Kwakwaso Accuses PDP Of Shamelessly Accepting Position Of Deputy Senate President, Says PDP Does Not Deserve It

June 16, 2015

The immediate past governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, has regretted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which would not allow anybody from another party to occupy any vital posts in its 16 years reign, has now shamelessly accepted the position of the deputy senate President, even as he swore that All Progressives Congress (APC) would not accept such abuse.

Kwankwaso, who spoke in an interview with the Nation in Abuja, said: “It (Deputy President of the Senate) does not belong to them. I have been in PDP from 1999 until 2014 or so. You see, it was unthinkable in PDP for you to allow any other party to take any of those positions. They have done it five times and they never allowed any member of any party to go near those positions, so I think it was unfair and not correct and they took it shamelessly and I am sure our party will look at it and take what belongs to our party back.

“As far as we are concerned, PDP was dead until recently when this ambition brought certain people to do what they should not do in democracy and party politics and how they are just about to create unnecessary life for them to the extent that some of them are servicing again and making all sorts of statements.”

Faulting Ekweremadu’s election and his assumption that the slot was meant to integrate the Southeast, Kwakwaso said that it is wrong, adding that he had just read (from media), that Ekwerenmadu was speaking ‘nonsense.’

“Just yesterday, I was reading, I don’t know whether it is true or not, that Ike Ekweremadu was talking rubbish, nonsense. It is like they have reasons to speak again and I think it is because of the mistakes of our members. I believe that at the end of the day, the party and members must get a way of coming together and behave well, I think that is the only way we can make progress.”

“I don’t think I should be in a hurry to say that he should resign but all I know is that many things have gone wrong to the extent that the party has to put its acts together to make sure that things that are done in that way are stopped and from there, we will build the party again.

He warned that the political romance between Senator Saraki and Ekwerenmadu will create inhibitions for the Buhari administration and that this happened because the APC leadership missed some vital steps and gave ample opportunity to Saraki’s group, which used it effectively.

“To the best of my knowledge, the Saraki group is yet to reach out to the Unity Forum of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senator George Akume.”

Kwakwaso said that though the APC was divided, but that it is not too late to correct things, even as he said that Saraki became the President of the Senate because of some factors, including conspiracy against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the failure of the APC leadership to act on time, the plot by G-5/G-7 members who were interested in seeing one of them occupy a position; and some groups who believed that Saraki had given them so many things and it was pay-back time.

“On the issue of what went wrong, I think there were so many things having to do with time. This election had to do with time. We had so many weeks before the election to address this issue. This is not the time to say I told you or I told them, but many of us tried to tell our leaders to do the right thing at the right time.

“I think the party missed the crucial opportunity to address this challenge. I think time was crucial of which the party missed some important steps and therefore things went wrong. I told you the party missed some vital steps and gave an ample opportunity to Bukola Saraki’s group and they used it effectively and took all the advantages that had to do with the mistakes of our leaders.”

Kwankwaso said some forces in APC also contributed to the “sad” development in the Senate, especially those who conspired against Tinubu.

“I am aware that members of the G-5/G-7 group were interested in seeing one of us occupying one of the strategic positions. I am also aware that there are some people in the party who believed Tinubu had taken so many things and it was time to take a break. They had a perception that Tinubu was trying to take it all. There are other groups that believed that Saraki had given them so many things and they had to pay him back. Many senators believed that they were supported by Saraki.”

“You see, first of all, the President will face a lot of irritations in the sense that these people must be very angry with themselves, they must be very angry with Nigerians and, therefore, will do everything possible to put all sorts of hurdles on the way of Mr. President. That is obvious.

“I can always read their mind. I was one of them, I was part of them, I was part of the party but we had to leave the party because of this attitude. So, in some of the books that I read, especially Islamic books, there are things that we call Sadaqatuljariya (doing charitable deeds like building schools, hospital, throughout your life) and you will be getting reward and even after you die.

“These sorts of mistakes are what we call Musibatuljariya. It is so bad and it is a bad thing that will continue to occur until the system goes to end because they have their own agenda to tackle the APC, to tackle the APC government, they are angry with themselves, they are angry with the people and Nigeria because they feel Nigeria belongs to them and they wanted to take everything and Nigerians rejected them.”

