Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has advised politicians to always respect the letter and spirit of Peace Accord which they entered into for the purpose of ensuring a violent-free electioneering process. Dr. Uduaghan, gave the advise today when candidates for different elective positions of political parties in Delta State signed a peace accord in Asaba, the state capital, adding that peace accords should not be for formalities but should be honoured in the interest of democracy. The peace accord was packaged by the Delta State Police Command to ensure peace before, during and after the general elections. “If all of us present in this hall decide that these elections should be violence-free, they will be violence-free. We are signing a document today for violence-free elections, it should not just be ceremonial, we must act with the document,” the Governor said and urged the Police and other security agencies in the state to ensure full compliance with the signed agreement. He commending politicians in the state for the matured way they have conducted themselves so far and stressed the importance of the conduct of politicians during and after the elections. He commended the Police for making it possible for candidates for elective positions and their political parties to sign the violence-free elections accord observing, “this event is very key to the success of the 2015 general elections.” “We need peaceful elections, no position is worth dying for, eight years is very short, four years is even shorter and you are in the field again, it is not necessary to go to the extent of engaging in violence,” he added. The Governor described the shift in dates of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as laudable, saying, “some people are not happy but a lot of people are happy.” He urged spiritual leaders, journalists, retired military men, among others to engage in actions which would engender peaceful electioneering process. The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5, Mr Musa Daura, said it was important for peaceful elections to be achieved, emphasising that “we must all be in the vanguard for a credible and acceptable electoral process. “We have resolved to provide an electoral environment free of intimidation and politicians should play the game by the rules bearing in mind that politicians are sportsmen. We should shun criminal and electoral violence before, during and after the elections.” Speaking on peace, the Bishop of Asaba Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Justus Mogekwu urged politicians to imbibe the virtue of humility and avoid acts of desperation in their quest to achieving their political ambitions. The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the INEC in the state, Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak said despite the shift in dates for the elections, “we will deliver a credible election not only in Delta but Nigeria.” The Commissioner of Police in the state, Alkali Baba Usman in an address, said, they must not only agree but equally realize the need to be more democratic in the conduct of political activities within the ambit of the law with a view to ensuring peace, understanding and respect for one another. “The Commands posture is that of zero tolerance to political violence under whatever guise, the Command is committed and poised to provide violence -free environment for all peace loving Nigerians/foreign nationalities resident in Delta State before during and after the general elections. “To this end, the Command has put in place special investigation teams to investigate and prosecute all infractions on the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) in conjunction with the INEC and of course all extant laws in force”. “Parents and guardians alike should warn their children/wards against being used as a veritable instrument to create confusion in the state as the full wrath of the law will be made to bear on such errant individuals or group of persons along with their sponsors.” [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he would not condone any initiative from anywhere that would seek to promote one religion over the other. General Buhari, who spoke yesterday night at an interactive session with the Catholic Bishops under the aegis of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Pope John Paul II Catholic Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja declared: “let me state this categorically, that I, Muhammadu Buhari, as an individual, and as president of this great country by the grace of God, given the opportunity to serve, have no personal religious agenda. And I will not entertain, consider or promote the religious agenda of anyone. I will not condone any initiative that seeks to promote one religion over the other. Neither I, nor my party, or any member of my team has any desire or plan to Islamize or Christianize Nigeria or support anyone with such intention.” The APC flagbearer said: “I would like to solemnly declare that in spite of what our detractors say, I am not a religious fanatic of any sort and I have never been. “In all my life, I have never supported extremism of any kind, and nowhere in my record of service to this nation can this false toga, political opponents have tried so hard to put on me, be substantiated. Indeed, it is very unfortunate and I feel extremely sad that I have to give this type of assurance. “My background is in the army, and there is no doubt that the military is the most integrated pan-Nigerian institution. And even today, the military is one of the institutions that represents the pride of our nation’s possibilities in unity. Compatriots from every corner of this country come together, work and live together, entrust their lives to each other and integrate their families. It is a military where many of my dearest friends, from all faiths and parts of the country, lost their lives defending the unity of our nation. That was the military I served in, and in that military it was impossible to be a bigot. “Although I am a practising Muslim, and I have been so all my life, I have never belonged to, nor shared the views of, any extremist group. I am not even a cleric. I believe that religion is personal and private. Many of the people close to me are not of my religion. My cook and driver for 20 years are Christians, Most of my bodyguards are Christians. Some were killed while protecting me in the terrorist attack on my convoy in Kaduna. If I have not Islamized these people who serve under me, how will I Islamize the likes of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Ogbonnaya Onu, Governors Rochas Okorocha, Kayode Fayemi, Rotimi Amaechi or Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is a senior advocate of Nigeria and a pastor? Or how will I Islamize Nigeria? Our constitution, which in many respects, is similar to the American constitution does not permit a state religion. The Sharia identified in the constitution is almost synonymous with customary law. It is only applicable in matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. This has been the case since the 1979 constitution. Just as no one can make any customary or any other religious law the law of Nigeria, so Sharia cannot therefore be the law of Nigeria. “My record is evidence of this strongly held belief. Before my tenure, the deadly and violent extremist radical sect, Maitasine carried out terrorist activities in the north, especially Kano; when it erupted again in Yola, during my tenure, I took direct command, and personally led the successful effort to eradicate the threat to our country. Similarly, when some Chadian insurgents attempted to occupy Nigerian territory, I led the military confrontation that eliminated the threat.” General Buhari said that for him, the issue of religion was, and should always, be a matter of personal conviction. He said that this personal conviction and approach to religion have defined his work and interactions all his life, “including my tenure in office as military Head of State. The religion of all those I worked with was never a factor in their progress or in what happened to them. All that mattered then, and should still matter today, are competence, integrity and readiness to be fair to all. “I was recently informed that we had a balanced cabinet with key positions such as Finance, Energy and Defence occupied by Christians. In addition, 11 of the 19 governors I appointed were Christians. My most memorable recollections of subordinate service was under Christian bosses, the finest our country had then, and among the most respected today. “Indeed one of the best appraisals I received in the course of my military career was from General T.Y Danjuma.” General Buhari argued that government has no business preferring one religion to the other, saying that the role of government is to protect lives and properties of citizens and to respect and protect their constitutional rights. He noted that one critical freedom that every government must strive to protect is the liberty for citizens to exercise their respective faiths, Christians and Muslims or others, in a lawful manner without fear or hindrance and to prosecute those who use religion as an excuse to destroy homes, schools and places of worship. He said that when governments fail in that duty, they must then assist in the rebuilding of structures, including destroyed places of worship and giving full restitution for lost property. According to General Buhari, Nigerians, are a religious people, and that burning of places of worship constitutes one of the vilest forms of abomination to all those who believe in God. It is the duty of governments, he said, to protect this important sensitivity. The APC Presidential hopeful wanted all Nigerians to learn to live together as brothers and sisters, because the problems that bedevil the country do not discriminate based on religion or ethnicity. “Poverty and hunger do not know or respect religion or creed. When a bomb explodes in a market, it kills and maims without regard for religion or ethnicity. The millions of the unemployed youth of our country cut across all tribes and religions.” He said that wicked propagandists have continued to spread vicious lies about him for political gain, including claiming that he once asked Muslims not to vote for Christians. He described such propaganda as the height of absurdity, asking that how could he ever say that, when he knew that whoever voted for him would be voting for the Christian running with him on the same ticket. “And how could I ever say that of Christians when my own holy book, the Qur’an, tells me that in the entire world, those that are nearest in love to me are those who believe in Jesus Christ (AS)? I ask, who, intending to win any election, ever does that? How can I choose southern Christian running mates (Chuba Okadigbo of blessed memory, Pastor Tunde Bakare and Pastor Yemi Osinbajo) and with them by my side make such silly utterances? “Because they have no record, they must seek to destroy our own; and because they have no integrity, they feel they must impugn our own. We must reject those who propagate hatred, ethnicity, divisiveness, sectionalism or seek to manipulate our religious differences in such cynical fashion. “On our part, we will remain undeterred: our commitment is to bring about change in the way we live and think and work in this nation; and our goal is to ensure a decent existence for all. And, by the Grace of God, that is what we will do—we will remain true to our commitment and we will achieve our goal.” He said that as Nigeria approaches the most crucial election in its history, all true patriots needed to have deeper reflection of the basic ingredients that bind the nation together, saying that they are “our common freedom, peace and unity. This reflection is even more relevant in the face of the illegal postponement of the general elections a feat achieved through various sinister ploys and with the sole aim of avoiding the will and verdict of the people. In all of these, I feel the urge to communicate some of my personal vision and thoughts to the people of our great country, especially on the question of religion, a sensitive matter for many citizens that have become the most frequently used tool by the ruling party. This affords me an opportunity to give my response to the ruling party’s false propaganda and lies against my person.” General Buhari advised that Nigerians should at all times, hold the unity, peace and progress of the country as paramount. “Those who deliberately disseminate divisive disinformation and attempt to stoke primordial sentiments using religion or ethnicity and create fear in the minds of our people fail the standard of patriotism this nation demands of them and deserves from them. The ruling government and PDP have adopted this sad divisive and false narrative as their strategy to prevent the inevitable change that our country and people desire and require. And they have succeeded in making some of us victims of the tales which they invent, propagate and sell as gospel truth to gullible listeners, while it is all nothing but a tissue of lies.” [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence in the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega and that he has no intention of removing him from office before the March 28/April 11 general elections.
