While the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, battles with the backlash that has come with the aborted Presidential and National Assembly elections, PDP and APC partisans in Calabar, Cross River state, are utilizing the one week widow provided by it to engage in informal, inter-personal campaign for their preferred candidate.
Agents of the two parties are visible in restaurants, cabs, Keke, newspaper stands, fuel stations among other public places, informally soliciting for support for their principals. Their modus operandi?
In a restaurant, for example, a middle-aged man sipping a drink sits close to a crowded table. During the intervening moments between when an order is taken by the waiter and when the food is actually served, the “drinking man” quickly strikes conversation with persons waiting to be served and in a flash, such conversation dovetails into the botched February 16 presidential election.
He dominates the conversation and again, quickly lectures on the imperativeness of voting his preferred party and presidential candidate this Saturday, February 23 which is the new date for the rescheduled polls.
Similar strategy is also adopted in cabs and keke. Here, the party man makes sure he secures a seat at the front from where he inundates other passengers with reasons his candidate is the best for Nigeria.
At newsstands, he buys a newspaper, flips through it and then provokes an argument about the delayed presidential election. In the heat of the argument, he chips in the desirability of electing his choice candidate on February 23.If sympathizers of the other candidate are also there, the argument reaches a boiling point.
Buhari: APC partisans trying hard to sell him.
Such was the case Monday, February 18, 2019 at MCC Road, near Mobile fuel station, off Murtala Muhammed High way, when supporters of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar engaged a lone supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC in a verbal showdown. They had told the Buhari sympathizer that Cross River was completely “Atikulated” and should therefore, in their words, “stop making noise”. This prompted a sarcastic response from the Buhari man leading to the intense verbal tango.
The pattern is the same in fuel stations where some partisan fuel attendants are the ones igniting the subtle presidential campaign. However, the fuel attendants attract sharp rebuke from motorists who view such political preachment as ploy to distract them and then under-dispense fuel to their vehicles.
Some supporters of both presidential candidates who spoke to the Magazine claim leadership of the two parties in the state are not in the know of their strange “campaign” strategies. “I want the Atiku presidency; I believe Nigeria will be better off with Atiku as President that is why I am doing this. I was not contracted or paid for this. This is my own little way of helping to bring Atiku to office”, a middle aged man who gave his name simply as Ofem, told The Source at Mary Slessor, near University of Calabar main gate.
At Atimbo area of the capital, a Buhari supporter who confessed he canvasses for vote for the president in cabs and Keke told the magazine that since the APC is utterly factionalized in the state, he supports Buhari for President only. “I don’t recognize the two factions and the factional governorship candidates, I am on my own and Buhari is my only candidate”, he said.
This press briefing is to call the attention of well meaning Nigerians and the international community to the incendiary statements made by President Muhammadu Buhari, and Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national caucus of their party, earlier today.
At the meeting the President said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take. I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life.”
Mr. Oshiomole also claims that the PDP was given prior notice of the postponement of the elections.
In this context, we categorically deny these false claims and unnecessary blackmail and regard the President’s statement as a call for extra-judicial killings considering the fact that there are adequate provisions in our laws to address electoral offenses.
These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, when one considers that a democratically elected President would give a directive that is in clear violation of the laws of the land which by his oath of office he is to defend and protect.
In view of this statement by the president, it is obvious that the military has been given a central role and co-opted into the conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in our electoral process.
It should be noted that our party chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, was the first to call for an inquiry into why the elections were postponed last Saturday. In reality, we support a genuine and transparent probe into why the presidential and National Assembly elections could not hold. We also hope that the president’s inflammatory statement is not a threat aimed at intimidating the electoral commission.
We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous and inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded with PDP to abort last week’s elections. This is a very surprising statement considering the fact that the Federal government controls every institution and agency involved in the electoral process, including the CBN, Nigerian Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.
From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centers, cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics arrangement of INEC were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate the process.
We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections despite not being adequately prepared for the election. We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have staggered elections. It should also be noted that the areas that would have been affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP strongholds
It is important to note that the APC in its usual manipulative style is now shifting the blame on INEC leadership while absolving itself and the other institutions of government under its control of any blame. That is the common strategy that super villains always employ.
Obviously, we know they are doing everything humanly possible to discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of the fact that they cannot win this election.
Embarrassingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they have lost the plot. Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the people have rejected them.
Also, opinion polls conducted by the APC, and other international agencies clearly indicate that the APC will lose this election, anytime it is conducted; we believe that is why they are resorting to desperate measures of arm-twisting the electoral commission, undermining the entire process and planning to unleash terror on the country.
Finally, let it be known that the PDP, with the support of every well meaning Nigerian, will employ every legitimate means to resist attempts by the APC and the Federal government to undermine and compromise the electoral process and truncate our democracy.
The PDP believes in a united and democratic Nigeria and will continue to do all within its means to protect the country, her people and constitution from undemocratic elements.
We call on all Nigerians not to despair, but turn out en mass on Saturday to vote and defend their votes. We also urge the international community and their observers that are in the country to monitor the election and be vigilant because their presence as impartial arbiters is important in ensuring we have peaceful, credible, free, fair and transparent elections. The security agencies are also enjoined to be impartial and remain loquat to the constitution of the Federal Republic.
Being the text of a press briefing by Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives on issues arising from the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections By the INEC on February 18, 2019.
