The European Union International Election Observation Mission has said it would not risk its me and officers as election monitors in the areas notorious for the activities of Boko Haram. Such areas are concentrated in the Norht East, comprising Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi states.
The Head of the EU delegation to Nigeria, Santiago Ayxela, told journalists shortly after holding a closed door meeting with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja that Mission intends to deploy 90,000 election observers to Nigeria.
Ayxela who said that his delegation will also meet with the President Goodluck Jonathan this week said that though the Mission will not risk sending observers to the north-east, it hopes to observe all the happenings leading to the February elections, including the build-up campaigns, the Election Day events and post-election occurrences.
“We can’t be in the north-east for security reasons. But we have people deployed very close to the north-east and we have contacts there and so, try to get better information as much as we can have on the north-east. But the present situation does not allow us to go to the north-east,” he said.
Ayxela said the EU observer team has been involved in the monitoring of political party primaries and national conventions since November.
“First, I want to thank General Buhari for the opportunity to have this interview here. The European Election Mission is a big mission. It is a mission that started in November and will be in place till mid-April. What happened on the Election Day is not only the problem.
“It is what happened during and within a space of time, how the party primaries were done, how the law has been complied with, the propaganda, activities of the media and any possible claims after the elections. That is our role and not just to follow up the days of election.” [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan has told the Olu, in the presence of his Chiefs, that he had to put off the ground breaking ceremony of the $16 billion Delta Gas City and the Export Processing Zone project (EPZ) because of the fear of outbreak of violence after the ceremony which would have frightened investors.
The President who paid a courtesy call on the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, in the company of Dr. Uduaghan, during an unscheduled visit to Delta State today said that however that his action in putting off the exercise was not borne out of fear that anything was going to happen to him.
According to him, as a son of the Niger – Delta, he could move freely in the zone without molestation.
The President who also had a private audience with the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, asked Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to work out another date after the February general elections for the groundbreaking ceremony that was put off.
Governor Uduaghan commended President jonathan’s personal visit to the Olu which has afforded him the opportunity to explain to the Monarch and the Itsekiri people the issues surrounding the ground breaking ceremony of the project.
Uduaghan also expressed appreciation to the Olu on his understanding of the President’s explanation and commitment to the project.
He appealed to groups and individuals to desist from politicizing the ground breaking ceremony, adding: “we join Mr President in our commitment to the success of the project.”
Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, has blamed un-named leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from his state, on which platform he is governing the state, for the attack on President Goodluck Jonathan’s entourage when he was in the state capital for his campaign rally. Yuguda whose statement exonerated supporters of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) who were widely believed to have been behind the attack, said that the PDP leaders who sponsored the attack were those who have been opposing his administration. “The attack was organized by some of our top party chieftains who are from the state and reside in Abuja. They staged this disgraceful action of the youth,” the governor said in Hausa. Yuguda, who is the leader of PDP in Bauchi state, spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service. He said that the attack was sponsored to embarrass him, adding: “this attack is an insult to the Emir of Bauchi and myself, the Governor of Bauchi State. It was lauunched just to ridicule us before President Jonathan who visited the state and paid homage to the emir. “The President, as the guest of the Emir and people of Bauchi State, deserved to have been treated with respect and dignity, in line with Islamic religious tenets, which the majority of people hold. But the broom-carrying and misdirected youth, in a despicable manner, behaved irresponsibly as the presidential convoy passed by.” Governor Yuguda wondered why Kano, which is the APC strong-controlled state did not launch such attack on President Jonathan when he visited the state. “Mr President paid similar visit to Kano State which is a stronghold of the opposition and an APC state, but yet the President moved round the city freely, visited Emir of