This is even as he dismissed claims in some quarters that he influenced the postponement by INEC, of the 2015 general elections from February 14 and 28 to March 28 and April 11.
President Jonathan, who spoke today on Presidential Media Chat in on Radio and Television stations across the country said: “I appointed Jega. If I feel that Jega is not good for obvious reasons, I have the power to remove him and I have not told anybody that I will remove him.”
President Jonathan said that he was not consulted by either INEC or the security chiefs before the poll shift was announced last Saturday night by INEC Chairman, Professor Jega.
“I was not consulted and I do not want to be consulted.”
He recalled an incident in 2011 when INEC postponed the presidential election by two weeks, adding: “I was already in my village in Bayelsa for the election when the postponement was announced and I had to return to Abuja. INEC did not consult me. If it did, I would not have wasted my time going to the village.”
Jonathan expressed the confidence that Boko Haram would be driven out of the occupied parts of the country before the new dates for the elections in keeping with the promise of the security chiefs who requested for the poll shift on security grounds.
“I am not saying that Boko Haram will be wiped out before the election but a lot of advances will be made in the next six weeks.”
He assured that the elections would definitely hold on the rescheduled dates, adding: “Nobody is saying that we will wipe out Boko Haram before we hold the elections. Boko Haram is not a regular army. Afterall, Boko Haram was there when we held elections in 2011.”
Jonathan raised hopes on the rescue of the Chibok school girls who have been in Boko Haram’s captivity since April last year.
“On the fate of the Chibok girls, now that we are working with Chad and other neighbours, I believe that in the next few weeks the story of the Chibok girls will be different and we will rescue them. Of course, we will recover them alive; we do not want anyone to be killed.”
The President expressed confidence that the polls would be peaceful and allayed fears that it would lead to war. [myad]
Catholic Bishops of Nigeria today, held an interactive session with Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari where they variously expressed the concern with the falling standards of education, wide spread corruption, violence in the polity and insurgency in Nigeria. The interactive which was tagged “Episcopal” Town Hall Conversation with representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, General Buhari After a series of exchanges with General Buhari, the Bishops also expressed worry over what they called worrisome security situation in the country, amongst others. In his address of welcome, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Bishop Ignatius Kaigama and also the Archbishop of Jos, said that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria believes in the unity and progress of this country. He regretted the wide communication chasm that exists between the leaders and the people and hoped that the conversation was an indication of the willingness to establish a sustainable communication platform. [myad]
Ahead of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), yesterday, engaged in dialogue on peaceful elections, with members of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Abuja. The dialogue, anchored by Toyin Gabriel, UNDP’s media expert, focused on three critical areas that are germane to peaceful conduct of elections. Delivering the first lecture on: “Agenda setting: Citizen engagement and contributions of online media to peaceful elections,” Dapo Olorunyomi, the Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, said about 73.5 million Nigerians are now actively engaged on the internet, making the country eighth on the global engagement scale. Olorunyomi said online is the future of journalism, but hastened to add that the good news about the huge number of internet users comes with its own ethical challenges. “The first question to be resolved is what ethics will guide our practice in an age where the traditional consumer of journalism has herself become a producer of journalism via newsletters, blogs and other aggregation strategies and is even able to draw significant eyeballs far beyond the traditional media? “What degree of responsibility or norms will be in demand from a platform of delivery that is based on social media and algorithms? The so-called algorithm accountability. “What happens to stories advancing community, democracy, accountability and which challenge citizens toward informed choices but find no economic support? “With the advent of the citizen journalists as news gatherers, how do we take care of critical concerns about sourcing, authenticity and, above all, fairness? “What happens to verification in the wake of the now relaxed editing standards that come with digital first via social media and twitter in particular?” Olorunyomi, however, proffered the way forward, suggesting the need to organize the community of online media around platform specific issues as currently happening in many countries. He cited the example of the Online News Association