For Nigerians who would troop out on February 23 for the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly election, just be careful and cautious. Indulge in no troubles. Play straight. Don’t upset Security agents by trying to snatch any ballot box. If you do, the song for you will be Nunc Dimitis. You will be on your way to meet your Maker. Reason:
President Mohammadu Buhari has ordered soldiers to use maximum force. He has ordered them to shoot. And he says that will be your last assignment on mother-earth. He is not joking.
INEC Chairman and his members will also be in trouble. They will answer to him on why the election was rescheduled.
The President issued these threats at the All Progressives Congress, APC, emergency meeting summoned on Monday, February 18, to discuss the controversial rescheduling of the February 16th Presidential and NASS election. Security was tight. As early as seven o’clock in the morning, the Brigade of guards, the traditional protectors of the president, were seen in large numbers at the All Progressives Congress national secretariat. This, surprisingly, was in contrast to the normal meeting point at the conference hall in Aso Villa.
Besides the brigade of guards, other security Agencies were on red alert. The Army, Navy, Airforce, Police, all registered their presence.
By the time the president arrived, 11 governors – Zamfara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Borno, Bauchi, Kebbi, Niger, Lagos and Kaduna states were already seated. Seated, also, were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, National leader, Bola Tinubu and Party Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole -were already seated.
President Muhammadu Buhari urged security agencies to shoot at sight any thug found snatching ballot boxes at polling boots.
“There is no explanation for what we went through. I was told about the decision of INEC at quarter to 5am in the morning of the elections”, he said. “INEC had all the time and resources, and didn’t have to wait six hours to the elections to announce postponement. Definitely, INEC must explain to Nigerians what happened, the constitution and the law protect INEC but they must not take us for granted. If we had failed to provide all what INEC wanted, then we would have been held responsible. So at least after the elections we will have to go into details to find out what happened,” he said.
Addressing Mr President, Oshiomhole, the APC said thay saw the INEC “Magic”. His words:
“We saw INEC’s magic, the worst had happened and they postponed the elections by one week without cogent reasons. If we and ordinary Nigerians were shocked, then we can only imagine how shocked you were, more as you are determined. This action was meant to frustrate our party and discourage voters. We are determined to put INEC to shame, and to reiterate that we are committed to free, fair and credible elections. We are not going to compromise on that.”
According to him, he suspects that there is a hidden agenda by INEC.
This was the first meeting since the postponement by the INEC, for one week, of the elections scheduled to hold on 16th February 2019.
Since that shift, there have been reactions, with most Nigerians condemning the action. Both major contenders for the presidency have been trading blames on who instigated the electoral umpire to shift the election. Allegations and counter allegations have become rife that it has become difficult to sift through the barrage of information uploaded in the social media to determine which is real and which is fake news . Even traditional media appear to be caught in the euphoria of breaking scoops, and armchair critics and analysts went to town.
This magazine, however, gathered that the plan to postpone the election has been on the table. It was alleged that the first suggestion from some powerful pressure group was to stagger the elections, and holding elections in allegef troubled spots at a later date. This allegation the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, latched on to accuse the ruling party of demanding for staggered elections in order to have enough security agencies to execute the (Osun Template). But the APC denied the allegations, saying they only follow instructions from the electoral umpire.
Part of the excuse given by INEC was that the weather was adverse, and could not allow aircraft to fly the electoral materials to desired destinations. The materials meant for Enugu, for example, were flown to Portharcourt.
But the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority debunked the story, saying that the weather was clear for flights to land.
In a statement signed by Khalid Emele and made available to the press, they insisted that there was no disruption in the provision of Air traffic services on the 1th of February, a day before the originally scheduled election date.
“The Management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) hereby wishes to inform the general public that there was no disruption in the provision of air traffic services on Saturday, the 16th of February 2019 in keeping with the agency’s mandate to provide uninterrupted safe, effective, efficient, and economic air navigation services in the country. Furthermore, the agency in line with the directive of the Honorable Minister of State (Aviation), Sen. Hadi Sirika had earlier ensured 24-hour operation at all Nigerian airports on Friday 15th February 2019 to facilitate the transportation of INEC materials nationwide.”
Meanwhile, the PDP has requested for the audit of election materials returned to the Central Bank after the postponement.
“We believe it makes sense to appoint one company to verify both issues or, on the issue of sensitive materials, we can use the party officials and observers,” said Uche Secondus, the PDP chairman. He suggested two auditing firms, KPMG and Price Water House Coopers.
More than 2,500 local and international observers were deployed across the 36 states and 376 local governments in Nigeria in the last few days for the presidential and national assembly election that was to be held on February 16, 2019.
Most of them, particularly, foreigners, have now become stranded in some remotest part of the country following the postponement of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
INEC Chairman Unexpectedly Shifts Election At exactly 2.50am, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu announced in Abuja, the nation’s capital that the election has been postponed for one week; that it will now hold on February 23.
“Following a careful review of the implementation of its logistics and operational plan, and the determination to conduct free, fair, and credible elections, the commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the elections as scheduled is no longer feasible,” Yakubu said at a press briefing on Saturday morning in Abuja.
Outrage Over Postponement The announcement has received mixed reactions both locally and internationally.
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, said he was disappointed that the election was rescheduled.
