My certificates are with military, Buhari tells INEC

Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

A former Head of State and the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has told the Independent National Electoral Commission that his academic qualifications and credentials are with the military.

A visit by journalists to the headquarters of the commission on Monday in Abuja revealed that Buhari’s academic qualifications were not on display, unlike those of other Presidential candidates, including President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party.

But in an affidavit, which he deposed to at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, he explained that all his certificates were with the Secretary, Military Board.

The affidavit dated November 24, 2014, was stamped and received by INEC on December 18 2014.

“I am the above-named person and deponent to this affidavit therein. All my academic qualifications documents as filled in my presidential form, President APC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary, Military Board as of the time of presenting this affidavit. The affidavit is made in good faith and for record purpose,” Buhari stated.

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo had also told INEC that his Bachelors and Masters’ degree certificates in Architecture from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, had been consumed by fire.

Sambo, who is the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, had made the declaration in the documents he filed with INEC and displayed on the commission’s office in Abuja, even though the details of the fire that consumed the certificates were not given.

Sambo’s papers were received and stamped by the INEC between December 10 and 18, 2014 and validated by two letters from the ABU, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent.

Obasanjo, Buhari planning interim govt —FG

Obasanjo and Buhari

The Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, on Monday, said a plot by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to form an interim government has been uncovered.

The minister said this in Lagos at the launch of a book titled, ‘Watch the Watcher,’ written by an activist, Yinka Odumakin, in reaction to Obasanjo’s controversial book, ‘My Watch’.

Adesiyan said he had already directed the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba; and the Department of State Service to arrest anybody that made inflammatory statements ahead of the 2015 elections.

He said, “Many of those in the APC are disgruntled PDP members who are no longer relevant and because they could not have their way, they have started to heat up the polity. They have said they will form a parallel government if they lose.

“I have already told the IG and the DSS to arrest anybody making such mutinous and inflammatory statements.”

Adesiyan said his suspicion was fuelled by a threat by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that the APC would form a parallel government if the 2015 general elections were rigged.

He added, “Obasanjo is already planning to install an interim government with Buhari. But we will vote and we will work with whoever wins the election.”

Adesiyan, who was detained in 2003 for the murder of the Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, said the former President was vindictive and was fighting Jonathan because he (Jonathan) had refused to be used by him.

The minister, who was later freed over Ige’s murder, said Obasanjo picked Jonathan as the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s running mate because he felt he could control him but his plans backfired.

The minister said, “He picked a President that was sick and while we were campaigning for the President, he (Yar’Adua) was always in Germany receiving treatment. While many were lobbying for the VP slot, Obasanjo picked a gentleman, Goodluck Jonathan, who had no strong political base so that he could control him.

“Unfortunately for Obasanjo, God had a better plan and Jonathan refused to be used. Obasanjo, being the man that he is, has now teamed up with Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar to snatch power but Tinubu will outsmart him because we Osun people are smart. Ask Tinubu, he is my brother, from my state. He is from Iragbiji while I am from Ode-Omu.”

The Director of Communications, Buhari Campaign Organisations, Dele Alake, said it was silly for anyone to say that Buhari was plotting the emergence of an interim government when Buhari was also participating in the presidential election.

He said, “It must have dawned on Nigerians that the PDP don’t have any answer to the multifarious problems plaguing Nigeria and that is why they have resorted to mudslinging and character assassination.

“If Buhari was planning an interim government, why would he be running for President in the first place? I think sanity has taken leave from them.

“Buhari remains the only viable solution to the quagmire that Nigeria has fallen into and it will take a disciplined person like Buhari to straighten things out.”

When contacted, a source close to Obasanjo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was only the ex-president that could react to the allegation.

The source told our correspondent on the telephone, “It is only Baba that can react to the matter.”

Kwara PDP unveils Ajibola as governorship candidate

Senator Simeon Ajibola

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend presented Senator Simeon Ajibola as its governorship candidate.
The primary that led to his emergence early in the month was dogged with controversy.
But PDP State Chairman Iyiola Oyedepo said the crisis had been resolved, as he introduced Ajibola to the public at a media briefing in Ilorin, the state capital.
Three of the former 10 governorship aspirants of the party – Prof. Shuaib AbdulRaheem, Deacon John Dara and Dele Belgore – attended the event.
The PDP candidate also unveiled Yinka Aluko as his running mate, saying Aluko’s emergence was divine, just like his.
Ajibola, who accepted to run as the PDP governorship flag bearer, said the PDP would defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election.
He hailed the aspirants for conceding the position to him, adding that he was not the best among the contestants though his emergence was the wish of God.
Ajibola said: “The victory at the primary is not only for me but for all of us who decided or dared to put ourselves forward for public service in our effort to rescue Kwara.
“I hereby plead with you all to put personal interests aside, respect the decision of the delegates and, above all, remind ourselves of our promises to work together for the success of the party.”
Aluko accepted the position with a promise to be loyal to Ajibola.
Oyedepo noted that despite the crisis over the outcome of the primary, the party had come out with a candidate who was not imposed.
AbdulRaheem explained that contrary to the speculation that the multiple aspirants would divide the party, the party was more united.
He said the members were satisfied with the process that produced Ajibola.

Buhari, threat to Jonathan’s re-election – PDP leader

 

 Gen.Muhammadu Buhari.

A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State, Chief Jude Tabai, has said the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, is a big threat to President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.

Tabai, who is also a youth leader in the Niger Delta, expressed the fear in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday.

He said, “By and large, the PDP should see the opposition party as a challenge, no matter who they project as their candidate owing to their desperation to get power. Even though we know that they have nothing to offer to Nigerians but the PDP should be wary of their desperation, because the APC is a propagandist party.

“The PDP should use the remaining one month to the elections to sensitise Nigerians to the antics of the opposition to clinch power at all costs.

“If anybody says Buhari is not a threat, that person is deceiving President Goodluck Jonathan. This is because Buhari and his party (the APC) are ready to kill and maim innocent souls in order to force themselves on Nigerians.”

The PDP leader, however, lampooned Buhari for his alleged desperation to rule the country.

He said, “The major fact that I want Nigerians to understand is that Buhari does not deserve to be President of this country, neither does he deserve to be elected by Nigerians.

“This is because Buhari has made all Nigerians to know that he is a man who wants to become President through violence or through war or bloodshed.

“He has proved it in previous elections. He had threatened Nigerians that “monkeys and baboons would be soaked in blood” if he didn’t win the 2011 presidential election. That alone is an indicting statement to, innocent Nigerians, both big and small, are being soaked in blood even up till date.”

Nigeria’s problems increasing –Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday admitted that Nigeria’s problems were increasing, instead of abating.

Noting that the situation would have been worse if not for the prayers of Nigerians, Jonathan said he was optimistic that God would, in the same way he tackled the problems of the Israelites, do same for Nigeria.

The President spoke   at the last Sunday of the year service by   the Christ Apostolic Church, Area 1, Durumi, Abuja.

He said , “One of the reasons I go round churches, at least in Abuja, is to   thank my brothers and sisters for the prayers they have been having for the country, the government and I.

“We are facing a lot of challenges now as a nation.   The challenges did not start today but somehow, instead of abating, the problems started increasing for one reason or the other.

“But I am convinced that it would have been worse than this but for your prayers. With the prayers you continue to offer to God, God will see us through.

