Man Arrested With 5,000 Voter Cards, Computer

A man was arrested, on Thursday, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State after being found with about 5,000 voter cards and an electronic device.

Zakari Acha, believed to be a student, was arrested by some members of Agwara community and, then handed over to the police in the area.

The suspect was subsequently transferred with the exhibits to Kontagora Police Station.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Richard Oguche, who confirmed the development, said that the device found with the suspect was not a Direct Data Capture (DDC) machine, as earlier claimed, but a laptop belonging to the personal assistant of the member representing Agwara-Borgu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.

According to Oguche, the police had been unable to operate the computer because its owner was yet to be contacted to provide the password.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the state, Umar Shuaibu, accused a certain political party of being behind the development, saying the aim was to rig Tuesday’s gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate the matter and unmask those behind the act.

Fasehun, Dokubo, Others Appeal Against Reprisal Attacks

LEADERS of ethnic nationalities, including the founder of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun, have appealed to all the ethnic groups in the country not to launch reprisal attack over the violence going on in the Northern part of the country.

Addressing a joint press briefing in Lagos, which had in attendance the leader of Hausa communities in Lagos, Alhaji Mohammed Dan Lado; Seriki Hausawa in the state, Alhjai Aminu Yaro; leader, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Sanni Yerima; leader of Niger Delta Volunteer Force, Mujahideen Dokubo-Asari and leader of Igbo Youth Congress, Bright Ezeocha, they said that the mayhem going in the North was uncalled for, just as they urged members of their groups to remain calm and should not launch any reprisal attack.

They noted that Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic nationalities or their place of abode, should learn to live in unity, and that was the only way to keep the country together.

Dokubo-Asari also appealed to those behind the killings in the North to desist from the act, just as he berated politicians who were not willing to accept defeat.

Dr Fasehun noted that Nigerians were too good a people to be involved in self-destruction, and therefore appealed to all and sundry, saying that all fighting and any thought of fighting by any group or individuals should cease in order that democracy, peace and progress, happiness and contentment and good governance may reign.

Nigerians abroad score INEC high

Nigerians living in South Africa on Sunday scored the conduct of Saturday’s National Assembly election high, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported.

General Manager, Africa, Hay Group, based in Johannesburg Mr Gbenga Odusanya said the conduct of the elections showed that the country was putting the days of election rigging behind it.

He said: “We seem to be entering a new phase and politicians will begin to come to terms with the fact that the days of rigging elections in Nigeria are being done away with.

Odusanya said INEC’s adoption of the Modified Option A4 was an indication of its determination to ensure transparency in the polls.

2011 Poll: Police Nab 19 Suspected Thugs In Oyo

As a pointer to the determination of the police to prevent violence during the 2011 elections, about 14 men suspected to be hoodlums were arrested in Iwoate in Ogo Oluwa Local Government Area of Oyo. Another five were also nabbed at Iresaadu in Surulere Local Government Area by the state police command.

According to reports, the suspected hoodlums, upon interrogation, had revealed that they were from Lagos to support a House of Representatives candidate from the local government.

The arrested men were suspected to have been brought into the local government by an opposition party to disrupt today’s elections.

INEC to deploy 12,000 more machines

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is planning to deploy extra 12,000 Direct Data Capture machines to help deal with queues of prospective voters as it battles to meet the January 29 deadline for the voter's registration.

The commission seems to be gradually easing the fingerprinting failure that hit the exercise in its first four days, but massive files of registrants across the nation which rose as the electoral body struggled to fix the scanning problem now threaten the two-week deadline.

At many booths in the Federal Capital Territory, for instance, more number of registrants and field officials confirmed to NEXT yesterday that for the first time, people spent averagely 10 minutes at the polling units at the commission earlier billed.

However, the feat was achieved at the cost of arriving polling units as early as 5a.m in the hope of beating queues that, at some places, are in several hundreds of persons, they said.

"I came yesterday and wrote my number, 136, and today I came here 5.30am, but as others wrote their names, the list got missing and we had to form a new line and I became number 2," Jimoh Adejoh, a resident of Kubwa, said early Wednesday.

Although the commission targeted an average of 48 persons at eight working hours a day, it mandated its Registration Officers to attend to those who arrive at the line until 5pm each day, according to officials.

Improved process

But residents say the order is hardly carried out as some of the officers turn them back once the list for the day exceeds 100, at times as early as 8am. But those who have eventually registered say the process has sped up, allowing people to spend averagely 10 minutes at the points.

The commission acknowledging the reports, said the difference, although with some lingering technical challenges, point to a determination to get all qualified Nigerians registered.

"The mere fact that there is an improvement is a testimony to the commitment of INEC to getting every Nigerian who wants to be registered, registered," said Kayode Idowu, the media assistant to the chairman, Attahiru Jega.

Mr. Idowu dispelled the fear that the commission may fail to meet its 70 million voter's target with the slow start and the overwhelming queues nationwide.