Kwankwaso is also of the opinion that the President is not with the development in the Senate.

“I think the position of Buhari was that the party should handle it. I don’t think he wants to put his fingers there. I am not sure his fingers are in it but what I know is that I am not sure if he is happy that members of our party could not be loyal to it. They could not go by the dictates of the party. I am not sure if Buhari is a happy man even though he did not put his fingers but he was expecting that members of his party will be loyal to the party.

“I don’t know his mindset, I have not seen him since the election but I am sure that he cannot be a happy man with his party, where he is the national leader, has set up position and some members decided to go against it to the extent of bringing people who should not be in those positions.”

The former governor also said that Saraki’s alliance with the PDP might make reconciliation to be problematic.

“I believe the party is doing something that will bring back the members together and have good understanding but what complicated the whole situation now is that more than 50 percent of Saraki is in PDP, if you take the condition of the position of the Senate President. I don’t know which percentage he will give and, therefore, it becomes more difficult.

“And the implication of this now is that very soon, the leadership of the Senate will start Tambuwalising the party and, of course, the government as we have seen in 2011.”

“I think the party, unfortunately, is divided but it is not too late to correct many things but the party should take certain steps to ensure that such things will never happen again in the party and I am one of those who advised or tried to advise my brother, Saraki that he should not go too far with that ambition under this circumstance.

“At this level and his level, people should be more careful and cautious in what they do and what they don’t do and especially that the situation is even worse than the case of Tambuwal during the House of Representatives election of principal officers in 2011.

“Of course, Tambuwal’s case was a case of going out of zoning but all the positions went to members of the party. But this time around, because of the ambition of our members, I think they went and connived with people who are not only opponents of the party but enemies of the party to fight the party after the people of this country have discarded these people.

“And now because of ambition, these people were made in a way relevant and I don’t think that is the best way to go. Members of the party should have certain limitations, they should know when to start and when to stop and I think this is going too far in romancing members of the PDP.

“Maybe there are ways APC can accommodate the Southeast by way of appointment but certainly, we have not seen PDP in the five times that they had reasons to select leaders in the National Assembly, they never considered other parties in terms of giving them position but I am sure that our party had it in mind that it will carry the Southeast but not in the position of the Senate President.

“The Senate has Deputy Senate President; that position does not belong to the PDP and that is the mistake Ekweremadu is making. Now he said he was elected deputy Senate president, yet he reduced himself to a zone and a tribe, which is not good enough.

“We are not saying he should step down or stay; what I am saying is that what they have taken does not belong to them and all those who supported him and his party to get it have made a big mistake for themselves, the party and indeed for the country and they should be ashamed of themselves.”

On the way out of the logjam, Kwankwaso said the APC leadership has to enforce discipline.

“I don’t know, the party must be doing its own bit but if I were the national chairman, I would either write to these members individually a letter of displeasure or call them and tell them because there has to be discipline.

“It does not matter whether you are 10 or 20 or even 1,000, whatever your number is in a party, as long as there is no discipline, definitely there will be problem. I am one of the senior senators by any standard in this country but because of the consideration of the fact that Buhari is from the Northwest, of course not from Kano, you are not seeing me going round to say I want this position or that position.

“I have president in my zone and I have to be considerate in the sense that other zones should get it. It is not like you will come by all means and you must take it whether it favours the zoning, the party or not. So, all these things must be respected by the party and the members.

On the likelihood of the Saraki reaching out to Lawan’s Unity Forum for reconciliation, Kwankwaso said: “I think it is good to have reconciliation but I am not aware of it, nobody informed me.

“I am just watching the development and, in fact, on that very day immediately after the so called election, I had to travel to Paris to receive an award . . . I learnt that some members were sworn in; well I will wait till they come back from their break.” [myad]

Egypt Jails Ex-President Morsi For Life, Found Guilty Of Espionage

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2015

Egypt’s first democratically-elected president Mohammed Morsi, 63, has been sentenced to life imprisonment having been found guilty of espionage. Morsi was ousted by the army in a coup in July 2013 following widespread protests against his divisive rule.

