The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governors have over-ruled the Director of the party’s Presidential Campaign Origination, Femi Fani-Kayode, who only yesterday made serious allegations against the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega. The PDP leadership has today passed a vote of confidence on Professor Jega.
At a press briefing today, the National Chairman of the ruling party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu in Abuja recalled that even President Goodluck Jonathan had expressed confidence in the chairman of the commission and that with that, there was no way the party would defer from the President’s position.
At the briefing, which was held at the national headquarters of the party, were some governors of the party led by the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, who is also the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio. The position of the party and its governors was a departure from the position of its campaign directorate which had threatened to pass a vote of no confidence in Jega and his team.
Fani-Kayode, had complained about the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards, which it alleged was being skewed in favour of the opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mu’azu however differed on this, saying that the postponement of the elections would enable the chairman of the commission and his team to distribute the remaining voter cards.
“You asked if the party has confidence in Jega? My answer is not far-fetched.
“The President stated during his media briefing last night (Wednesday) that he has confidence in Jega. We also have confidence in Jega that he and his team will conduct free, fair and transparent elections.” [myad]
After listening to President Goodluck Jonathan on the media chat programme, aired live both on national television and Radio stations on Wednesday, February 11, one was constrained to sympathize with him and at the same time lament over what appears to be a government of isolationism, in which our President is gradually being distanced from the system he is supposed to preside over. Less than 28 hours after the National Council of State which he presided over ended a seven-hour meeting at the Presidential Aso Villa without any concrete decision taken about the postponement of the election or otherwise, President Jonathan, by his account, was left in the dark about the postponement. The major headline in most of the media was: “I was not consulted” before the announcement of the postponement. It was not clear however, at what point he was not consulted: was it immediately before the announced postponement by Professor Attahiru Jega or who were those that did not consult with him and at what point? Even though what the President implied was that he was not privy to the postponement which, of course no one is contesting, but the larger implication is that he is being kept in the dark as regard what is happening in the polity by some vital persons he appointed and who are supposed to keep him in the picture of what is happening 24 hours a day. At least as President. The sympathy for President Jonathan is deepened by his confession that he is aware of public’s outcry of the people around him that have been damaging “the perception” of his government. It is really disturbing that, in a matter as important as the postponement of national elections, which even the National Security Adviser (Colonel Sambo Dasuki) kick-started in far away US a couple of weeks ago, the President, who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian security system, and who is, by virtue of his position, the Chief supervisor of the electoral system, was kept in the dark. There is no doubt that by and by, the President deserves some kind of sympathy also because of his personal nature: of not wanting to hurt anybody in his government or at its periphery. Those who are close to Jonathan would admit to his humility and respect for the feelings of others. In fact, one may not miss the point entirely to say that many people around him are so powerful that they most times try to over-ride him, most times, unconsciously and at other times, as a way of seeking for his pleasure by default. This is the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, that confessed a few months ago that he did not know when his aides were insulting either his political opponents or those who as much as speak against his government. This is the President who, shortly after he signed a Peace Accord with other political stakeholders at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Abuja, many of his aides embarked on directly and indirectly insulting and making hate-speeches about his political rivals. This is the President, whose kinsmen have been trying to reduce to a tribal war-lord and at other time, some religious bigots trying to adorn him with