He said the electoral body is preparing an emergency plan that may involve the deployment of the 10% redundant machines ordered, amounting to 12,000 to the areas that will be of utmost demand.

"We have 120,000 polling units across the country, but we ordered 132,000 machines, with a 10% extra which we can now use for this kind of challenge," he further said.

The commission said it is still confident to meet the two weeks allotted to the exercise, maintaining an earlier position that it is too early to consider an extension.

Nigeria's ruling party to decide Jonathan's fate

ABUJA, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Thousands of Nigerian ruling party delegates flocked to a main square in the capital Abuja on Thursday to decide whether to back President Goodluck Jonathan as their candidate in April elections.

Such is the dominance of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigerian politics that whoever wins its primaries has in the past gone on to be the country's next ruler.

Historical precedent is on Jonathan's side. Should he be defeated in Thursday's vote, he would be the first sitting president to lose an election bid in Africa's most populous nation since independence from Britain in 1960.

"He's very confident. He was up all night visiting all the delegates ... He only finished about 9 a.m. this morning," Jonathan's campaign spokesman Sully Abu told Reuters.

But Jonathan's accidental route to power -- assuming the country's highest office when his predecessor, Umaru Yar'Adua, died last year -- means Nigeria is in uncharted waters.

His candidacy interrupts an agreement in the PDP that power should rotate between the mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south every two terms.

As a southerner, he faces stiff opposition standing for what would have been the second term of Yar'Adua -- a northerner.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a wealthy businessman from the northern Hausa ethnic group, is hoping to garner support from northern factions in the ruling party who fear their influence will wane should Jonathan win a four-year term.

"This election is one of the most important in Nigeria's struggle to consolidate its fledgling democracy," said Dapo Oyewole, director of the Centre for African Policy and Peace Strategy (CAPPS).

"It sees a highly contentious shift of power from the north to the south, breaking the informal zoning rotational agreement between these two regions that have competed for power since independence," he said.

Twenty of the 27 PDP state governors have publicly said they will back Jonathan. Many of the delegates arriving for the convention said the same, but they were reluctant to go on the record and there is no way of telling whether they will ultimately do so at a secret ballot.

Should Abubakar lose, he could form an alliance with a rival party and take northern support with him, going on to challenge Jonathan at the general elections.

SECURITY TIGHT

There was a carnival atmosphere -- albeit amid tight security -- as an estimated 5,000 delegates arrived at Eagle Square, a parade ground which has hosted national events in the two decades since the capital moved to Abuja from Lagos.

A band played and acrobats did cartwheels as helicopters buzzed overhead and the secret service, military and anti-riot police sealed off streets in a wide radius around the venue.

Africa's most populous nation is a patchwork of more than 200 ethnic groups, roughly equally divided between Christians and Muslims, who generally live peacefully side by side.

But regional and ethnic rivalries bubble under the surface and can easily be exploited by power-hungry politicians. The country has been rocked by violence in recent weeks.

Delegations from each of the 36 states will vote in turn in the middle of the open square, choosing between Jonathan, Abubakar, and veteran politician Sarah Jibril, the only female candidate and seen as a rank outsider.

A simple majority wins and results are expected in the early hours of Friday.

Nigeria has been rocked by violence as the election season gets underway, unrest which Jonathan's supporters suspect has been orchestrated to undermine his credibility.

A New Year's Eve bomb in Abuja killed four people. A series of blasts and subsequent clashes have killed more than 80 in the central city of Jos, the scene of frequent bursts of ethnic and religious unrest.

There has also been violence at political rallies in the Niger Delta, the heartland of Africa's biggest oil and gas industry. Jonathan is the first head of state from the restive region and some fear a backlash there if he loses.

The stakes in Thursday's vote are high and the outcome far from certain. But few expect the country to tumble into chaos.

"Nigeria has this inexplicable capacity to totter on the tip of anarchy, but fall back into an unexpected order of sorts," said Oyewole from CAPPS.

PDP primaries: Court refuses to stop Jonathan, Atiku

THE President got Monday the legal green light to run in the April election.

But the Abuja High Court ruling on a suit seeking to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from Thursday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary has thrown the party into more confusion.

Mr Justice Ishaq Bello dismissed the case for lacking “reasonable cause of action”.

The judge, who delivered three marathon judgments in separate cases bordering on the eligibility of the two top aspirants for the party’s nomination -Jonathan and ex-Vice-President Abubakar Atiku -however, cautioned the party on the need to respect its constitution.

Although he agreed that the way a party conducts its internal affairs is its business, Justice Bello disagreed that Courts could not dabble in it when the occasion arises.

According to him, courts can intervene when a party fails to obey its constitution.

Citing Article 7.2(c) of PDP’s Constitution, Justice Bello said zoning exists in the party, and its implementation is binding on it, adding that any party which refuses to obey its statutory laws is breeding disunity in the nation.

He, however, said the court could not at this time make any pronouncement on the suitability of the President or any candidate to contest in the party’s primary as it was yet to be conducted.