The Egyptian court found Morsi, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide, Mohamed Badie and 15 other leaders guilty of the offence and committed them to life in prison.

Morsi is among a total of 36 defendants who were charged with conspiring with foreign organizations, including Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, to destabilise Egypt’s security by executing terrorist operations in the country.

Seventeen other defendants were sentenced to death, including leaders Khayrat el-Shater, Mohamed el-Beltagy and Ahmed Abdel Aty; 15 of the 17 defendants were sentenced in absentia while another three were sentenced to seven years in the same case.

The defendants were also accused of funding terrorism and jeopardizing national security.

Last month, the court sentenced Morsi, Badie and over 100 other Islamists to death in two separate cases – espionage and a mass jail break during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that toppled long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak.

However, all the sentences in the two cases were referred to the Grand Mufti, who according to Egyptian law, must review all the death sentences though his decision is not binding.

In April, Morsi was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for inciting violence and ordering the arrest and torture of demonstrators during clashes in 2012 while he was president. [myad]

17 Die, 70 Injure As Train Collides With Lorry In Tunisia

Greenbarge Reporters

June 16, 2015

No fewer than 17 people died and 70 others injured when a train and a lorry collided southwest of Tunis, the Tunisian capital.

According to the transport and interior ministries, most of those who died were passengers on the train, which derailed. The accident happened at El Fahes, about 60 kilometres from Tunis, at around 6:30am.

Officials said the train was heading to the capital from the town of Gaafour, 120 kilometres southwest of Tunis.

“The death toll could rise,” Transport Minister, Mahmoud Ben Romdhane, said even as eyewitnesses said that they saw mangled wreckage at the scene and dead bodies on the tracks.

“This is horrible; there is blood and bits of flesh everywhere. There are people still trapped under the carriage, which overturned.”

Those injured in the collision were taken to hospitals in El Fahes and Zaghouan, and the ministers of interior and health visited the scene of the accident.

Train crashes are common in Tunisia, which has a dilapidated rail network featuring many unprotected crossings.

In July, a train came off the tracks in the northwest, killing five people and injuring around 40. [myad]

Filling Station Sells Water To Motorists In Lagos As Fuel, Government Seals It

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

A fuel station located along Lagos/Abeokuta expressways has been found to be dispensing ordinary water to unsuspecting customers, even as the officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Lagos has moved quickly to seal-up.

It was gathered that the engines of no fewer than 12 vehicles which were filled with such water have been damaged before the long hand of the law could catch up with the station.

One of the affected motorists, Rotimi Dorujaiye, the immediate past Editor of the Daily Independent and presently the Executive Editor of the Nigerian NewsDirect, whose car, Nissan Sunny salon with registration number GGE 68 AR was knocked said that initially when the attention of the fuel attendants at the station was drawn to the fact that the substance pumped into their vehicle’s fuel tanks was water and not petrol, “the petrol attendants claimed I was lying, until when all the vehicles affected could no longer start.”

He said that a mechanic has to be brought in to assist in draining water out of their vehicle fuel tanks. “That took my whole day, throughout that day, I could not do anything else apart from trying to salvage my vehicle engine. As I am talking to you now, mechanics are still battling to rescue the car. It is a very sad development and I just hope the relevant authority would do something drastic about it before other innocent motorists would get their vehicles engines damaged too,” Dorujaiye stated.

Another victim, Boniface Isok, who is the National President of the Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees Union, got the engine of his Toyota Prado Jeep damaged too. The engine of the vehicle with registration number LAS 769 AY, is allegedly ‘knocked’.

Another vehicle, a Faragon commercial bus marked Lagos XU 884 AKD, was also damaged and the owner of the vehicle has vowed that except the station is sealed, “he may take law into his hands.”

The fuel station, as at today, had the seal and yellow tape of the DPR/NNPC on it. It was used to barricade the two entrance of the station.

None of the management staff of the station was available for comment. [myad]

Brazilian Football Maestro And 2-Time World Cup Winner, Zito, Dies At 82

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

The leader of Brazil’s World Cup-winning teams in 1958 and 1962, Zito , has died at the age of 82.

