Nigerian News Beat

Twenty-four hours after the arrest of kano state house of assembly legislatures, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has granted administrative bail to the speaker of Kano State House of Assembly, Gambo Sallau and other principal officers of the Assembly who were arrested over the review of the state’s 2013 supplementary budget in December to N28 billion.

According to a dependable source at the commission, the legislators were released at about 5:30pm yesterday, but investigation is ongoing and they will be asked to return whenever the need arises.

Those arrested along with the speaker were the deputy speaker, the chief whip, deputy chief whip, majority leader, deputy majority leader, minority leader, deputy minority leader, and chairmen of House Committee on Appropriation and Finance and the clerk of the House.

The state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had earlier in the month sent a budget review request of about N24bn to the State Assembly, but later replaced it with a request of N28bn.

However, EFCC claimed that a stakeholder in the state petitioned the commission over the suspicious nature of the request, since the financial year was almost winding up.

Meanwhile, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has described their arrest as an undisguised case of political vendetta by a hurting presidency, whose target is actually the state governor.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said since the arrest of the lawmakers for carrying out their statutory duty of approving a budget cannot be justified by any law, it is clear to all discerning Nigerians that the only motive is to harass and intimidate the lawmakers for their recent defection from the PDP to the APC.

It said the politically-motivated arrest also undoubtedly marked the beginning of the long-expected series of persecution by a desperate federal government against APC states, in particular those states that have recently left the unsettled PDP.

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a civil society organisation has said the flaws which  happened in the November 16 Anambra State gubernatorial election would reduce public confidence in the nation’s electoral process, if not addressed.

TMG in a statement Tuesday by its Chairman, Ibrahim  Zikirullahi noted that the shortcomings must be addressed ahead of the 2015 general election.

According to him, for 2015 elections to be credible, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC must work in partnership with political parties, civic organisations and government bodies to find practical solutions to the problems.

Zikirullahi who expressed confidence in the collation process by INEC in the election, maintained that the INEC collation was done properly and that the official results as announced by INEC on Monday 18th November accurately reflected the votes cast.

According to him, TMG, through the Quick Count methodology allows for the independent verification of the official results as announced by INEC.

"Based on the Quick Count methodology, the TMG can confidently verify that the collation process was done properly and the official results as announced by INEC on November 18, accurately reflect the votes cast on the Election Day at the polling stations which held elections," he said.
TMG however did not ascertain whether the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chris Ngige or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Tony Nwoye, came second in the election.

"The official result for Labour Party's is 8.7 per cent which falls within the TMG estimated range. TMG cannot definitely indicate if APC or PDP is currently second in place. The lowest statistically possible percentage of the vote for APC is 21.4 per cent, while the highest statistically possible percentage of the vote for the PDP is 23.6 per cent. These values overlap statistically, APC and PDP are currently in a tie for second place," he added.

But yet peeved by the dismal performance of the INEC at the exercise, former Lagos State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav rtd, stated that the avalanche of complaints  that trailed the conduct of the   governorship election, further dimed the hope of credible elections in the country.    

Tsav who spoke to journalists in Makurdi, Benue State  capital, stated  that the Professor Attahiru Jega-led INEC is a shame to the nation for its inability to conduct free and fair election in a state and wondered what Nigerians would pass through in 2015 with the type of people in the commission.

The retired Police Commissioner said the nation would continue to drift backward as long as greed and corruption hold sway just as he slammed President Goodluck Jonathan for aiding and encouraging corruption all facets of governance.

Speaking on the attitude of Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu, Tsav described it as unprofessional stating that the primary responsibility of a police boss in a state is to join hands with the state governor to maintain peace and order.

A civil rights advocacy group, the Forum for Positive Change has slammed Senator Chris Ngige, the APC candidate in the Anambra poll as well as the APC for what it described as a “calculated effort to arm-twist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in order to gain a backdoor entry into the Amawbia Governor’s Lodge for the second time in ten years.”

Addressing a section of the media in Awka early today, the President of the group, Barrister Okechukwu Chinweze warned that the people of Anambra State would not live to see a brazen supplanting of their collective will as reflected in the voting patterns that emerged from the polls last Saturday.

He said the forum for Positive Change has followed developments in the Anambra election for years and sees the avoidable gaps that led to the suspension of polling in the Idemili area of Anambra State as part of a larger ploy by the APC candidate to create doubts about the electoral process and discredit INEC.

“We are familiar with Senator Ngige and the sad history he has established in Idemili. He has always used Idemili to cast doubts on any electoral exercise in Anambra State. You may recall that Uke town, where a stampede claimed 26 lives last week is located in Idemili.