in the United States of America. He also spoke on the need to formulate strict and strong professional, ethical and accountability principles as well as the need to provide support through trainings and professional resources. Olorunyomi submitted: “In promoting the credibility of journalism also, the value of transparency has also acquired a new status calling on us to show how reporting was done and why people must believe it. It should articulate journalistic approach and acknowledge mistakes and errors in a timely manner.” On her part, Stella Jibrin from the Nigerian Press Council said the body has been monitoring and analysing on a daily basis the coverage of the 2015 elections in newspapers, focusing on news stories, articles, opinions and photographs. Another speaker, Y. Z. Yau, made a presentation on hate speech or dangerous speech, charging online publishers to be guided by the overall national interest when reporting stories laden with hate speeches. Yau posited that media practitioners should always take on those who make hate speeches, citing the recent example of the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, who referred to opposition as “cockroaches”. The last presentation was by the Deputy Director of Publicity at the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nick Dazang. It focused on the INEC Citizen Contact Centre and preparedness for the election. Dazang gave an insight into how the Citizen Contact Centre with dedicated staff works. According to him, the centre has helped INEC to get the feelings of the people. He said it has also helped the Commission a great deal in addressing the identified challenges. Dazang used the opportunity to dispel rumours circulating on the social media that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has been asked to proceed on terminal leave. On the part of the participants, the online publishers, they made robust contributions on each of the presentations made towards ensuring peaceful elections in March and April. [myad]
The United Kingdom has adopted a new anti- corruption plan with emphasis on preventive measures. It is aimed at stamping out bribery and corruption involving transactions in both the public and private sectors. The initiative, which is similar to the preventive mechanisms introduced by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) few years ago, focuses on increased cooperation among regulators, public and private establishments with government’s anti- corruption efforts. Experts have described it as the United Kingdom’s “first effort at pulling together a broad range of resources including government, civil society organisations, law enforcement and other partners to stamp out bribery and corruption.” The initiative encourages partnerships among law enforcement agencies, public institutions, private firms and other groups to monitor proper compliance with standard ethical conduct in the various sectors, report violations promptly and cooperate fully in investigation. The new plan which is driven by four cardinal action points namely: Pursue, Prevention, Protect, Prepare, also aims at ensuring that organisations have solid measures in place to prevent bribery and corruption and other financial crimes while those that have a clear anti- bribery and corruption policy will be recognised. It would be recalled that the ICPC began a drive in this direction few years ago with the establishment of partnerships with Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure compliance with ethical conduct in order to prevent corrupt practices or nip them in the bud. Under the collaboration, many MDAs have undergone system study and review to identify areas of operation prone to corruption and seal the loop holes. These MDAs include the Nigeria Universities Commission, the Nigeria Prisons Service and the National Health Insurance Scheme, among others. The ICPC currently has a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Aviation under whch several areas of operations at the nation’s airports, fomerly prone to corruption, are being sanitised. As part of its efforts to forge a concerted fight against corruption, the ICPC also partners with 298 civil society organisations in various sectors. And the Commission has Anti- Corruption units (ACTUs) in the MDAs, National Anti- Corruption Volunteer Corps (NAVC) in the Local Government Areas as well as anti- corruption clubs in schools and tertiary institutions. [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has warned warned the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against using Rambo-Style intimidation on it leaders even as it also warned that nothing untoward should happen to its leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and that President Goodluck Jonathan would be held liable for their safety. A statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Campaign organisation, Garba Shehu said that deployment of troops around the residences of Tinubu and Okorocha for yet-to-be disclosed reasons by the PDP administration is unacceptable and a breach of their fundamental human rights. Garba Shehu said the deployment of soldiers around the residences of opposition figures without any explanation