On February 7, 2015 seven days to the scheduled February 14 elections, the Nigerian military aborted the voting through a letter from Sambo Dasuki NSA to INEC that they could not guarantee security during the scheduled February 14 elections. Technically, Sambo Dasuki issued a threat and blackmail on behalf of President Jonathan in alliance with the Nigerian military.
On a cheeky note, the Nigerian military said they will commence renewed operation against Boko Haram on February 14, same day the election was to commence. The choice of February 14 as the exact date the Nigerian military said it would commence operation against Boko Haram easily gave the conspiracy of service chiefs away as willing partisan collaborators with President Jonathan in the 2015 elections because INEC had scheduled its election long before the February 14 desire for the commencement of the renewed offensive against Boko Haram by the Nigerian military!
The Nigerian service chiefs: Air Chief Marshal Badeh, the Chief of Defense Staff, Major General Minimah, the Chief of Army Staff, Air Marshall Amosun, the Chief of Air Staff did not controvert Sambo Dasuki-a political appointee of President Jonathan. If they have not contravened Sambo Dasuki then they agree with him. Hence the Nigerian service chiefs –Badeh, Minimah, Amosun- are part of the cohort that annulled the February vote.
Speaking of Sambo Dasuki , together with Mr. Ayo Oritsejafor’s company (Ayo Oritsejafor is the president of CAN) he has his hands and fingers full and well embedded in the cloudy and deliberately made fuzzy now aborted cash for arms South African deal.
Nigeria’s money is still with the South Africans. Sambo Dasuki who came out to own the deal in order to save the face of Ayo Oristejafor whose company is questionably involved in the crime has not told us when South Africa will publicly return Nigerian money!
The same Sambo Dasuki who used the power of the Nigerian state to cover a clear crime and illegality in the South African Cash for Arms case which implicated the company of Ayo Oritsejafor –CAN’s president- is the spokesperson of the Goodluck Jonathan/Military coup against the Nigerian people and the February 14 poll.
Though President Jonathan has tried to absolve himself from the February coup against Nigerian people, by claiming that INEC did not consult him, it is obvious that the postponement is at the behest of PDP and Goodluck Jonathan to allow them to campaign more, see if they can claw back some votes in critical constituencies (especially the Western part of the country) and see if they can still win the election. Certainly the president was economical with the truth since he presided over the Council of State meeting few days previous that discussed this same issue!
But, try as President Jonathan may try to dodge, as Commander in Chief, constitutionally President Jonathan sent Sambo Dasuki, his NSA to INEC. Since Sambo Dasuki does not have constitutional responsibility to INEC, it is obvious that Sambo Dasuki only passed the joint decision of the service Chiefs-Badeh, Minimah, Amosun-under the constitutional supervision of President Jonathan to INEC.
All these –especially the treason and dishonor involved- explain why President Jonathan will again use Nigerian military and/or any other means to annul the March elections if the PDP, Goodluck Jonathan and the military read that the flow of the election is not in favor of President Jonathan. The reasons for this are desperation, need to protect previous crimes of some select members of the Nigerian political, economic, religious, military class against the Nigerian people, need to protect extremely dangerous vested economic, political and un-ethical interests, fear of past and future.
Hence, let us systematically detail those who are implicated in this plot that has the potential of another annulment in March. I am doing this so that those who hold contrary view can challenge this claim with rival data. These are verifiable data in the public domain, which help us shed light on the potential and real plot against March elections.
coalition of well funded sectional interests-examples of this are the dangerous clique of Tompolo, Dokubo-asari, boyloaf, the two factions of the OPC (Ganiyu Adams and Frederick Fasehun)looking for oil pipeline security contract, the oil funded Southern Peoples Assembly of Edwin Clark, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Femi Okunronmu.
