Reception for Bode George: Falana carpets Obasanjo

LAGOS human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana has described as scandalous the statement credited to former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that he was deceived into attending the reception in honour of Chief Olabode George, saying: “it should be discountenanced by Nigerians.”

Falana who spoke in a telephone interview with The Nation last night said even from Obasanjo’s own account, there was no evidence of misrepresentation whatsoever as the reception programme was well-publicized in the media before the D-day.

“Now former president Obasanjo got to the venue and discovered that it was not a gathering of Area Boys, but the collection of the crème dela crème of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Government. Why did he not withdraw from the event when he found out that it was a celebration of criminality?” Falana queried.

Discomfited, Falana said: “Instead of resorting to bracing opportunism, there was a belated a diatribe of Chief Bode George. The ex-president should apologize to Nigerians for assaulting their moral integrity.”

Raising a poser, he said: “Why has it taken one week to discover that he was tricked to attend that programme? Is he not aware that the return of an ex-convict from prison is a sober event or did the summary by Venerable Tayo Aduloju’s sermon not strike a cord in the conscience of ex-president Obasanjo? More so, that he was the one who launched the anti-corruption crusade under which Chief Bode George was jailed?

Was President Goodluck Jonathan also tricked to send a powerful delegation to the show of shame?”

“Obasanjo should therefore be advised to tell his cock and bull story to the marine”, he stressed.

It may be recalled that George and five others were arraigned on August 8, 2008 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 163-count charge, bordering on abuse of office in the award of over N100 billion as Board Chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority without recourse to the due process.

He was later convicted in October 2009 by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja and jailed for two years alongside others on a seven-count charge of abuse of office and six months each on another 27-count charge of disobedience to constituted authority.

Having served his prison sentence and subsequently regained freedom penultimate Saturday, a committee of friends decided to hold a reception in his honour.

Minimum wage showdown!Labour insists on full implementation

Organised labour is not taking lightly its threat to frustrate next month general elections if the N18,000 new minimum wage is not paid especially by state governors, as indication emerged that labour has directed its state officials to forward to it the names of governors willing to pay the new minimum wage by the end of this month.

This directive, Sunday Vanguard gathered, is in anticipation of the harmonisation of the the Minimum Wage Bill that both the Senate and House of Representatives have passed for eventual presidential assent.

According to sources, organised labour wants to move against governors considered as anti-new minimum wage as the governors are believed to be keeping money that would assist in the implementation of the new wage for electioneering.

“The leadership of congress is not taking chances. It has directed state officials to immediately commence discussion with their state governors on the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage. We know that the governors can pay. Some of them want us to push them before they pay. We are ready to push them and we will push them to their limits.

Many of them have kept money that would have assisted them to implement the wage for electioneering. Well, that is their own cup of tea. We know that they have to pay if they want to hold the elections. All that concerns us is that they find money to pay. We will move against all those governors ,” one of the leaders of the NLC told Sunday Vanguard at the just concluded 10th national delegates conference of the NLC in Abuja.

Already the 16 members of the newly elected leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, have reiterated the threat to frustrate attempts at going ahead with the April general elections without the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Accolades as Akpabio kicks off re-election campaign

On Saturday, February 26, at the Ibom Hall ground in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, Governor Godswill Akpabio flagged off his bid to return to office in May. Correspondent, GILL NSA-ABASI, writes on his chances of getting a second term.

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has a unique approach to his re-election bid. The campaign rallies he kicked off last weekend is basically utilised to harp on projects he embarked upon across the state. Akpabio also used the campaign programme to receive members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had left the party, back.

Speaking at the venues of his campaigns which started from Uyo and moved to Eket and Ikot Ekpene, Governor Akpabio spoke extensively on the projects his administration has been able to put in place. Among these, he said, were school buildings, health centres, culverts, electrification projects, roads, free and compulsory education policy for primary and secondary school students as well as free health care for pregnant mothers, children under five years and the aged.

“Today, out of the quagmire of bad and deplorable roads we met in 2007 have emerged dual-carriage ways, standard highways and single lane roads of the highest quality running like industrial nerves throughout the state. We have given a new lease of life to communities which were cut off by impassable roads, some for more than 30 years.

Akpabio listed other projects completed by his administration to include the Ibom Power Plant which he said was already generating 191 megawatts of electricity to the national grid and the International Airport.

He also boasted that Akwa Ibom State was an entirely PDP state “without any infiltration from other political parties,” adding that it was the reason “uncommon transformation” was being witnessed throughout the state.

The governor promised industrial revolution in the state if he returns to office in May. According to him, at least, one cottage industry would be established in each of the local government areas in the state.

At the Eket rally, Akpabio thanked the people for their support for the PDP, noting that in 2007, the zone gave him the highest number of votes and that it was the economic nerve centre of the state.
He promised that in his second term, he would site an Ibom Industrial City and Ibaka Deep Seaport projects in the area. Governor Akpabio said soon, contracts would be awarded for massive road construction in the area.