Atiku said the postponement was deliberate to disenfranchise many voters who were already set to cast their votes.
According to him “By instigating this postponement, the Buhari administration hopes to disenfranchise the Nigerian electorate in order to ensure that turn out is low on the rescheduled date.
“Their plan is to provoke the public, hoping for a negative reaction, and then use that as an excuse for further anti-democratic acts.
“As such, I call on all Nigerians to be patient. We have tolerated the maladministration of this government for four years. We can extend our tolerance a few more days and give them our verdict via our votes,“ Atiku said
The PDP on its part said the shift in the election date was unacceptable in the sense that INEC had enough time to prepare for the election.
The National chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus said the shift was part of the many antics of President Muhamadu Buhari and APC to cling to power at all cost.
Secondus: “Having failed in all their nefarious options to enable them cling on to power, the APC and the INEC came up with the idea of shifting election an action that is dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable.
“With several of their riggings failing, they have to force INEC to agree to a shift in the election or a staggered election with flimsy excuses pre-manufactured for the purpose.
“For the avoidance of doubt the PDP sees this action as wicked and we are also aware of other dubious designs like the deployment of hooded security operatives who would be ruthless on the people ostensibly to scare them away.”In his reaction President Buhari described the INEC as disappointing. And on its part, the All Progressives Congress, APC, blamed the PDP, which it alleged forced INEC to postpone the election.
According to Festus Keyamo, spokesman for the President Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDP was to blame for the shift, alleging that PDP was trying to repeat what it did in 2015, when the election date was shifted for one month.
PDP, Keyamo said“,did the same as the ruling Party in 2015, when it realized the game was up, by orchestrating the postponement of the 2015 elections by six weeks.
“Now, it may be up to its old trick again. We have earlier raised the alarm that the PDP is bent on discrediting this process the moment it realized it cannot make up the numbers to win this election.”
Election Shifted for Six Weeks In 2015 In 2015 the presidential election was postponed for six weeks, from February 14 to March 28.
The then government had blamed security challenges, particularly, the Boko Haram attacks, in some parts of the North east for the postponement.
A number of areas were firmly under the control of the insurgents at the time, thus raising fears that it would be impossible to conduct election under such conditions.
Meanwhile, the postponement by the Jonathan administration was trenchantly condemned then by the opposition APC at the time, alleging that the then leader and PDP were trying to rig the election.
Jega Advised that the Elections be shifted A reliable told the magazine that it was then chairman of INEC, Professor AtahiruJega, that suggested to Jonathan the need to shift the election over security challenge across the country and the low collection of PVC in most states, especially, in the South.
Tinubu Rebuffed Jonathan Over Postponement According to him, the ex-President had tried to seek the understanding of some APC leaders on the matter but was rebuffed.
“President Jonathan called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tell him the reasons Jega gave on the need to postpone the election. But rather than show understanding, he told the president that his party will not accept the postponement,” the source said.
Adding that “the poll has now shifted today, they are in power but obviously they have shown no capacity to organize a free, fair and peaceful election”
May be the source is right, considering that the postponement will lead to serious consequences for the whole gamut of the election process.
Confusion, Observers Stranded Some say the shift will reduce the morale of international observers who were already in the country to monitor the election.
“A number of observers may be forced to return to their countries never to return on the rescheduled date.
Many of them will need to rebook their flight tickets, hotel accommodation and even inform their families and friends at home on the change of plans.
This will not be easy, at all, considering that they only have one week,” Jude Adejimi, a logistic analyst told the magazine.
The problem will be more for security agency who have been deployed to monitor the election, other said.
Impact On Security Agencies The Army, Airforce, Navy, Police, Civil Defense Corps and other para-military personnel have been deployed across the country for the election.
“Are you saying that all of them will now have to go back and then return in few days. This is a serious problem and I think, in the future, a proper arrangement for a seamless election to hold across the country should be made”, Jasmine Okeke, another analyst said.
He explained that the federal government will also need to declare another public holiday for students next week and “as it seems, the students will now have to go to school on Monday, contrary to what was announced earlier.”
Civil Society Reacts Chima Amadi of the Centre For Transparency Advocacy said “there would be serious consequence” for the postponement.
He said it’s obvious that INEC was not fully prepared for the election. “INEC is mopping up PVCs” to make up for shortfall in other areas. The Commission must “communicate well to Nigerians why they postponed the election,” he stated.
Also, Samson Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA, one of the umbrella body of young people in the country said the association was highly disappointed in INEC and federal government.
He explained that it was wrong for INEC, having admitted that they have logistic problems, to want to conduct the election.
Underscoring the effect of the shift on election monitors he said” Monitors will be stranded across the country. The time INEC chose to make the announcement was unacceptable.”
Auwal Musa, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy, said the shift has earned for the country an imaginable disrepute as a country that’s not capable of conducting free and fair election.
“It’s a national and global disgrace” he said, adding that there should be sanctions in the future for agents of government who failed in their duties.
But as it is, the situation for which the INEC now based its postponement leaves much in doubt, some analysts said, even as allegation looms that the electoral umpire must have been pressured to carry out the action.
Malami Instigates Postponement Recall that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Wednesday, February 13, wrote INEC chairman on the need to reschedule the governorship and state assembly elections in Zamfara state, originally scheduled for March 2, to enable APC field candidates for the elections.