So, it is not a coincidence that Idemili is in the news again for the wrong reasons. Everyone knows that what is behind it all is the influence of the APC candidate. But we shall resist him with the last drop of blood in our veins,” Barrister Chinweze warned.

According to Barrister Chinweze, the Forum for Positive Change had prior to the election, warned of a plan by the APC elements in the state to create credibility problems for INEC. “My men picked up information that there was a plan by APC to impugn the electoral process days before the election. We picked up intelligence report that some of the NYSC members who conducted the polls yesterday were approached with large sums of money by APC agents to slow down the electoral process by making sure that electoral materials were not delivered to the polling units on time. They figured that if the materials were not received on time, APC would have established a case against INEC.”

The Ogbunike born Lagos-based civil rights advocate wondered why Senator Ngige should turn his Idemili zone into a flashpoint of electoral malcontent in Anambra State querying, “Is there something peculiar about Idemili beyond the fact that Senator Ngige is from Alor in Idemili? We monitored this election and I can assure you that INEC has done a fairly good job. There may have been delays in some places in terms of the arrival of logistics but overall, the process has been largely peaceful and free and fair from the point of view of the Forum for Positive Change,” he observed.

“The question that Ndi Anambra should ask is; why is Idemili the only place with all these complaints? It is on receord that 23 candidates contested this election. These 23 candidates have places they come from and demographics that they control. How come it is only in Ngige’s place that INEC could not conduct an election? Is there something else that APC wants us to know about this election?” the civil rights advocate queried.

Barrister Chinweze  warned that his group would mobilize all progressive-minded people of Anambra State to resist any attempt by APC to supplant the will of the people in the poll. “Thank God for social media, most results of this election are in the public domain already. We shall not accept any attempt to change the story of this election from what actually happened on the field. We are watching. The world is watching too”, he declared.

Frowning at what he described as the “wholesale importation of the culture of irrational dissent and violence that have characterised APC” into Anambra State, barrister Chinweze advised that “Somebody should please tell Senator Ngige and his APC backers that we do things differently in Anambra State. We shall not accept any attempts to impose a candidate or any alien cultures of violence on Anambra State. We shall resist it,” he warned.

Governor Sullivan Chime after a failed attempt to send his wife back to her family on Sunday night following her alleged confinement at the Government house , has finally sent her packing in the early hours of Monday.

Gov Chime, with the assistance of security operatives attached to Government House had packed Mrs. Chime's personal effects on Sunday evening and sent her from the lodge  to her mother's residence at House 67 located at the Coal City Garden Estate behind, CBN headquarters in Enugu.

Trouble had started when Mrs. Chime insisted she must leave with her four-year old son, a plea that was vehemently refused by the governor who ensured she was bundled into a convoy of six vehicles and driven straight to her mother's place.

However, on getting there, the mother who had not been notified that her daughter was to be brought home, was not at home. This forced Mrs. Chime and the security operatives to sit in their cars waiting for her mother to return.

After waiting for close to two hours, the governor, who was obviously embarrassed that news of his wife’s eviction had leaked ordered that she    be brought back to the Government House.
However,  as early as 8am, Monday, Mrs. Chime was again driven to the estate and was handed over to her mother who was said to have wept bitterly on seeing her daughter.

10 lives were lost in a community clash on Wednesday while several cars and houses were destroyed in Ukhuorumi, a community in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.

An eyewitness who did not disclose his name, said the clash was as a result of a leadership tussle between members of Ukhorumi Community Development Association (CDA) loyal to both the chairman and his deputy.

 According to the information gathered, the trouble ensued when loyalists to both leaders clashed in the quest to either wrest or retain power leading to a free for all fight.

“The reaction that followed was spontaneous as shots rented the air. Several cars and houses belonging to members from both groups were torched in the ensuing fight and not less than ten persons have died from the incident,” the witness disclosed.

The community has been deserted by inhabitants for fear of possible reprisal as many cars and buildings were yesterday burnt during the fight.

Also confirming the story, the Army Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the 4th Brigade, Capt. Roslyn Managbe, said: “We are yet to make any arrest.

“We arrived after the damaged had been done. We are on ground to forestall any further crisis and to bring peace back to the community,” she said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sounded a note of warning to politician and aspirants saying it would no longer tolerate excessive spending by political parties and politicians at election campaigns. this is coming ahead of 2015 elections.

It has said  that such huge political spending has serious effects on the nation’s democracy.

This was stated by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who was represented by National Commissioner, Dr. Ahmed Wali, at the presentation of a book entitled ‘State and Political Participation: Women in Nigeria 2011 Elections’.