Besides, he said, by virtue of Section 87 of the Electoral Act, only aspirants in the said primary could come back to court to challenge its outcome and not any member of the party.

“There is no allegation of breach and that is understandable since no primary has held. I hereby agree that there is no sufficient cause of action. The Originating Summons is dismissed as prayed,” Justice Bello said.

Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, Hon. Dubem Onyia and Alhaji Lawal Kaita, who are loyalists of ex-Vice President Abubakar Atiku, urged the court to stop Jonathan from contesting in Thursday’s presidential primary of the party.

Atiku is challenging Jonathan for the party’s nomination.

The plaintiffs wanted the Court to restrain PDP from presenting him as its candidate for the April election.

According to them, President Jonathan’s decision to contest will make nonsense of the federal character principle and the party’s zoning arrangement.

Besides, they pleaded with the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting Jonathan as the party’s flag-bearer.

The defendants are PDP, Nwodo, Jonathan and INEC, which maintained a neutral stance in the suit.

Justice Bello discountenanced the defendants’ submissions that parties in this case were the same with parties in an earlier suit filed against PDP by another member, Sani Dutsinma who was also touted to be Atiku’s loyalist.

According to him, the plaintiffs in this case are different from the plaintiffs in Dutsinma’s case, which was determined by the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Lawal Gummi.

Delivering Judgment in Dutsinma’s case, Justice Gummi agreed that zoning exists and is binding on the PDP, but held that the issue raised by the plaintiff is an intra-party affair in which the court could not dabble.

According to him, Art 7.2 (c) which recognises zoning “has not stated that any part of the country would hold the position of the president or any other party or public elective office for any specified period of time.

“For the court to, therefore, insist or order that only candidates from a particular zone should be sponsored when the constitution of the first defendant has not so defined terms and conditions is an invitation for the court to enter into the political thicket. Self-restraint in matters such as this is a virtue the court must cultivate.

Justice Bello also yesterday dismissed another suit filed against Atiku by two-time gubernatorial aspirants in Adamawa and Taraba states, Mr Bala Takaya and Senator Abdullahi Kirim for being premature.

According to him, the plaintiffs did not explore the internal mechanism of the party to seek redress before rushing to Court.

“The entire suit is premature. No reasonable cause of action has arisen. A suit without cause of action is un-prosecutable. The suit is hereby dismissed as premature and abuse of court process”.

The Judge also dismissed a suit filed against PDP by another aggrieved member, Alh. Sadiq Jada, for granting a waiver to Atiku, to prepare his return to the party after defecting to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on which platform he contested the presidential election in 2007.

He said: ‘’I have examined the written submissions of counsel in the matter. The complaint must relate to the plaintiff’s right, otherwise, the plaintiff will be seen as a busybody. The plaintiff must have a special interest that would adversely be affected.

‘’The plaintiff had said that he is a card carrying member of the party. What is his interest that is above that of other members of the party? What injury will he suffer if the defendant runs as candidate?

‘’This suit portrays the applicant as a busybody since his right has not been directly violated. His right and that of his family has not also been infringed upon.

‘’The plaintiff constitutes himself as a litigation nuisance. The objection is upheld as the suit which constitutes abuse of court process is hereby dismissed,’’ the Judge said.

Jega says closure of schools is to ensure safety

Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission says INEC’s request for the closure of schools during voter registration is to ensure greater security for students. Mr Jega told journalists in Abuja on Monday that there was a likelihood of complications if schools were allowed to be on during the exercise.

“Initially, we thought we could manage under the circumstances but it became very clear that the way we are mobilising for the voter registration and the way people are responding, we need to take extra measures in order to secure the pupils,” he said.

Mr Jega added that the move was also to ensure that there was no breach in terms of security and movement of INEC personnel and equipment for the conduct of the exercise. According to him, 70 per cent of primary and secondary schools to be used across the country for the exercise will also serve as stores for the equipment and camps for INEC personnel. He explained that with about three to 10 polling units in each school, where the exercise would take place, “there may be possible disruption of school activities because thousands of people will be going in to be registered. So we felt that in order to avoid this disruption, it is better that schools are closed during this period,” he said.

The INEC boss pleaded with state governors and parents to see reasons with the commission’s request, adding that it was in the interest of the nation and the security of the students.

“We have written to all state governors explaining reasons for the request and urging them to facilitate compliance,” Mr Jega said.

He further explained that there would be a difference if private schools were allowed to remain open and “it does not allow for equity.” He also said that “closing the school system does not mean that the students will lose the period. That is why we think it is easier to close all the schools the same time and re-open them about the same time so that they can all catch up in terms of the curriculum and the syllabus.”

He added that in order to ensure that there was no disequilibrium, it stood to reason that if INEC was advising for the closure of 70 per cent of the schools, “we may as well close all the schools for the duration.”

