A
Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto State, Alhaji
Sa’idu Gumburawa, has expressed optimism that Nigeria will be a better
place in the next two years under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Gumburawa, a former member of the House of Representatives, said on
Tuesday at Gumburawa village in Wamakko Local Government that “the
change agenda of Buhari would start maturing in the next two years.
“I am a PDP man, but I voted for Buhari during the last presidential
election due to my conviction that he has the Nigerian project topmost
in his mind”.
He suppoorted the administration’s renewed fight against corruption,
and advised the President to ignore unnecessary distractions.
Gumburawa, who was also a former board member of the News Agency of Nigeria, however, said Buhari should also heed constructive criticisms.
Gumburawa said, “He should listen to any constructive criticism aimed at facilitating the reformation of the country.
“Moral and material corruption have been the bane of Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
“Fighting the monster to a standstill is good for Nigeria, and
proactive measures should be taken to bring back all the country’s
stolen funds stashed outside the country”.
The former lawmaker called on the National Assembly to support the
change agenda of the Federal Government by making relevant laws that
would fast track the rejuvenation of the nation.
He appealed to Nigerians to pray for the success of the
administration and be patient with it, as Buhari needed time to fully
correct the wrongs of the past. (NAN)
The Lagos State chapter of the All
Progressives Congress says the loss of the presidential election by
the Peoples Democratic Party on March 28, 2015 frustrated its plans to
take over Lagos State by force.
The APC, while reflecting on the victory
of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Supreme Court last week, said the
PDP would have deployed security agencies and ethnic groups to remove
the APC government in Lagos if Nigerians had re-elected former President
Goodluck Jonathan.
In a statement issued by the APC
spokesman, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, on Sunday, the party commended the
resilience of Nigerians during the presidential poll to free themselves
from 16 years of oppression of the PDP.
The APC said, “Had the PDP succeeded in
stealing the presidency on March 28, 2015, it would have used the army,
the police, the Department of State Service to ‘steal’ Lagos by force.
The Supreme Court verdict has proved
beyond reasonable doubt that Ambode won the governorship election fair
and square, defeating Mr. Jimi Agbaje of the PDP with more than 160, 000
votes.”
While assuring Lagosians that the APC
government in Lagos would not lower the bar of leadership, the group
said Lagos would continue to be a pacesetter.
The APC said the Supreme Court verdict
was another call to duty , adding that Governor Ambode possesses the
required skills, training, experience, to consolidate on the gains of
the past 16 years.
The statement read, “As a bean counter,
he has hit the ground running, restructuring and repositioning critical
institutions in Lagos. He has been busy embarking on reforms. The
resounding victory at the apex court tells us in no uncertain terms that
Lagosians have not forgotten how AD (Alliance for Democracy), AC
(Action Congress), ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) and now APC,
transformed Lagos in the last 16 years and made the city the fastest
growing cosmopolitan city state in Africa, with a Gross Domestic Product
of more than $135 bn.
“Lagosians have not forgotten that the
progressive party cleaned up Lagos and made it a habitable city. They
have not forgotten how our party made Lagos a haven for business
activities to thrive. They have not forgotten how we built the most
formidable security architecture in Lagos to protect lives and property
of more than 18 million Nigerians residing in the city of Lagos.
“The apex court ruling has put paid to
the controversy surrounding the April 11 poll. The victory would spur
the Ambode-led administration to implement the party’s people-oriented
policies and programmes.”
When in December 2002, the leader of the
defunct Biafra Republic, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu,
declared that the South-East would produce the President of Nigeria in
2003, the Igbo nation rejoiced based on the hope that Nigerians would
put the civil war behind them and vote for an Igbo president.
“It is time for an Igbo presidency, we
have been cheated long enough, whoever says the Igbo nation will not
rule the country in the forthcoming general election is making a great
mistake,” Ojukwu had said.
To this end, a former Vice-President of
Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, joined the presidential race on the platform
of the Peoples Democratic Party but was roundly defeated by the then
incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was gunning for a second term
in office.
Months later, Ojukwu founded the All
Progressive Grand Alliance and joined the presidential race but only got
1.48 per cent of the total votes cast. In 2007, Ojukwu contested again
but got only 0.44 per cent of votes. In both elections, Ojukwu’s votes
only came from the South-East. In fact, in Bayelsa State, he got only
three votes.