Kano, and nothing of such happened. Why Bauchi State?” he queried and added: “they (the PDP leaders) want to show the President that I am nobody in the state that I am governing.” It would be recalled that President Jonathan’s re-election campaign in Bauchi on Thursday turned violent when some youths converged at the Ibrahim Babangida Square, venue of the event, and hurled shoes, plastic water bottles and other objects at the canopy where the President and members of his campaign team were delivering their speeches. Although security operatives intervened to stop the thugs from disrupting the event, several vehicles coming out of the venue, belonging to the PDP presidential campaign team, were stoned while tyres were burnt. The violent youth also clashed with security personnel deployed around Ran road and the Bauchi central market where a police patrol van was set ablaze by irate youths. The PDP and the APC have accused each other of orchestrating the incident with both condemning it. Though governor Yuguda did not mention the names of the PDP leaders he accused of masterminding the attack, but he is believed to have been referring to the party’s national chairman, Adamu Muazu, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bala Mohammed. Muazu and Mohammed are said to be having running battles with the governor in the past, although all parties claimed it had been resolved. [myad]
I do not like responding to Asari Dokubo’s frequent unguarded rants and vituperations for the mere fact that silence is the best answer given to a fool. However, his recent call to arms in a meeting of some so-called ex-militants in Bayelsa is one that should be given a response, since the appropriate authorities
I do not like responding to Asari Dokubo’s frequent unguarded rants and vituperations for the mere fact that silence is the best answer given to a fool. However, his recent call to arms in a meeting of some so-called ex-militants in Bayelsa is one that should be given a response, since the appropriate authorities (DSS, NPF, etc) have failed to respond. By the way, in Nigeria, under President Jonathan, an ex-militant is more honoured, revered, and dreaded than an ex-soldier.
In the beginning, President Jonathan’s supporters tried to play the religious card by branding General Muhammadu Buhari a bigot but it didn’t sell. They tried to write him off in the eyes of Nigerians on account of his age… that failed too. Next was his educational qualification. They embarked on a fruitless effort to discredit the APC presidential candidate by alleging that the retired General of the Nigerian army who once headed the Supreme Military Council does not possess a Leaving School Certificate. They made so much hue and cry over Buhari’s certificate issue that one would think they had forgotten the road to the court. That effort also failed.
Alas, after exhausting all tactics and antics available to them to sway public opinion against Buhari, the supporters of Goodluck Jonathan, are now openly threatening violence should their man loose out in the February 14 presidential election, whether or not the entire electoral process is free, fair and credible. In other words, their own shallow understanding of democracy is that everyone “must” vote for Goodluck Jonathan, despite the fact that his failure in all ramifications of governance is unparalleled in the history of Nigeria.
There are a few issues I like to underscore from this evil declaration.
Firstly, where is Marilyn Ogar, the spokeswoman of the PDP… sorry, DSS? Only a few days after the Abuja peace accord, and some disgruntled individuals headed by an orangutan called Asari Dokubo are already threatening war should their candidate loose out in the election, and the security agencies in the country are not paying any attention to it. If the Abuja peace accord, which had the buy-in of the National Security Adviser and the Commander-In-Chief himself, was anything to go by, one would have expected that Asari Dokubo, Tompolo, Boyloaf, and the other empty vessels who are part of that infamous Yenagoa declaration should by now be in the custody of security agencies writing statements, at the least. Indeed, one would have expected the operatives of the DSS to swing into action with the same level of swiftness with which they invaded the APC data office in Lagos.
Secondly, this early and unwarranted threat of war is a clear indication that Goodluck Jonathan and his supporters have conceded defeat even before the day of the election. Otherwise, if they were confident of victory, there would have been absolutely no need gathering in that coven where they issued that call to arms. My advice for them is that they should not forget they have consented to an amnesty deal. Therefore any resort to arms ever again would mean that they would be exterminated like flies by government security forces and heaven will not fall. It is a deal they willingly agreed to, and they just cannot eat their cake and have it.
Thirdly and finally, I like to urge my fellow Nigerians who earnestly yearn for change not to be intimidated by these opportunistic ethnic jingoists, but to take them for who they truly are: empty vessels known for making the loudest noise.