Aside Zamfara, the APC will also not present candidates in Rivers state.
APC desperately needs these state to win the presidential election, the magazine was told.
The rate of desperation, one PDP stalwart in Rivers state, who craved anonymity, because of the security situation in the state, told the magazine, was displayed by the Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, when at the Presidential Campaign held in the state last week, he vowed that winning the election was a do-or-die, that there will be war
“The president was right there when Amaechi was singing Igbo war songs, threatening fire and brimstone. What other evidence do you need to prove their desperation?” the source said.
Close watchers of events in the country said the shift was meant to give the APC advantage over PDP, having realized that it would lose if the election went ahead as scheduled.
It has already been alleged that plans were afoot to make sure that election did not hold in states where the ruling party consider critical. Among others, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Benue states featured.
This would be done by making sure that election materials arrived late in those places and other logistics problems, such as security, which will now be used as excuse to move the election forward, the magazine was told.
For instance, the aircraft carrying election materials to be used in Enugu state was not allowed to land on the excuse that the weather was bad.
Also few days before, over 500 card readers meant for Anambra election had been razed by fire.
Election materials were also burned by unknown persons in other two states, Abia and Benue. And in Kano, loads of already thumb-printed ballot papers were seized by the police.
Even though INEC claimed they had replaced the burnt card readers, the magazine learned from a source that the shortfall was “collected from states where INEC is planning not to hold election, until further notice.” The magazine was not able to confirm this allegation at the time of going to press.
Kaduna state is also part of the states that INEC allegedly planned “to move election forward over violence” the source told the magazine.
“All of these incidents were done deliberately to give the impression that it’s not safe to hold election at this time,” another source said.
US, UN, EU Warn FG Against Staggered Election According to various sources who spoke on the issue, pressure had been mounted on the federal government by the US, UK, UN and EU to jettison any plan to organize a staggered election as such will raise credibility problem for the election.
According to one European source, the international community was not happy with the shoddy manner the election in Osun state governorship election was conducted last October, and that the block had warned that staggered elections will raise credibility issues for the Buhari administration.
INEC declared Gboyega Oyetola of the APC winner of that election, even though it was condemned by multiple international observers and PDP which said the election was rigged.
For now, confusion reigns as those who travelled out for election from their places of residence are not sure of what to do.
By Uche Mbah
In an unprecedented action, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, postponed the Presidential and National Assembly elections the same day it had been scheduled to hold. It was rescheduled to February 23rd 2019, five hours before its commencement.
Subsequently, the Governorship and state Assembly elections were also postponed by one week.
According to INEC, the postponement was necessary because it will afford it enough time to sort out the challenges which faced it.
However, many sensitive materials had already been distributed before the postponement, though several logistic issues were raised. Many areas were yet to receive sensitive materials by the time of the postponement.
INEC’s action was received by shocked Nigerians with outrage. Preparations have been shaky, and held in suspect by most Nigerians.
There had been reports of already thumb-printed materials in their thousands being impounded by security agents. There have been , snatching of sensitive materials, allegedly, by men wearing security uniforms. INEC offices have gone up in flames burning sensitive materials and permanent voters cards, raising questions of the fate of the people whose PVCs were burnt.
The postponement followed a marathon meeting by the Commission that ran far into the night to the wee hours of the morning. The meeting was deadlocked initially, according to sources, basically because INEC needed a cogent and acceptable reason for the postponement.
The Killings in Kaduna was considered as an excuse, but it was too localized. “INEC had to settle for the postponement based on self indictment by citing their unpreparedness for the election as reason”, says a source.
Not a few Nigerians feared
that the Presidential broadcast was allegedly meant for the president to announce the postponement, but was, allegedly, advised that such an announcement is meant for the INEC chairman, Mahmud Yakubu. The speech had to be allegedly changed at the last minute. This magazine was unable to confirm this story at the time of going to press.
This has followed the pattern of the 2015 elections where INEC also postponed the elections. President Goodluck Jonathan lost that election.
Meanwhile, campaigns and consultations have moved from the campaign grounds to diplomatic circles. The former President of the United states, Bill Clinton, called and spoke to President Buhari on phone. Although details of that conversation is not known, it is believed that it had to do with the conduct of a violent-free and free and fair elections. On the other hand, the American secretary of state also spoke to the Peoples Democratic Party Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over the phone.
INEC will meet with critical stakeholders by 2pm today.
It was a carnival of sorts as Governor Seriake Dickson today inaugurated the Bayelsa International Cargo Airport, estimated to have gulped N60 billion. The Airport, which was meant to be a state and Federal government joint venture, suffered a setback when the Federal Government pulled out of the deal. Dickson doggedly continued with the building of the Airport.
The Airport was built by Dantata and Sowe, an indigenous construction company.
The Airport could have been opened last August, but that date was not feasible. By November last year, it was announced ready for operation awaiting the certification by the Civil Aviation authorities. Although the approval from the Civil Aviation Authorities have been long in coming-by last week the Bayelsa government was still waiting for the approval-it finally came with the announcement of the Inaugural Flight by Air peace, which has been making in routes into the west African sub region.
Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, will fly in with Air Peace.
Air Peace has 22 Aircrafts in its fleet, including two Boeing 777 planes. One more is on order to tackle the proposed Dubai, Mumbai, and Atlanta London routes as part of its expansion plan. The Airline has said it intends to make Akanu Ibiam International Airport its hub center.
