a girl?
''The Nigerian constitution didn't say 18 years. There is no
definition in the Nigerian constitution; any woman whois married is of
age. You see in Islamic law, once a girl reaches the age of puberty
and she is matured she is of full age and she is ready for marriage.
Senator Ahmed Yerima
"And once she is married, she is of full age. And that is why the
constitution recognises Islamic law and made that provision. So if you
say you are going to remove that provision, you are going against and
counter to Islamic law.
"So under Sharia law, any country that practices Sharia, age is not a
defining factor for marriage.''
Commenting on international conventions that pegged the age at which a
girl can be married at 18 and towhich Nigeria was a signatory, the
former governor of Zamfara State noted that such international
conventions were inferior to the constitutional provisions of the
affected country, adding that once a convention was in conflict with
the constitution of any country, the constitution naturally must
prevail.
Substantiating his argument, the lawmaker explained that the United
Kingdom which is a signatory to the same convention, an age limit of
16 to be eligible to engage in sexual intercourse.
"Today as I am talking to you now let me tell you the consent for
girls to have sex is 13 and 14. In Spain it is 13. They all signed
these conventions. Theconventions are not anything to go by once your
constitution makes provisions.
"Under sharia law, you have to be physically and maturely developed.
So if she (a girl) is not the age of 18, Islam does not accept child
marriage as you define it. Child marriage is a girl that is not
matured, has not reached the age of puberty, she is a minor and it is
not age. You can have a very big girl who is ready for marriage at age
14, 15, 16 just as is obtained in other countries. Maturity is defined
by her physical appearance, by when a girl starts menstruation for
example, she ismatured.''
Senator Sani who also said that under Islamic law, a widow has the
right to inherit the property of her late husband no matter her age,
declared that "in fact, there is a formula (written); you see as far
as Islamic law is concerned Islam has a code of conduct. It has every
provision.''
The Senator who gave an example of his first wife who was 16 years
when they got married her at the age of 16 and his second wife, an
Egyptian, who was 14 when he married her, said, "It isnot the age as
far as Islamic law is concerned, it is the maturity and age ofpuberty.
These issues are all matters of faith. As I said, some people are
talking out of ignorance or out of sheer mischief. I am a Muslim and
Nigeria is a multi-religious society. That is why our constitution
makes ample provision for Sharia law, common law and for customary
law.
"So we are expected to live together, appreciate the differences we
have and understand ourselves. I should respect the views, aspirations
and feelings of Christians and the Christian is expected to respect my
own religious faith. If I believe in something and this is the
doctrine of Islam, I mean a non-Muslim should not bother to find out
why I should believein that.
"Recently, I saw in Al Jazeera that the present Pope said gays should
be allowed freedom in society, whatever it means but the Chairman
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said he was going to march to
the Senate if weapprove gay marriage. So these are matters of
interpretations."In Islamic law, we don't have problemof
interpretation, we have a written law and from the inception of this
law every item is clearly defined.
"So in Nigeria today, what is lacking is people do not understand
their laws. Some people thought that Senator Yerima decided to
introduce new things into the constitution, not knowing that this item
is in the constitution. Those who put it there were very sensitive on
the issues of our faith – as Muslims and they respect our feelings and
aspirations of Muslims.
''If you remove the definition of full age, you remove the woman. Like
I said if a Moslem woman marries somebody who is not a Nigerian and
you want her to live with him, with his own family with the children
they have in his own country and you want her to be a citizen of his
country and the country does not accept dual citizenship and she is
not a kid and youdo not make that provision for women;married women
what does she do?
"She should wait in Nigeria until she is 18, even though she is
married? So it isnot even the issue of marriage, not theage of
marriage but people are changing the debate to be talking about the
marriage of minors.
"Islamic law does not accept for the marriage of a girl that is not
matured, agirl that is not of age. This is where we have problem.
Islamic law does not recognise age. We recognise maturity and puberty
and you can see this from the physical appearance of the girl.
Maturity of mind, maturity of body, maturity of size, everything put
together. It is not because of age.
"When I was looking at the UK law theyput the age of consent for a
girl to have sex or boyfriends at 16; for a homosexual they started
with 21, they reduced it to 18, now they are reducing it to 16.
My argument is that somebody who is not a Muslim would not appreciate
what is Islamic law. In Islamic law, we don't use our sense to say
well this is what we have to do. We are all guided by what our creator
has said we must do. As far as we Muslims are concerned,we have no
option, no choice.
"The Child Rights Act based on the Second schedule, Part 1, Section 61
is unconstitutional in relation to Islamic law and customary law. An
Igbo woman who marries based on tradition and culture cannot be
prosecuted under the Child Rights Act because the constitution
specifically said the National Assembly can make laws for the
formation and annulment of marriages excluding marriages under Islamic
law and customary law because Islamic law has some specific rules and
regulations.
"The Child Rights Act affects only those who conduct their marriages
under common law in Nigeria today. The right is valid, it is
constitutionally enacted but it affects only when you go and conduct
your marriage in the church.''