“I always say that whenever I read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, particularly the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land, the kind of challenges they faced; their confrontations, the wars up to the days of King David, they were always fighting. You may need to ask, why should children of God   continue to be fighting?

“I believe what is happening to us is not even as serious as sometimes the passages we read in the Bible and God saw them through.”

Jonathan promised that despite the challenges, his administration would continue to do its best to reposition the country.

He said although the results might not be immediate, his government had introduced a lot of policies that would change the nation’s fortunes positively.

According to him,   if the steady progress is sustained, Nigeria will be a better place in the next four or five years.

He added, “The God we believe in will see us through. What I will request from you is to continue to pray for us.

“For me and members of my team, in spite of the challenges, we will continue to do our best.

“As a nation, we have not reached where we want to go, definitely not. But we are coming up with a number of policies.

‘‘Those who are taking pain to look at what we are doing will agree with us that if we progress as a nation steadily in this manner, in the next four or five years, this country will be a better place.

“Only a few days back, the Vice President was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to flag off the Eastern railway. The Western one moving from Lagos to Kano has been running. We will start using the modern one from Kaduna to Abuja by the first quarter of next year and the one from Port Harcourt.

“When we were small, there were railways. But I believe most of our children of about 30 years only see railway as cartoons on the television but now, they are seeing it.

“We relied on agriculture before the oil boom or doom and all that died. We are reviving it and the whole world has appreciated that we are moving forward in agriculture.

“When something is started, people do not see the benefits immediately. We know that as a nation, we have a lot of challenges in terms of getting jobs for our young ones and we have set up a lot of programmes that can bring job opportunities for our young men.

“The result may not be obvious immediately but God willing, job opportunities will continue to increase and many more young people will be engaged.”

Jonathan reiterated his position that his administration was working hard to ensure that the effects of the drop in oil price did not affect the nation’s economy adversely.

He said since the nation survived a similar situation between 2008 and 2009 when oil price dropped to $40, it would survive the current one

He said although there might be temporary inconveniences, the situation would not bring the economy down.

Jonathan described 2015 as a tempting year for the country, saying elections year in third world countries is always a turbulent year with all kinds of predictions.

Despite the charged atmosphere ahead of the elections however, he said God would see the country through.

He urged the congregation to continue to pray for politicians for God to guide their utterances and actions.

The President observed that if indeed aspirants to various public offices were interested in the well-being of the people, they would not kill or maim people to win elections.

Jonathan said, “All that I will request of you is to continue to pray for   politicians for God to guide us in our utterances and what we do so that we will not sacrifice the lives of Nigerians because of our ambitions.

“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Pray for God to give us that wisdom and mind to make sure we conduct ourselves in a way that will not set the country ablaze because of our own personal ambitions.

“There are so many good Nigerians that can hold the offices we are occupying or aspiring to occupy. It is by   God’s plan that we are here in positions of authority.

“None of us should begin to think that he is the best person to occupy any public office. There are a thousands and one Nigerians that are more qualified than those   aspiring to occupy offices.

“The development of Nigeria is what all of us want. If every aspirant has the mind to develop the people, then you do not need to kill or maim people to get there.

“You do not need to kill the people you want to develop in order to get to the office you want except if you are aspiring for that office for a different reason.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the President of CAC Worldwide, Pastor Abraham Akinosun, had said that God had promised to make Nigeria a great nation.

Akinosun’s message was read by the Chairman of the church’s Federal Capital City Zonal Headquarters, Pastor Michael Olatunde.

He regretted that despite God’s promises to the nation, the devil had also appointed some people to truncate Nigeria’s progress.

He said such people and their activities were manifesting in various ways.

The clergyman said the position of such people who had vowed to make the nation ungovernable was not strange.

He recalled that Jesus Christ, Nehemiah and Ezekiel among other Biblical characters also faced stiff opposition from their people.

He urged Jonathan not to be distracted but to remain focused on rebuilding the country.

Jonathan was accompanied to the service by his mother, Eunice; his Chief of Staff,   Jones Arogbofa; his Chief Personal Physician, Dr. Fortune Fiberesima; and the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, among other top government officials.

Special prayers were made for the President, the country and the success of the forthcoming elections during the service held under tight security.

Gifts were also presented to the President by the church authorities.

I regret supporting Amaechi to become gov – Odili

Peter Odili

The former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has expressed regret that he supported Mr. Rotimi Amaechi to become the governor of the state in 2007.

Odili said Amaechi dismantled the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party through his (Amaechi) defection to the All Progressives Congress.

He explained that but for the quick intervention of a former Minister of State for Education and PDP governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, the party would have gone into oblivion.

The ex-governor, who spoke on Saturday during Wike’s campaign tour in Ndoni Local Government Area on Saturday, said Amaechi worked against the PDP structure put in place by the founding fathers of the party.

Odili pointed out that the PDP, in the past, supported Amaechi’s political career with good intentions, adding that he and the PDP had accepted their mistake and were poised to correct it in 2015.

It was the first time the former governor would speak publicly on the strained relationship between him and incumbent governor.

He said, “We thought we did the right thing by supporting Amaechi to become the governor of the state. We left a united state; we also left a united party. The PDP was one, Rivers State is the PDP.

“There was no other party in Rivers State other than the PDP. Whatever the party hierarchy said would happen. The secretary is here to support what I am telling you here today.

“With all the best intentions, we supported his political career and ambition. We thought we did what was best for the state. As you know, until a man has power and has money, you don’t really know him.

“One thing is clear; we have accepted our mistake and we are determined to correct it in 2015. Who would have thought that a governor who won an election on the platform of the PDP would defect with the mandate of the party to another party?

“Who would have thought that a governor elected on the platform of the PDP would abandon the PDP to join an opposition party? The elders of the party who are here can corroborate what I am saying here today. We ran a cohesive party. We had respect for the elders of the party. We had respect for party members.”

Explaining that no member of the PDP attempted to hijack the party during his reign as the leader, Odili recalled that party officials respected elders during his days as the state governor.

He, however, expressed gratitude to Wike for reuniting the PDP in the state immediately Amaechi defected to the APC, along with the former state chairman of the PDP, Chief Godspower Ake, his commissioners, his supporters and 22 out of the 23 local government chairmen.

“I want to thank the governorship candidate of the PDP for the 2015 governorship election and the next governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for miraculously rescuing the party from disintegration and working tirelessly to unite the members of the party.

“By the special grace of God in February, we are going to the polls. The first election is to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term. The second election will be the governorship election where our candidate, Wike, will emerge as the next governor of Rivers State.”

