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EFCC Arrests Atiku’s Lawyer, For Alleged Money Laundering, PDP Says Its Witch-Hunt

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arrested Uyiekpen Giwa-Osagie, the lawyer to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. He was picked up by operatives of the anti graft body on Monday night for alleged money laundering to the tune of $2 million.

Reports said that Giwa-Osagie, was implicated by a bureau de change operator who identified him as the owner of the money.

The commission was said to have suspected that the $2 million could either have been budgeted for vote-buying or to compromise electoral officials.

This was even as the PDP described the arrest as a witch-hunt by the APC, saying that the EFCC had made it obvious that it is working for the party and President Muhammadu Buhari.

One of the spokesmen of the PDP, Timi Frank, who reacted to the arrest, called on the international community to sanction the acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, for allegedly detaining members of the opposition illegally in order to whittle their chances in the forthcoming elections.

In a statement, Frank said that the arrest of Giwa-Osagie a few weeks after Tunde Ayeni, a former chairman of Skye Bank Plc (now Polaris Bank), was picked up and detained, was clear indication that the APC was desperate to “starve the opposition of critical funding for its campaign.

“Magu cannot claim to be fighting corruption when the only people he finds to be allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities are key members of the opposition. This is a witch-hunt and highly selective.

“Today, the EFCC is clearly an arm of the APC; no thanks to Magu who has officially pledged his support to Buhari by wearing his re-election campaign brooch on his suit lapel.”

Elections: We’ll Deal With “Enemies Of Democracy,” Army Chief Warns

CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF LT GEN TY BURATAI

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has made it clear that his men and officers will deal with individual, entity or group who may engage in violent activities during the forthcoming Presidential and National Assembly elections, describing such people as enemies of democracy. 

Buratai, who spoke today, Wednesday at a meeting with the Principal Staff Officers, General Officers Commanding and Brigade Commanders at the Nigerian Army Headquarters Abuja, said that the Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for activities with potential to undermine the country’s nascent democracy.

“The Nigerian Army has since resolved to rise up, challenge and foil the attempt by anyone or group with violence proclivity to disrupt Saturday’s elections. We shall be on the alert, to see that their devilish, callous and retrogressive plots do not come to pass.”

General Buratai expressed dismay over the attitude of desperate politicians whose unguarded statements and utterances are already inciting the public against the Army.

 He said that the military would adopt a proactive measure to quickly nip in the bud electoral crimes inimical to national security.

The Army Chief warned his personnel to avoid fraternizing with formers army officers who are now aspiring for various political offices. 

He pointed out that the army would not provide military escorts for politicians on election day. 

He advised the army GOCs to quickly report incidents of security breach to the Nigerian Army security observation room for timely emergency response.

The Chief of Army Staff said that many parts of the country have enjoined relative peace and calmness prior to the election, as a result of the launching of “Operation Safe Conduct,” “Python Dance III” and other military operations. 

He said that the Army will remain apolitical and neutral before, during, and after the polls, adding: “I wish to reiterate the commitment of the men and officers of the Nigerian Army to discharge their responsibilities professionally, and responsively, in line with best global standards of military engagement.”

Saudi Arabia Begs Buhari To Reduce Oil Production Output

Saudi Arabia has sent an envoy to beg President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that Nigeria’s complies with OPEC’s quotas assigned in January, by reducing its oil production output to shore up prices of the product in the global market.

The Special Envoy of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Minister of State for African Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Qattan, at an audience with Buhari today, Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja confirmed that he had come to make a request to President Buhari to reduce the oil production output.

He said that his country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, had already reduced its own output by 1.4 million barrels per day to ensure that prices go up.

Ahmad Qattan, who delivered a goodwill message from King Salman, admitted that Saudi Arabia alone cannot bring stability to the oil market and shore up prices.

The Special Envoy called for greater adherence to production cuts by Nigeria and hoped that he would take a positive message back home.

This was even as President Buhari assured him that Nigeria will cooperate with Saudi Arabia in the effort to reduce oil output so as to attract higher prices in the global market.

President Buhari said that as a responsible member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria is willing to go along with the Saudi initiative in limiting output so that prices would go up.

The President said that output cuts had always been difficult for Nigeria considering the country’s peculiar circumstances of large population, huge expanse of land and state of under-development, adding: “I wish we can produce more.