My govt beyond blackmail – Orji

ABUJA—Governor Theodore of Abia State has said that his government
wasbeyond blackmail following what he described as politically
motivated criticisms by the opposition, which finds it difficult to
believe the pace of development in the state.
In a statement in Abuja, yesterday, by his Special Adviser on Public
Communication, Mr. Ben Onyechere, said: "We will remain resolute and
undaunted in our determination to uplift the status of the state by
changing the land marks of underdevelopment for which it was hitherto
known.
"This habitual peddlers of falsehood have lost touch with reality
based on their previous assumption that Abia political space was their
private estate.There is no need to continually engage in sing songs
over the achievements of the Governor Orji's administration because we
owe this sworn enemies of Abia State no apologies or explanation.
"The contraction by one detractor that his village is not developed by
government is the dream of failure on behalf of his sponsor, who
reigned for eight years in Abia.
"The sponsors of this hired funeral criers, whose major grouse is the
loss of political power to the people of Abia, have refused to
understand why the majority of Abia people have continued to embrace
and support the trend of fortune that is currently bequeathed to the
state by the Orji's administration.
"This mischief is nothing but an attempt to divert the attention of
economic crime agencies over the squander and conversion of Abia funds
for their private enterprises in the past."

Soludo joins APGA, declares bid for Anambra guber

BY ENYIM ENYIM
ONITSHA—Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the February 6, 2010
gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo,
Wednesday, declared his intention to run for the November 16
governorship poll in the state.
Soludo made the declaration after formally picking APGA membership
card from his Isuama ward at a meeting with the ward's executive.
He had on July 17, 2013 resigned his membership of the PDP on grounds
that the party did not represent what he needed in actualising his
dream and vision in politics with regards to the welfare of the people
of Anambra and Nigeria in general.
The resignation letter, addressed to the national chairman of the
PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, titled: "Letter of resignation as a member
of PDP" read: "This is to convey my resignation as a member of the
Peoples Democratic Party with effect from July 17, 2013″.
"Let me use this opportunity to thank the party for the opportunity
given to me to serve it in some capacity.
"This resignation is without prejudice to the possibility of future
collaboration with the party in any areas of common interest
designed toadvance the course of nation building."
Soludo, who said he had to dump PDP after due consultation with his
family, Anambra elders and stakeholders from January 2, this year till
the date he resigned, said he was joining the governorship race on the
platform of APGA to ensure continuity of governance in Anambra State,
after Governor Peter Obi must have left office.
" There is an overwhelming demand by our people, by the people of
Anambra for me to remain engaged in the political process.
"There is an overwhelming demand byAnambra people that I should run
for the office of governor for continuity and transformation. We need
to consolidate on the gains of the eight years that Obi ruled the
state," he said.
He said when he joined the PDP to contest the February 2010
governorship election, people, especially his friends, told him he
was the best candidate but was in the wrong party.
He added:m "So, while I was consulting, I was told to join a good
party and today, I have joined that good party, APGA.
" I am not joining APGA simply as a vehicle to contest the
governorship but because I want to breathe it and drink it.
"I believe in the essence, aim and objective of the party. I have come
to the conclusion that APGA is the only party that will move Nigeria
to the next level. APGA in its constitution, agrees with the Beijing
Declaration of an affirmation for women, other parties parrot it ".
Soludo said his joining the race was not a do or die affair, saying "I
can only offer myself to the members of APGA tosay that I am willing
to contest the election but the final decision is for the party."

