FG Frowns On Ex-US Envoy’s Stand On Nigeria

THE Federal Government has taken on a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell, for his ceaseless “prophecy of doom” even after the generally acclaimed free and fair elections.

The government said his outbursts arose from his inadequate understanding and appreciation of the complexity of the Nigerian nation and its peoples.

In an interaction with editors on Friday night in Lagos, Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku, took exceptions to the sustained maligning of Nigeria by the former envoy, in spite of the steady democratic progress being made by the country.

Maku, who said he was in Lagos to thank members of the fourth estate of the realm for their role before and after the election, said Campbell’s “message of doom” was borne out of the ignorance among some sections of the international community about Nigeria.

N/Central CPC backs party on election tribunal

Members of the North Central zone of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), have backed the national body of the party on its action of taking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the Election Petition Tribunal over the result of the presidential election.

The zone also stated that it was in support of any member of the party who feels aggrieved over the results of the elections and felt strongly to challenge it in the Election Tribunal.

The chairmen of the party from, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger and Plateau States, including FCT briefed journalists in Abuja.

Also with them at the media briefing were the chairmen of CPC from Edo and Ondo States.

The chairmen that alleged massive rigging in the presidential election gave instances of Imo State where Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, polled more than one million votes and at the governorship election the party was not able to score 300, 000 votes.

According to them, the party was optimistic that the judiciary would show high level of sincerity to admit all evidences.

They condemned the ploy by of PDP to buy their members with money and where such attempt failed, they used pseudo persons as CPC members.

Also of concern to them was the arrest and trial of former Minister of Works, Hassan Lawan. According to them, he was being tried because he was a CPC key member who made the victory of CPC possible in Nasarawa State.

In the text read earlier by the Kogi State chairman of the party, Alhaji Mabo Kassim, they posited: “That the North Central geopolitical zone unequivocally supports the action of the party to institute a case and seek redress over the malpractices that characterized the recent Presidential election.

Commonwealth's final report says 2011 elections ‘credible and creditable'

The Commonwealth Secretariat has declared Nigeria’s 2011 general elections “credible and creditable” in its final report on the series of nationwide polls held last month.

In the group’s report delivered in London, the Commonwealth said, “In the event, notwithstanding the postponement of the April 2 National Assembly elections and persistent logistical and organisational deficiencies, and some serious security incidents during the campaign and on the eve of the elections, the 2011 elections in Nigeria, by and large, met the national, regional and international standards for democratic elections.”

The observation team was made up of 16 observers, led by respected former president of Botswana, Festus Mogae. The group’s preliminary reports released days after the elections, had also proclaimed the polls as credible.

Despite the early reports from the Commonwealth, the European Union and the National Democratic Institute, praising the elections, deadly riots protesting the outcome in the northern states, killed over 800, according to the Human Rights Watch.

The Commonwealth, the first to release its final report, said: “Indeed, they (elections) marked a genuine celebration of democracy in Nigeria, helped to redeem the image of Nigeria as a country that was known only for flawed elections and served to restore the faith of the Nigerian people in democracy. In the process, Africa’s most populous nation was able to make a new beginning.”

A copy of the Commonwealth report was handed to the chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, on Thursday when he visited Marlborough House, the secretariat headquarters of the Commonwealth in London.

Commonwealth deputy secretary-general, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, told the INEC boss that the Commonwealth was committed to continuing its work with INEC and to provide support where necessary.

She said the association and the Commonwealth membership look forward to benefitting from the sharing of experiences and distilling of good practices from INEC and Mr Jega himself through the newly established Commonwealth Network of Election Management Bodies.

Mr Jega welcomed the Commonwealth’s support for the commission and said he looked forward to continued engagement between them.

Fashola To Commission New 10mw Power Project

In continuation of the on-going transformation programme of his administration, Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), will on Wednesday, May 25, commission the 10 megawatts Island Power Project, (IPP) newly built as part of its proactive efforts to boost economic and social activities within and around the Lagos Island.

A press release on the commissioning of the IPP, signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, stated that the Island Power Project is another milestone by the Fashola administration and an expression of the administration’s unalloyed commitment towards addressing the energy needs of the people of the state.

The statement further explained that the new IPP, built to highest global thermal operating plant standards, will deliver 24 hours uninterrupted supply of electricity to some public institutions located in central Lagos, such as the Island maternity, Lagos General Hospital, and the Lagos High Court, in a bid to increase their efficiency and bring down their operational cost.