A faction of the Yoruba group Afenifere (of individuals), which is driven by purely personal economic calculations of its loose members. The Secretary General of this loose faction of few individuals is Mr. Seinde Arogbofa who is a brother to President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief of Staff-Brigadier-General (rtd) Jones Arogbofa. Mr. Mimiko, present governor of Ondo state and Yinka Odumakin work with this group. Contrary to its desperate but failed attempt to be associated with the populist and social democratic and federalist principles of Obafemi Awolowo perhaps through comically wearing the famous Awolowo cap, individuals in this group are solely motivated by private and personal economic and monetary interests that can be gained from the oil and monetary resources provided by President Jonathan.
The corrupt ministerial and governmental clique driven and coordinated by Oil minister Diezani Alison Madueke. Prominent members include Governors Mimiko and Godswill Akpabio, Buruji Kashamu, Ayo Fayose, Musiliu Obanikoro. The recent cries by Senator Silas Zwingina, and Bode George that it is better to stop Mr. Buhari because Buhari has zero tolerance for corruption betrays this loose group. For many reasons, some of which are open while some reasons are still hidden and will come into the open soon, members of this clique have shown the greatest desperation.
The alliance of the service chiefs and Goodluck Jonathan presidency. Three great moments define this un-holy alliance. First, is the deep involvement of the Nigerian military in the rigging of the last Ekiti elections as documented in the Captain sager Koli’s tape. Second is the blatant use of the high office of the military to blackmail INEC to postpone the February election. Third is the sudden and irrational outburst of the Nigerian military in criticizing Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo. That outburst from the military against Mr. Obasanjo completely betrayed this un-holy alliance because the military outburst was un-ethical, unprofessional and un-called for, yet they made such ridiculous statement against Olusegun Obasanjo! The last moment is the mysterious relationship-which is more of a political relationship than a professional, statesman and nationalistic relationship- between President Jonathan as Commander in Chief and the military with respect to the war against Boko Haram. Part of the mystery is in the number SIX. For SIX years, the Nigerian military was unable to fight Boko Haram. But here is election time, and President is unsure of winning. And Boko Haram and loss of territory to them is an issue. Suddenly, the military woke up and promised to renew the battle against Boko Haram and win in SIX weeks! So what happened? Why did the Nigerian military refuse to engage Boko Haram the way it appears to be doing now for SIX years? Which military is actually doing the fighting against Boko Haram-our military or a foreign military? What is the role of the imported South African mercenaries in this fight against Boko Haram? What are the conditions of engagement of the South African mercenaries in the light of the officially expressed reservation of the South African authorities in Nigerian authority engagement of the South African mercenaries in the war against Boko Haram? What is the implication of engaging the mercenaries on the professional integrity, honor of our military?
Why did we have to engage the South African mercenaries? Will the truth be out? Is the ultimate script which the Nigerian military has been co-opted to advance is that “eh look you do not change a “winning” Commander”! But why did the “Commander”-President Jonathan lose for SIX years? Is the refusal of the “Commander” to fight Boko Haram for SIX years not ultimately political in view of SIX years and SIX weeks? Is this “Commander”-President Jonathan-therefore an honest “Commander?”
These are questions arising from the mysterious prosecution of the war against Boko Haram. They border on professionalism, patriotism, nationalism and basic question of honesty and ethics and their lack in the “Commander” and his political service chiefs, which the service chiefs have to answer. And these go into the heart of the alliance between the service chiefs and President Jonathan. A loss of the election by President Jonathan will put the service chiefs in very difficult situation of open accountability to the Nigerian people with respect to these issues and their roles in failing to fight Boko Haram in SIX years and their sudden role in SIX weeks . They may not want this hence they are willing tools in the hand of President Jonathan. These three moments show the un-holy alliance between President Goodluck Jonathan and the military in using the military to rubbish the election the alliance of the Jonathan presidency and the Ayo Oritsejafor led Christian Association of Nigeria –this alliance includes select members of the Nigerian clergy especially and mostly of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. It is so bad some Nigerian Pentecostal “Pastors” are invested in this crime against Nigerian people. A clergy Pastor Kallamu Dikwa, openly alleged that the President Goodluck Jonathan gave 7 billion Naira to Ayo Oritsejafor’s CAN to campaign for him. This was allegedly distributed to state chapters of CAN. In a sane country, the so-called security agencies, which annulled the February election will swing into the field, investigate and arrest any so-called Pastor who has collected blood money. But the security agencies themselves are on the oil payroll of President Jonathan, so they are marooned in the sleaze and corruption.