Interestingly, in both elections, Ojukwu did not defeat the ruling PDP in the South-East, his area of strength.
But in 2014, the Igbo endorsed former
President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP during the last general election
and supported him through and through. Jonathan, who is from the Ijaw
ethnic group in Bayelsa State, got more than 75 per cent of the total
votes cast in the South-East.
With Jonathan’s ultimate defeat in the
more populated North and the South-West, Muhammadu Buhari of the All
Progressives Congress emerged the winner of the presidential race and
the Igbo lost out in the national scheme of things since the PDP became
the minority in the National Assembly as well.
For this reason, the top four positions
in the country have gone to other geopolitical zones. The Igbo have also
received the least number of federal appointments under Buhari.
The South-East is the smallest
geopolitical zone in the country in terms of land mass and number of
states. Geographically, the entire South-East, which is made up of five
states, is half the size of Borno State.
Because the national strength of a
geopolitical zone is determined by the number of states, the Igbo have
the lowest number of seats in the Senate, the House of Representatives
and the Federal Executive Council while the North-West, with seven
states, has the biggest political advantage in the country.
Sadly for the Igbo, their fortunes might
not change anytime soon since the presidency might continue to elude
them till 2023. The reason is not far-fetched. The two major parties in
Nigeria, the APC and the PDP, are most likely to present northerners as
their presidential candidates in 2019
Already, the PDP has zoned its
presidency to the North. At its National Executive Committee meeting in
Abuja, the PDP endorsed a report submitted by the Deputy Senate
President, Ike Ekweremadu, who was also the head of the post-election
review committee.
According to the report, the North
should produce the next presidential candidate of the PDP as this was
the only way the APC could be defeated. Ironically, Ekweremadu, who
headed the committee, is also from the South-East.
Reacting to this development, the Deputy
National Organising Secretary of APGA, Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe, said 2019
presents the best opportunity for the South-East to produce the
President.
Umeh-Nzekwe, who is also the leader of
APGA in Lagos State, said since both the PDP and the APC had zoned the
Presidency to the North, the votes in the North would be divided.
He, therefore, said this was the time for APGA to consolidate its hold on the South-East.
Umeh-Nzekwe said it was unfortunate that
the Igbo only gave bloc votes to politicians from other geopolitical
zones but continued to shun their own people. He, however, argued that
the Igbo elements in the PDP would awake from their slumber and join
hands with APGA in 2019 to ensure that their kinsman is made President.
He said, “The PDP has zoned its
presidency to the North while the national chairman slot has been zoned
to the South-West. APGA has thus zoned the presidency to the South-East.
Hence, the PDP will be buried in the South-East in 2019.
“Those Igbo who used the PDP to
destabilise the Igbo race will naturally rejoin their brothers and
sisters in APGA to work towards claiming the presidency.
“Since we helped a Yoruba man, Olusegun
Obasanjo, to become President; a Fulani man, Umaru Yar’Adua, to become
President; and an Ijaw man, Goodluck Jonathan, to also become President,
no self-respecting Igbo man will deny his fellow Igbo the opportunity
of becoming President in 2019.”
The Lagos State Publicity Secretary of
the APC, Joe Igbokwe, who is also from the South-East, however, said
that for the Igbo to rule Nigeria, they must master the art of
opposition politics for the next 10 years.
He said one of the reasons that the Igbo
never won presidential elections was because they were always making
deals and forming alliances with the government in power. He said the
Igbo never built solid political structures but continued to rely on the
power base of other geopolitical zones.
He noted that this was the case in the
First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic and the first 16 years
of the Fourth Republic. He said this development made it difficult for
the Igbo to carve a niche for themselves and become a force to be
reckoned with.
Igbokwe said, “I want the Igbo nation,
where I come from, to play opposition politics in Nigeria at least for
the next 10 years so that the world will take them serious once again in
matters of Nigerian politics. In the First Republic, the Igbo-dominated
the NCNC (National Conference of Nigerian Citizens) formed an alliance
with the northern-based (Northern Peoples Congress) to form a government
at the centre.
“In the Second Republic, the
Igbo-dominated NPP (Nigerian Peoples Party) again teamed up with the NPN
(National Party of Nigeria) to form the national government in the
centre.