Today, Air Peace will fly into the Airport through Lagos with a 737 Aircraft. It will land on the 3.5 km runway, said to be the longest runway in West Africa.
The Bayelsa Government has planned the inaugural flight to coincide with the state Anniversary celebrations.
The Bayelsa International Cargo Airport was one of the five Airports approved in 2014 by the Jonathan Administration. Others were Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa and Ogun states. It was meant to ensure easy passage of cargo across the states. The Bayelsa own was later upgraded to an international status.
Following the upholding of the decision to bar the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in Zamfara state from the 2019 general election by the Court of Appeal, Sokoto, after a Federal High Court in Abuja had overruled the decision of the State High Court sitting in Zamfara, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and justice minister, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the election to field candidates in the exercise in Zamfara state. The High Court had earlier nullified INEC’s decision to bar the APC candidates for the party’s failure at meeting deadline to hold primaries.
In a three-page letter to INEC signed by Malami dated February 13, 2019, with reference number MJ/DSD/03, he sought the postponement of National Assembly elections, the governorship, State House of Assembly polls in Zamafara State to enable the APC candidates to contest at the polls.
“In view of the fact, now that the Court of Appeal has upheld the primaries as valid, the APC in Zamfara State will need a little time to catch up with its contemporaries in the election,” Malami said.
The justice minister argued that postponing the polls in Zamfara State in the light of the Court of Appeal’s judgment, was not a matter of doing APC favour, but a right the party was entitled to. “Granting them this concession is not necessarily favour but a right that inures to all contestants under similar circumstances.
“Consequent on the above, INEC is invited to comply with the judgement of the Court of Appeal by admitting the results of the APC Zamfara State Primaries and to also comply with the provisions of Section 38 of the Electoral Act which empowers INEC to postpone the election for the governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections,” he added.
But human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) in his reaction to the directive by the AGF to the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone elections in Zamfara State so that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will field candidates for the 2019 elections, not only berated the APC for taking Nigerians for a ride, but described Malami’s directive as an act of desperation and advised INEC to reject it.
The Minister had said his decision was predicated on the judgment of the state High Court in suit No ZMS/GS/52/2018 between Sanusi Liman Dan-Alhaji and 37 others Vs APC and 144 others; and Appeal No: CA/S/23/2019.
“This letter is wrong. It shows that they are desperate. INEC should reject it. They see Nigeria as an APC entity. They don’t believe that Nigeria is not for APC alone but to all Nigerians. It is a wrong request that should be ignored,” Ezekhome said.
The Magazine learnt that the Court of Appeal in Sokoto had earlier validated the position of the INEC that the APC in Zamfara State does not have candidates for the governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections coming up on February 16 and March 2.
The Court, presided over by Justice Jumai Sankey, with other members of the panel, Justices Ndukwe Anyanwu and Vincent Abiru, had dismissed the appeal and the motion filed by Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Alhaji Muktar Idris praying the court to be allowed to contest the elections.
It upheld the argument of Ozekhome and Isiaka Dikko (SAN) that the notice of discontinuance earlier filed on February 11 by Hon. Sani Jaji under Order 11 Rules 1 and 5 of the Court of Appeal Rules had completely extinguished the appeal upon which Idris’ counsel, Mahmud Magaji (SAN), had predicated his motion filed on February 8.
In a chat with The Source, Oyekanmi Adelaja, a lawyer, he said that this is victory for the Nigerian judiciary. As long as the decision to bar the APC candidates in both Zamfara and Rivers States from participating in the 2019 general elections, “ it has laid a precedence that nobody or political party in the country can take Nigerians for a ride and hole the system to ransome, whether it is the party in power or not.
“ I pray that nothing will scuttle this judgement which has put the country on a respectable pedestal in the comity of nations,” he said.
In the final stretch to the February 16 presidential election, the question many people are asking, especially, South Easterners, is: Which presidential candidate will Willie Obiano, the governor of Anambra state, vote for?
Let me confess that I have also, in the past couple of weeks, been asking myself the same question. I don’t know about others, but each time I ask myself that question, I just shake my head, and exclaim to nobody, in particular: politics.
Ordinarily, the answer should be easy. Ordinarily, nobody should even ask that question. Ordinarily, the answer should be obvious. But in politics, nothing is ordinary. Nothing is obvious. White is not usually white. It could be grey, or even black. Yet, in the instant case, it should have been an obvious, straightforward answer. Afterall, the governor’s political party has a presidential candidate whose name it submitted to INEC, and who was duly cleared to contest.
Obiano is the only governor, his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has. He is, also, the Chairman of APGA’s Board of Trustees, a rather awkward arrangement. But if the party’s constitution approves that, why not?
Being a governor, he is the only one who, “in the Nigerian manner”, can comfortably fund the party. I mean, he is unarguably, the alpha and omega in APGA. His job, therefore, is to build APGA. It is to push the party beyond Anambra state. It is to project APGA in the best image possible. It is to give it direction.