That the upper echelon of the Nigerian military has been compromised, and that such compromise will make them collaborate with the President Jonathan to manipulate the election has a strong foundation in some facts and trend. Some of these facts are as follows.
EkitiGate. : This is Most Lethal Reason Why the Military will attempt to subvert the March election. From scientific point of view the audiotape is true. Its truth is devastating against the honor, dignity, integrity and professionalism of the Nigerian military.
The only way to rescue itself from this shame is to practically and scientifically disproves the audiotape. But the military cannot. Rather the service chiefs had looked the other way praying that the matter will go away. But the country and the people are greater than any of its institution, so this will not go away until it is openly addressed before the Nigerian people because to use the military to rig an election is one of the most treasonable act. To sweep it under the carpet is equally treasonable.
The Sagir Koli Ekitigate audiotape exposed two constituencies– viz military constituency and PDP political constituency. Beside the Ekitigate audiotape, the alliance of forces in i-v above– is too compromised they cannot afford a loss. This explains the desperation of the clique in i-v. For example, Ayo Fayose directly has nothing to do with this election. However, he is a candidate in a vicarious sense because of the Ekitigate. This explains why he is extremely emotional, irrational and desperate bordering sometime on psychological instability.
So, a loss for Mr. Jonathan simply means that the Nigerian people will demand a deeper understanding of the Ekitigate. This explains Ayo Fayose’s desperation and his mobilization of physical and evil non-physical forces to see to the death of Mr. Buhari. Ayo Fayose is already a wreck and it has become that bad for him. Hence for this reason, signs and trend of an APC success will lead to the mobilization of the military to abort it.
Mr. Ayo Oritsejafor the present president of CAN and some known Pastors are not left out of this. From the 2011 polls to the present poll, the Jonathan presidency compromised some clergy. Nigerians should read Pastor Bakare’s testimony and observations on the 2011 elections. The clergymen are compromised through the informal and un-documented side of the Nigerian economy. This informal side of the economy leaks like a damaged oil pipeline. This is a well-known side, which drives every sleaze.
This is the sector that is used to compromise the clergy and the military. The informal side of the economy through which the leakage and compromise of clergymen and women and the military take place is the reason it is disingenuous to ask for physical evidence of the compromise as if that informal sector is physically documented.
Finally, in any plot there are immediate and remote factors. The remote factors are contained in the activities of the cliques in i-v. Members of these cliques will do anything to abort the election including the thoughtless, the illegal and the criminal, which includes toying with the idea of suddenly sacking Mr. Attahiru Jega INEC Chair.
However, given the dishonor, indignity and shame it has brought to the Nigerian military(where a civilian politician threatened a Nigerian General!), the need to cover up the Ekitigate is one of the biggest immediate factors(out of others) that threatens the March elections. In annulling the election, it is obvious that the the top echelon of the military will not be acting out of any patriotic, professional or ethical reason. This highly compromised top echelon will be acting out of pure instinct of survival.
Hence, the Nigerian civil society and the International Community must be on full alert to help the Nigerian people; assist the Nigerian democratic process by joining to resist any of President Jonathan’s attempts to abort the March elections through open, direct or devious means.