The INEC boss, however, noted that the commission was working closely with security agencies to ensure that the exercise was successful. The minister of state for education, Kenneth Gbagi, said that the move was taken as a preemptive measure to safeguard pupils and ensure that none of them were involved in any accident.

“Their safety was the basis of government acceding to INEC’s request that schools be closed for the exercise,” Mr Gbagi added.

Voter registration is to commence on Jan. 15 and end on Jan. 29.

Jonathan targets Lagos

Despite suffering a string of losses in the South West recently, the Peoples Democratic Party is determined to wrest Lagos State from the tight grip of the Action Congress of Nigeria which has ruled the state since 1999.

President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend in Ibadan urged leaders of the party in the South-West to work at winning the gubernatorial election in Lagos, or the PDP will always rue its inability to take over a state so strategically located.

Speaking at a parley with delegates at the Mapo Hall in Ibadan the president said, “If you don’t get Lagos we will continue to be tormented. I have discovered that Lagos as a result of its strategic position has the capacity to intimidate other South West states. We have more political weight in Lagos State. Our analysis proves that if a clean election is conducted PDP will win.” He added that, “The figure of supporters I have of other ethnic groups in Lagos show that PDP can beat any other party. We are more prepared and confident that we can win ahead of any other presidential aspirant now. I assure you that we are committed and I encourage you to work harder to win South West clearly especially Oyo, Ogun and Lagos”.

The President and Vice President Namadi Sambo, had at the weekend visited the South-West region in a bid to lobby delegates for the presidential primaries of the PDP slated for January.

Kinship with Ibadan

The president and his vice flew into Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday afternoon to have consultations with various groups in the party and notable South West elders.

Mr. Sambo, in his speech, noted that the President and himself both served in Ibadan during their National Youth Service Corps’ days and so must be considered “Ibadan boys.”

According to him, “I served in the Ministry of Works in Ibadan so I am an Ibadan boy. President Jonathan has all the experience, the first to have served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and now the president. He is transparent, patient and a patriotic Nigerian and we are working together to develop, construct and transform this country.’’

In his remark, the Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala said Ibadan was the heart of the South West, and no matter the court pronouncements in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun, PDP remains strong in the South West and will soon claim Lagos State.

The Zonal Coordinator of Jonathan/Sambo Campaign and Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, said the 585 delegates’ vote from the south west that was promised the president would be delivered.

“What we are doing is not speculative but a definite operation and total delivery does not mean operation work at ease”.

He assured the president that 51 delegates of Lagos, 60 of Ekiti, 80 of Ondo, 108 of Ogun, 153 of Oyo and 133 of Osun states will deliver the south west vote for the Jonathan/Sambo ticket during the January 13th primaries.

All for one

Speaking for the south west Mr. Daniel said, “If we do it well we will stand before our President and demand our rights in terms of development. South west stands for true federalism and we agree that the Jonathan/Sambo ticket represents that concept. We have a candidate who has everything other candidates are looking for, he is already the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, our job is to reconfirm what we already know that come 2011 election we will give our vote to Mr. President”.

Also speaking on behalf of the party chairmen in the region, Dayo Dairo, the PDP chairman of Ondo State affirmed the promise that all delegates from the region will give their votes to Mr. Jonathan.

The leader of the South West branch of the Association of Chairmen of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), John Obafemi, of Ogun State said, “For us the election has been concluded. This is our own project to ensure we deliver the Jonathan/Sambo ticket. All ALGON chairmen in the country had agreed to vote Jonathan/Sambo and we in the South West are looking forward to seeing you sworn in on May 29th 2011”.

Speaking on behalf of the members of the House of Representatives in the region, Duro Fasheyi said, “we have resolved in our meeting, our word is our bond. We won’t change our vote. We are reaffirming our vote on January 13th and all we ask is that we need you to stand by us”.

Speaking on behalf of women in the region, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, assured the duo of the women’s vote in the south west, since they had all been sensitised by the president’s wife, Patience Jonathan through the Women for Change Initiative and Jonathan’s support for women.

She said, “We assure you of our vote since you have promised us 35 per cent affirmative action, you have our votes but keep your promise”.

Iyiola Omisore, a Senator, moved the motion that the 585 delegates in the region should pledge their total votes to the Jonathan/Sambo ticket come January 13th.

Some of the PDP leaders expected to hold consultations with the President include Alao-Akala, Mr Daniel; former Ondo State governor Olusegun Agagu, the sacked Ekiti State governor, Olusegun Oni, Mrs. Etteh, Richard Akinjide and Raji Rasaki.

Mr. Jonathan and Mr. Sambo also visited the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Olugade.

Other notable personalities include the Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode, Minister of Youth, Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, Minister of Special Duty, Taoheed Adedoja, Minister of Commerce, Jubril Martins Kuye, the Head of Service of the Federation, Oladapo Afolabi, Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Caleb Olubolade, and the Director General Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Dalhatu Tafida.

‘Sack RECs of annulled polls’ - Fashola

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sack Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) who signed the results of the 2007 governorship elections that were annulled by the Court of Appeal.