The Brazilian club Santos announced today that the cause of the former Santos midfielder’s death was not officially known, though he was said to have battled Alzheimer’s disease and last year suffered a stroke that left him hospitalized for more than a month.

Zito scored one of the goals when Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the 1962 final.

Zito was considered by many a mentor to the young Pele, and was also known as the man who first saw the talent of Neymar, when the current Barcelona forward was only 11, telling Santos directors to sign him as quickly as possible.

Neymar, Brazil’s biggest star today, went on Twitter thanking Zito for “everything he did to me.” [myad]

How Jonathan’s Men Deceived And Dumped Us, OPC Complains, As It Pulls Out Of Pipeline Surveillance

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has complained about how the loyalists of the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan deceived its members with multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract across the country but that no payment has been made up to the time the government handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari. This was even as it made it clear that its men would be withdrawn from all the pipelines across the country from today, Monday.

The spokesman of the group loyal to Gani Adams, Yinka Oguntimehin, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos today that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which awarded the surveillance contract on behalf of President Jonathan, had refused to start paying for the work its men have done.

He said that the corporation was, as part of the contractual agreement entered into, three months ago, expected to start the payment, adding that the OPC personnel had continued to guard the pipelines with the belief that the corporation would pay as promised.

“When we were given the contract on March 15, it was agreed that they will release money for the OPC personnel for effective protection of the NNPC pipelines nationwide.

“We lost one man last month because of the activities of the vandals here in Lagos, while some of our men were arrested in the course of protecting the pipeline.

“We had told them to release some of our money before the new administration took over, but they kept promising us.

“Enough is enough, three months have passed since our members started monitoring the pipeline, and we have fulfilled our part of the agreement.

“By 10p.m today, our personnel will move out of the NNPC pipelines nationwide and this applies to other groups in the country.”

The government of Jonathan had in March hurriedly awarded a multi-billion Naira contract to the OPC to secure NNPC pipelines in the South-West Zone of the country, the move that was seen as a way of wooing some chunk of Yoruba people into voting for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 28 and May 11 elections in the country. [myad]

Oil Marketers Acquire Land In Kogi For Refinery

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has secured 1,350 hectares of land in Itobe, Kogi State for its own refinery, for which it has already had applied for license from Petroleum Pipeline Products Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

National Chairman of Chief Okoronkwo Chinedu announced this during the weekend, even as he said that his association is no longer interested in subsidy, but its alternative that could bring normalcy into the Nigerian petroleum market.

He suggested that in the meantime, the federal government should enter into what he called crude swap arrangements with his association as an option to put an end to the lingering fuel crisis.

The marketers had stopped importation of petroleum products since March when the controversy over subsidy debts began, leaving the business of fuel importation to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which now imports only 50 per cent of required products into the country.

He said however that local refining of crude should be taken as the long-term solution to the current fuel crisis.

Also the Major Maketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) has confirmed that its members have not been importing subsidy based petroleum products.

The Executive Secretary, Olawore Obafemi, said they have only been helping NNPC in the distribution of the products, thus confirming claims that only 50 per cent of local demand of the product is currently being supplied.

Like his IPMAN counterpart, Olawore said it was obvious that government could no longer sustain the subsidy regime, hence the support for total deregulation of the entire oil and gas sector. [myad]

Promise I Could Not Fulfill – INEC Boss, Jega

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has said that he regretted that he could not fulfil the promise he made when he assumed office that he would create separate salary structure for those working with the commission.

Jega spoke in Abuja today at a retreat, organised for the electoral officers of the commission where the 2015 elections were reviewed. The retreat was titled “2015 general elections: lessons and way forward.”

Jega also declared that workers of the commission were subjected to difficult circumstances during the course of the 2015 elections, saying however that apart from the special salary issue, the commission, under his leadership, performed well.

He said that despite the undertaking he made when he assumed office on the need to create special salary structure for the members of staff of the commission, he was unable to accomplish that up till now.

“I must say that we have been mindful of the need to keep on motivating the staff to keep on improving condition of service and condition of work. And to keep on improving the welfare of the staff.