Don’t plunge Nigeria into constitutional crisis, Amaechi urges Jonathan

Amaechi and Jonathan

Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has cautioned the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis next year by failing to conduct elections in the three states mainly affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Amaechi, who is the Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, said Nigeria would face a constitutional crisis, if INEC does not conduct elections in the three states.
He asked rhetorically: “What would happen to the state assemblies? What about the National Assembly? Would the presidential election be conclusive if elections are not held in the three states? I hope we don’t enter into a constitutional crisis in 2015.”
To Amaechi, who spoke in Lagos, Jonathan has performed woefully on the insurgency. He noted that the attitude of the Federal Government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, is that the insurgency is a northern problem that should be solved by northerners.
“It may not be what they intend, but that is the way some people read it. But, the key thing is that the Federal Government has not done well in the area of insurgency and it is not because we have a bad military. Our military men are well trained, but not well funded. If they are well funded – the money disappears somehow before it is released. So, the problem has to do with corruption,” he added.
Amaechi said if the APC had the power to stop the insurgency, it would have done so, to secure the states, which are mainly APC states.
His word: “We don’t have the power; the governors can’t do anything, other than assist the army with funds occasionally. The control of the military lies in the hands of the President and he is the only one that can issue orders or directives as commander-in-chief. Most importantly, only the President can fund the military in such a manner that they can fight Boko Haram.”
He said the logistics of moving the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok would have made it easier to trace the insurgents. The problem, he added, was that Jonathan did not initially believe that over 200 girls were abducted from Chibok and that the First Lady’s cry of “there is God o” was meant to signify that opponents of the government were telling lies against him.
The Director-General said what most people did not realise is that the oath of office is not an oath that says the President must construct roads, provide water and light. “The oath of office makes it categorical that he must secure lives and property. If he is not doing that, it becomes an impeachable office. I can assure you that when you elect President Buhari into office, he will deal with that squarely because he has done it before,” he said.
Amaechi denied allegations that APC presidential candidates spent money during the campaign for the primaries. Besides, he did not fund the Buhari campaign, he said.
“Anybody who says they spent money should come forward and bring evidence. We have maintained consistently that Nigerians would fund us and that’s why we launched a fundraiser and we’re hoping that people would respond. We expect people to go to the website and contribute. We’ve convinced Buhari to be the only signatory to that account. That’s the way we’re going to raise our money; we’ll not depend on rich men.”
The governor said the party does not intend to fight the President with funds, considering how much he has raised from “questionable” sources. He added that the APC would fight the President by telling people in the village why they need to vote for change and that the symbol for change is the APC and General Buhari.
He said some of the people who donated towards the President’s campaign were among those also benefited from the N2.3 billion oil subsidy fund. They did so, he said, as a way of paying back. “If he did not prosecute them, why shouldn’t they pay for his election,” he argued.
Amaechi said detractors tried to tarnish his image by saying that he used Rivers State funds to campaign for Buhari while he had not paid eight months salary. He said it was only December salary that was outstanding. “But, we have paid that today (yesterday),” he noted.
Amaechi said the APC campaign would be issue-based and that age has nothing to do with it, since Buhari is not expected to do hard labour at the Villa. The Director-General said the next president would be determined by performance. “Nigerians would have to choose between a man who has brought more tears and poverty to Nigerians and one who chased away Maitatsine and Chadian rebels,” he said.
Amaechi said his team would begin campaigns early next year and that they would go round the 36 states. He added: “We hope that Nigerians would hear the message, which is very simple: Buhari chased away Maitasine. How many Nigerians know that? Maitasine was like Boko Haram and they were killing people in Borno and Kano. Buhari as an officer of the Nigerian army, chased away Chadian rebels and the Maitasine sect. He had crossed the lake and was heading for Ndjamena, the capital of chad, before President Shehu Shagari called him back. If he didn’t do that, Borno would have been overran by Chadian rebels.
“That’s because Buhari is a strong leader. You need a strong leader now to chase away Boko Haram or Boko Haram would chase us away. There are reports that 32 persons have been killed in Bauchi and Gombe. So, you need a Buhari to be able to fight insurgency. We’ll deal with the issue of insurgency. The country may be broke now because of the diversion of funds in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).”
He said a Buhari presidency would fight corruption and thereby save money, which will be ploughed back into the economy. “That would be another way to create employment. We’ll also deal with power, otherwise you cannot tackle unemployment. The essential factor for industrialisation, from elementary Economics, is power,” he noted. He said Buhari as a President would promote agriculture, power and unemployment.

‘It is a bad Christmas’

•Parents of kidnapped Chibok schoolgirl tell CNN
UNLIKE before when they awaited the Yuletide with excitement, Samuel Yaga, his wife, Rebecca and five children will celebrate the Christmas tomorrow without the usual fanfare.
Their eldest daughter – Sarah will be sorely missed by the family that hitherto haken Christmas as a time of laughter and spending time together. The reality of celebrating the Christmas without “an ambitious” member of the family had dawned on them.
A report on the Cable Network News (CNN) yesterday showed there nothing in the couple’s one-bedroom apartment to portray the family in the festive mood.
Sarah is one of the more than 200 pupils abducted on  April 15, from  their domitoary at the Government Girls’ Secondary  School, Chibok, Borno State, by the out-of-control members of the Boko Haram sect.
Inside their small one roomed house – there is nothing to indicate that the Christmas festive season has begun. They say Christmas used to be a time of laughter and spending time with family, the CNN reported.
Explaining why it cannot be celebration as usual, the father recounted:  “Every Christmas we used to be complete and happy but now one of us is not there, how can it be the same?”
Sarah’s mother also said: “There is nothing I can say. It has happened. It is a bad Christmas. But there is nothing we can do.”
In April, Samuel, a mechanic, was making a routine repair on a client’s car when his phone rang. It was a phone call that would change his life forever.
He recalled: “I was called in the morning by my elder brother notifying me of an attack on the school where my daughter was schooling.”
Samuel’s blood went cold as his brother continued, telling him that some of the girls had been abducted by Boko Haram.
He knew only too well the vicious and brutal nature of the terrorist group: just a few months before this, Boko Haram had attacked his village in Borno, the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Gunmen had forced him out of his house with one of them pointing a gun to his head. By a sheer miracle, unexplainable even to Samuel, one of the militants intervened, and his life was spared.
Their entire village was razed, a development that forced him to move his family to Chibok and enrolled Sarah into the Government Secondary School so that she could sit for her final high school exam.
He chose Chibok because not only was the community his ancestral home and where he had his relatives but also because it had no history of Boko Haram attacks. He felt it was safe — until the raid by the insurgents on the school.
Later on that fateful day, Samuel’s brother phoned him again.
“Then before sunset he called again to inform me that my daughter was part of those that were taken by Boko Haram.”
Sarah’s mother recounted how the news of her daughter’s abduction tore at her heart. She refused to believe it when her husband first informed her — until it was confirmed on the evening news.
“Seriously, seriously, mum and her daughter. The pain is indescribable,” she reflected.
According to her, there is not a day that goes by that she does not think of her daughter, who she described as an ambitious girl who saw education as a way out of poverty.
“She used to tell me one day she will finish school and become somebody. She used to assist the younger ones with their homework,” she said of the ‘missing’ girl.
Rebecca went on: “She loved studies. She used to fall asleep with her books in her arms,” she added.
Samuel remembers her as the caring eldest child who used to secretly collect his dirty clothes, washed them and pressed them for him. He also remembers her passion for knowledge.
“She is brilliant. She liked reading. Always she loved going to school,” he said.
Sadness enveloped the couple as they clutched to the only physical memory that they have of their daughter — a few photos and one bright green top, one of her favorites.
Although they were at low spirits, they, however, say their hopes remain high that their daughter will come back someday.  They passed on that encouragement to their other five children, who say they miss their sister.
“Her siblings know that she is not here – they themselves know what is happening, having come out of war,” Samuel said.
“They keep asking me, ‘When is she coming back?’ But I keep telling them to keep trusting God. Maybe He will hear us,” he concluded.