When APGA was founded by a number of the Igbo – across political parties – its driver was Chief Chekwas Okorie, and its face, the authentic Biafran Leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, now of the blessed memory. The vision, at the time, was to have an authentic party for the Igbo to always fall back on. The vision was to have something akin to the Yoruba race’s then Action for Democracy, AD. It is on record that AD, even though it was registered as a political party, did not meet the criteria set, then, by the military regime for party registration. But it was registered, all the same, for the Yoruba, to appease them. Their son, late Chief MKO Abiola, the undeclared winner of the 1993 presidential election, had just died in detention. It was, for the same reason that, on the return of democracy in 1999, the Yoruba produced the two frontline presidential candidates – General Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae. Obasanjo was to defeat Falae to become the president.
So, the founders of APGA patterned it after AD – to give the Igbo a voice. Under the Ikemba, APGA had a strong voice. It did not win all of the South-east states, but it was a party no Igbo could ignore. It occupied that soft spot in the heart of every Igbo. At a point, it had two governors – Peter Obi, Anambra, and Rochas Okorocha, Imo. Like him, Okorocha inexplicably ditched APGA for the All Progressives Congress. Unlike Obi, nobody pushed him out. Yet, APGA trudged on, managing to contest and win seats in a couple of states outside the South-east, including Lagos. So, APGA had promise. It had a future to become, at least, a strong regional party. It’s presence picked when Ojukwu ran for the office of the President.
Although APGA made no impact in that contest, it was symbolic.
Here was a man who was forced, by circumstances, to be a secessionist leader, now vying for the top job of the same country from which he led his people to an aborted secession.We knew he was not going to win. But we cheered. The symbolism was not lost on anybody.
Since that first shot at the Presidency by Ojukwu, APGA had never dared to present another presidential candidate. The party chose, each time, to support a presidential candidate, usually a candidate supported, mostly, by the South-east people. The Igbo did not mind, nor worry. It was same for APGA members. Afterall, some of them still voted for presidential candidates of their choice.
But all that changed with the APGA leadership under Obiano. The party decided that, in 2015, it would field a presidential candidate. No problem. But not a few people worried. They wondered why a party with only one state would think of fielding a presidential candidate. Why not try to consolidate in the South-east?, they asked. But no matter. Aside from the APC and the PDP, the scores of other parties which fielded presidential candidates do not even have any ward and/or councillor which they control. So, APGA is even better than them. Indeed, after the APC and the PDP, APGA, rightly, is, or ought to be, the number three party. It has a governor. It has a Senator. It has a couple of House of Assembly members. And it has House of Assembly members. Yet, not a few people kept asking: Why now? They felt somebody desperately had a grand plan to get to a selfish end. More on this later
But what happened thereafter after the party picked its Presidential candidate? APGA sold itself short. It short-changed itself – to the extent that only very few Nigerians, when it comes to Presidential candidates know the names of its Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates. Sadly, two people who, in their own rights, are amongst Nigeria’s brightest.
Willie Obiano, governor of Anambra state.
I know both men. I have had contacts with them. I have had cause to discuss Nigeria with them. Both are driven. They are passionate about Nigeria. Indeed, at the beginning of their journey, a professional colleague of mine and I, on invitation, were with them for about a week, 24/7, almost, making professional suggestions, and sharing ideas. All they wanted, they told us, was for APGA to be truly the number three party. Meaning: after APC and PDP, APGA should be next. They strongly felt it might become the deciding factor in the Presidential election. Even though, like politicians, they would, at times, in one excited moment, say confidently, edged on by hangers-on : “We are in this to win”, I’m sure they didn’t believe themselves. A number of their supporters and hangers-on, had started calling them “Your Excellencies”, already. In fact, one morning, before both gentlemen joined the rest of us for a meeting, an argument had ensued on how to address Chukwueke, the Vice Presidential candidate. “His Excellency”, most chorused. You know, the Nigerian thing. Those who disagreed looked like some “bad belles”. The majority carried the vote. The story of how our professional sojourn with them came to an untidy end is a story for another day. So, I know a bit about the two people involved.
The presidential candidate, Major General Paul Gbor, rtd, a Benue state indigene, is an officer, gentleman (in the real sense of it) and, an academic. He has a PhD, and in his hey days in the Army, was, once, in charge of its education sector. He had vied for the governorship of his state, he revealed, and had, allegedly, defeated Gabriel Suswan, but was inexplicably, asked to stand down for him. Jerry Chukwueke is an international business man and, a perennial contestant to the governorship seat of Imo state. The two can, therefore, not be described as nobodies by any stretch of imagination. But here’s their fate:
They were sold short. The result: Nigerians can reel out names of the 2019 presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, and not remember to add those of APGA.
For me, fundamental mistakes were made from the beginning. It was not smart to start without knowing where the funds would come from. At times, promises are cheap. It was not smart to settle for a Christian-Christian ticket. It may have sold during the Muslim-Muslim Abiola/Kingibe candidacy in 1993. But Nigeria was not then as polarised as it is now. Religion-wise, Nigerians have always had their differences. But at no time did the differences get to the frightening point that it is now. My colleague and I asked that question. It was explained to us. For the one week we were with them, ours was to listen and advise. It was not to overly criticise. Bright candidates? Yes. But it was not going to fly. Yet, being the deciding factor, or the third biggest party, would have been very okay – except that no foundation was laid for that beyond mouthing it.
From the beginning, the impression not a few people had was that APGA was not serious about vying for the presidency; that it was primed to fail; that it wanted to get something out of the gra-gra. Which in itself is not a bad idea. Many politicians aim for a position they know they would never get, even in their sweetest dreams. But they try, all the same, with the hope of being bought out, or bargain for a position.