“In the Third Republic, during the
Northern Republican Convention/Social Democratic Party era, MKO Abiola
won the election fair and square on the platform of the SDP but the
majority of the Igbo, led by the late Odumegwu Ojukwu, the late Evan
Enwerem, and Okwesilieze Nwodo, teamed up with some other prominent Igbo
leaders and even some prominent Yoruba leaders to support Ibrahim
Babangida, Ernest Shonekan, and Sani Abacha in sustaining the annulment
of the June 12, 1993 election. Again, for 16 years, the PDP was in power
in Nigeria, and the Igbo were with the PDP.”
The APC spokesperson said the Igbo did
not have sacrificial leaders like MKO Abiola who died protecting his
mandate and refused to be bought.
Igbokwe further noted that the absence
of a unifying leader in the South-East is also affecting the politics of
the zone. He said for instance, the Yoruba interest was being propelled
by the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
He said there is the need for the Igbo to shun money politics.
A member of the PDP Board of Trustees,
who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the Igbo
must have ‘unity of purpose’. He said the Igbo were not known for making
sacrifices.
He said, “In 2008, we zoned the office
of the PDP national chairman to the South-East. However, when we asked
the South-East caucus to present a candidate, 20 people signified
interest. Some of those who signified interest were Rochas Okorocha,
Senator Pius Anyim and a former Governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu.
“They all refused to step down for one
another until we intervened and held a series of meetings. It was after
such an intervention that Prince Vincent Ogbulafor emerged the chairman.
The moment we zone the presidency to the South-East, be sure that
several candidates will emerge. The Igbo need to be more united if they
will ever get the presidency.”
A former Governor of the old Kaduna
State, Balarabe Musa, told our correspondent on the telephone that it
would be unfair not to allow the Igbo to produce the next President.
Musa said although he would prefer the next President emerging on the
basis of competence rather than tribe, Nigeria’s diversity must be
respected.
He said, “The development is unhealthy.
If we accept this idea of rotation, then we must apply it faithfully.
And I think the South-East qualifies to benefit from this rotation. It
would save Nigeria from a political crisis.
“Normally, it should be based on merit
but there is the need to give every Nigerian a sense of belonging. The
rotation is, therefore, justified and I think it is time that someone
emerged from the South-East.
“The South-East must bring one person
forward who is credible and can compete with any other candidate from
any other part of Nigeria. If the North presents a candidate that is
more competent than the South-East, then the South-East could easily
lose.”
It’s been 13 years since Ojukwu
prophesied that the South-East would rule Nigeria. When the prophecy
will come to pass still remains unknown.
RIVERS State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has said the people of the
state will resist any attempt to steal the mandate they gave to him.
Wike, who was reacting to the verdict of the Supreme Court on the
jurisdiction of the State Election Petitions Tribunal, maintained that
the court’s decision was part of the gang-up against the people of the
state.
Speaking on Tuesday through his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the governor declared that his
adversaries were making moves to steal the mandate given to him by the
people of the state.
According to him, “The judges should be careful; the courts should be
careful because the mandate was given to Governor Wike, which his
adversaries are trying to steal through the backdoor by going to the
court.
“Rivers people will definitely want to protect that mandate and will
resist any attempt to steal it from Governor Nyesom Wike. I have watched
with disdain the insidious judicial gang-up against Governor Nyesom
Wike, CON. It is surprising that in this modern times, the tempest of
justice will be allowed to blow fitfully across our courts.
“Rivers people will not resign themselves to fate and allow their
mandate freely given to Governor Wike stolen away. I enjoin all the
political and judicial coup plotters to give this a penetrating thought.
We shall defend our mandate. The voice of the people is the voice of
God and the people have spoken; it is Wike or no one.
“I am further dazed that the same Rotimi Amaechi who displayed so
much hatred and disgust for the courts and rule of law by closing the
high courts in Rivers state for close to two years without a twinge of
conscience is today the lovely bride of the courts. This explains the
reason for impunity in our country.
“What is going on right now can best be described as judicial gang-up
against Governor Wike, nay, the people of Rivers State. It is an
affront on democracy and a blight disregard for the will of the people
as evinced in the April 11 general elections. The courts are setting
pernicious precedents by hinging their verdicts on inane points.”
The governor said that despite the Supreme Court verdict, the All
Progressive Congress should not be under any illusion that it was about
occupying the Government House in Port Harcourt.
