Chairman of the Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya has justified the statement made by the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi in 2011 to the effect that APC is a party of night soil men, adding that they are out to clean up the socio-economic and security mess which the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had thrown Nigeria into.
In a statement in Port Harcourt the APC Chairman described as disgraceful those who cannot stand the rigours of intellectual political debate over Governor Amaechi’s 2011 statement to the effect that ‘those who carry brooms are night soil men and juju priests.’
“Like the true African that he is, Amaechi was speaking in parables but suffice it to say that he did not in any way contradict himself by later dumping the torn umbrella of the doomed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the clean-sweeping broom of the APC.”
Dr. Ikanya insisted that Amaechi was 100 percent right in his 2011 statement and had to take his leave from the PDP when the mess by the PDP-controlled Federal Government under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan became an unmistakable threat to the very survival of the country, thus leaving all patriots with no other option than to join the league of proverbial night soil men.
“The mess by the PDP-led Government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as manifested in monumental corruption, suffocating insecurity and strangulating economic hardship is such that every Nigerian patriot needs to carry brooms to flush out this evil party and clean up the country for the sake of present and future generations.
“There is no gainsaying that going by the present sorry state of Nigeria, the country desperately needs good night soil men to clean up PDP’s faeces. Indeed, it is time for all those who truly love Nigeria to bring the brooms out and get down to work with APC’s broom revolution as we seek to bring about change after forming the next government in 2015.”
He berated the faceless Association of Concerned Indigenes of Rivers State and other faceless groups being promoted by the Presidency and Rivers State PDP Leader, Nyesom Wike, “for wasting billions of taxpayers’ money on a worthless advertorial in some National and Port Harcourt based papers in its doomed propaganda campaign that can only make Governor Amaechi and APC stronger as they work to salvage Nigeria from the evil grip of PDP.” [myad]

A large number of Nigerian soldiers are said to be moving towards the dreaded Sambisa forest, the fortress of the terrorist Boko Haram sect in Borno State, signaling the commencement of an operation, which military sources said is aimed at recovering the forest from the insurgents.

The push for Sambisa forest started early in the morning with hundreds of soldiers seen on Damboa Road, Maiduguri, in several military trucks driving military equipment towards the forest which has been a no go area for sometime now.

Though no military personnel was ready to give information on the deployment which held traffic up for hours within the Maiduguri metropolis, but the looks of the soldiers showed that they were battle ready.

The soldiers were said to have vowed to adopt more aggressive but tactical and effective approach to strike back at the heart of the terrorists.

A military source confirmed that their next target after the retrieval of Mubi from Boko Haram is Sambisa forest to strike back at those boys.

“You know we lost some officers and others were injured including a Lieutenant-Colonel. So, we have mobilised our air and ground forces for an attack. Air crafts have been mobilised and we are ready to dislodge them from their enclave”, the source said.

Findings revealed that the military authorities would be more decisive and unsparing in their approach at dealing with the Boko Haram menace and restore the country’s territorial integrity.

The source lamented that the constant intervention from the political class and as well as barrage of criticisms from Amnesty International and other human rights groups affected military operations, citing how the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika was maligned for his aggressive approach, which was effective.

“The moment you are suspected and later confirmed of being a terrorist or their sponsors, you are gone. The moment you are aiding and abetting terrorism or found with weapons, you are gone within 12-24 hours because the military are being provoked.

“We no longer care about what the Amnesty international or politicians say. You cannot harbour criminals/terrorists that harm the country and expect the military to spare you.” [myad]

Crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be deepening as no fewer than 11 of its senators in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly are now threatening to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) unless the party leadership does something quickly.

The aggrieved senators are believed to have been complaining of what they described as the highhandedness of the leadership of the party.

A source hinted that the aggrieved senators are drawn from the North who were said to have considered as unfortunate inability of the leadership to even appreciate the hard times they have been going through because of their unflinching support and loyalty.

The senators involved in the defection threat are said to have come from the six states of the North West: Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara. Already katsina has no PDP senator going by the 2011 senatorial election and the 11 senators were drawn from the remaining states that make up the zone. [myad]

Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is believed to have held separate close-door meetings today, with the Nigeria’s former vice-president and a presidential aspirant on platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar and a national leader of APC and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu.

The meetings were held at Obasanjo’s Hilltop presidential residence in Abeokuta.

With each spending not less than one hour with the former president, it was obvious their visits were not unconnected with the 2015 elections.

Tinubu had paid such a visit earlier in October to Obasanjo, where he said he had come to discuss the state of the nation and his advice on the choice of presidential candidate for the party.

However, on this visit, Tinubu did not grant any press interviews as his convoy drove out of the Obasanjo’s residence around 12.30pm.

Two hours after his departure, Atiku, who had earlier paid a visit to the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, arrived in a convoy, and drove into the former president’s compound.

He moved into the inner chamber of the building. After a closed -door meeting which lasted for about 45 minutes, he emerged from the chamber with his host, and went to another wing of the building where they had lunch.

He later emerged after 20 minutes and told journalists that he had come to pay respect to his former boss and also discuss the developments in the country with him.

More details later… [myad]

The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu has made it clear that President Jonathan has remained the sole candidate of the party for the presidential race for the 2015 election.

He spoke today when Vice President Namadi Sambo submitted President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential nomination and expression of interest forms to the national leadership of the party in Abuja, the nation’s federal capital.

The PDP Chairman insisted that it was the decision of the party to make the President the sole candidate of the party, adding that the endorsement given to him was a “sign of confidence by men and women in the party and in the country.”

The forms are to enable the President vie for the party’s nomination at the primary scheduled for December 10 and 11 in Abuja.

Friday was the last date for the submission of all nomination forms sold out by the party.

Namadi Sambo told Mu’azu that President Jonathan has moved the country forward by transforming it economically, saying: “it is therefore with great humility that I’m presenting to you these forms.

“You will help us present it to the members of the National Working Committee.”

The Vice President then handed over the forms to Mu’azu, who in turn handed them over to the National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha.

Responding, Mustapha said he was happy to be part of history by collecting the forms, and prayed to God to grant the party and the candidate success during the election.

Among those who accompanied Namadi Sambo to the national secretariat included the Senate President, David Mark; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim.

Governors of Akwa Ibom, Gombe and Bayelsa States were also in attendance with some ministers. [myad]