religious toga: the President who obviously is not in the picture of all such happenings around and about him. This is the President, whose political leaders and aides have been quarrelling with the electoral body that is supposed to be independent, framing against its chairman with all sorts of “unprintable” and libelous accusations. This is the President whose security agents (being the Commander-In-Chief) have been harassing and intimidating some leaders of the opposition, including Senator Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Garba Shehu and others, without any justifiable reasons. This is the President that has remained very helpless even when any of his appointees is found to have soiled his or her hands in the nation’s public purse, stealing billions of naira and dollars; our collective patrimony. The point needs to be stressed that President Jonathan is, by human standards, good and means well for this country. In fact, unbiased Nigerians, including yours sincerely, would always give it to the President that his government has made some outstanding achievements in terms of physical infrastructure and others. But, what seems to be happening has a semblance of what happened in the Second Republic where the then President Shehu Shagari was innocently leading the country, thinking about how to leave good legacy after his tenure, whereas the people around him were busy either helping themselves to the spoils of office or busy abusing anybody that dare challenged them or the government. The personal goodness of President Jonathan and his apparent good intention to leave Nigeria a better country than he met it cannot be equated to the behaviours and behavioural pattern of his aides, which of course, is a key factor in the total perception of his government by the people. Indeed, whatever wrong or right things his aides, his appointees, leaders and functionaries of his political party and that of his ethnic and religious persuasion do, the buck, as political scientists would say, stops at his executive table. Saying that he does not know what any of these people is doing, or saying for, and on his behalf at any given time is seen usually as a sign of weakness. And, it is just an excuse that won’t amount to cleaning him up. [myad]
“I and the family members were woken from sleep by the noises from a swarm of strangers and the clattering sounds as they cocked their guns. It was a scary situation. Looking from the window, I saw no less than 15 policemen bearing weapons, some in complete uniform and others not fully dressed. It was not in doubt that our Block S.A. 12, in the NNPC Quarters, Area 11, Garki was under a cordon. Two police cars blocked the incoming lane from the gate just by our block, and two others faced it blocking the exit way. A big white van with heavily tinted glasses was parked between blocks 12 and 14, which faced each other. The armed men did not climb up to my apartment and I did not, for my part open the door to, as it were to hand myself into their hands. This situation persisted for about an hour until two things happened: the twitter and the Facebook began to render accounts of the siege and the call to Muslim prayers came and passed without my family members leaving for the Mosque. At this point, the van and three of the police vehicles drove off. The fourth one moved to the pavement by the playground with about five policemen in it. It remained there until some moments before Seven O’ Clock when that one too, drove off. Since the end of the stand-off, I have been in communication with the Secret Service, the DSS and the Police at the highest levels. Both organizations denied knowledge of this operation at the beginning. The Police Inspector-General returned after making his investigation to say that policemen were there following an emergency call by a neighbour who came under robbery attack. The telephone number of the distressed neighbour was given to me and his address was given as being Block S.A. 13. The Police account would have been plausible and acceptable to me but for the fact that the point of action, meaning the position of the police cars, the van and the armed men were around and between my own block S.A. 12 and 14 and therefore clearly removed from block 13, which the police report indicated. The account of the heavily tinted van, that it brought policemen from NNPC to assist the police operation is neither here nor there because both the police and the oil company denied owning a van like that. For us at the APC presidential campaign, the duty of communication between our party and candidates on the one hand and the voting public on the other is one that is protected by the Constitution. If any armed group of enforcers whether within the police or outside of it as many are suspecting is behind this act of intimidation think they can break our spirit, they are mistaken. We are not going to give up.