“I have listened carefully to the message. I will speak with the Minister of State for Petroleum. I will call for the latest production figures. I know that it is in our interest to listen. We will cooperate.”

President Buhari explained that higher oil prices will make both nations stronger and their citizens more prosperous.

He commended King Salman for his leadership in global oil matters, assuring that Nigeria will continue to accord respect to the Kingdom in that regard.

Babangida Frowns At Attempts To Link Him With Divisiveness, Hatred, Bloodshed

General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Rtd)

Former Nigeria military President, retired General Ibrahim Babangida has expressed sadness over attempts by some social media to link him with what he called ‘divisiveness, hatred, strife and bloodshed.’

Babangida, who reacted in a statement to reports in some social media that wrote articles and attributed same to him, through several twitters, described one of such articles as a product of the perverted imagination of the publishers and that it was not written by him.

The statement which was issued today, Tuesday by his media office, said that Babangida “feels pained that after his long years of service to the country, most notably in the military, during which he fought for the unity of Nigeria, some unpatriotic elements are trying to link him with divisiveness, hatred, strife and bloodshed.”

The statement referred particularly to article captioned: “Towards a National Rebirth” where Babangida was quoted as calling on President MuhammaduBuhari to step down and not contest in this year’s presidential election, stressed that it was a complete fabrication.

“We wish to inform the public, particularly the members of the social media community that General Babangida currently has no twitter handle.

“Also, we wish to state categorically therefore, that the twitter handles bearing the name and photographs of General Babangida are fake and targeted at misleading unsuspecting members of the public. Their messages are also completely out of character of General Ibrahim Babangida and do not represent his worldview whatsoever.

Babanginda complained that as a former President who led Nigeria for eight years, he had offered his best and that his prayer is that his successors will improve on the foundation he laid for the progress of Nigeria.

He advised all members of the social media community and the general public to be wary of the fake twitter accounts and discountenance whatever message conveyed therein and other spurious articles wrongly credited to him.

Elections: Security Chiefs Take Order From President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari held a meeting with security chiefs in the country today, Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of Saturday re-scheduled Presidential election.

Those in attendance are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Major General Babagana Monguno; Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan Ali; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau; Director General of the Directorate of State Security, Yusuf Bichi; Director General of the Nigeria Intelligent Agency, Ahmed Rufai; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. T Yusuf Buratai; representatives of Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Training and Operation, Major General A Mohammed; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and others.

The President had earlier ordered security operatives to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers and political thugs across the country as elections are going.

President Buhari’s Order On Ballot Box Snatchers: Gov El-Rufai Asks PDP To Shut Up

Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru el-Rufai has asked the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to shut up if it had no agenda of sending thugs to snatch ballot boxes in the Saturday Presidential election.

Reacting to outcry by the leaders of the PDP and their supporters over the directive to security personnel by President Muhammadu Buhari to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers and thugs in the forthcoming election, governor el-Rufai said that if the PDP people have no such plans they don’t have to be afraid.

“For the fact that people are questioning the President’s stance means that they have an agenda. While some of us are working very hard to put a security infrastructure in place, for free, fair and credible elections, some people are planning something else.

“And that is why they are all over the place wailing and saying that the President has said this and done that. If you have no plans to do that, shut up because, if you speak, we will know that that was your plan.”

The governor said that he would go out and vote and return home, adding that when they are ready for counting, he would go out again.

“I have no intention to snatch ballot box. So, if you put one million soldiers with guns on the street, they will not shoot at me because I have no intention (of snatching ballot box)”.

Nigeria’s 20 Year Participatory Democracy Under Threat, Atiku Laments

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has lamented that the Nigeria’s 20 year participatory democracy is now under threat by the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said: “It now appears that our participatory democracy which we have enjoyed for 20 years, which empowers our citizens to decide who leads them, is under threat. This is worrisome, considering the great sacrifices including the ultimate sacrifice made by many to uphold the tenets of democracy in our country.”

Atiku, who addressed the PDP Chieftains today, Tuesday in Abuja, recalled that during the Peace Accord process, he said in clear terms, quoting former President Goodluck that “my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.”

He said that he had also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make that same commitment to the people whose mandate he holds, while also urging all security agencies to uphold the constitution with an understanding that voting is a civil activity and civic responsibility.

“The Nigerian military is constitutionally responsible for protecting our national integrity and its borders and has no role to play in the conduct of elections.