Goodluck Jonathan has been given a fair opportunity to serve at the highest level in this country, and he bungled it. He made a barrage of promises during his 2011 campaigns. And now in 2015, four years after, instead of giving us an account of his stewardship by telling us how much of his promises he has been able to fulfill so that we can on that basis assess his performance and decide whether to retain him for another four years or kick him out, he is busy going round the country making a fresh set of promises, most of which are clearly unrealistic (like creating two million jobs per annum for the next four years if re-elected, when he couldn’t create that amount of jobs for the entire six years he has been at the head of government).
God-willing, elections will hold as scheduled by INEC, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will be beaten black and blue in a fair contest, and the only redeeming path that will be left for him to take will be to congratulate the winner, General Muhammadu Buhari.
If Asari and his co-miscreants try anything stupid, they will be effectively shackled and caged, even to the delight and relief of their own kinsmen whom they have been brutally lording over.
Asari has been thrown into prison before by President Obasanjo. But for the magnanimity of President Yar’Adua of blessed memory, he probably would have expired there. I am as much a South-Southernern and a Niger-Deltan like him and his fellows. I hail from Edo State, and I was born and raised in Warri, Delta State. I make bold to say that change in Nigeria is not only possible, but inevitable! No amount of threat can stop us from achieving it, not even from Asari Dokubo multiplied by a thousand and all the Niger-Delta criminals benefitting from illicit contracts from the inept Jonathan-led government put together.
I reiterate, come February 14th, Goodluck Jonathan will be defeated by the ballots, and not even the bullets will be able to save him.
Abu Bilaal Abdulrazaq bn Bello bn Oare, Kaduna, Nigeria sahaabah@aol.com. [myad]
“I made it absolutely clear that the May 29th handover date is sacrosanct. In addition, the Government will provide all resources that are required by the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that the election goes smoothly. I also emphasized that INEC is an independent body, which makes its own decisions without any interference from the Government.”
These declarations were made today by President Goodluck Jonathan when he held a meeting with the United States of America Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, who arrived Lagos today to engage in series of meetings with major stakeholders in the February general elections in the country.
He further assured the visitor that he is deeply committed to ensuring that our forthcoming election is free, fair, and credible. It is especially critical that all political parties abide by the Abuja Accord, which commits each to non-violence before, during, and after the election.
“Nigeria is a vibrant democracy and the largest trading partner of the United States in Africa, with more than $18 billion in bilateral trade. Our countries and peoples share a mutual admiration for each other and a deep commitment to freedom, democracy, and human rights.
“”This is why we are together engaged in a struggle against a common enemy that promotes terror, fear, division, and violates human rights, most especially of women and girls, with complete impunity. Winning the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria and West Africa is absolutely essential to beat back the tide of religious extremism around the world.
“Our security forces have been working tirelessly and courageously to achieve this goal. I reaffirmed for Secretary Kerry that Nigeria is strongly committed to building the multinational task force to fight Boko Haram in partnership with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Indeed, I called publicly for such a regional approach at the African leaders summit in Paris in May 2014 and more recently in multilateral meetings.
“We are pleased that the international community is now strongly united behind this initiative and agree that its success is critical. It is equally important that the multinational force receives the significant support that is required to address the threat through our global partners.
“The United States, more than any other country in the world, has the most experience fighting armed insurgencies. And having suffered the devastating attacks of 9/11, its people also understand the insecurity and fear that is the reality for the vast majority of peaceful, tolerant Muslims and Christians in North Eastern Nigeria.”
President Jonathan believed that enhancing and expanding various channels of cooperation between the two countries, in the context of growing international coordination, are of the utmost importance. [myad]
The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), has demanded an unreserved apology from the Presidency, Senate President, David Mark and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for accusing him of masterminding attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi during his campaign tour of the states.
Buhari’s demand for apology stemmed from the disclosure by Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State that those who attacked President Jonathan’s convoy in his State were actually PDP members.