The governor spoke yesterday when the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by its President, Mohammed Garba, and West African Journalists Association (WAJA) officials visited him at Lagos House, Alausa Ikeja.

He said such commissioners should be prevented from getting any electoral position for next year’s polls.

He said this should be the first step for INEC to show that it can organise credible polls.

PDP to Hold Primaries January 13

Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) said on Friday it would hold presidential primaries on Jan. 13 ahead of nationwide elections in April.

The PDP primaries for state governorship elections will be held on January 9, the party said in a statement

Atiku warns against blocking change

Former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar has warned that a violent change in the leadership of Nigeria might occur if the current political leaders fail to encourage peaceful change.

He also warned the PDP leadership to embrace reforms in the party or risk becoming irrelevant in the nation's polity.

Mr Abubakar spoke in Abuja at a national stakeholders conference convened by the Northern Political Leaders Forum, Igbo Political Forum, South South Unity Forum and Yoruba Redemption Group. The theme of the conference was ‘Building Consensus for National Unity." The former vice president, during his brief remarks, said the conference was not about him, but about the unity and stability of the country, adding that the conveners were determined to bring the country back to the path of honour and integrity.

"If the PDP does not bring reform, it stands the risk of making itself irrelevant. Let me again send another message to the leadership of our country, especially our political leadership - those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. But that is not what we want for our country," Mr Abubakar said.

Zoning and Nigeria's future

The chairman of the occasion and former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, in his opening remarks, lamented that some political actors are not only trying to put the question of national unity in the back burner, but are actively trying to undermine it by jettisoning measures that are deliberately designed to promote and guarantee it.

He said the insistence of some presidential aspirants and their supporters to maintain zoning and rotation of power between the component parts of Nigeria is in the long term interest of the country and its people.

Mr Babangida recalled that when the PDP was formed, it was conceived as a big tent that would house the diverse sections, groupings and interest of the country in an amicable and orderly power sharing arrangement, stressing that dumping the arrangement will affect the electoral fortune of the party.

"The critical balancing fulcrum sustaining that arrangement is the principle of zoning and rotation of public and party offices," he said. "This is, without any doubt, what is responsible for the remarkable successes that the party was able to register in successive elections in the country. Any attempt to disrupt this arrangement therefore portends ominous prospect to the electoral fortunes of the party, but seriously endangers orderly political transition in the nation." A former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, who was the guest speaker at the occasion, said zoning and rotation of public offices are not limited to Nigeria, noting that it is practiced in other countries, like Switzerland as well as organisations like the European Union and United Nations.

According to him, those condemning the principle of rotation and zoning are merely endangering the unity of the country.

Noting that the concept of zoning was a concession to the south by the northern part of Nigeria, Mr Nnamani said the latter holds the aces because 61 per cent of the delegates to the national convention of the PDP are from that part of the country, while the south constitutes only 39 per cent.

PDP politics

He insisted that the PDP has a clause that recognises zoning in its constitution, adding that rather than implementing that clause, some people are overheating the polity.

Criticizing the position of Ohana eze Ndigbo, the socio-cultural organisation for endorsing the ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan to succeed himself, Mr. Nnamani said, "What if that individual endorsed fails to win the primaries? So, if you read such things, disregard it. To make matters worse, these people endorsing are not delegates."

Police arrest Oyo lawmaker, 40 others at PDP rally

IT was a bad day for a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Jimoh Fadipe, on Wednesday, as he was molested and arrested along with about 40 other persons by the police for allegedly attending a political rally, fully armed with dangerous weapons.

Fadipe is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator, representing the Ibadan South-East constituency in the state legislature and he is already campaigning to return to the Assembly for a second term.

The PDP chapters in the 11 local government areas in Ibadan had organised the rally, which was held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, as part of the preparations of the party for the forthcoming general election.

However, before the arrival of the state governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, at the venue of the rally, the police, apparently acting on a tip-off, embarked on a stop and search exercise and, in the process, found several guns, including four pump action double barrel guns, pistols and charms in four vehicles.

Promptly, the cars - a Mercedez Benz salon (BC 254 EPE); Nissan Xterra Jeep (OYHA 09 A); Hyundai Accent salon (FP 682 KJA) and a Nissan bus (AW 69 BDG) - were impounded by the Police, while about 40 people, said to be loyalists of Fadipe, were also arrested and taken to the Mapo Police Station, Ibadan.

The lawmaker, from whom two English pistols were said to have been confiscated, was arrested while seeking to effect the release of his ‘boys’, an attempt which infuriated the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the police station, Mr. Francis Ojomo, who immediately ordered that he should be arrested and detained at the station.

Meanwhile, addressing the mammoth crowd and PDP members at the rally, Governor Alao-Akala, said that his administration had fulfilled all its electoral promises, maintaining that the PDP would retain its position as the ruling party in the state after the 2011 elections.