“Additionally, I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), once again to remain impartial arbiters while ensuring that they conduct credible elections, this time around.

INEC must ensure that all logistical challenges are addressed between now and Saturday, the 23rd, and that all materials retrieved from the field are inspected by participating political parties before the commencement of the elections.”

He said that the utterances from the leadership of the APC and President Buhari have been painful reminder of the era of dictatorship and military rule, saying that Buhari has repeatedly violated the constitution and failed to uphold the rule of law.

“Recent instances include the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the day before he was to appoint the judges for the electoral tribunals that will decide any appeals of whether any of our elections were subject to manipulation: thereby crossing the immutable line that divides the Executive from the Judiciary.

“Alas, my concerns do not end there. Only yesterday Gen. Buhari said “the military and police should be ruthless” and “anybody who disturbs the voting system, will do it at the expense of his own life.”

“It is quite shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy. A pre-condition for ‘free, fair and credible’ elections is that the people are able to cast their vote without fear of violence.

“Elected into office by the votes of the people in what is considered Nigeria’s most free, fair and credible election, you owe it to our people to let them give their verdict in the same way you were elected.

“If you do, history will commend you for it. If you don’t history will condemn you for it.

We must now turn our attention to the upcoming elections this Saturday, where the destiny of our people and country will resoundingly be decided.

“In spite of last week’s disappointment, I urge all Nigerians to come out and vote for the candidate of their choice, keeping in mind our desire to build a democratic and economically viable nation that will be respected amongst the league of democratic nations.”

Atiku assured Nigerians and his supporters that he is going to win the Saturday election and the party will win other subsequent ones ahead.

“To our long-suffering citizens, I say do not despair, our time is now, and together we shall reshape the destiny of our beloved country.”

Central Bank Boosts Forex Market With $210 Million

CBN-Office-Abuja

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made a fresh injection of $210 million into the inter-bank foreign exchange market in its determination to boost supply in that sector of the market.

Figures released by the Bank today, Tuesday, indicated that it offered the total sum of $100 million to the wholesale segment, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) segment received the sum of $55 million. The invisibles segment, comprising tuition fees, medical payments and Basic Travel Allowance (BTA), among others, also received $55 million.

The Director in the Corporate Communications department of the apex bank, Isaac Okorafor, said that the bank is satisfied with the stability of the Forex market, adding that it will continue to intervene in order to ensure the liquidity in the market.

According to him, having virtually achieved the objective of rates convergence, the bank is now committed to sustaining the gains recorded in the foreign exchange market.

Okorafor expressed optimism that the Naira will sustain its run against the dollar and other major currencies around the world, considering the level of transparency in the market.

This was even as naira continued to maintain its stability in the FOREX market, exchanging at an average of N356/$1 in the BDC segment of the market as at today, Tuesday.

Elections: We’ll Deploy More Military Personnel To Flash Points – Gov El-Rufai

Governor Nasiru el-Rufai of Kaduna State has said that his government will, on Saturday, during the Presidential election, deploy more military personnel to Birnin-Gwari/Giwa, Angchukwu and other areas where there has been a history of either electoral violence or ethno-religious intolerance in the State.

The governor, who spoke to news men shortly after a security meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja today, Tuesday, said that his government had already mapped out local arrangements with the garrison commander and the commissioner of police for the elections.

“We have made adequate arrangements to ensure that every citizen of Kaduna State will be free to vote in an atmosphere of peace and security.

“We got assurances from Mr. President that whatever security assets we need in addition to what is already on ground to ensure peaceful and hitch-free elections on Saturday, those assets will be provided. All we need to do is ask.”

On the allegation against him that there was no killing in Kajuru, , governor el-Rufai said: “I think that anybody that is still questioning whether these attacks took place or not is being grossly irresponsible.

“I think as the governor of the state, and everyone knows me and my records of public service. I would not be irresponsible enough to stand before the media and say something has happened that has not happened. I don’t work based on telephone calls for rumours.

As governor of the state, the first thing I receive every morning is a security briefing on what happens in the last 24 hours.

That is the first thing I read and I ask questions and I work on the basis of security briefings from the experts, the Garrison Commander, the commissioner of police, the head of the air force. We have every security agency in Kaduna state and they send me briefings including the DSS. I work only on that basis. “Anybody that wants to contradict what I said should have superior information and it is impossible for you other than the president of the country to have superior information that I have about my state. So, people are being grossly irresponsible, I don’t know what their agenda is.