When I met General Gbor, my heart went out to him when I noticed the depth of his patriotism. A very patriotic Nigerian, with plans that could help turn a number of things around, he didn’t quite fit the bill of one who would allow himself to be used. So, one day, I asked him if he was aware of the stories making the rounds that the Chairman of his party’s Board of Trustees was working for the re-election of Mr President. We were only four present, including my colleague. He was taken-aback, but the fourth person, a sweet operator, quickly mumbled an unconvincing explanation as to why Obiano was romancing, and supporting President Buhari’s re-election. He said something about a debt of N15 billion owed the Anambra state government as refunds for road projects, by the Federal Government. According to him, the romance is just so the president would approve of the refund. Not smart, but if so, what were they doing then, running for office? So, for N15 billion, somebody was prepared to deceive a people, and an, otherwise, fledgling political party? I found that strange.
But, for my colleague and I, we drew a conclusion. Nothing serious would go on here. This might turn out to be a huge joke. But we had hoped that, at least, APGA would try and make some noise. Why bring out a man like Gbor and abandon him midway in an uncivilized manner?
But that is what, in my opinion, happened. I read, at least, nine newspapers, everyday. And I never saw, any day, even a one-page advert, anywhere, promoting the candidacy of Gbor and Chukwueke. I saw none the day two of them were presented, and adopted in Abuja, as candidates by their party, nor in the days running upto it. At the Abuja event, neither Governor Obiano, nor several big wigs of the party, including Iyom Bianca Ojukwu, showed presence. On the day the party launched its campaign in Awka, there was no advert. A number of the party big-wigs were also not present. And since then, it has remained the same. I don’t see posters with the photographs of Gbor and Chukwueke.There has been no major event for the presidential ticket. No campaigns are going on for the Presidency. Except in Anambra state where the governor is campaigning, vigorously, for the candidates of APGA to the National and state Assemblies, Imo and Abia states where Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and Dr Alex Otti are campaigning for the governorship seats, nothing much is heard of APGA. Nobody is campaigning for the Gbor/Chukwueke ticket. In Imo state where Chukwueke hails from, nobody is mentioning him, or remembers him as a Vice Presidential candidate. Instead, they see him as a huge distraction to the Igbo aspiration. The chorus is the PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Peter Obi. And this, for a man who initially, would have made an impact as a governorship or senatorial candidate before he was dragged into the charade of APGA’s Vice Presidential candidate. Both he and Gbor have been abandoned. No funds. No activities. No impact, even in Anambra. Just nothing. They are just there in name. The strong feelings are: that unknown to them, somebody somewhere had used their candidacy as a bargaining chip; that they had been used to fight a bitter, selfish, inexplicable battle.
It is ridiculous, beyond any comprehension, that the man, Governor Obiano, whose job it is to inspire their candidacy, with the Chairman of the party, Dr Victor Oye, and other party big wigs has, almost, wiped their faces off the political landscape of Nigeria. APGA has managed to lose the support of its ardent supporters and sympathisers, including Bianca, one of its biggest funders, Chief Ifenayi Uba, and a host of others. The alleged uncivilized governorship primary conducted in Imo was also no good for the party. Most of the aspirants feel they were 419ed.
It is funny that instead of promoting the candidacy of Gbor/Chukwueke, for whatever it is worth, the governor is busy, campaigning for the re-election of the candidate of another party, President Buhari, even more than Buhari’s Ministers from the South-east. Aside from his many pronouncements in favour of the President, this other day, he dared insult the sensibilities of the Igbo by telling them that Mr President would create another party in the South-east on being re-elected. How come? Before then, he had dismissed the Ohanaeze President, Chief Nnia Nwodo, as an idiot, for daring to fix a meeting of the association on the day President Buhari visited Onitsha to commission the Mausoleum of the First President of the Republic of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. He felt it was a disrespect to the memory of the late great nationalist. But more important, he felt it was a snub on President Buhari. Why?
Ohanaeze had said it was backing the presidential ticket of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Obiano’s predecessor in office, Peter Obi, a man whose name Obiano is allergic to.
For the records, if the Ohanaeze leadership was properly invited, it was disrespectful not to attend. Even if its members were not going to back Buhari, they should have honoured Zik’s memory by attending. Now, they have given Obiano an alibi for whatever he does on February 16, 2019. His standard answer for running down Ohaneze leadership now is: They disrespected Zik’s memory. A convenient explanation.
Yet, I don’t believe that was enough reason for Obiano to phone Nwodo, and call him an idiot. Whatever happened to respect for elders? Whatever happened to polish and decency? That was beneath contempt.
I think Obiano’s anger, in this case, boiled over because of his non-support for Obi’s Vice Presidential candidacy. It is also why he summoned a sudden emergency meeting of Traditional Rulers and other stakeholders on the day Atiku and Obi were billed to visit the state for their presidential campaign. A question of tit for tat? It was petty, especially, considering that the PDP Vice Presidential candidate is a son of the soil. It is also why he is encouraging a hitherto unknown Ohaneze faction. The governor should have risen above that pettiness.