Promising not to let the people of the state down, he carpeted those who were opposed to him as he declared that nobody could frustrate his administration in its quest to improve the living condition of the people.

INEC gets 15,000 DCC machines

Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday said over 15,000 Direct Data Capture Machines have arrived the country in readiness for the 2011 elections.

Speaking at a national dialogue organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre in collaboration with INEC, with support of MacArthur Foundation, the INEC boss urged Nigerians to ensure that they register for the coming voter registration starting from January 29. He warned that anybody who fails to register within the stipulated time may not vote in the elections next year.

He promised to tackle the flaws that were recorded in the 2007 elections, such as failure to capture people adequately with the biometric system and also failure to issue voter cards on time.

He also said that voters will get temporary voter cards within seven minutes of registering at registration centres across the country.

Poor security network

On the issue of the stolen DCC machines, he lamented the porous security in the nation’s airports, and described the act as unfortunate. He warned that electoral offences will not be tolerated any longer, regardless of who is involved.

Mr. Jega disclosed that the Electoral Act now permits INEC to arrest and prosecute offenders, as was done in Enugu during the bye-elections where a man was caught with 80,000 voter cards.

The representative of the MacArthur Foundation, Godwin Odoh, urged Nigerians to protect their votes during the 2011 elections.

He lamented that in spite of the enormous potentials the country has in human and natural resources, corruption and absence of free and fair elections have denied the country the status of the giant of Africa that she lay claims to.

Students’ vote

The INEC chairman said the current voting process put in place by INEC, which mandates voters to vote only at their points of registration, could hinder students’ participation, since tertiary institutions are usually shut down during elections.

“Unfortunately, if the calendars are not reliable, it will be difficult for us. If the calendar stabilises, it will be possible for us to know when to arrange the registrations and elections to coincide with when the students are away. Right now, whatever we do, we will not be able to accommodate the interests of most of the students,” Mr. Jega said.

Facing difficulties

The chairman said that the issue of students’ votes is one of the challenges which INEC does not think will be resolved before the April elections.

“It is the same problems we are facing with the Nigerians in Diaspora. The exigencies of the times constrain us. We have to take each of the problems one after the other. Maybe after the April elections, we can do everything possible to resolve these issues. For now, it is actually impossible logistically,” he said.

While making no promises, Mr. Jega, a former vice chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, said he is still in talks with his former colleagues on a possible way out of the situation.

“We have been discussing with the NUC (National Universities Commission) and some of the vice chancellors on what we can do. It is a difficult thing. Through consultations, it may be possible to allow one week for the students to go home during the registrations. But it is also going to be expensive and that will have to be repeated during the elections. Who is going to fund that?” Mr. Jega complained.

The event had the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Uwais, as chairman.

Tension as Northern govs meet in Abuja

GOVERNORS of the 19 northern states are due to meet in Abuja today, ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The meeting, which was supposed to take place in Kaduna, had to be shifted to Abuja at the instance of the vice-president, Alhaji Namadi Sambo.

Sources said the meeting would allow the governors to take a common stand on the schedule of primaries of the PDP and the bid by National Assembly members to become automatic members of the NEC.

The governors, according to sources, had resolved to fine-tune a number of issues before the NEC meeting and they could also use the opportunity to take a stand on their support for President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice-President Sambo.

It was learnt that the governors wanted to take a common position ahead of the governors meeting and the meeting of PDP governors.

“The meeting could resolve a number of issues. We could see the governors adopt the Jonathan-Sambo ticket in view of current realities and we could see hem taking a final decision on the NEC membership issue by the National Assembly members,” a source told the Nigerian Tribune.

It was gathered that the northern governors were also planning a common position on the leadership of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), which was moving to effect leadership change.

‘Don’t politicise data capturing machines theft’

The recent theft of data capturing machines imported by the Independent National Electoral Commission at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos is an internal security issue that should not be politicised, the minister for defense, Adetokunbo Kayode, said at the weekend. Mr. Kayode, who told reporters in Akure that those who stole the machines were petty thieves, said the government was doing everything to address the internal security at various airports and warned authorities of the airports to brace up.

“Internal security is one of the biggest challenges we have in this country,” he said. “That is why we have not left everything to the police alone. Mr. President has directed all the armed forces to support the police to ensure that our internal democracy is stabilized. Theft in any airport is normal, but it is not acceptable. What happened was that some petty criminals stole some computers. Though they have all been arrested, it just showed that it is not uncommon. Many times you travel outside the country and you discover that your bag is missing. In fact, some airports are even worse. You have to hold on to your trousers because before you know it your trouser is gone.”

On the forthcoming primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Kayode said the party was ready to field the best candidates and would allow for internal democracy where a level playing field would be provided for all the aspirants. He, however, said all the political parties in the country are facing challenges of internal democracy.