On the issue of insecurity cited by the court, Wike recalled that
both the Federal High Court and the Appeal Court were sitting as of the
time of setting up the state election petitions tribunal, maintaining
that the relocating of the tribunal to Abuja was not a good decision.
He added, “As of when the Tribunals were set up, the Court of Appeal
and the Federal High Court were sitting. The state was also peaceful.
Why move the juridical seat to Abuja then? The answer is simple; to
subvert the will of the people. The issue of security was ostensibly
used; it is only a veneer for the compromising bias of our adversaries.
“But it will be mere illusion and day-dreaming for them (APC) to
think that they can take power from Governor Wike through the backdoor.
This is because the people of the state are with Governor Nyesom Wike.”
Reacting, the State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Chris
Finebone, said it was wrong for Wike to say that the people’s mandate
belonged to him (Wike).
Finebone argued that the party and its governorship candidate, Dr.
Dakuku Peterside would not have gone to court if the mandate actually
belonged to Wike.
He said, “It is our (APC) mandate and not Wike or PDP’s mandate,
otherwise we would not have gone to court. We were not allowed to choose
our representatives. Believe me, if we have a free and fair, election,
the APC will win. All we asked for was a free and fair election, which
we did not get.”
Calling on the state PDP and Wike to accept the ruling of the courts
and stop criticising the judiciary, Finebone said the APC would continue
to abide by the decisions of the court.
He maintained that the APC was not stealing anybody’s mandate through
the backdoor, adding that going to court to seek redress was the best
the APC did rather than resorting to self-help.
“For us in the APC, we don’t know what will warrant anybody to talk
about the judiciary in such a manner. If the court rules, it should be
obeyed. Our concern is that we will continue to abide by the rule of
law.
“Going to court is not stealing. So, I do not know where stealing
comes in. We went to court and that means that we are mindful of the law
and not ready to resort to self-help,” the state APC publicity
secretary stressed.
The fight against the deadly Boko Haram terror sect has reached a
climax where traditional worshipers have joined in and offered to help
fight off the terrorists using metaphysical powers at their disposal.
The Ancient Religion Societies of African Descendants International
Council (ARSADIC), offered to assist the federal government in the fight
against Boko Haram. Chairman, Executive Working Committee of ARSADIC,
Olalekan Ifagbenuola, made the declaration during a press conference
held at Ile Oduduwa, Ile Ife on Friday.
The press conference was called as a way for the group to seek
government recognition for the group. Ifagbenuola stated that public
office holders should be required take the oath of office in traditional
religious ways.“If proper oath of allegiance is taken genuinely, our
leaders would not misbehave when they get to power.
If the oath is taken in a traditional religious way, they will not
misbehave. There must be fear of God in anything we do.“Corrupt leaders
in offices promote crimes and if our leaders are honest, the level of
crime in the country will greatly reduce. We are ready to assist to
tackle insurgency, if we are invited by the government.”In addition, he
is also said to have expressed the desire to assist the federal
government defeat Boko Haram.
Friday Olokor and Ozioma Ubabukoh
The General Overseer of Household of God Church, Rev. Chris Okotie,
on Sunday said that were it not Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s “false”
prophecy to former President Goodluck Jonathan, the latter (Jonathan)
would not have contested the 2015 presidential election.
He said that the former President had initially made up his mind not
to vie for the election, but stated that Oritsejafor “deceived” him with
tales of victory as prophesied unto him by God.
Oritsejafor is the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Okotie, who said this while delivering a sermon in his church on
Sunday in Lagos, said, “Pastor Oritsejafor deceived Jonathan with a
false prophecy from God that he (Jonathan) would win the election
convincingly.”
He said, “The man (Jonathan) became convinced to contest after
Oritsejafor had told him, using CAN’s name, that God had ordained him
the winner of the 2015 presidential election.”
Okotie noted that some members of CAN and the Pentecostal Fellowship
of Nigeria at that time knew Oritsejafor’s prophecy was false, but were
scared to speak out.
He said, “They couldn’t speak out because they were scared of being
insulted. They were scared of being insulted for saying rubbish. They
were scared of being insulted on the pages of newspapers. So, while I
continued to write and speak that Jonathan was not the man, those of
them who knew the truth in what I was saying chose to keep quiet out of
fear.