Buhari’ll end insurgency, corruption –Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi

The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday called on Nigerians to vote out President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections.

He said only a “strong leader” like Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) could tackle insurgency and corruption in the country.

Amaechi said prayers alone could not rescue the nation from the brink of collapse and underdevelopment.

Amaechi, who is also the Rivers State governor, addressed journalists in Lagos at a maiden press briefing on his plans to drive the party’s efforts to win the 2015 presidential election.

Also at the briefing was the Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, Davies Ibiamu-Ikanya.

The APC had, last week, announced Amaechi as the Director-General of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation.

Amaechi also promised to drive an issue-based campaign that would ensure victory for the APC.

He said the APC presidential campaign would commence a nationwide campaign in the early part of next year.

Amaechi said President Jonathan’s administration was too weak to tackle insurgency.

He recalled that when Chadian rebels invaded Borno State in the past, it was Buhari that deployed troops to chase them away.

He said, “You need a strong leader to chase away Boko Haram or Boko Haram will chase us away. There are reports that 32 persons have been killed in Bauchi and Gombe; so you need a Buhari to actually fight the insurgents.

“Insurgency continues not because we have a bad military; our soldiers are well trained. It is because they are not well funded. The period when the money gets to the military and before it is released, somewhere, some amount of money disappears.

“So, we have to deal with the issue of corruption and that is where the military is having problem. If they are not properly equipped, they cannot fight insurgency. So, we have to deal with the issue of corruption.

“You want to kill 50 military officers who are saying, ‘please equip us properly, I can’t go to the battlefront without the right weapon. Now you are sending him to fight a man with RPG and you gave him an old AK47. He says you are risking his life. They have a right to protest that. You don’t kill them for that.”

When our correspondent asked him how Buhari would tackle post-election violence in the North if he did not win the presidential election as witnessed in 2011, Amaechi said the game had changed, insisting that Buhari would win.

He said the issue of violence would not arise because Nigerians would massively vote for Buhari, because they are tired of the Jonathan administration.

Amaechi, who berated President Goodluck Jonathan for condoning corruption, urged Nigerians to take action and not believe that only prayers could solve their problems.

He added, “The former Central Bank of Nigeria’s governor said $20bn was missing, he (Jonathan) sacked the CBN governor for saying that but the Minister of Finance said they could not account for $10.8bn. Whether it was $10.8bn or $20bn, the fact is that something was missing…somebody should be resigning. But in Nigeria, nobody cares about that.

“The Presidency did not bother but was asking Nigerians to pray as if God created prayers for only Nigerians. ‘Don’t worry we are praying, God will settle 2015 for us’. God has created us with brains and hands, just like he did for the British. They have legs, just like we have our own legs. Why do we go back to God all the time. We don’t take time to find solutions to our problems after praying. But here we pray and after praying, we do nothing. We will be waiting for God to cause miracles to happen.”

Speaking on how he would combine the office of the governor and the campaign group, Amaechi said he would rely on the help of his deputy who he described as “very efficient.”

Amaechi also advised President Jonathan to caution his spokespersons against falsifying facts.

He added, “After my appointment, people tried to tarnish my image that I have not paid eight months salary. Anybody who said I have not paid him salary should come forward. I have paid up to December. You can call Rivers State.

“I was surprised that a presidential spokesman said I funded the election of Gen. Buhari, and that I owe teachers in Rivers State eight months’ salaries.

“And I asked the question, for you to be a presidential spokesman; facts and statistics must be on your palm. You shouldn’t joke with facts.”

No over-voting in primary, PDP replies Obanikoro

Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro

The Peoples Democratic Party has responded to allegations made by a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, in his suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the conduct and the outcome of the party’s governorship primary in Lagos State.

The PDP denied Obanikoro’s allegations in a counter-affidavit it filed in opposition to Obanikoro’s application for an interim injunction seeking to restrain the PDP from submitting any name as its governorship candidate in the state to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Both the PDP and INEC are the defendants. INEC was not represented in court when the matter came up for hearing before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Tuesday.

The party, through its counsel, Paul Ananaba, had also filed a separate preliminary objection in opposition to the suit with which Obanikoro is seeking the nullification of the primary on the grounds of alleged irregularities.

The party insisted that there was no over-voting as the earlier announcement of 806 as the accredited voters was a tabulation error.

The PDP Youth Leader in Lagos State, Samuel Ladeinde, stated in the supporting affidavit that, “At the conclusion of voting, a total of 864 ballot papers were issued to accredited delegates. In the Electoral Committee Chairman’s (Senator Saidi Kumo’s) opening remarks, he mentioned that 806 delegates were accredited.

“But this initial remark was a tabulation error, which occurred by the omission to tabulate the following list of delegates, even though they had been duly accredited for the exercise.:

“Ikeja ad hoc delegates – 30; Ikeja automatic delegates – seven; Ojo automatic delegates – six; Mushin automatic delegates -eight; Alimosho automatic delegates – seven, and the total is 58.

“The agents and aspirants were clearly informed at the electoral desk of this tabulation omission which they accepted without opposition before the counting of the votes cast commenced. During the voting, the agents of the aspirants had verified each delegate before the delegate was given a ballot paper to go and vote, thus ensuring that only duly accredited delegates voted and each of such delegates received only one ballot paper.”

Obanikoro had in his suit filed on December 15, 2014, asked Justice Ahmed Mohammed to nullify the primary on the grounds that it was marred by irregularities, including over-voting, disruption of the exercise by armed thugs and improper accreditation of voters.

He also accused a leader of the party in the state, Chief Olabode George, and the winner of the December 8 primary, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, of recruiting armed thugs to manipulate the exercise.

He averred in a supporting affidavit that he saw the police recovered five guns and rounds of ammunition and live cartridges from the thugs brought to the venue of the primary.

Obanikoro, with 343 votes, came second behind Agbaje who polled 432 votes to clinch the party’s ticket. Three other aspirants participated in the poll.

But he said there were 806 delegates accredited for the primaries but “surprisingly from the 806 accredited delegates; the electoral officers returned a total number of 866 votes.”

He added that the accreditation of delegates which ought to last between 8am and 12noon as stipulated by the Electoral Guidelines published by the PDP, did not start until as late as 6.30

Campaign: Buhari raises N54.4m from ‘crowd funding platform’

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has said his desire not to become a hostage to anyone is the reason behind his decision to rely on the sacrifices of ordinary Nigerians to fund his campaign.

Buhari said this at a press briefing on the Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari Crowd Funding Platform, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

This is even as he announced that N54, 415,386.70 had so far been received as donations through direct deposit and sale of cards.

He expressed the confidence that the financial support he was receiving from ordinary Nigerians would see him through the campaign period.

According to him, his supporters who floated the platform drew inspiration from the United States of America President, Barack Obama’s campaign.

The candidate noted that when Obama first came on the scene, he did not enjoy the support of big corporations for a variety of reasons, but that he was able to surmount this challenge when he turned to ordinary Americans who shared his dream.

Buhari said, “My strength mainly are the ordinary people and the N100 they are contributing. It is a lot of money for them but I know they will make the sacrifice especially when I said I am not going to sign the cheque to get even a kobo out of that account.

“That is why I depend on them. We are taking this idea from what we have seen in the United States when Barack Obama came out to contest, he was a coloured person, the big companies were not for him and so on.