The Presidency and the national leadership of PDP had alleged that Buhari and his party, the APC, mobilized their supporters to pelt stones on President Jonathan’s campaign train when it visited Katsina and Bauchi States. They accused the presidential candidate of masterminding the attacks in spite of the peace pact he signed on peaceful conduct before, during and after the elections.
But Governor Yuguda, who is serving on the platform of the PDP, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service yesterday, said the incident was pre-arranged by Abuja politicians from the State to tarnish his reputation before President Jonathan.
His statement when translated into the English language reads, “I am sure and let the world know that the people who did this thing were PDP members and those politicians in Abuja were the ones behind it; they were not APC members.”
Consequent upon the revelation, Buhari, in a statement issued by the Director, Media and Publicity of his campaign organization, Malam Garba Shehu, said the admission by Yuguda that the incident was engineered by PDP members had absolved the presidential candidate and the APC of any blames.
According to the statement: “It has always been said that the incidents that have manifested themselves in the electioneering process were act of the PDP on PDP violence, arising from their mismanaged primaries. Governor Yuguda’s admission is a confirmation of the position of our party and our candidate that they have no hand whatsoever in these dastardly attacks.
“Now that Yuguda has admitted that these attacks were hatched and executed by fellow PDP members, we demand an immediate retraction and apology from the Senate President David Mark; the Political Adviser to the President, Professor Alkali; the PDP leadership and their presidential campaign council, who have unjustly made our party and its presidential candidate their whipping boys over this unfortunate incident. We commend Isa Yuguda’s candour expressed through this open admission,” the statement added. [myad]
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has faulted the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its claims that members of the PDP masterminded last week’s attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign convoys in Katsina and Bauchi.
The Campaign Organisation expressed shock that the spokesperson of the opposition APC, Lai Mohammed, could come up with such allegation.
Spokesperson of the Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, described the allegation by Mohammed as ridiculous, adding that the lies of the APC were unbelievable.
Fani-Kayode said in a statement that “the allegation by the spokesman of the APC, Lai Mohammed, that the PDP were the ones behind the attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi are absurd, reckless and asinine. The shameless lies of the APC are simply mind-boggling and as each day passes, they seem to be getting worse and worse.
“Does it make any sense for the PDP to hire thugs to chant ”sai Buhari”, to waive brooms in the air and to physically attack their own candidate’s convoy? Does it make any sense for them to throw rocks at their own presidential candidate and injure his bodyguards?
“Honestly it is clear to all those with discerning minds that the APC have lost touch with reality. They have been blinded by their hate, deceit and their sheer desperation for power.
“The truth is that they are the ones that have an inbred culture of violence and intolerance, and that encourage brutal and barbaric behavior and not the PDP.
“The PDP values peace, tolerance, a plurality of views, differing opinions and the sanctity of life but the APC do not. The PDP belongs to the modern age and the modern world but the APC belongs to the dark ages.”
He said the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation rejected Lai Mohammed’s absurd allegation and warned him, his candidate and his party to be ready for grave and far-reaching consequences if anything untoward should happen to President Jonathan during the course of this campaign.
According to him, “All hell will break loose. The stoning, attacks, violence and intimidation have to stop and the safety and security of our Presidential candidate, our supporters and our members must be guaranteed if we wish to avoid being propelled into a vicious and reciprocal cycle of violence, turmoil, destruction and catastrophe in this country.” [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Organisation has asked President Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to call to order, Niger Delta ex-militants who have threatened to wage war against the country in the event that their “son” loses the February 14 presidential election.
The APC campaign organization, in a statement by Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign said that the irresponsible ultimatum by the ex-militants is not only a barbaric threat on the sovereignty of our Republic, but goes against the spirit and letter of the non-violence pact to which President Jonathan is a signatory.
Garba Shehu said that the declaration of war against the state is causing panic and concern among Nigerians who are already embattled by so many challenges particularly of insecurity, which have been begging for attention.