“The smaller parties are worse than the PDP when it comes to internal democracy,” he said. “Internal democracy is a challenge to all political parties. It will be foolish for any party to think that it is only PDP that has the problem of internal democracy. The PDP is huge and has bigger challenges than all these small parties. The small parties that control two or three states are not better than the PDP in terms of internal democracy. What is presently happening in the folds of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Lagos state is a good example. There were protests because some people said they were being sidelined.”

The minister who called for support for the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan, said the people of Ondo state would support his candidacy because he offered the best credentials among those jostling for the position.

“The voting pattern in Ondo state has always remained the same,” he said. “When it comes to a presidential candidate, we always go the same way without party affiliation. I am very sure that those in the Labour Party and other political parties in the state will support President

Atiku is not a consensus candidate, says group

A non-governmental organisation, Media for Ethnic Equality, has described the labelling of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and presidential aspirant, as a consensus candidate as faulty and an act of media manipulation.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday, the group said that since there was a voting, the process that led to the emergence of the former vice president as the candidate for the Adamu Ciroma led-Northern Political Leaders Forum on November 22, 2010 cannot be described as a “consensus”. “We understand that out of the nine people who constituted the committee, five voted for Atiku while four voted against him. Though he had highest vote, this cannot in any way be described as a consensus because we still have four dissenting votes,” read the statement, which was signed by the group’s Publicity Secretary, Iyiola Johnson. “It is even more dishonest to label him as a consensus candidate going by the fact that the committee could not even reach a consensus over his choice. Besides, consensus system which emanated from United Nations (UN) processes is used to completely avoid voting. Once a process is decided through voting then it is not consensus. We just think it is time we correct this misinformation making the rounds in the Nigerian media.”

Carrying everybody along

According to the group, only five ethic nationalities, representing five states of the North, selected Mr Atiku out of over 200 ethnic nationalities in the Northern part of the country. “Who represented other Northern states like Plateau, Nassarawa, Kaduna and Kogi in the Ciroma-led NPLF?,” said Mr Johnson. “If the Ciroma group is to be taken serious, they ought to have invited other ethnic nationalities to make Mr Atiku a popular choice.”

The group said it is time for Nigerian politicians to respect the rights of ethnic minorities, adding that taking decisions arbitrarily has never helped the country and the advancement of democracy. It also advised politicians to refrain from inflammatory statements capable of heating up the polity, saying that Nigerians at this time more than ever before need ethnic harmony and not divisions.

Court strikes out criminal suit against Aregbesola - Nigerian Tribune

AN Abuja high court, on Monday struck out a criminal charge filed against Mr Rauf Aregbesola, who was last week declared winner of the 2007 governorship election in Osun State and his lawyer, Olayinka Okedara.
Justice Abubakar Talba gave the ruling after listening to an application by Aregbesola’s counsel, Mr Kunle Adegoke.

In his argument, Adegoke said, “there is a new development requiring the termination of this matter. The first accused person (Rauf Aregbesola) was declared governor of Osun State last Friday by the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan. Being one incident of judicial notice, I’m resting on the provision of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution; I invoke the jurisdiction of this court to strike out the matter. Based on the fact that the provision in issue is the one clothing this matter within the ambit of immunity, hence I apply that the matter be struck out.”

The prosecuting counsel, Mr Bashir Olatunde, while agreeing that Aregbesola could no longer be prosecuted, said the same could not be said of the second accused (Okedara).

Asked by the trial judge if the accused persons could be prosecuted separately since they were charged together, Olatunde replied that he was ready to amend the charge so that the second accused could continue to face trial.

Justice Talba said, “court can’t even take the application because it involves the first accused (Aregbesola),” who is already clothed by immunity, adding that “it will be an exercise in futility. The moment the first accused is not in this matter, that is the end of the charge.” Justice Talba said since the accused “were charged jointly, it is not in doubt that by the declaration of the first accused as governor of Osun State, the charge has become defective.”

“It is not only the charge that is affected, the leave obtained to prefer the charge is also voided. The charge brought against the two accused is hereby struck out.”

Reactions to Atiku’s nomination

Ibrahim Babangida-

“The IBB Presidential Campaign Organisation commits itself to all the elements of the Consensus Agreement and understanding. On behalf of His Excellency,General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, we wish to congratulate His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON as the Consensus Candidate,” Raymond Dokpesi, the director general of the Ibrahim Babangida Campaign Organisation,who signed the statement, said in the statement.

The organization said that the outcome of the two-months exercise should be applauded because of the rogours the committee went through in search of a consensus candidate.“The outcome of the consensus exercise which the Adamu Ciroma Committee selflessly imposed upon itself in the past two months must be loudly applauded for the rigour of their search, conduct, and foresight.

It said,“The Committee inaugurated a process to tackle a challenge the result of which will outlive the politically induced crisis which called the Committee into existence.The outcome of the Consensus Exercise has truly humbled all the Presidential Aspirants.