The book, which was written by INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Lai Olorode, and published by the Friedrich Ebert Siftung and presented to civil society, INEC, political parties and the media, dwelled on the role of women in the Nigerian political setting. He noted that electoral commission had begun the process setting up structures to monitor campaign funding.

He said “INEC is putting up a structure to monitor campaign funding so as to make it possible for everybody who wants to participate to have the opportunity to do so. The issue of heavy spending in elections is certainly a problem which I am happy INEC is already addressing”.

The National Industrial Court (NIC) in Abuja on Wednesday  fixed November 29, 2013, for its judgment in a suit filed by the  former executive director of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Bashir Gwandu, challenging the propriety of his removal from the NCC by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Justice E.D. Isele also  stated that he would deliver his ruling on the said day over the preliminary objection by the federal government challenging the validity of the suit.

Gwandu had named the attorney -general of the federation (AGF) and the minister of justice , Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN),  as co-defendants to the suit.

Gwandu speaking trough his lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday, told the court  that he was illegally removed from office and urged the court to set aside his removal from office on the grounds that  it offends section 10 of the NCC Act.

Falana further informed the court that his client was not given fair hearing before he was relieved of his post.

The senior advocate said, “This case is anchored on section 10 of the NCC Act. It has to do with the removal of the claimant from office through a letter. That letter offends section 10 of the NCC act.

“Before a commissioner can be removed from office, the President, through the Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SGF) or the Minister of Communication must write to him to defend the allegation against him within 14 days. In this case, the President never wrote to the plaintiff to defend himself.

“We urge the court to grant the reliefs sought by the claimant and dismiss the objection of the defendants.”

But the lawyer to the AGF, Mr. Mbam P.C.,  had in his argument against the suit, argued that the claims of the plaintiff could not  be granted on the grounds that  there were  many issues that should be proved.

He said, “The only issue in the case is not non-compliance to section 10 of the NCC Act. There are several issues that need to be proved. We urge the court to dismiss the suit and hold that due process was followed in the removal of the plaintiff from office”.

Gwandu in the suit urged the court to take judicial notice of the fact that his removal from office fell short of set procedure.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday announced that 1,784,536 persons were registered in Anambra State for the November 16, 2013 election.

The figure was presented at the INEC State headquarters in Awka by Mr. E. Akem who came from Abuja and the ceremony took place in the presence of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Prof Chukwuemeka Onukaogu and the supervising National Commissioner, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku.

The 23 political parties involved in the governorship election were represented by four of their members each and were given copies of the voter register.

According to INEC, at the completion of 2011 voter registration exercise, the Commission released tentative total registered voters of 2, 011, 746 adding that since then, the data capture process had gone a series of processes.

Statistics of the registration showed that 18-35 years were 52 percent, 36-50 persons of the registered voters were 25 percent, while those in the bracket of 51-69 years were 18 percent with those above 70 years were 5 percent. 

Also, the number of females that registered in Anambra was 900, 701 which accounts for 50.5percent, while the males reduced in number and accounted for 49.5 percent.Ogbaru Local Government Area had the highest number of voters with over 139,000
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukaogu in his address congratulated the political parties on the way they had conducted their campaigns so far in the state.

Registered voters in Nigeria, under the aegis of Conference of Nigeria Registered Voters, CNRV, have warned traders in Anambra State against voting for the flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Mr. Willie Obiano in the November 16 gubernatorial election in the state.

Mr Jezie Ekejiuba  the President of CNRV, sounded this note of warning in a  statement yesterday in Onitsha, said their grouse was because of Obiano’s recent campaign speech where he was quoted as describing traders as second class citizens in the state.

Obiano reportedly said: “I am pained when people dismiss Anambra indigenes as traders. A state that gave the world Chinua Achebe, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kenneth Dike, Alex Ekwueme and Odumegwu Ojukwu cannot afford to play second fiddle to its contemporaries in education.”

According to Ekejiuba, who is also a human rights lawyer, ‘’registered voters consider this statement coming from Obiano as an insult to traders in Anambra State, as most of whom are eminent personalities and graduates with bachelors and masters degrees.’’

CNRV added that by referring to Anambra traders as citizens who play second fiddle because of lack of education, Obiano meant that they ‘’have little or no education,’’ adding that ‘’this is a wrong assumption which is to say the least, unfortunate.’’

He further said that, “Anambra State is inhabited by proud traders and professionals. The state is what it is today because of the great contributions of her proud and prosperous market traders. This is not surprising because the state is home to the biggest market in West Africa- the popular and historic Onitsha Main Market.”