“But he knew he had foot soldiers, so when he came up with this idea, he was able to finance his campaign without looking for money-bags or anybody influential. So, he remained independent and was not held hostage by anybody. And this is what I want to achieve.”

He said the Buhari Support Organisation currently had 82 registered support groups with over 475, 796 coordinators and a total membership in the region of 8, 492,226 across the country.

Buhari explained that the organisation intended to use the registration and donation cards to enlist the members of the groups as volunteer change agents and also to capture the spatial distribution of its donors.

While acknowledging that Nigerians were going through a difficult time, he expressed the confidence that they would make the requisite sacrifices to bring about a positive change.

He used the occasion to debunk the well publicised N27.5m loan he allegedly obtained to pay for his nomination forms.

Buhari added that he made attempts to get the leadership of the APC to reduce the amount payable for the forms but his move was rejected.

He said, “I told them that I cannot complain because I happen to be a senior member of the party. So, I put a quick call to my bank manager (and said) whatever is the state of my account, please don’t dishonour that cheque and that’s what my manager did.

“So, people developed their own stories from there and so on. What happened is between my manager and I. It is always confidential.”

Also, a group under the auspices of the House-to-House Education Initiative has announced support for Buhari’s campaign.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Kunle Ehinlanwo, told newsmen in Abuja, that “our initial idea was to support the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan believing that continuity will better serve our democracy.

“But on a deeper review and careful analysis of the situation in the country, we are not convinced with the performance of the present administration.

“We have consequently decided to throw our support in favour of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential candidate of the APC.”

The group said it was convinced that Buhari was a better man for the challenging job.

Accordingly, the House-to-House Educational Initiative pledged to henceforth campaign vigorously to canvass support for the election of Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, ahead of the 2015 general elections across the 36 states of the federation.

Fashola, teacher in emotional reunion 38 years after

It was a reunion, which drew nostalgic feelings when Lagos State Governor  Babatunde Fashola (SAN), yesterday met his former Bible Knowledge teacher at Birch Freeman High School, Surulere, Lagos, Mrs. Felicia Iyabode Adefunke Akinola, at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.
Mrs. Akinola, who joined the school’s teaching staff in 1973 and went on transfer in 1989, taught Bible Knowledge in junior and senior classes and English language and English literature in junior classes.
It was indeed a fulfilling moment of joy, emotions and pride, which engendered nostalgic reflections on the past, as the obviously elated governor and his former teacher recalled their days as teacher and pupil at the school under Mr. T.A. Ojo as the head- teacher.

Amuneke: we won’t underrate any team

Golden Eaglets’ coach, Emmanuel Amuneke in his reaction to the Africa U-17 Championship draws held Sunday morning at the CAF headquarters in Cairo as fair and assured that his team will only focus at securing a  ticket to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Chile.
“I think it is a fair draw not minding the fact that we are going to face the host country, Niger,” Amuneke stated.
“We are not going to underrate any of the teams and as I said before the draw, our sole objective in Niger is to qualify for the World Cup and after that, we can begin to talk about other things.
The Golden Eaglets have their work cut out since they are going to battle against the host whom their illustrious predecessors, white-washed 10-1 on aggregate in the qualifiers for Morocco 2013 where they finished second and secured a ticket to the FIFA World Cup in the UAE – and eventually earned Nigeria a record fourth title.
“We are aware of the task ahead of us and what happened between the Golden Eaglets and Niger the last time is immaterial now,” noted Amuneke.
“Our boys have to go out there and show that this set of Golden Eaglets are good in their own right and we must first secure a ticket to the World Cup.
Though Zambia and Guinea are making a return to the competition after a break  since they failed to qualify the last time in Morocco, Amuneke said they won’t be treated with kid’s gloves: “Both Zambia and Guinea showed they are a strong side during the qualifiers; so we are going to take all our matches seriously.”
In the other half of the draw, defending champions, Cote d’Ivoire would slug it out in Group B along with the trio of South Africa, Mali and Cameroon who incidentally were not in Morocco 2013.
Niger 2015 tournament will take place between February 15th and March 1st next year in Niger with the semi-finalists guaranteed a ticket to the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.

Nigerians to pay more for electricity

•Govt unfolds new tariff today 
INDUSTRIAL and commercial consumers are to pay more for every unit of electricity they use. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will unveil a new tariff regime today, it was learnt yesterday.
The new regime will be extended to residential consumers in six months, the NERC said.
According to its chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, the new tariff, “is already well known to both the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the transaction advisers as well as the participants from the deposit money banks.”
Amadi broke the news yesterday in Abuja at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the CBN and all the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) for the N213 billion legacy debt funding for the power sector.
He, however, assured Nigerians that the Commission will “ensure that the tariff is cost-reflective, it will not constitute a burden on consumers immediately and so for avoidance of doubt with this facility, there will be no increase in electricity tariff for residential consumers for six months until we begin to see improvement.”
Essentially, the tariff, Amadi explained “is guaranteed to come into effect tomorrow (today) and it allows for full recovery and ensures that there is no risk that is not fully covered in this transaction.”
He said that NERC expected more gas inflow to the power stations with the injection of N213 billion.
He said: “This facility and other interventions in the next two, three, four months will bring about increase in capacity, there will be more reliability and the metering plan that is ongoing will ensure that consumers will be much more comfortable as they will witness increase in power supply.”
The objective of the N213 billion legacy debt facility was to make the power sector viable and reliable.
Amadi restated the Commission’s commitment to cost recovery by both the CBN and the designated banks in providing the fund and for other investors, who may want to invest either in upstream and downstream of the power sector.
The funding facility, Amadi stated “is about viability and with just 4,000 megawatts worth over N500 billion market, we expect that this facility will deepen the market and ensure not just a good business for the banks but also provide reliable power supply to Nigerian homes.”
CBN Governor Mr. Godwin Emefiele said they were “taking this bold step at this stage to now help the banks, who are themselves going to act as channels through which these funds would be paid to the discos and the GENCOS and the gas suppliers to come in to also sign their Memorandum of Understanding at the Central Bank of Nigeria with the NERC and CBN.”
Nigerian banks, he said, are predominantly the creditors in the books which further demonstrates the commitment of the banks to continue to support the growth of the power sector.
Emefiele stated that the N213 billion power sector intervention fund will ensure that “the least legacy debts that we have are cleared so that the market can be seen to be viable, and electricity can be begin to be generated and distribution improved upon for the good of our people.”
He said that gas tariff was subsequently reviewed to $2.50 whereas transportation was improved to 80 cents, increasing the gas tariff to about $2.80 cents.
Emefiele said the International Oil Companies (IOCs) the gas suppliers, have been assured that the present gas price will be commercially viable.
“Not only that, it will encourage them to improve on the gas production and supply but will indeed also encourage new investors to come into the market and then we can see a boost in the gas production industry in Nigeria,” the CBN chief said.

Jonathan condones corruption, says Osinbajo

Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

The Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that one of the fundamental problems bedeviling the nation is the failure of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government to tackle corruption.

Osinbajo stated this during a Twitter chat tagged #AskProfOsinbajo on Monday.

He said it was saddening that under Jonathan’s government, “there is no consequence for corruption.”

He added, “One of the fundamental problems is that there is no consequence for corruption. I think that what everyone will agree to about a Buhari government is that it will not tolerate corruption.