But I know there is a prevailing narrative in the Nigerian media that only certain lives are more important than others. We see that clearly in the slant of reporting and the denial. The fact that you are still asking me these questions two days after we have proved all doubts that all those people claiming that this didn’t happen, they first said I lied; that it didn’t happen, then they started saying, no, the numbers are not what they are.

“And now, what we are hearing, the last report we got is that, over 130 people were killed not even 66. “And the Fulani leaders are providing the names of all these people. We have the list and we will release it to the press. And I don’t want to be groused but we can release pictures of the people killed and how the army had to be there to help bury them, two days after they were killed because the bodies were decomposing.

“Some people are being irresponsible; they are pretending this has not happened because it does not fit their ethnic or partisan narrative. It is totally irresponsible because this can happen to anyone of us. And the day we stop sanctifying human lives, the day we begin to think that one life is more important for headlines than another.

“This country is finished, because, every human being has equal capacity for good and evil. And part of the reasons why I went out and was appealing for calm is because I know that those that lost their relations can take the law into their own hands. Unless they see that the government is doing something.”

How PDP, Atiku, Obasanjo Planned Confusion That’ll Lead To Interim Govt – Ex Top Cop

A former top police officer, retired Police Commissioner Abubakar B Tsav, has painted a picture of the plan of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), it’s presidential candidate,  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other elements in the opposition to cause political confusion during the 2019 general elections from where an interim government would be installed.

Speaking at a news briefing on the State of the Nation today, Tuesday in Abuja, Abubakar Tsav, who is currently the President of National Front of Nigeria (NFN), said that the political elements in the PDP and those at the periphery wanted to cause political crisis leading to possible absence of elections.

Their aim, he explained, was to cause “widespread uprisings and protests that would have eventually produced an interim government. The repeated defeat of the terrorists made the opposition, in this case the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to be faced with the prospect of going into an election it is guaranteed to lose to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, who is seeking re-election on the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Full text of the press statement goes thus:
In recent hours, events that were previously taken in isolation of each other have now been confirmed to not only be interconnected but they are also pieces in one big puzzle, a grand plan to force regime change on Nigeria while masking the crime as part of the democratic process, viz the general election that has now been postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Because most Nigerians had innocently taken events in isolation, the natural reaction has been one of condemnation of INEC, with several persons and groups accusing the electoral body of working for whatever political party they suspect. We shall come to heaping our criticism on INEC but not before we attempt to alert Nigerians to the real dangers facing them as a people.

Whatever shortcoming has been observed with INEC, its state of readiness, its troubled election logistics and battle with credibility crisis amongst others are nothing but symptoms. It is like an individual having a high fever, pale skin tone, vomiting and a host of other manifestations; the manifestations themselves are not the ailment they are merely symptoms of a deeper infection or life threatening organ damage that the body is dealing with. All efforts can be put into managing or treating the symptoms but they will amount to nought if the root cause of the problems are not addressed. Painfully, INEC is today a microcosm of Nigeria, a country grappling with contrived problems that are nowhere in the region of natural.

It is on record that the period preceding elections, prior to the postponement, witnessed unprecedented spike in the number of Boko Haram attacks that the Nigerian Army repeatedly repelled, often inflicting heavy casualty on the insurgents. In the security circle, intelligence report confirmed that these attacks were intended to produce a situation when it would become glaring that it was impossible to conduct elections.

The objective was such that in the absence of elections there would be widespread uprisings and protests that would have eventually produced an interim government. The repeated defeat of the terrorists made the opposition, in this case the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to be faced with the prospect of going into an election it is guaranteed to lose to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, who is seeking re-election on the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recall that prior to this, a former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, cobbled together several alliances and coalitions that failed woefully like every other thing he has ever laid hands on. Even though Chief Obasanjo had in the past invoked God’s wrath on himself if he ever returns to the PDP (he tore his membership card to seal the curse) he has since fully returned to the PDP and is now its most popular gladiator, save the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Obasanjo had made it appear as if certain clerics captured in photo op with him and Atiku were instrumental to brokering peace between him and his former deputy but events have proven otherwise. What they did in Otta on the day they purportedly made peace was to further perfect their scheme against democracy in Nigeria. As we speak, the denomination lead by one of the clerics at that meeting continues to abuse and desecrate the name of God by converting sermons into political campaigns.