Garba Shehu is Director of media and publicity for All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO). [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has accused the Nigerian minister of transport, Senator Idris Umar of dishing out lies to Nigerians by his claiming that a high speed Abuja-Lagos rail service will commence running in three years time. In a statement today, the Director of media and publicity of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu said that though the envisaged Lagos-Abuja line as proposed by the Minister of Transport is most desirable, and would provide an alternative means of travel between the federal capital city and Lagos, but that it is the height of irresponsibility for the minister, a senior member of President goodluck Jonathan’s government “to tell such outlandish lies and give false hope for cheap political points.” Garba Shehu said that a PPP agreement to build and operate a rail line would usually take at least two years to negotiate and bring to financial closure, but that the Jonathan government has not even started negotiations with anybody yet on the project. “Before they can start construction, they will need to secure the right of way and pay land compensation along that corridor. This could take years to accomplish. “Then they will have to construct the line. But a look at the government’s record only confirms that this is nothing but a pipe dream. Just 186km Abuja to Kaduna, an ordinary standard gauge line has taken six years to construct and it is not even finished yet regardless of their false claims of completion. “Ajaokuta to Warri has taken the government nearly 30 years. Just the last 27km has taken this government six years and it is not finished yet. “Rehabilitation of existing rail lines which they promised would take 10 months took them four years and they are still not finished yet. “Is it then 600km of electrified rail tracks that they can build in three years? “Then they have to order the rolling stock and operations equipment. These are not off the shelf items. They will need to be manufactured over say another two years. “A high speed rail line means electric trains, so they will need a dedicated IPP with transmission and distribution. When will that come together? What about the gas supply and infrastructure or they will import more expensive diesel? “So how are they going to build a 600km electrified high speed line and put it into operation in just three years? “It is either the Minister does not know what he is talking about or he is deceiving Nigerians. He even had the cheek to say, “It is not a question of story” except it is. It is a hoax and Nigerians need to be worried about a lying government that is incompetent and dishonest. “The government should stop misleading the people. The people deserve a more responsible government.” [myad]
26 year-old set of twin sisters Owami and Olwethu Mzazi from Vosloorus, South Africa have married to the same man, 51 year old Mzukiseni Mzazi. The twin sisters told Journalists that the two of them have always been together doing the same thing, and that they married to the same man as they have shared everything else together since they were born “We have always done everything together. We share everything. That is how our grandmother raised us. So when we decided to marry, we said any man that wants to marry one, will marry the other” Owami said. [myad]
Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has described the Interim National Government being contemplated by some Nigerians as a way out of the unfolding 2015 election crisis as unconstitutional and alien to Nigeria’s constitution.
In a statement today, Bello Adoke said: “While I recognize and appreciate the inalienable right of Nigerians to freely express themselves and proffer solutions to perceived national challenges, I am deeply concerned that some undiscerning Nigerians are being unwittingly led to believe that a certain prescription, which is totally alien to the Constitution, can be adopted as viable solution to our national challenges.
“It has therefore become necessary to correct this misconception and refocus the citizenry on the path of constitutionalism and democratic tenets consistent with our quest for democratic consolidation in Nigeria. For avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to state that the framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 did not envisage the constitution of Interim National Government to superintend over the affairs of Government. It is therefore not surprising to observe that no provision for Interim National Government was made in the Constitution.
“The contraption called “Interim National Government” is therefore alien to Nigeria’s constitutional framework and the arrangement should not be promoted by well–meaning Nigerians under any guise or circumstance. Nigerians are therefore enjoined to continue to rely on the Constitution, which contains adequate provisions on how the democratic process can be activated to elect their leaders from time to time.
A Catering crew leader, Mark Doughty, has been sacked by his employers, the East Coast Trains for explaining to passengers that staff shortage and broken boiler led to the provision of sub-standard food for breakfast. The Train was heading from Edinburgh to London in the early hours of today.
Reports said that the East Coast management accused Mr. Doughty, an employee for nearly 14 years, of bringing the company into disrepute even as the passenger who first complained about the poor service was horrified to learn of the sacking.
This is even also as the entire staff of the company are threatening to embark on strike in protest against the sack, insisting that he st be re-instated to his duty.
David Beaumont, a regular East Coast traveller, praised the train staff for the way they handled protesting passengers, insisting that the ones who were damaging the company’s reputation were those responsible for the problems – and those who fired Mr. Doughty.
Members of the RMT union are being balloted for industrial action to demand his reinstatement. The move comes as a similar ballot is under way in support of a catering worker sacked by CrossCountry for not selling enough tea and coffee from his trolley.
Mr. Doughty, 39, from Gilmerton, said it was known in advance that the 5.48am service on September 29 from Waverley to King’s Cross would be one member of staff short because of a mix-up over holidays, but then the chef phoned in sick, reducing the catering crew to just four.
To add to his problems, he discovered from an e-mail the train had a broken boiler. The lack of hot water for washing meant the crew could not serve cooked breakfasts but had to hand out warmed-up paninis with bacon or scrambled egg and roast tomatoes.