The Uyo Senatorial District chairman of the PDP, Mr. Billy Etuk, acknowledged the governor’s claim that Akwa Ibom was “a true PDP state,” stressing that he had fulfilled all his promises.

The Director-General of Godswill 2011 Campaign Organisation, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, said the governor was approaching development with anger “in response to the activities of detractors.” He added that the governor would continue to keep faith with the people.

Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was part of the Uyo senatoral rally, said, ‘’Akpabio will soon turn Akwa Ibom into a paradise, using the flyovers and all forms of technology, including roads, airports, Independent Power Plant and gas processing industry, among others.

“Railway will soon come. The truth is that the governor is not doing things that benefit the state alone, but those that touch other states. I feel proud about what you have done in the last four years.”

On his part, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, described Governor Akpabio as an excellent performer who has done exceedingly well in laying a good foundation for the development of the state. Another chieftain of the party and former Special Adviser, Chief Joe Udobia, thanked the governor for his “numerous achievements for the state,” saying he had done what God sent him to do in the state.

He, however, advised the governor to view the activities of detractors as a challenge for him to do more.

Also addressing the rally, Senator Etang Umoeyo described Governor Akpabio’s achievements as “Tsunamic and phenomenal.”

In the same vein, Chief Ikpoto Okon Osung assured the governor that the Oron people stood on their earlier endorsement of him by the Oron Development Union, saying that no Oron person would contest against him in the coming election, “otherwise, such a person would not have the support of the Oron people.”

He said Akpabio should expect victory in the area.

The immediate past chairman of the state chapter of the party, Chief Otu Ita Toyo, and Sir Edet Amana also spoke glowingly about the governor’s performance, emphasising that his second term bid was already a done deal.

Jonathan is a hard sell in the Northwest

The attributes of integrity and incorruptibility are factors that could sway the votes in the entire North West geo-political zone in favour of Nigeria’s former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Buhari who is aspiring for the presidency on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) will also be at home in the zone due to religious and ethnic considerations.

From Sokoto down to Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna and Kano States, the majority of the voting population who are adherents of the Islamic religion are most likely going to see Mr Buhari as one who will protect their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of worship.

A pointer to this could be discerned going by the recent action of a prominent Islamic scholar and the Chief Imam of the Farfaru Juma’at in Sokoto State, Abubakar Jibril, who was caught allegedly defacing the campaign posters of President Goodluck Jonathan. The cleric who was accused of inciting public disturbance is now being detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.

There are thousands of Mr Jibril all over the zone that is home to Islamic hardliners who may never sacrifice Mr Buhari for any of the presidential candidates. Even fellow Muslims like All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate, Ibrahim Shekarau, and Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN) Nuhu Ribadu, who are considered as upstarts, are unlikely going to reap from the dividends of this sentiment.

The writing on the wall

Shortly after the presidential primaries of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that saw the emergence of Mr Jonathan as the flag bearer of the party, the social media were awash with innuendos, branding all the northern governors who are adherents of the Islamic faith with labels such as “pope, pastor, reverend father, bishop, primate and evangelist,” all in a bid to portray them as those who have betrayed their brothers from the same faith.

Former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who led Kano State delegates to the Abuja PDP convention, has assumed a status of a folk hero in the state today for throwing his weight behind Mr Abubakar, based on the same religious and regional sentiments.

Ironically, Mr Kwankwaso was at the receiving end at the 2003 polls because he openly canvassed support for former President Olusegun Obasanjo who contested against Mr Buhari. At that time, the electorate not only branded Mr Kwankwaso as a “pharaoh”, they roundly tossed him out of power with ignominy.

Religion undoubtedly was used as one of the major tools by Mr Shekarau who defeated Mr Kwankwaso at the poll. Therefore, Mr Kwankwaso’s support for Mr Abubakar in the PDP Presidential primary election might not be unconnected with the lesson learnt in 2003.

In Kano State these days, campaign posters of Mr Jonathan are not common. Even the PDP chieftains vying for various positions avoid being associated with Mr Jonathan’s poster like a plague. Interestingly, in one of the strategic locations in Kano, NEXT observed a poster carrying the pictures of Mr Kwankwaso and that of Mr Buhari. In Jigawa State, the story is not different, as the state governor, Sule Lamido, was allegedly stoned in Hadejia town recently by youth who were not happy with the 100 percent support for Jonathan at the PDP Presidential Primary election.

Integrity is gain

The voters in Kano, just as in other parts of the zone, see in Mr Buhari someone who is not out to enrich himself to the detriment of the masses in Nigeria. While pointing at his no-nonsense stewardship as military head of state and as head of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) as one of the golden eras of transparent and accountable governance in Nigeria, they believe that Nigeria still requires Mr Buhari’s services to correct the ills of the society.

Though the CPC is facing some organisational challenges in virtually all the states of the zone, it is unlikely to affect the prospect of Mr Buhari at the poll.