In the aftermath of that meeting, Chief Obasanjo initiated contact with his neocon masters. The objective of that contact was to handpick the enforcers that were sent to Nigeria as election observers. Tragically, this is the one area where INEC got it wrong. They accredited these international enforcers without adequate background checks. What has now happened is that a lot of them from western country are in reality in the country to manipulate the presidential election in favour of Atiku Abubakar and the PDP.

The compromised and pre-determined position of these so called observers has been confirmed by several actions they have taken. Instead of working as independent countries, they coordinate to issue statements that are solely intended to erode the public perception INEC, criminalize the federal government and to canonize Atiku Abubakar as a president in waiting even when elections have not held. They have also taken on a belligerent attitude, in which they dictate what they want to happen and expect INEC to frogmarch to their tune. All these abhorrent behaviours on the part of the foreign intruders were encouraged by Atiku and his party who wrote several letters upon which they are basing the legitimacy of their interference. Of course they continue to cite the invitation that INEC, because of the naivety of its Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, extended to them to monitor the elections.

This naivety of Professor Yakubu has hurt the country in no small measure. Right under his nose staff of the Commission were compromised by the opposition to the extent that even the final list of candidates were presented for his signature only after Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Chief Obasanjo and Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike have approved it. The compromise of INEC was so bad that results have been written in favour of the PDP before the Election Day while sensitive election materials were delivered to PDP chieftains in several areas hence the failure of the materials to be delivered to the right destinations and officials at a few hours to the elections. The logistics failure that prompted the postponement was therefore contrived by these people and not a natural occurrence.

The evil that was planned against Nigeria by Chief Obasanjo and his protégés – Atku, Wike and others is beyond imagination. It was as if he has sensed that Nigerians will vote in a way that will disgrace him with his failed alliances and lying letter so he decided the only way to save face is to manipulate the elections by compromising the umpire. A last minute realization of the crimes that have been committed in INEC is what jolted its Chairman out of his lethargy to postpone the polls in the hope that remedial actions can still be taken to reverse the damage that the PDP, Obasanjo and Atiku have done to its credibility.

Before now, there has been several calls on these men to desist from their acts that are capable of plunging the country into crisis but it is now apparent that they are not amenable to reason. Instead of retracing their steps they have approached their western allies to mount undue pressure on INEC while unfairly accusing the government of the country. They are activating their international enforcers to declare the elections as fraudulent while ignoring the capacity of this irresponsible move to cause widespread unrest. The media is also replete with fake news they are pushing to the effect that the elections would be rigged by the ruling party while in reality they, the PDP, are the ones that are desperate to win in the Obasanjo do or die style.

We call on Nigerians to shift from their indifference to become more assertive in declaring the kind of country they want, a country that faces its challenges headlong under a patriotic leaders or a colony governed by the appointee(s) of western countries. This is why citizens must rise up to the challenge of subduing unpatriotic, corrupt and selfish past political office holders if they must save Nigeria from collapse.  If the progress being made under President Buhari must be reversed for any reason then it must be a decision that Nigerians make with their votes that must be cast without manipulation. Citizens should exercise their right to insist that the progress and national development under a patriotic nationalist like President Buhari is a must.

Our demand to Professor Yakubu and INEC as an institution is simple. The Commission must identify, sack and hand over its compromised staff to the police for prosecution before proceeding with the election. A failure to do this would imply that INEC has no intention of doing the right thing which would greatly undermine its credibility like the western coalition and the opposition have been trying to do. Where INEC fails to yield those indicted for prosecution, we encourage the police to arrest them before the election.

We remind the foreign observers that have been going beyond the terms of their accreditation to retrace their steps. A failure to retrace their steps will guarantee some sort of retribution in the short term and they can be guaranteed that a blend of the internet and the social media will make it possible for aggrieved parties to meddle in their own internal affairs in damaging ways. It is expected that they will not have cause to lament should matters come to that.

We warn that the postponement of the election has not discouraged these mischief makers. They will exploit their other fall back options as they continue to try to hijack power without winning election, which would cause crisis in the country. Nigerians and the Federal Government must therefore not let down their guards as the danger has not passed but has only retreated to mutate into something more evil than its previous option.

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