Adeolu Ademoyo aaa54@cornell.edu Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. [myad]
When Did Professor Jega Become Enemy Of PDP? By Peter Claver
Like joke, like joke, as the Nigerian lingo goes, Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of INEC has become enemy number one to the withering cabal in PDP and all those that invested in the continuation of the malfunctioning Goodluck Jonathan presidency and his endangered party, the PDP. The other day, PDP’s Rottweiler and paid jobber, Chukwuemeka Ezeife was threatening that there would be no election except Jega quits as INEC Chairman. He was simply re-echoing the views of a so called Southern Leaders Forum, a ringside front for supporters of PDP and Jonathan who, on the day the National Security Council met and vetted Jega’s preparedness for election, organized a press conference somewhere in Abuja and were demanding the sack and arrest of Jega. Like commissioned jobbers, these shadowy enablers of Jonathan/PDP did not advance any coherent crimes Jega committed that warranted their extreme demand. At best, what they advanced were mere regurgitations of the disheveled afterthoughts the PDP hastily assembled against Jega and his INEC the moment they saw defeat starring them in the presidential election.
Since this commissioned group’s demand, the Jonathan presidency and the PDP have succeeded in forcing INEC to postpone the elections for six weeks on flimsy security concerns. They have proceeded to unfurl a series of moves aimed at either scuttling the election which they are expected to lose as well as other scorched earth moves to prevent, at all costs, the clearly expressed desires of the Nigerian masses to ensure that they democratically end the reign of ghouls and vandals which had exacerbated the problems of Nigerian nationhood, extended the bounds of corruption and impunity and invested ineptitude, cronyism, ethnic and sectarian rancor, bigotry, nepotism and avarice as principles of state policy especially in the last six years.
Since the Jonathan presidency and the PDP walked away with a gratuitous six weeks extension, it had embarked on a wild window shopping for measures that will vitiate their dwindling electoral prospects. Chief among these measures are targeted agains the electoral process and in their wild permutations, what they need to hang on to power is the removal of Jega and the removal by fiat of any credible impediment to the kind of ravaging electoral fraud which feeds the soul and body of PDP and its sixteen years dominance of power in Nigeria. See PDP’s roadmark to untrammeled power; remove Jega, stop the use of card readers and discard permanent voters card and possibly use the military and other security agencies to force down a forged result. PDP is not shameless to advance these as the ways to go In an election it is entering as an incumbent, having been in power for sixteen years! What should bother any decent mind is that the PDP does not betray any iota of shame making laughable cases for an electoral process that rests on their compromised whims and caprices
Back to Jega. Let us recall the electoral fiasco of 2011 and how Jega rode on the back of that electoral charade to become PDP’s poster boy for ‘free and fair election’. Let us recall that in 2011, Jega’s INEC, without qualms, announced electoral results where Jonathan and his PDP appropriated between 90 and 99 per cent of all registered voters in the entire South East and South South States and advanced a magical manipulation of result sheets in the North to get the required 25 per cent across the northern states where Buhari was immensely popular. Remember that when the then CPC went to the tribunal to challenge this confounding result, this same Jega was to make a stunning entry in his defence at the tribunal that subjecting the results he claimed were actual votes to forensic examination, as CPC sought to do, amounts to endangering national security. The rest became history but suffice it to remind that the judge handling the case was removed midway into the case, retired and a pliant judge imposed to see through the wishes of the PDP at the tribunals. While Jega was approving thus deliberate larceny to favour the PDP, he was the best thing God created for mankind after pure water!
So what really has changed? Today, Jega is a marked man, being hounded by the poisonous darts of the PDP, the Jonathan presidency and their well oiled enablers who are commissioned to launch scurrilous attacks on Jega and his INEC as a way of forcing PDP back to power. You and I may ask; what really is Jega’s offence? What mortal sins did he commit so lately in the game that he must be sacrificed at the very injury time of a critical electoral process? Why must he be dragged to the market square, stripped naked and stoned to death so late in the life of the election and so close to his June 30 terminal date?