“If the number one citizen has a clear and uncompromising anti-corruption stand then the anti-corruption policy will work. If the number one and number two citizens have a strong stance on anti-corruption then our policy can succeed.”

Osinbajo added that a Buhari Presidency would bequeath to Nigerians a country where everyone would have a good job and lives a descent live in peace security.

He also accused President Goodluck Jonathan of politicising the fight against the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.

Osinbajo argued that the present administration had failed to “sincerely identify” the menace posed by the insurgent group.

The law professor also blamed the failure of the security forces to contain the excesses of Boko Haram in the on-going war against terrorism on corruption.

“The current administration has politicised Boko Haram. The corruption around defence funds has created a situation where soldiers are not well equipped and motivated.

“General Muhammadu Buhari wiped off Maitatsine, another Islamic insurgency during his administration, by sincerely identifying the problem as a challenge to the authority of the state to maintain law and order.

“The administration took command and funded the military transparently and that is what we need to do now to end this insurgency,” Osinbajo said.

Meanwhile, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi (SAN), has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to be steadfast in the fight against corruption in the country.

He said that the operatives of the EFCC must carry out their responsibilities with the conviction that society had put them in a position to enforce the nation’s laws against corruption.

The former AGF said that he had the belief that the commission had credible personnel with the capacity to enforce the laws of the land.

A statement signed by the Head of Media and publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, quoted Agabi as having made the comment while delivering the Special Guest’s address during the commission’s maiden ‘Rewards and Recognition’ ceremony in Abuja on Monday.

Jonathan to contest against semi-literate candidate –PDP

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has said that its presidential candidate in the forthcoming election, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, will be contesting against a semi-literate candidate.

Ostensibly referring to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the party also said the election would be between Jonathan and   “a military jackboot.”

Buhari, a former head of state, is the only presidential candidate who has a military background .

Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution allows anyone with school certificate qualification to contest any elective office in the country.

The PDP, through its National Secretary, Dr. Wale Oladipo, said when some leaders of the PDP in the   Diaspora visited its national secretariat in Abuja on Monday     that there was no way the President would not win the election.

It   said, “The next election is going to be between darkness and light. It is going to be between a cosmopolitan highly-focused Ph.D holder and a semi-literate jackboot.

“Our candidate is a man who believes in integrating the economy of Nigeria into the world economic order. He is   a man who believes that the power sector should continue to be reformed so that we will attain the level of power generation and distribution that is commensurate with our aspiration in terms of industrial development. Nigeria cannot afford to go back. We will continue to move forward.”

The party said having won three presidential elections in which Buhari ran on the platforms of different political parties, there   was no way it would not floor the APC which had decided to field   the former military leader as its     presidential candidate.

Describing the APC as a party not ready to offer alternatives,   the party advised Nigerians to remain with it.

It said, “Even though we are not a perfect party,   our mission is perfect.

“We do not belong to any religious organisation and we don’t belong to any ethnic group. In preparing for the next election, which is not going to be like previous ones because for the first time, the opposition has coupled together a contraption that is called the APC.

“They have passed through the motion and endorsed their perennial candidate. We have beaten him three times, we are going to beat him once again.

“The APC is not a political party that is ready to offer an alternative to the teeming masses of this country. The only agenda they seem to have is to see our back.”

The PDP said that God had decided that Nigeria would not only continue to wax stronger,   he had also “decided that this country will not go back to 1983 when we had to start doing trade-by-barter with Brazil; when we went back 500 years to start practising what our ancestors practised when there was no currency in this country.”

“God has decried it that we   will continue to pilot the affairs of this country and continue to implement the transformation agenda,” the PDP added.

But the Director of Publicity of the Buhari 2015 Support Group Centre, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, expressed shock about the PDP comments, saying they showed the depth of their understanding of Buhari.

He said, “How can the PDP refer to a man who had his initial military training   in Nigeria and the best officer cadet training institutions in the world as semi-literate. They are so lazy that they can not check Gen. Buhari’s profile in this     internet age.The general went to the Military Training College in Kaduna; the Mons Officer Cadet School in the United Kingdom; the Defence Services College in India and the Army War College in the United States. The certificates given by these institutions are equivalent to university degrees.

“If they want a copy of the general’s CV(Curriculum Vitae), they are welcome to have one.”

The BSGC boss advised that it would better serve public interest if the record of performance of Buhari was put side-by-side that of   Jonathan.

According to him, it was pedestrian for the PDP   to reduce the issues at stake to educational qualification.

Maduekwe said, “Buhari had the opportunity to govern this nation in the past and his records are there for all to see.

“He managed our economy very well and paid up our debts and built up our foreign reserves. This was a man who was in charge when our refineries were built; this was a man who was in charge of the PTF(Petroleum Trust Fund) and left an enviable record.

“Contrast him with our Ph.D holder (Jonathan) who has run our economy aground and our foreign reserves depleted and we are today raking up debts.

“Under this Ph.D holder, Nigeria has come last among nations in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals with a 2015 deadline. Nigeria came last because; we have a PDP government which is visionless. Nigerians certainly do not want a continuity of this suffering.”

Osinbajo is Buhari’s running mate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has picked a former Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as his running mate for next year’s presidential election.
The former head of state broke the news to Osinbajo at 1.00am on Wednesday morning.
The choice of Buhari’s running mate has generated keen interest since the retired army general’s emergence as APC presidential candidate last Thursday.
Several names including Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Rivers State’s Rotimi Amaechi and the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had previously been tipped for the running mate slot.
However, the choice of Osinbajo would not come as a surprise to many, this is because the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) pastor had been on the APC leaders’ radar for that slot since the 2015 race began.