Doughty said: “The passengers were not happy. The passenger who complained said the bacon panini was disgraceful – to put it politely. It tasted and looked disgusting.
“They were annoyed because they were not getting what they were paying for. Some took it out on the staff. One member of staff was in tears as a result.
“I explained it would not have made any difference if the chef had turned up because the broken boiler meant we could not serve them the food they would normally get.”
Doughty said staff shortages were frequent and East Coast had been aware of the broken boiler the week before.
The company told Doughty he had “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner by engaging in a conversation with customers which undermined the reputation of East Coast and the East Coast management team”.
In an e-mail offering his support, Beaumont said: “I find it hard to believe a member of staff can simply be dismissed for telling the truth to insistent passengers like myself in such circumstances.
“The target of my complaint was the people responsible for the chaos, not the guy placed in the awkward position of breaking it to a train load of annoyed passengers, a job that he did incredibly well. I am a regular user and recently there has been constant problems with the provision of proper First Class food on this route.”
Physical combats took over the election of new executive officers to run the affairs of the Nigeria Labour Congress today. Election of officers is the climax of the 11th National Delegates Conference of the NLC which has been going on since Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the venue of the event was thrown into confusion today as emotion rose. It was reported that delegates ran for dear lives as aggrieved contestants and their supports suddenly became violent.
They were said to have hijacked and destroyed ballot boxes even while voting was still underway.
It is not clear yet how the event, which had been peaceful since it began suddenly descended into crisis, but the election for the President of the Union had created tension among delegates and split them along partisan lines.
After the disruption, the police took over the venue and delegates were sent away, ostensibly to protect the facility from being vandalised.
Labour leaders have now reconvened at the NLC headquarters in the Central Business District of Abuja for a meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m., aimed at resolving the logjam.
Three candidates had put themselves forward to be elected as President Waheed Omar’s successor.
They are the General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, Joe Ajaero; the National President of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Igwe Achese; and National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria Ayuba Wabba.
For the three deputy president positions, the Non Academic Staff Union is putting forward its General Secretary, Peter Adeyemi, while the General Secretary, National Union of Textiles, Issa Aremu, is contesting unopposed, along with the National President, Nigeria Civil Service Union, Kiri Mohammed. [myad]
A Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana has made it clear that the March 28 election would not be about people those who do not have shoes, neither would it be about religion and ethnicity.
Falana who spoke at an event sponsored by the United States Consulate in Lagos to mark the African-American History Month accused religious leaders for endorsing President Jonathan.
“This election is not about religion. It is not about ethnicity. It is not about not having shoes. This election should also be about others who have not acquired shoes.”
Falana said that some undesirable elements through their actions and statements are trying to bring Nigeria back to the dark ages that followed the June 12 election.
He insisted that the election must hold and whoever wins must be allowed to govern the country.
Meanwhile, the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) has tasked leaders of conscience in the country to immediately rise above political partisanship and give a more profound direction to the country.
The group in its periodic state of the nation intervention said it was not a surprise that the country’s democracy is currently grinding to a halt with desperate and panicky acts of the political class all over the nation.
Speaking through its spokesperson, Olawale Okunniyi, the group said by the framework of the subsisting 1999 Constitution and its attendant amendments, it would be impossible for any government in Nigeria to meet the democratic expectation of the Nigerian people.
“Hence the economic failures of successive governments and the present electoral ‘war’ in the country as the current civil rule from its outset in 1999 has been designed constitutionally to flop,” PRONACO said.
The group, however, lamented the inability of the political class to correct the inherent anomalies in the constitutional structure of the current democracy which it said sustained the explosive politics breeding the current electoral tension in the land.
“Politically, Nigeria is currently sitting on a keg of gunpowder, and may have just postponed the doomsday with the recent extension of the forthcoming elections by six weeks. The fact is that the constitutional structure of Nigeria is deeply self-contradictory to democratic survival.
“Nigeria’s governance and electoral structure is endemically warped and lopsided as it has not been designed by the military to sustain democracy but to blackmail and compromise it for the self-serving agenda of the existing military,” PRONACO asserted.