 Ekejiuba who described Obiano’s speech as reckless, asked the APGA’s governorship candidate to apologize to the traders without further delay, as the speech had exposed him as one who was likely to pursue anti-traders’ policies if voted into office.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo former Nigerian President backed out of the move to end the raging crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the failure of the presidency, the party leadership and the G-7 governors to honour the truce terms reached by all the stakeholders.

Obasanjo and other leaders had mobilised former PDP national chairmen including Senator Barnabas Gemade, Senator Ahmadu Ali and the chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, to wade in the feud between President Goodluck Jonathan and the seven aggrieved governors caused by the alleged bid by the president to seek a second term in 2015.

They met with the warring factions and appealed to them to end the rift between both sides, an appeal the parties have failed to listen to.

 According to sources close to the former leader, in the mediation effort, the leaders told the presidency and the governors to allow the interest of the party to prevail because “no sacrifice is too much for them to make for peace to return to the party”. But none of the warring factions shifted ground, a development that did not go down well with the party elders.

 In the interim, the sources said Obasanjo had resolved to wait till the time the feuding parties would come back to them in the interest of the PDP and their personal ambition as 2015 draws closer.

One of Obasanjo's aides said “From all indications, both the presidency with the party leadership and the seven governors are not ready and willing to embrace peace; they are poised to fight to the end but this would never help the party. The party elders have done their best by intervening in the dispute, but the two camps are not listening, and so the likes of Obasanjo have given up, watching the shameful scenario. It is a pity.”

 He further said: “In the rule of swimming, when you see a man drowning, those who know how to swim would not jump into the river while the man still have enough strength to swim into safety. This is because saving him at that time might lead to the drowning of the two. He has to wait until the man loses hope and surrenders to the torrent. Baba (Obasanjo) has done his best; he called some elders of the party with a view to intervening, but the two camps are not ready to listen to the voice of elders.”

The source went further to disclose that Obasanjo was unhappy with the dimension the crisis had taken and “foresees a problem for the party in 2015”.

“From the experience, Obasanjo moved in when he foresaw a bigger problem ahead. He has met with the governors who are angry and those that are with President Jonathan including the president himself, but neither of the two camps took heed of the advice of the elders. Remember, I told you that Obasanjo strongly believes some of presidential aides are fuelling the crisis. He has urged them to refrain from the media war, that it would not help. And for saying that, they began to accuse him of setting the stage for the crisis.

“Then, when the governors met with the president, the outcome was read by the governor of Niger State (Babangida Aliyu) and another meeting was fixed for October 7, but, shortly after the meeting, some aides to President Jonathan began to disclose what was discussed and what was not. As a response, the aggrieved camp shifted the battle to the National Assembly. It seems some people are benefiting from the crisis and the earlier the president and the PDP leadership is aware of this, the better for our party,” the source said.

As the 2015 general elections draw closer, organisations, groups and individuals have continued to urge Jigawa state governor , Sule Lamido and his Rivers state counterpart, Rotimi Ameachi to declare their intension to contest the 2015 presidential election.

The fresh charge on the duo came from Coordinator, Lamido/Amaechi Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Bilya Mohammed Lawal, who did not only support the call on Lamido and Ameachi to join the presidential race, but appealed to Nigerians to rally round them to provide quality leadership for the country.

It would be recalled that the Lamido/Amaechi campaign vehicles, posters and bill boards were sighted in Kaduna not quite long ago though he denied knowledge of it..

In a statement issued in Kaduna yesterday, Lawal posited that the candidature of Lamido and Amaechi was desirable “because Nigeria is in dire need of true servant-leaders to move the nation forward.”

According to him, “presenting Governor Lamido as credible candidate for 2015 is the surest way for the PDP to retain the Presidency, just as I feel strongly that if the PDP is serious about a President that can take Nigeria to the next level and keep her at par with other developed countries, Sule Lamido is the right choice.”

The Lamido Campaign Coordinator equally lauded the emergence of Kaduna State chapter of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) under the leadership of Alhaji Yaro Makama Rigachikun, describing it as “a healthy political development.”

President Goodluck Jonathan today terminated  the appointments of two of his ministers Mrs. Joy Emordi  Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters and Dr. Tunji Olagunju as his Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).  The termination is to take immediate effect.

A statement by the special Adviser take to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati announcing the removal of Emordi did not give any reason for the removal.