amounts to intimidation and provocation, which the APC leadership views seriously. “This Rambo-style intimidation of opposition figures is not acceptable, and this crude show of power should not take place under any democratically elected government.” Garba Shehu warned that as the Commander-in-Chief, President Jonathan would be held personally liable because he has the overall responsibility for the deployment of troops across the country. He said that APC Presidential Campaign Organisation is embarrassed by this Presidential abuse of power even as he condemned it. He accused tha President of trying to intimidate the opposition members, even as the Campaign Organisation reminded President Jonathan that the will of the people is superior to a standing army. Garba Shehu advised APC supporters throughout the country to remain calm and behave responsibly, reminding Nigerians that if the country could survive military dictators to restore the roots of democracy, they should not be intimidated by tin gods in democratic clothing. [myad]
Director of media and publicity of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Femi Fani-Kayode has accused the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega of moves to aid the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the forthcoming elections in the country. The rigging plan, Fani-Kayode said at a press conference in Abuja today, include the alleged manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs, adding that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Googluck Jonathan of their PVCs whilst the parts of the country that would traditionally vote for the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, are already armed with their PVCs. According to him, the PVC collection statistics for states and geo-political zones before the postponement of the elections would buttress Professor Jega’s contrived grand conspiratorial alliance with the APC to fraudulently secure victory in the elections The PDP Presidential campaign organisation spokesman said: “pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters. “Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections. These PVCs are still in China and Prof Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations.” Fani-Kayode posed some questions to Professor Jega, such as “why are the PVC collection rates in the North Central, South-South, South West and South East much lower with the highest being 57%? Is it because these geopolitical zones may be pro-Jonathan? “Why does the North West zone which includes Katsina (Buhari’s home state) have the highest collection rate of 80%? “How come the North East also has 75% collection rate when, in fact, three states in this zone-Adamawa, Borno and Yobe- have been under the attack of Boko Haram insurgents, a development that has led to the displacement of many residents? Did the Internally Displaced Persons come back there to collect their PVCs? “Why is it that North Central zone, which includes states like Plateau and Benue that traditionally vote PDP, has a collection rate of 48% when North East and North West have between 75 and 80% collection rates? “INEC would have us believe that as far back as January 2014, the PVC distribution would be done in phases. “Phase 1, according to the Commission, commenced May 2014 in 10 states– Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa. “Phase 2 – Yobe, Bauchi (North East) Jigawa, Sokoto (North West), the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara (North Central), Anambra, Ebonyi (South East), Ondo, Oyo (South West), Delta and Cross River (South South). “Phase 3 – kicked off in November and involved 13 states– Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Plateau. “Can Jega explain to Nigerians how Kano, Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna and Katsina, which were slated for Phase 3 and actually kicked off in November 2014, have achieved a 75-80% PVC collection rate whilst many states slated for Phases 1 and 2 and even some others in Phase 3 are still in the 40-50% collection rate range?” [myad]
From left, Minister of foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali in handshake with President Goodluck Jonathan as minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adeshina and Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo look on during he launching of Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, today, Tuesday, 10 [myad]
The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, today, announced the redeployment of 33 Commissioners of Police (CPs) to Commands and Formations across the country with immediate effect.
They are:
Danladi Mshelbwala, – Kebbi
Ibrahim Idris – Kano
Musa Mohammed – Oyo
Usman Abubakar – Jigawa
Olufemi Ogunbayode – Zamfara
Salisu Abdullahi – Sokoto
Mohammed Usman – Nasarawa
Nyats Jatau from Rilway – Taraba
Mohammed Mohammed – Bauchi
Damilola Adegbuyi – Edo
Paul Okafor – Bayelsa
Vanletine Ntomchukwu – Ogun
Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi – Kogi
Joshak Habila – Abia
Orji-River – Enugu
Usman Abdullahi – CP, Railway Command.
Shuaibu Gambo – Counter Terrorism Unit in the Force Headquarters
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