APC reminded President Jonathan that as commander-in-chief it is his primary responsibility to ensure the protection of the citizens and their properties and that such open declaration of war by the ex-militants and several other acts of violence need to be denounced by him in the interest of the democracy, unity and stability of Nigeria.
According to Garba Shehu, these drum beats by elements associated with President Jonathan need to change to peace beats so that the citizens, especially the youth need to be encouraged that the sustenance of the country’s democracy is better achieved through the ballot and not the bullet.
APC Campaign called on Jonathan to make good on his declaration that his “re-election is not worth the blood of any Nigerian”, by calling these war mongers in his domain to order.
The Campaign noted that the latest threat is not an isolated act as the threat on General Muhammadu Buhari by Governor Fayose and the attacks on the party’s offices and rally in Rivers are pointers of coordinated insurrection against the APC ahead of next month’s general elections.
“It is disconcerting that the president has not immediately addressed such treasonable actions by persons who in the past have taken up arms against the Republic, and whose amnesty is dependent on their good behaviour and complete disarmament.
“The president needs to remember that he took an oath, as commander-in-chief, to protect Nigeria against all threats, external and internal. In this case, his silence could be misconstrued as an implicit approval of this declaration of war, seeing as the meeting of the warlords and subsequent declaration of war were from his own backyard, his home state,” Shehu said.
“The first step the President needs to take, to show seriousness in dealing with this issue is to dismiss from his government, his Special Adviser on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku who presided at the meeting at which this obnoxious resolution to dismember Nigeria was taken,” added the statement. [myad]
Hajiya Aisha Buhari, wife of the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari and Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice Presidential candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at the inauguration of the APC Women Presidential Campaign Initiative at the party’s Campaign headquarters in Abuja on Saturday. [myad]
Academics across the globe, under the aegis of Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP) is organizing a symposium in conjunction with PREMIUM TIMES, Nigeria’s leading online investigative newspaper to address issues of campaign funding in political parties and its link with corruption. This is coming on the heels of the February general elections in Nigeria. The inaugural symposium would have as its theme: ‘Political Campaigns and the Looming Tsunami of Poverty’ and Akin Oyebode, a Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence is expected to deliver the keynote address at the event which will hold on January 27th at the University of Lagos. According to the Co-Chairman of ASAP, West Africa, Ismail Ibraheem, the discussion would be backgrounded on corruption that has been plaguing the nation and the forthcoming general elections. “As a matter of fact, corruption has become endemic in the nation’s body politics,” said Ibraheem, adding: “needless stressing the fact that political corruption which can be traced to the iniquitous need to satisfy the urge of political godfathers and sponsors who bankroll the campaigns of candidates that eventually get elected into political office, is another major problem of Nigeria. “The end result of political corruption is the diversion of public funds meant for developmental purposes into private accounts.” Ibraheem noted that such political misdemeanor had not only set Nigeria backward but had largely contributed to the increasing level of poverty of its citizens. “In the 15 years of this on-going democratic experiment, the only visible growth in the country is the democratization of poverty.” ASAP is an organization established in the United States of America by Thomas Pogge, Professor of Philosophy, Yale University, to bring together academics from various institutions across the globe with the vision to fight poverty and aid development. Speakers at the one day event include Rahman Ade Bello, the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos; A.M Ninalowo, Professor of Sociology, University of Lagos; Mr. Pogge; and Ralph Akinfeleye, Professor of Journalism and Communication, University of Lagos. Other speakers include Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of PREMIUM TIMES newspaper; Femi Aribisala, scholar and international affairs expert; Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s presidential campaign; Femi Falana, human rights lawyer; Innocent Chukwuma, Regional Representative for West Africa, Ford Foundation; and Hussein Abdu, Director, Action Aid, Nigeria. Ibraheem said the symposium would serve as an opportunity to lend a voice to the looming inequality and tsunami of poverty threatening the structural foundation of the country. “ASAP believes that one of the ways to tackle poverty is to attack the root cause of poverty which is corruption.”
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