Dr Abati in the same statement also announced the termination of the appointment of Dr. Tunji Olagunju as his Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Dr Abati said President Jonathan thanked Mrs. Emordi and Dr. Olagunju for their services and wished them success in their future endeavours.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) gave a mandate to its governors to woo the aggrieved governors of the now warring Peoples Democratic Party who want to decamp to the party as the crisis worsen daily.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed who is the national publicity secretary of the party, made this known yesterday in Abuja shortly after the meeting of the interim National Executive Committee of the party held at the National Secretariat, Abuja.

He said, “It is not a matter we discussed at the executive committee. But I know that what the party decided is that since our governors are also members of the Nigeria Governors Forum and they are also meeting regularly with these other governors, we have left that assignment in the hands of our governors so that when the seven or eight aggrieved governors of PDP are desirous of making contact with the party they should do so with our governors.”

He said that the proposed membership registration of the party would begin either at the end of this month or early October. He also said that the party had resolved to make use of a biometric membership registration.

Other issues discussed at the meeting included but not limited to the funding of the registration exercise, mobilisation of the party, local  government elections in various states, bye-elections in Jigawa and Delta states.

Mohammed said that apart from the three leading opposition parties- Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change ( CPC) and the All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) that were involved in the convention, a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Democratic People Party (DPP) were also part the merger.

“ Therefore we resolved the issue that wherever that we are looking for representation in the process of harmonization, where such parties exist in their states they are also to be considered.”

On the crisis in Cross River State chapter of the party, APC warned that the State Independent Electoral Commission must not frustrate the court’s decision by holding the election while the case is still in court

It was a scene yesterday at the government house in Rivers state when the police  refused Gov. Amaechi  and his fellow members of the new PDP entry into the building.

Governor Amaechi is one of the G-7 governors who broke away from the PDP to form a factional body, the new PDP.

The police action came on the heels of the sealing off of the new PDP office on the route that leads to the Government House, along the Forces Avenue in Old GRA of the city.

Governor Amaechi, who is also the chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has been having a running battle with the presidency and the leadership of the PDP since he defied the party’s directive not to run for the chairmanship of the NGF. He has since been under suspension from the party.

The action of the police came barely 48 hours to the resumption of truce talks in Abuja on Sunday.

It was gathered that the governor, who had been at the Port Harcourt International Airport to receive President Goodluck Jonathan to Rivers State, was on his way to Government House when policemen, acting on the orders of the commissioner of police, Rivers State command, Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu, stopped his convoy.

The governor’s convoy made a U-turn and passed through the main gate of the Government House, making it possible for the governor to have free access to his official residence.

A mild drama occurred at the scene as Governor Amaechi was said to have alighted from his vehicle to find out what was wrong, but he was told by the policemen that they had instructions to block the road, which is the major route to the Government House.

The development was said to have elicited altercations between the policemen and the governor’s security team but had to be brought under control as the governor made a U-turn and made his way to the Government House through another route.

For more than four months now, the Rivers CP, Mbu, and Governor Amaechi have been at each other’s throat with accusations and counter-accusations renting the air as the political crisis continues unabated.

The Anambra State local government council elections scheduled for the 5th of October, has been postponed to December 14, 2013.

Acting chairman of the state  of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC), Chief Sylvester Okonkwo, announced the postponement on Tuesday in Awka, at a meeting with the leadership of various political parties in the state.

He stated that the postponement was necessitated by various variables which, he said, include the refusal of political parties to submit lists of their candidates for the election.

Political parties whose leaders were present at the meeting include All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Accord Party, KOWA Party, Action Alliance (AA), among many others.

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State said that he belongs to the faction of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abubakar Kawu Baraje.

Amaechi made this known in an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt shortly after arriving from Abuja on Monday.

Answering questions on the pullout by some PDP governors and stakeholders at the recent PDP mini convention in Abuja and subsequent press briefing by the Atiku Abubakar-led PDP faction, Gov. Amaechi said; “I am not the national chairman, the national chairman is Abubakar Kawu Baraje and he is the only person who is qualified to speak for now or the publicity secretary.  All you know is that I belong to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)  led by Abubakar Kawu Baraje and we are forging ahead because we need to make some changes.”

On talk about PDP’s electoral fortunes in 2015, the governor said; “Well, when we get to 2015 God will determine that.  We can’t be discussing 2015 now.  We will discuss 2015 when we get to 2015.”

When asked to comment on the decision of Rivers statutory delegates to boycott Saturday’s mini PDP Convention, Amaechi said; “You know, the chairman of the party and the members of the National Assembly and House of Assembly took that decision, I wasn’t around, so I wouldn’t know what to say about that, but the most important thing is that we are on course.”