“We have done our best as a commission under very difficult circumstances and my major regret, as I have always acknowledged, is that a major undertaking we made when we first came in as a commission, which is to have a separate salary structure for the staffs of the commission, we have not been able to get.

“And obviously this is one area where we still have to do a lot of work and put in a lot of effort as we move towards the future and to improve.

“But apart from that, I don’t think we have done badly in terms of promoting the welfare and the well-being of the staff.

“We have ensured that salaries were paid regularly, we have ensured that there are a lot of opportunity for self improvement through the organisation of seminar and workshop with partners.”

He said that he was aware that there was no way the commission could satisfy everyone, saying that some were not happy when the commission moved some of its members of staff to different departments.

“Again as I said, we could not have satisfied the expectations of everybody, we believe that we have done our best. I must say that not all of you are happy with perhaps with some of the measures that we have introduced as a commission.

“The restructuring and reorganisation certainly could not have satisfied everybody because it required trimming down the size of the commission and also redefining schedule of responsibilities, putting square pegs in square holes as we called it at that time.” [myad]

Sudanese President Defies Court Ruling, Jets Out Of South Africa

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, undermined the ruling of a court in South Africa where he had gone to participate in the Africa Union Summit which stopped him from leaving the country, in connection with his indictment for war crime by the International Criminal Court (ICC). al-Bashir left South Africa today for Sudan without any challenge.

A source confirmed in Johannesburg that a plane bearing President al-Bashir, took off from the Waterkloof Airforce base outside Pretoria, with Mr. al-Bashir.

The source said that al-Bashir’s aircraft, must have been flown from Oliver Tambo International Airport to Waterkloof, yesterday night to facilitate his escape.

Meanwhile, William Mokhari, a South African government lawyer, told the North Gauteng High Court that it was not clear if al-Bashir’s name was on the list of officials who boarded a plane to Sudan.

However, a Sudanese government official, said on condition of anonymity, that al-Bashir was expected back in Sudan today afternoon.

The Sudanese President’s arrival in South Africa for the 25th African Union (AU) Summit sparked an outcry and forced Pretoria to defend its controversial guest.

The South African Litigation Centre (SALC), said it had sought a court injunction to order the government to arrest Sudanese President al-Bashir and transfer him to the ICC.

It said this was for him to face the indictment on war crimes and crimes against humanity, charges over the long-drawn internecine war in Sudan’s Darfur region.

SALC said the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has said the warrant for Mr. al-Bashir’s arrest must be implemented by countries who have signed up to the Hague court’s statutes.

It said as a result of this, South Africa, as a signatory of the Rome Statute establishing the court, was bound to arrest the Sudanese leader.

SALC insisted that the court’s warrant for the arrest of President al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes was a matter that should be treated seriously. [myad]

Gunmen Kidnap Pastor During Prayer Session In Church

Greenbarge Reporters

June 15, 2015

No fewer than five gunmen have reportedly abducted Pastor Seyi Adekunle of the Living Faith Church, a.k.a. Winners Chapel situated along IBB Way, opposite the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar.

Report had it that the pastor was abducted inside the church at about 7.30 p.m. during a prayer session. The gunmen, it was gathered, fired into the air to scare everyone around before entering the church.

The pastor was allegedly pushed into the car brought by the men and taken to an unknown destination.

Police sources said that Pastor Adekunle is the head pastor of Province Two of the church. Works have been ongoing in the church since 2014 when the pastor joined the branch of the church.

A member of the church who declined to identify himself for fear of harassment disclosed that the pastor was holding a prayer sesson with members of the congregation when the gunmen burst in and started demanding for money.

When told that there was no money in the church, the suspects got angry and took the pastor away.

A police source revealed that the suspects got information that the pastor was keeping a huge amount of money meant for the construction of the church and decided to abduct him to get the money as ransom for his release.

Investigations revealed further that the church held its Sunday service yesterday with Pastor Adekunle’s assistant in charge. There was tight security provided by policemen around the premises during the service.

Spokesman of the Cross River State Police Command, Mr. Hogan Bassey, confirmed the incident, adding that the kidnappers were yet to make any demand. [myad]

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