But back to who Obiano would vote for on Saturday, February 16, 2019. It is not for the APGA ticket of Gbor/Chukwueke. The ticket, programned to die, has since been buried. It is not for the PDP ticket of Atiku/Obi. To him, that’s poison. It will be for the APC ticket of Buhari/Osinbajo. His utterances say so. And so does his body language.
Of course, it is his prerogative. His right. His decision. His choice. But what will he say to General Paul Gbor and Chief Jerry Chukwueke? What reasons will he give them for not supporting their candidacy? Will he tell them that their candidacy was a huge joke, or worse, a scam, from the beginning? I don’t know about you. But for me, it beats the imagination. His abandonment of his party’s candidates is a new low in Nigerian politics. Finally, I pray he gets the alleged N15 billion refund as soon as President Buhari wins again. That will be a good pay off.
A faction of the APC in Rivers is now set to fully participate in the March 2, 2019 gubernatorial election, albeit by proxy, The Source has learnt.
This magazine had exclusively reported, penultimate week that the two factions of the party in the state were making separate plans to take part in the electoral exercise by adopting smaller parties should the Supreme Court eventually bar the APC from fielding candidates.
Before the Tuesday, February 12, 2019 Supreme Court’s final ruling in the disputed Rivers APC congresses which irrevocably dashed the party’s hope of fielding a candidate in the March 2 governorship election, a faction of the party in the state loyal to Transport Minister, Chibuike Amaechi was already exploring options aimed at remaining relevant in the exercise should the apex court’s hammer come falling
Sources claiming to be close to the faction have now informed The Source that an agreement has been reached with one of the fringe parties. According to the sources, barring a last minute change of mind, the Amaechi-led APC faction will, in a few days, formally announce its adoption of the party for the purpose of the governorship election. This will be followed by massive campaign tours which will be oiled by the faction.
Senator Magnus Abe: Leads the other Rivers APC faction
Under the arrangement, The Source was told that the gubernatorial candidate of the party and his running mate were made to sign pre-dated resignation letters which, in the event of victory, will be tendered to the House of Assembly few months after inauguration, paving the way for the APC faction’s candidates to fill the vacuum, either by contesting the positions on the APC platform or on the fringe party’s platform, depending on INEC’s guideline for the by-elections.
“Should INEC insist that only the parties that contested the first election are eligible to contest the by-elections, the candidate of the APC will file out on the platform of his adopted stop-gap party, but will shortly switch back to the APC after victory”, one of the sources explained.
Meanwhile, a number of APC chieftains in the state have dismissed the proxy candidate theory and distanced the Transport Minister from such idea. They told The Source that, the Supreme Court’s decision, though painful and sad, the Rivers APC has accepted its fate. “Some mischief makers who are haunted by Amaechi’s towering political profile are not tired of linking his name to absurdities. This latest one is laughable. The Minister is not involved in any proxy nonsense. It is a wicked and baseless rumour”, one of the APC stalwarts told the magazine.
The Independent Electoral Commission, INEC’s decision to bar APC from fielding candidates in Rivers and the apex court’s validation of that action was predicated upon court rulings declaring the APC as having no candidates in all the strata of elections in the state. Fierce struggle between Transport Minister, Chibuike Amaechi and his erstwhile ally, Senator Magnus Abe, for the soul of Rivers APC had resulted in parallel ward, local government and state Congresses of the party as well as parallel legislative and gubernatorial primaries. While Senator Abe’s APC faction produced him as the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Amaechi’s faction threw up Tonye Cole, the billionaire owner of Sahara Energy.
The ensuing multiple court cases to determine whose faction is the authentic Rivers’ APC was to become tragic for both factions as the courts-High courts, Appeal court and now Supreme court- were to rule there were no valid APC congresses and primaries in the state and ,therefore, disqualified the party from fielding candidates for the elections.
For the second time in the run up to the 2019 Presidential election, candidates vying for the Presidency under the various party platforms converged in Abuja to sign a Peace Accord. The document included the commitment of every aspirant that signed the accord to commit to peaceful election – and the acceptance of the results thereafter.
The first peace accord was signed in December, 2018, by the Presidential Candidates of political parties at the International Conference center, Abuja. It was midwifed by the National Peace Committee, headed by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar .The two Presidential front runners, Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, signed that Accord.
Today’s signing was witnessed by a coterie of international Observers and representatives of the European Union, United States and other African Heads of state. Traditional and religious leaders also graced the occasion, including the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Hassan Kukah.
The event was organized partly by the Koffi Annang Foundation, established in honor of the late former United Nations Secretary General, Koffi Annang. The occasion was specially graced by Baroness Patricia Scotland, current Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations.
This Magazine had reported that Scotland was meant to grace the occasion with former president of the United States, Bill Clinton. But Clinton canceled at the last minute, because of what sources described as the political undertone that may ring through the signing of the Accord. “Clinton may still speak, individually, with the two front liners, President Buhari and Atiku Abubarkar on Friday”, the magazine learnt.
The Peace Accord afforded the two front runners to meet face to face for the first time in several months.
Accusations and counter accusations from both leading parties, PDP and APC, have been the order of the day a in recent times, raising fears of possible violence during, and after the February 16 polls. This may have informed the co-ordinated efforts both by the International community and the Peace Committee.
After the signing, President Buhari assured all that INEC had pledged to conduct free and fair election. Most Nigerians are eager to believe him, and hold him to his promise.