APC reshapes the game

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
The formal collapse of the three legacyparties, Action Congress of
Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and Congress for Progressive
Change, CPC, into the All Progressives Congress, APC ushers anew era
of competitive politics in the polity.
"With the approval of our merger by INEC and the emergence of APC,
today marks the beginning of a new dawn forour country and her
long-suffering people," Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the hardworking and
consistent voice of the opposition said yesterday in his first outing
as the interim national publicity secretary of the All Progressives
Congress.
Yesterday was undoubtedly a watershed and it was not surprising that
once the news emerged of the registration of the new opposition party
that there was some sort of apprehension in the national secretariat
of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Of course the PDP had for long been preparing itself for such a
possibility and its leaders had in private and public occasions been
drummed.
Mr. Tony Okeke, still trying to assert himself as the acting national
publicitysecretary of the PDP rebuffed requests for verbal reaction to
the registration of the APC.
Mr. Okeke preferred a more cautious formal statement where his words
would be well tailored and not easily misinterpreted by reporters.
Buhari, CPC; Onu,ANPP; Okorocha, APGA and Tinubu, ACN
Even while welcoming the new political party, his response was laced
with punch. He dismissed the changed opposition brand as
inconsequential to the PDP's quest for political dominance saying that
Nigerians would continue to reject the new party's penchant for
propaganda irrespective of change of name.
The decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to
register the new party was undoubtedly spiked with much intrigue. Few
days after the legacy parties – All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP,
Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and Congress for Progressive Change,
CPC – gave notice of their intentions, other political associations
arose claiming to have forwarded letters of intent to INEC to be
registered with the same acronym as the APC.
It was a matter that dragged to the courts and is still in the courts.
However, the APC was undeterred and stuck to the scripts and put INEC
on the spot with its copious recitation of the laws on party merger.
It was thus not surprising that just after the end of the 30 day legal
latitude given the electoral management body to consider the
application for merger that the commission gave heed to the merger.
"On considering the application, the Commission found that the
applicant-parties have met all statutory requirements for the merger
and has accordingly granted their request. Consequently, the
Commission has approved the withdrawal of the individual certificates
of the applicant parties and the issuance of a single certificate to
the All Progressives Congress," INEC said in a press statement
yesterday.
The decision was immediately welcomed by a large section of the
political class and even the PDP which through Okeke gave its
congratulations.
But besides the welcome is the immediate issue of the effect of the
registration of the party on the polity.
Mr. Okeke was dismissive of any threat from the APC. His reasoning is
apparently based on the persisting insinuation that the marriage is
that of strange bed fellows.
The suggestion of the taciturn and deeply regimented Muhammadu Buhari
partnering with the politically loquacious but master political
dealer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is still a wonder for many.
Besides, the new party also has many suspicious characters whose
presence is bound to cause apprehension.
Many of the leaders of the APC it is suspected could deal with the PDP.
Such suspicion is especially latent in the leaders of the party that
came fromthe former ANPP.
It would be recalled that in the days leading to the commencement of
the merger talks that some of the leaders of the legacy ANPP, notably
Senator Modu Ali Sheriff and Ahmed Yerima were accused of trying to
sabotage thetalks.
Senators Sheriff and Yerima who struggled over the carcass of the once
vibrant ANPP it is suspected would be loath to play second fiddle to
Tinubu and Buhari in the new party. But so far, the two men have
carried on with the same focus as other APC leaders.
Many Nigerians who have not recovered from the shock of Senator Ahmed
Yerima's advocacy for child marriage would be amazed to find thatthe
former governor of Zamfara State is one of the leaders of the party.
Even worse are recent reports that named the former Zamfara governor
asone of the possible replacements of Vice-president Namadi Sambo on
the PDP presidential ticket in 2015.
The prospects of the party had in recent times been helped by the
persistent crises in the ruling PDP.However, expectations that many of
the disaffected leaders in the PDP would change alliance to the APC
are not forthcoming. Many of the people with problems in the PDP are
not bound to find some peace with APC members who they have had
historicalproblems with.
The new party is, however, promising not to disappoint the enthusiasm
of Nigerians for a change.
"We promise not to disappoint Nigerians who have reposed much
confidence in us. We say that contrary to the lies being peddled by
the naysayers, we are not seeking politicalpower for the sake of
getting it, but in order to use it to empower our people and allow
their long-nursed hopes anddreams to become a reality," Mohammed said
yesterday.
"And to those who have vowed to change their names if APC survives for
a year, we hope they will live up to their words,'' it said.

APC registration will bring vibrancy to politics – IBB

By Wole Mosadomi
Minna – Former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida has
describedthe formal registration of All Progressive Congress (APC) as
a new political party as a new development that will give room for
"vibrancy" intothe politics of the country especially 2015 elections.
Answering questions from journalists in his Hill Top Mansion, Minna
Thursday, the former military president said what is now left for
theelectorate is to make their choice andensure that their votes count
in the fort coming general elections in 2015.
"With the emergence of the new party, (APC), we will now see a
vibrantpolitical activity and what is left for the electorate and the
press is to ensure that the votes count and also allow the people to
make their choice," Gen. Babangida declared.
He said as an advocate and believer intwo party system, the time has
come for Nigerians to really shine their eyes and make the right
choice for the forthcoming elections.
"I have been and will continue to be astrong believer of two party
system and like the PDP itself said on the emergence of the APC, it is
a welcomedevelopment but that is not to say that other registered
political parties are dead but it is however clear that we now have
two strong parties in the country," he stressed.
Asked to comment on what he foresees for the country in 2015, Gen.
Babangida simply said, "I cannot predict the future and so I wait for
God."
On the lingering ASUU strike in the country, the former president said
from all indications, there is determination on the part of government
to settle the rift finally adding that ASUU is actually pursuing a
genuine course because it in the best interest of the country.
"They do have national interest at heart to be honest and fair to them
and I think they should not give up in negotiation with the government
butas much as possible, they should also make the public understand
the issueat stake," he advised.