“I told CAN and PFN that Jonathan was not of God; that whosoever
would win would be one that had built a tabernacle in the presence of
God.
“I told CAN and PFN that Jonathan did not belong to the House of
David and that since he did not belong to the household, his winning
would bring more sorrow to Nigeria.”
Okotie said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory was an act of
God, adding that his emergence was a sign of good things to come.
Quoting Hebrews chapter eight, verses one and two, Okotie said, “Now
of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high
priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in
heavens.
“A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord picked, and not man.”
But responding on behalf of Oritsejafor, the Director of National Issues in CAN, Mr. Sunny Oibe, in an interview with THE PUNCH on Sunday, said that Okotie was looking for popularity through Oritsejafor.
He said, “Well, it is laughable if Chris Okotie is making this
spurious allegation…We will not like to take issues with Okotie…because
doing that will amount to making him popular. He is looking for
popularity which he doesn’t have through Pastor Ayo and he is not going
to get it.
“Okotie knows exactly that what he is saying is not true. Nigerians
should know that Pastor Oritsejafor is not among those pastors that make
prophecies. He does not make prophecy and never said anything during
the campaigns. Why would he bring politics into the pulpit?
“This is where we Christians are getting it wrong. They are the ones
misleading Nigerians. Oritsejafor never made any prophecy concerning
Jonathan and the 2015 presidential election. I challenged any Nigerian
with evidence to come forward.”
Credit : PUNCH NG
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially
removed Nigeria from its list of polio endemic countries, according to a
press release. According to the WHO, “this is the first time that
Nigeria has interrupted transmission of wild poliovirus, bringing the
country and the African region closer than ever to being certified
polio-free.”
Nigeria Removed From Polio Endemic List, According To The World Health Organization
The WHO also stated “as recently as 2012, Nigeria accounted for more
than half of all polio cases worldwide.” They also congratulated Nigeria
and international partners saying “since then, concerted effort by all
levels of government, civil society, religious leaders, and tens of
thousands of dedicated health workers have resulted in Nigeria
successfully stopping polio.”
Dr. Ado Muhammad, the Executive Director of the National Primary
Health Care Development Agency in Nigeria, responded to this news
saying: “We Nigerians are proud today. With local innovation and
national persistence, we have beaten polio. We know our vigilance and
efforts must continue in order to keep Nigeria polio-free.”
Nigeria’s removal from the WHO polio endemic list leaves only two
countries classified as “polio endemic”—Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
WHO also said in a statement that, “after 3 years have passed without a
case of wild poliovirus on the [African] continent, official
'certification' of polio eradication will be conducted at the regional
level in Africa.”
Since 1988, when a robust campaign to eliminate polio began,
instances of polio transmission have been reduced by 99 percent. More
than 350,000 children were paralyzed by polio annually in 1988. In 2015,
only 41 confirmed cases of polio transmission were recorded (32 in
Pakistan and 9 in Afghanistan), according to the WHO
The WHO also stated “as recently as 2012, Nigeria accounted for more
than half of all polio cases worldwide.” They also congratulated Nigeria
and international partners saying “since then, concerted effort by all
levels of government, civil society, religious leaders, and tens of
thousands of dedicated health workers have resulted in Nigeria
successfully stopping polio.”
Dr. Ado Muhammad, the Executive Director of the National Primary
Health Care Development Agency in Nigeria, responded to this news
saying: “We Nigerians are proud today. With local innovation and
national persistence, we have beaten polio. We know our vigilance and
efforts must continue in order to keep Nigeria polio-free.”
Nigeria’s removal from the WHO polio endemic list leaves only two
countries classified as “polio endemic”—Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
WHO also said in a statement that, “after 3 years have passed without a
case of wild poliovirus on the [African] continent, official
'certification' of polio eradication will be conducted at the regional
level in Africa.”
Since 1988, when a robust campaign to eliminate polio began,
instances of polio transmission have been reduced by 99 percent. More
than 350,000 children were paralyzed by polio annually in 1988. In 2015,
only 41 confirmed cases of polio transmission were recorded (32 in
Pakistan and 9 in Afghanistan), according to the WHO
A
Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto State, Alhaji
Sa’idu Gumburawa, has expressed optimism that Nigeria will be a better
place in the next two years under President Muhammadu Buhari.
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