Boko Haram: DSS defends Sheriff

•Agency indicts Australian negotiator, others
THE Department of State Security (DSS) said yesterday that it had uncovered plots by certain persons to implicate the former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, with the view to portraying him as a Boko Haram sponsor.
The DSS accused Australian hostage negotiator, Dr. Steven Davis, of acting with the said suspects in the bungled ceasefire talks between the Federal Government and the sect.
Its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, paraded seven suspects in Abuja,  for allegedly conniving with Davis to “make merchandise” of the Boko Haram insurgency through “concocted and fabricated” stories.
The suspects are: Junaid Idrissa Khadi, Abubakar Yusuf (aka Baba Sani), Saleh Alhaji Ibrahim (Liman Ibrahim), Abdullahi Saleh (aka Babadale), Nurudeen Ibrahim, Mubarak Adamu (aka Molo) and Mustapha Maidugu (aka Musty or Small).
Ogar said: “It is necessary to state here that Davis and his cohorts are among several other local and international groups, who are out to make merchandise of the Boko Haram insurgency through concocted and fabricated stories.
“These subversive campaigns are also aimed at permeating and shaping political discourse as well as challenge the integrity of our national security and stir discontent among Nigerians and our esteemed allies in the war against terror.”
According to the spokesperson, the discovery was as a result of investigation on the activities of the Australian negotiator in the Boko Haram saga, particularly his claims regarding the identities of sponsors of the sect.
Davis had, a few months ago, insisted that Sheriff and the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, were some of the sponsors of the dreaded sect.
Ogar continued: “Recall that on 29th August, 2014, one Steven Davis, an Australian self-styled negotiator for the Boko Haram sect had alleged that Ali Modu Sheriff (senator) and Azubuike Ihejirika (Lt.Gen/rtd), former Governor of Borno State and former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) respectively were among chief sponsors of the Boko Haram sect.
“Davis premised his ‘findings’ on discussions with several field commanders of the sect, who allegedly expressed willingness of the sect to negotiate with the Federal Government if Davis would spearhead such dialogue. To buttress this, he posted a photograph of himself taken in 2013 with some alleged sect members.
“Based on the allegation, this Service initiated an in-depth-investigation into the matter. Consequently, seven associates of Davis were arrested and it has been established that they were part of a well-orchestrated plan to spread falsehood, undermine and discredit efforts of government to end terrorism”.
The DSS alleged that the suspects had confessed to conspiring with Davis to implicate Sheriff, with monetary inducements of various sums.
Ogar also said the suspects claimed that Davis single-handedly “conjured” the indictment on Ihejirika, based on allegations that the military under the former COAS was responsible for his several failed attempts to make contact with the Presidency.
The DSS also accused the Australian of assembling the suspects and presenting them to government negotiators as Boko Haram commanders, adding that the suspects also, at various times, posed with Davis on You Tube as some of the sect’s commanders.
This, Ogar said, was aimed at misleading the Federal Government and compelling it to negotiate with the “fraudulent group”.
Vowing to take appropriate action against the suspects, the DSS said: “We want to reiterate once more, that this Service is committed to bringing to justice all who sponsor or partake in the publication of subversive reports against this country. We shall not rest on our oars until our country is rid of all unwholesome activities”.
But Isa Gusau, the media associate to Governor Kashim Shettima, in a statement yesterday, claimed that one of that paraded suspects, Khadi, was first appointed by Sheriff in 2010 and he was retained by Shettima in 2011 on Sheriff’s request
The statement said the state government was compelled to respond based on enquiries by the media following the parade of Khadi by the DSS.

Gusau said: “While it is not the tradition of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State to join issues with security agencies as he holds each of them in high esteem, we are concerned about an insinuation concerning the status of Khadi, who was presented as an aide to Shettima. We don’t want to question the integrity of the security agency involved and hence cannot outrightly allege political motive to bring Shettima’s image to disrepute.
“First, let it be noted that our clarification here is not intended to pronounce Khadi guilty of whatever reasons that led to his arrest. The clarification is simply to put the records in their proper perspective.
“Khadi was a Special Adviser to Shettima following his appointment in 2013 on the insistence of ex-Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who at that time, had the listening ears of his successor, Governor Shettima.
“It is important to note that Governor Kashim Shettima never found Khadi with any questionable character as at the time he was appointed. If at all Khadi had any questionable character, such can only be best known by those he first associated with before Shettima became a Governor in 2011 or perhaps, those that persistently recommended him to Shettima for reappointment.”
The statement called on the security agency to accord the fairest hearing to Khadi, “as it should to every other Nigerian arrested for whatever reason.”

Mark’s security details tear-gassed Tambuwal, others – DPO

Senate President, David Mark

There was a mild drama at the Senate probe of the November 20 National Assembly invasion by the police when the Divisional Police Officer attached to the federal parliament, Mr. James Ndachaba, said the police officers from the FCT command, were not responsible for the tear gas canister thrown at the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal.

Ndachaba, who stated this while testifying before the Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s ad-hoc committee of the Senate probing the unfortunate development, however, indicted security details attached to Senate President, David Mark, for being responsible for the tear gas canister thrown at the Speaker and his colleagues on November 20.

Curiously, heads of other security and paramilitary agencies attached to the National Assembly, however, disagreed with the position of Ndachaba as they stated that they were not aware of any Mark’s security detail throwing tear gas at Tambuwal.

But the DPO argued that he actually saw Mark’s security detail, whose name he did not mention, through a video recording, perpetrating the act.

The following conversation ensued between the committee chairman and Ndachaba.

Makarfi: You wrote in your written submission that one of the security details of Senate President, David Mark, fired the tear gas. Are you saying that it is not the policemen under your command that fired the tear gas?

Ndachaba: With due respect sir, what I viewed on the screen showed that the police under my command dressed differently from those attached to the Senate President……

Makarfi (cuts in): I want you to be specific are you telling this committee that it is the security personnel of the Senate President that fired the tear gas?

Ndachaba: What I am saying is that the tear-gassing took place when the Senate President attempted to enter the chamber of the House of Representatives and there was a commotion which led to the injury of his aide-de-camp (ADC).

Makarfi (cuts in again): Are you saying that the tear gas was only fired at the entrance of the House of Representatives chambers? Are you saying tear gas was not fired anywhere within the premises of the National Assembly before then?

Ndachaba: I asserted in my report with you sir where I wrote that the tear gas might have exploded when attempt was made to disarm a police officer at the entrance of the main gate.

Makarfi: You are under oath. Here you have put in writing that the tear gas might have been exploded by one of the security details of the Senate President.

Ndachaba: Very well sir, I was not physically there but I saw it on the video clips which was aired by a television station. My submission was based on information and the video clips that I saw. I saw it on the screen.

Makarfi: This is a grievous allegation which you have submitted in writing. I want you to submit a copy of the video clip otherwise we will describe your allegation as hearsay.

It will be recalled that Tambuwal and some federal lawmakers were locked out of the complex on that day after a futile attempt to stop Tambuwal, by firing tear gas canisters at him and his colleagues.

The police had said that it acted on security reports that the National Assembly would be invaded by thugs on the day when lawmakers were to either ratify or reject President Goodluck Jonathan’s extension of emergency rule in the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

The Senate leadership, after an extensive debate on the issue on the floor, set up a committee led by Makarfi, the chairman of its Finance Committee, to probe the circumstances that led to the invasion and report back in two weeks.

However, more than a week behind schedule, Makarfi commenced investigation into the police invasion on Monday.

Primaries fallout: APC loses five Reps, gains four

 Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

Five members of the House of Representatives announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party on the floor of the House on Tuesday as members reconvened, having adjourned since November 20 for the primaries of their political parties.

Tuesday’s defection was apparently fallout of the primaries in which many members lost out in their bid to return to the House in 2015.

While four of the defectors joined the major opposition All Progressives Congress, one defected to the Peoples Democratic Movement.

Among the defectors to the APC was Mr. Ibrahim El-Sudi, who lost his return bid in the PDP primaries. The Taraba State lawmaker had chaired the investigation by the House into the near-collapse of the Nigerian Capital Market in 2012.

The El-Sudi committee had recommended the sacking of the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms Arunmah Oteh, for lacking the qualifications to head SEC.

President Goodluck Jonathan has not implemented the recommendation till date.

Others who left the PDP for the APC were the Chairman, Committee on Drugs/Narcotics/Financial Crimes, Mr. Adams Jagaba; Mr. Herman Hembe; and Mr. Ishaq Mohammed.

The fifth lawmaker, Mrs. Aisha Ahmed, from Adamawa State, defected to the PDM.

Meanwhile, five APC members from Ogun State also formally notified the House of their defection to the Social Democratic Party.

The five, known to be supporters of a former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, are Messrs Olumide Osoba (son of the former governor), Adekunle Adeyemi, Abudu Balogun, Taofeek Bukola and Babatunde Ogunola.

They claimed that crisis in their former party led to their defection.

The Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, had read the individual defection letters of the members to the House.

The defection elicited jubilation and disapproval at the same time in the camps of the PDP and the APC.

Although the PDP still controls the House, the defection had slashed its majority strength from 197 to about 192 members.

On the other hand, the APC dropped to 149 members from 154.

Makinde gets Oyo SDP ticket

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State has taken a new shape, with one of its leading governorship aspirants, Seyi Makinde, dumping the party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Makinde, addressing reporters yesterday in Ibadan, said he would contest the governorship election on the platform of the SDP.
He said after consultations with members, supporters and leaders, it was decided that the Omi Titun structure should move to the SDP in order to usher the state into a new era come.
“The PDP subverted the court by conducting an election with about 10 per cent of those who were eligible to participate. All entreaties made to the PDP leadership headquarters were rebuffed.
“I joined the PDP thinking that it believed in democratic tenets, rule of law, fairness and justice to all. The PDP candidate claimed to have been elected with 167 votes after the majority of 1,053 delegates were disenfranchised.”
He reiterated that the decision to join the governorship race was to improve the people’s standard of living through responsive and responsible leadership.

I’ve no hand in plot against Senate President, says Saraki

Senator Bukola Saraki

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment  and Ecology, Senator Bukola Saraki, had denied being part of any plot against the senate leadership.
Saraki, in a statement, said he read with shock, reports in some newspapers that some PDP senators, who lost out in the last primary were planning to remove Mark and replace him.
Saraki said: “We like to state categorically and unequivocally that Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial district of Kwara State, has no knowledge or being part of any plan by a group of Senators or any individual for that matter about the said publications and he will not be a party to such for any reason.
“It is our candid opinion and belief that any Senator that loses his bid to return to the Senate should lay on his bed ?as he found it, hence, individual Senator should bear their own cross.
“It is a common knowledge that when Senator Saraki was the Chairman of Governors Forum, he fought with his colleagues to ensure that at least, each state of the Federation returns one Senator.
“Hence the reason why there was a reasonable turnover in the Senate in the 2011 election.”

Court declines to stop Tambuwal

•Judge: no to speaker’s removal

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed yesterday in its bid to sack House of Representatives’ Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
The  Federal High Court in Abuja refused an ex-parte motion filed by the party’s member, Abiodun Akinlade.
Akinlade, a member of the House or Representatives, representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency of Ogun State, had by the motion, sought to restrain Tambuwal from continuing to act or parade himself as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
He also sought an order dispensing with personal service and for substituted service on Tambuwal “by serving all processes in this suit in the office of the Speaker, House of Representatives”.
Akinlade’s lawyer Babs Akinwumi, while moving the ex-parte motion, urged the court to grant the interim injunctions sought by his client pending the hearing of the substantive suit earlier filed by the lawmaker.
Ruling, Justice Ahmed Mohammed refused Akinlade’s prayers on the ground that it was unfair to defendants in the case for the court to make ex-parte orders against them when they were already aware of the case and were represented in court by lawyers.
He ordered Akinlade to convert the ex-parte application to a motion on notice and serve it on the defendants to enable them respond to it.
“In this situation, all the parties are represented in this case. It will be most unfair to grant an order ex-parte against a party that has representatives in a case,” the judge said.
He fixed January 19 for further hearing in the case.
Defendants in the suit are Tambuwal (as the first defendant), the House of Representatives and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In the substantive suit, Akinlade is seeking a “judicial interpretation” of an earlier judgment delivered by Justice Evoh Chukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which held that there was no division in the PDP.
The suit is intended to justify the PDP’s position that Tambuwal’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on October 28 was “illegal” and in breach of Section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Akinlade is urging the court to declare Tambuwal’s seat vacant on the ground that his defection is illegal.
The suit was earlier assigned to Justice Chukwu.
He withdrew from handling it on December 2, after Tambuwal petitioned the court’s Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta, requesting the transfer of the case to another on the ground that he was likely to be bias in view of his earlier position in a similar case.

Fayose presents N80.774bn budget to seven PDP lawmakers

Dr Peter Ayodele Fayose

Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose on Monday presented a N80.774bn   budget for 2015 to the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

While presenting the budget, the governor dared the opposition All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the state to attempt to overrun the state, saying they would be dealt with by the people.

The budget christened, “Budget of Reality,” was presented to the state lawmakers amid tight security.

The budget represents 77.7 per cent of former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s 2014 budget of N103.8bn.

The APC lawmakers in the House were absent at the plenary even as the chamber was filled to capacity by members of the Peoples Democratic Party, government officials and supporters of the governor.

Fayose urged the assembly to examine the draft budget and to further articulate the needs of the electorate and appropriate public funds for their realisation.

He said any attempt to overrun the Assembly by the APC lawmakers, who had ran away from the state for over two weeks, would be resisted by the people.

“Why did you (APC lawmakers) go on self-exile? Who drove you to self-exile? Some people elected me, you are less than 30, and you can’t stop the activities of the state. That is impossible,” he said.

Turning to the Speaker, Dele Olugbemi, Fayose said, “Mr Speaker, you are the speaker, I say you are the speaker. I say it again you are the speaker. I’m saying it with the authority of the governor that the power of the people is greater than those in power.

“Any attempt to overrun this house will be resisted by the people of the state.”

In the 2015 proposed budget, a total of N48, 717bn, representing about 60 per cent was allocated for recurrent expenditure while capital expenditure would gulp N31.956 bn.

Fayose said the size of the budget was informed by his government’s desire to live within its means rather than “decorate the budget with unrealistic figures.”

Reviewing the 2014 budget performance, the governor said of the N103.8bn, the total revenue expected as at October 31 was N86.5bn out of which N67.9bn was realised, representing 78 per cent performance within the period under review.

The governor, while calling for the expeditious passage of the bill, explained that the budget would be funded by revenue from the federal allocation, internally-generated revenue and other sources.

Fayose, however, said that his government would access N6bn internal loan bond, contrary to his earlier stance that he would not borrow to run his government.

Justifying the decision in an interview with journalists after the presentation, Fayose said, “This is a different scenario. This issue of taking loan from Central Bank of Nigeria is for all states of the federation and a similar one that amount to N3bn are peculiar loans from Federal Government for Small and Medium Enterprises to be able to address borrowing with all these less privileged and market women who could not have access to loan in banks.

“Such loans are unavoidable loans and to stand as guarantee for such people to have access to such loans.

“There is a re0payment process that the government must stand as guarantor. And the fact that I said we would not borrow should not be misinterpreted. If you borrow you must pay within your tenure so that you do not involve in financial recklessness for people coming after you.”

Meanwhile, the state APC said in a statement on Monday that Governor Fayose breached the constitution by presenting his 2015 budget to only seven of the 26-member state House of Assembly.

The opposition party also put both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission on notice, asking the anti-graft agencies to monitor the alleged illegal financial transactions going on in Ekiti.

The APC, in the statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, counselled Fayose to always follow legal steps in the governance and financial management of the state.

It recalled that the seven members of the PDP in the state Assembly had earlier sat to “illegally” confirm commissioner-nominees and also approved the dissolution and reconstitution of the local governments, among others.

Olatunbosun said, “The Monday illegal sitting with a full house of thugs was a new dimension to the constitutional breaches and lawlessness by the Executive.’’