Muhammad Kabiru Gwangwazo is a leader of the CPC in Kano and was Mr Buhari’s campaign coordinator in 2003. He believes strongly that Mr Buhari will have an easy ride in the North West and the entire northern states.

“Even if Buhari didn’t campaign in the Northwest, he will win easily, because the people trust him; he has done before and will do it again if voted to power. I want to assure you that out of the over 18 million people that registered from the Northwest, Mr Buhari will get 15 million.” Rabiu Bako who is the Kano State Secretary of the ANPP disagrees with Mr Gwangwazo, saying that Mr Shekarau is the person that will win in the zone.

“If you look, the agitation of the majority is that they want change from the old people; they know Buhari, because he was there; they saw what he did and they don’t want him again. This is what the people are saying.

“Look, our candidate, Shekarau, is the best among these people. Look at what he has done in Kano in the last eight years, nobody has achieved this feat before. We want him to go and do the same at the federal level because this PDP government has failed Nigerians in the last 12 years.” For Mr Shekarau, no doubt he has done well in Kano State in the last eight years and he still enjoys mass appeal from the Kano populace, however, his major obstacle is that the ANPP is not popular in the North West because it is a PDP-dominated zone. In addition, he is a green horn politically in the zone. Although he has been governor of Kano in the last eight years, he cannot match the pedigree of Mr Buhari in the North West, who many perceive as incorruptible and has the common man in mind.

Notwithstanding, Mr Shekarau is still upbeat about his chances; that he can defeat an incumbent in the election. On a recent BBC programme, ‘Hard Talk,’ he made reference to how he defeated Mr Kwankwaso, an incumbent, in 2003.

Mr Buhari holds sway in Kano, as the electorate would massively vote for him irrespective of the party affiliation. Already, the CPC is making inroad in Kano and states like Jigawa and Kastina. However, Mr Shekarau will give him a good run in the state, because in 2007, Mr Shekarau won the election without Mr Buhari’s support.

For Mr Ribadu who is equally new in the field and perceived by many in the North West as having been used as a hunting dog by former president Obasanjo against his enemies, his chances in the Northwest look very slim. Majority in the zone believe that his party, the ACN, is a party that belongs to the Yorubas and as such, is not a national party.

Political observers are of the view that the CPC will win in the North West ahead of the ANPP and the PDP, though others have different views because of the influence of the vice president Namadi Sambo who is from the zone. By and large, given the current scenario, the voting pattern is not likely going to be different from that of all other previous elections held since 2003.

In 2003, Mr Buhari scored 80 percent of the estimated number of votes in Kano State against Mr Obasanjo who got less than 25 percent. It was the same in 2007 when Mr Buhari contested against late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who incidentally hailed from Buhari’s Katsina State. Although the PDP got 25 percent as well in 2007, Mr Buhari still scored an estimated 75 percent of the total votes cast.

If this trend persists, Mr Buhari may just clinch the support of over 13 million out of 18 million votes in the April polls.

You can’t get 5 per cent vote in Lagos - ACN tells PDP

THE governorship campaign of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) standard bearer in Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, was on Saturday, flagged off at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, with a call by the leaders of the party urging the party supporters and Lagosians to resist any attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to capture Lagos State and the Southwest zone.

The leadership of the party, including Senator Bola Tinubu, the party’s national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the party’s presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Governoer Fashola, vowed to resist all antics by any political party to rig election in the April general polls.

While appealing to Lagosians to vote him for a second term in office, Fashola said that ACN was set to claim all the slots in the Southwest in the April polls, saying PDP would lose their deposits in all the states.

Speaking in the same vein, Tinubu urged the party loyalists and the electorate to ensure that they sweep away the PDP, which he dubbed Poverty Development Party , in the next election.

He lambasted the party for not being able to fix the problems facing Nigeria for the past 12 years , adding that rather than for the PDP to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians , it added to it.

Tinubu also declared that he was proud of Fashola’s achievement since he became the governor of the state, and that his achievements bear testimony that the PDP will not have five per cent of votes in Lagos.

He explained that several threats by the PDP to capture Lagos State at all cost, have never moved the ACN and that they will defeat the PDP with a landslide margin, just as he urged Nigerians to vote enmasse for the party’s presidential candidate.

Toeing his line, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu noted that the only challenge confronting the nation is the PDP.

He said leaders of the party do tell lies, adding that this has been the major problem of the party because they make promises and they don’t deliver.

He, however, promised that ACN will bring the type of change witnessed in Lagos under Fashola’s government to all the 36 states in the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“We’ll bring change to Nigeria . We will give people that have integrity the opportunity to prove themselves,” he said.

Also addressing the audience, Mr. Fola Adeola, Ribadu’s running mate explained that PDP has not done anything to show that it is worth voting for in April. “They have failed the country three times because they don’t have anything to offer. We would make change, if given the opportunity,” he promised.