It also wondered why the political class, for what it called narrow gains, has made it so difficult for the country to correct its dangerous polity with all the humongous economic crisis and horrendous bloodletting and killings witnessed under the current ‘wrongheaded’ democratic dispensation.
“The ruling class may have to take responsibility for the imminent failure of civil rule in the country; now that it seems almost likely that the prediction of the United States in 2005 about Nigeria’s disintegration in 2015 now seems most likely to come to pass.
“In spite of all the warnings and great interventions of leaders of conscience in movements like PRONACO, Project Nigeria and Patriots, the self-serving ruling class have chosen to be deaf to the ominous signs ahead.”
It warned that disturbing developments in recent times are clear signals that democracy is about to be truncated in Nigeria as was done on 12 June 12, 1993, when the presidential election won by MKO Abiola was annuled by military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida.
Abiola, who ran on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), defeated Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC), but Babangida annulled the election, leading to a crisis that ended with Sani Abacha toppling the Interim Government headed by Ernest Shonekan on November 17, 1993. [myad]
Nigeria military authorities, accused recently of getting involved in politics, especially with politics of General Buhari’s certificate, have now pleaded that they would stay clear of democracy and concentrate on their primary roles.
The Defence Headquarters affirmed that the military would not subvert the democratic process but to discharge its responsibility of supporting democracy as guaranteed in the Constitution.
In a statement, the Director of the Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said that the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs, being products and beneficiaries of the nation’s democratic process would continue to cherish the nation’s democracy.
“They will therefore not engage in, condone or encourage any act that has capacity to undermine or subvert any aspect of the democratic processes,” he pledged.
Olukolade said Nigerians and friends of the country should be reassured that the Nigerian Armed Forces believes strongly in the prospects of the country under a democratic rule and would continue to discharge its responsibility to support our democracy as constitutionally guaranteed.
He said the clarification had become necessary having noted the palpable tension being generated in certain quarters with regards to the role of the Nigerian military in the ongoing political activities and recent developments especially in relation to the electioneering programmes in the country.
“Accordingly, it has become necessary to reassure all citizens that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remains committed to its duty in working to ensure the sustenance of peace, law, order and stability in the country before, during and after the forthcoming elections.
“It is also important to reassure Nigerians that the military will while working with all security agencies and stakeholders in the process, remain professional, apolitical and non-partisan in all operations or activities related to this crucial exercise.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria is quite conscious of the fact that apart from its primary constitutional role of defending the country from external aggression and internal insurrection, it also has the responsibility of providing support in aid of civil authority such as the need to provide complementary security arrangement to protect our electoral process.
“It is on record that the military has successfully lived up to its responsibility while discharging this duty during previous elections without equivocation,” he stated.
Olukolade said all military personnel had been reminded and warned to remain ever conscious of their service oath and solemn commitment to protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even while remaining loyal to constituted authorities in the country.
“No excuse will be acceptable for any act of commission or omission that tends to compromise the law or the electoral process as well as decent conduct or judgment on the part of any service personnel while discharging duties related to elections in any part of the country,” he stated.
He thanked Nigerians for remaining calm and understanding the peculiarity of the security challenges being managed by the Armed Forces at this auspicious period in the nation’s history.
“The military is unequivocally assuring all citizens that it recognises the fact that the nation’s larger interest and her security are sacrosanct and beyond any political expediency or ulterior consideration,” he stated.
Olukolade then advised Nigerians to always endeavour to insulate the military from partisan politics and retain their confidence in its neutrality and sense of patriotism at this critical point.
Meanwhile, a detachment of soldiers from the 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze which stormed Government House, Owerri, on Tuesday and barricaded it with amoured vehicles had since vacated the place.
It was learnt that security had been beefed up within the seat of power with visitors thoroughly checked before being allowed in.
At the secretariat of APC which situates adjacent the imposing Imo State University Roundabout, there was heavy presence of security men with Hilux patrol vehicles stationed at the main entrance. [myad]
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