Sadly, the PDP, the Jonathan presidency and their soiled persuaders are not offering any convincing reason for calling for Jega’s head. At best, what we get from these people are a mish mash of fabrications, disoriented fables, stark lies, laughable drivers, infantile cocktails and pointed blackmail which are often grounded on the narrow props of fending off a gathering death verdict on the PDP and the Jonathan presidency. As is typical with the on going PDP campaign, all Nigerians get for the strident clamour by PDP and its apologists for the sack of Jega are hardly agreeing false stories targeting the emotional glans of PDP members and no serious indictment on the commitment of Jega to hold an election that will be worth its credibility before Nigerians and the outside world. When you are not hearing of how Jega has skewed the distribution of PVCs, you hear of how he had been consistently meeting and planning with nameless APC chieftains in Planet Mars on how to rig the election in favour of APC. Prodded to advance these cheap lies and desperate fabrications, mum becomes the word or at best, it becomes such shameful quaffs as that of a cash-and-carry Ezeife and his ilk; ‘Jega Must Go Or No Elections’.
Let us pause and ponder: when did PDP and its supporters discover that Jega was planning a fast one on them? Did they just happen on this few days to the election as it discovered it was running stiffly against the wishes and desires of Nigerians to end the debilitating scourge it is running as government? If it had discovered this earlier than now, why did it start its susceptible agitation at the very eleventh hour of the general election? Why did PDP leave the fact of Jega’s alleged compromise till when it had exhausted every means to hoodwink Nigerians to support its continuity with devastating results? How come PDP suddenly discovered the Jega, the good boy of 2011, is now the only anathema between it and the power it so lusciously covets?
Let no one be fooled. Jega is neither a saint nor a sinner. Jega is a Nigerian, just like any other Nigerian. He has his faults, his weaknesses and his low points like any other Nigerian. Jega has no love for the APC greater than the one he has for the PDP. I have had cause to doubt Jega especially since the 2011 electoral merchandising that the PDP maximally reaped from. I still do but I know that somehow, he wouldn’t like to leave INEC a villain. This commitment must have made him to put in place a credible process that will ensure that the putrid electoral process is cleansed up and Nigerians get the leaders they actually voted for. This is to favour neither the PDP nor the APC but rather leave the process for the people and not the tricky hands of electoral fraudsters. For this, he had insisted on card readers to ensure those that are accredited to vote are the real registered voters and also the use of IT-compliant PVCs to ensure that the ghost millions of voters that are brought to swing every election in Nigeria are done away with. He believes these will sanitize a shoddy electoral system and return elected leaders actually voted for by the people. These are laudable innovations that will neither favour the APC nor the PDP.
For us to know why Jega had turned PDP’s mortal enemy, we have to ponder why PDP is desperately fighting against these innovations in the voting process.We must understand why PDP feels that at this stage, Nigeria should revert back to the same shambolic electoral process PDP had harvested from so as to place its present hatred and fear of Jega. We must wedge through the rejection by the PDP of the use of card readers and permanent voters card and Jega’s insistence that these harmless panacea to horrifying electoral roguery will be used to understand why PDP is fighting tooth and nail to remove Jega before the expiration of his legitimate tenure and possibly procure a pliable agent or member of the party to revert to the odious process that had so far, exclusively benefitted PDP and its notorious power barons. We must understand why PDP in desperation to revert the tumultuous demand for change feels no shame demanding that credible processes for free election be scuttled for it to walk away with another heist. It is Jega’s insistence on a clean electoral process that has exposed him to the venomous attack of a PDP that feels it cannot survive outside electoral rigging and such other criminal violation of the democratic process. It is Jega’s refusal to be used as a tool to scuttle the democratic demands of Nigerians once again that has pitted him against the ravenous PDP share reapers who predicate their contnued existence on short hanging the people through dubious electoral manipulation for their selfish interests. Nigerians must see in the insistent effort of the PDP to remove Jega by all means and pave way for another hair raising electoral fraud the refusal of the PDP and the Jonathan government to accede to the demands of a free electoral process. In their instigated blackmail of Jega must be seen a government desperate to hang in to power by every vile means even when Nigerians have had enough of it. This should form the platform for a firm insistence that this regime must go to avail Nigerians to recover from years of ruinous governance that has taken a heavy toll on all Nigerians.
Peter Claver Oparah Ikeja, Lagos. [myad]