“We once again, thank everyone of the membership of this committee. We all know the gravity of what the Aspirants have done. We know that in doing what they have done,this great nation and all Nigerians shall manifestly be served.“They did not submit themselves to this exercise so as to fail, far from it. The machinery of success which they inaugurated previously has become further strengthened and deeply rooted. It shall be well with the Consensus Outcome, and it shall manifestly be well for all Nigerians.

” Goodluck Jonathan-

Fellow Nigerians, as you notice an upswing in political activities I want to assure you that not only will I focus on my sworn commitment of providing leadership for ALL Nigerians, I will also run and encourage others to run a national campaign devoid of sectionalism because leaders ought to unite not divide.Again, the only difference we should look for in Nigeria is between good and bad not North and South.

Bukola Saraki:

ABS 2011 campaign organization, in the spirit of peace, national unity and sustenance of democracy in our great country, has accepted the decision of consensus committee set up by Northern Political Leaders forum,

(NPLF) under the chairmanship of Mall Adamu Ciroma. The committee has chosen former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to be the consensus candidate of the PDP aspirant from the North.ASB 2011 campaign organization thereby congratulates Atiku Abubakar and pledges to abide by the cooperative arrangement of the process that produced him. Our candidate Dr. Abubakr Bukola Saraki also salutes and profoundly thank his campaign team and supporters across the Country for their prayers and loyalty.

Aliyu Gusau:

The Aliyu Gusau Campaign Organization has congratulated His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar for emerging as the consensus candidate, picked by the Adamu Ciroma- led committee. In a statement issued by the organization, it reiterated the initial pledge and commitment of its principal. Rtd Lt- General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau to respect the verdict of the committee and give unqualified support to whoever emerges as the committee’s candidate. “Without the slightest equivocation”, the statement reads “the principal and the entire campaign organization stand by this pledge. The statement recalled the oft- repeated statement of General Gusau that electoral contest should not be a do or die affair, stressing that he was in the race fundamentally to serve.

The statement paid tributes to the members of the committee for the pains and sacrifice they undertook before arriving at this significant event. It equally noted that the committee members have, by their extensive consultations and unique contributions helped to moderate the stress and intense partisanship which could have governed the political campaign process. While extending its hand of fellowship to the preferred candidate, Atiku Abubakar and its campaign organization, the statement urged the vast followers of General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau to remain calm and undeterred by this outcome, urging them to await further directives.

Nuhu Ribadu:

“Our campaign organization received the news with interest. While we understand the matter as purely a PDP affair,

we nevertheless wish them luck in their coming primaries, hoping in the process that the PDP will ultimately give consideration to a national imperative as a guide to their party processes”.

Aghanya Denni:

Congress for Progressive Change- The emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the consensus presidential candidate of the Northerners in the PDP is an expression of a people’s wish and no two ways about it. The struggle is premised on the fact that promises are meant to be kept.

If there was an agreement of zoning at a point, it should be kept. If his choice is a popular choice of the Northern PDP members, so be it.

2nd Alteration Bill: Houses of Assembly submit resolutions - Nigerian Observer

Another milestone in the history of Nigeria’s constitutional development was yesterday achieved, when the Conference of Nigeria Speakers submitted their state Assemblies resolutions on 2nd Alteration Bill 2010 of the Nigerian Constitution to the National Assembly.

Making the symbolic handover to Senate President David Mark, Chairman of the Speakers Conference, Barr. Haruna Gbana, commended NASS for their decision to appeal the recent judgment concerning the 1st Alteration Bill.

“It is my humble opinion that because of the anxiety generated by this judgment and the likelihood of this matter heating up the polity as we get nearer to the May 29th handover date, the Judiciary should in the national interest accelerate the process of taking a final decision on this matter”, he said.

This is even as Senate President Mark submitted that the inclusion of a clause that makes members of the NASS automatic members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of their parties is not self-serving as the Act would outlive them in office.

“How can it be self serving; does it mean that after the tenure of this National Assembly, the Act would be thrown away? No, when passed into law, it would be a law that will outlive all of us.

There is no need for people to castigate members of the National Assembly; we will always abide by Superior argument; I advise all Nigerians to come to Public Hearing ahead of the Electoral Bill; whatever the majority views are would be binding on us; there is nothing secret”, Sen. Mark continued.

He stressed that the National Assembly welcomes constructive criticism and that “it helps us perform better, but must be based on sound reasoning”, asserting that the NASS now understands the due process of Constitution amendment and praised
the 36 State Houses of Assembly for living up to the expectations of Nigerians.

By so doing, Senator Mark added that members of the State Houses of Assembly have exhibited uncommon patriotism and commitment to nationhood.

Earlier, the chairman of conference of Speakers, Istifanus Gbana had also told the NASS that the State Assemblies had to fast track the process of the alteration including shelving their holidays in order to meet the time frame for the 2011 polls.

With this alteration, Gbana said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has no reason to delay the process of conducting free, fair and credible elections.

“The state legislatures for sure cannot be blamed for whatever may stand in the way of achieving the much talked about free, fair and credible election come 2011”, he added.