KADUNA – Well known Islamic Cleric, Sheik Dr. Ahmed Gumi has foretold of violence should President Goodluck Jonathan go on to contest and win the 2015 Presidential election.
Jonathan
Gumi made this known in an open letter he wrote the President yesterday and made available to Vanguard in Kaduna.
Reads the letter: “We have never met despite the fact that we were all born and we lived for more than half a century in this great vast country Nigeria. It’s here we all grew up and were educated and I presume except by divine prudence it’s here that we will all be buried.
“So what truly matters is the legacy that we will bequest our children and the next generation of Nigerians to come. We will not want it a burnt country with hundreds of thousands dead, maimed or displaced people because of the thoughtlessness and recklessness of its stewardship.
“Nigeria today is a single railway line with two heavily loaded trains spending towards each other in opposite direction.
“You need to come out of the cocoon and face the reality. Denial of the truth can never solve problems.
“Mr. President, from what I heard from people who are close to you, is that you are humble with a soft heart. But still humility is never enough for an effective leadership. Leadership is about listening and taking the good advices from people of wisdom not from those that benefit from you or have any agenda other than the unity and progress of this Nation.
“The mantle of the leadership of this country was given to you under oath. Almost four years ago you swore to protect ‘the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’. You said: ‘ I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions; and ‘I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will’
“Unfortunately, many people including me before God believe you broke some of your oath. I’ll only need to refer you back to the honest open letter advice you were given by your political godfather. You appear more Ijaw than Nigerian. It’s seldom fathers will deceive their children. Yet you never listen. And sadly by your recalcitrance you are dangerously leading this nation to chaos and turmoil that only God knows were it will end.
“Muslims have officially registered to you on occasions your partiality. Northern groups have complained about your bias. The youth about your neglect.
“You have divided the nation gravelly on the religious divided. Already we heard a call in a church that you are now a savior. Now, not of Nigeria but the church in Nigeria. With this religious zeal on both sides, each side looking at the wrong people for salvation the nation is heading towards disaster.
“My fellow country man, it’s unfortunate that your stand on many issues have made you into a polarizing figure while the exalted office you occupy needs a nationalistic one. Surely with the Christian votes and northern PDP followers you can win another election but you will also set the nation into another turmoil because that segment of the nation that rejects you do so because they believe rightly or wrongly you are involved negatively in the Boko Haram Saga. The natural thing any good leader will do in this situation is to step down for a person all the segments of the nation will have confidence with for their well-being. A credible person that will not stir apprehension. The decision is not about your rights but about responsibility.
“Therefore as you pray in the Holy Land seek for God’s indulgence to show you the light of honor and do the right thing. It’s God’s command that Nigeria stay united and ‘what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder’.
“A word of wisdom says: ‘He who consults is never disappointed and he who seeks God’s choice never regret’ so please don’t brush it aside call men of wisdom to advice you too.
“I for a start, I am hereby candidly advising you to relinquished your presidential ambition because of peace, stability and well being of millions of innocent Nigerians. There are many politicians that can ‘finish’ it on your behalf. The PDP can present Akpabio or Obi or Orji etc.
As the military on-slaught to dislodge Boko Haram enters a new stage, and the agreement between the Federal Government and Boko Haram sect is breached severally, the Army High Command in Abuja has removed the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 division Jos, Major General Mohammed Zaruwa.
Soldiers tasked with fighting Boko Haram militants arrive to face trials for mutiny in Abuja on October 2, 2014. Nearly 100 soldiers tasked with fighting Boko Haram militants in Nigeria’s far northeast appeared at a military court martial on Thursday, facing a range of charges including mutiny. The hearing comes just weeks after a tribunal sentenced 12 soldiers to death following their conviction for shooting at their commanding officer in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, in May. AFP PHOTO
General Zaruwa, according to sources would be posted to the Defence Headquarters where there are vacancies for top army generals following retirements of three generals, two of them after 35 years in service, and one compulsory retirement.
Meanwhile, a new GOC,Major General F.O.Alli has been appointed for the 3 armoured division of the Nigerian Army.
General Alli was until his appointment, the Director of Operations at Army Headquarters. He has served as the Brigade Commander in Yola prior to his posting to Army Headquarters and had battled the terrorists previously. He was also at a time, the Principal General Staff Officer to the minister of defence.
General Zaruwa who had been in the forefront of the battle to recapture communities taken over by the terrorists in Adamawa and Borno states personally led the onslaught that wiped out hundreds of the terrorists in Vimtim, the home town of the Chief of Defence Staff,and during the advance on some communities in Bazza, Michika, and Gulak last month and early this month.
The Senior officer, who was the Military Adviser of Peacekeeping operations to the Minister of Defence before his appointment early this year as GOC, is highly rated in the military circles
When Saturday Vanguard sought to find out why the GOC was recalled, a source disclosed that it was a routine ‘Change of Guard’ posting which cannot be attributed to any shortcoming.
It will be recalled that shortly after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and Boko Haram sect; the terrorists breached the agreement by attempting to catch Nigerian soldiers unawares in Damboa, a strategic community close to Maiduguri, hoping that the directive by the Chief of Defence Staff not to attack will be heeded.
Saturday Vanguard was however told that despite the directive to ceasefire, military commanders were told to use their prerogative to defend their positions if attacked. Hence the plot by the terrorists to attack Damboa thinking that soldiers will fold their hands and allow them was quickly understood and they were repelled.
Since then, the terrorists have attacked communities in Adamawa State, abducting women andyoung girls while detonating of bombs in Bauchi and several other places in the North East.
A senior officer who spoke with Vanguard last Friday when the ceasefire was announced, had expressed apprehension about the development asking, “Why is it now that new weaponry had arrived the country, more counter-terrorism trained security operatives had arrived and the military were preparing for the final onslaught, that Boko Haram wants ceasefire?
‘Let us hope that after many of their commanders and hundreds of followers were killed including the former impostor, Bahsir, in several confrontations in Konduga, this is not a ploy to buy time and carry out more conscription or recruitments”, the officer said.
Only on Thursday, scores of women and girls from two communities Adamawa state were by suspected militants at night. Among villages attacked are Waga Mangoro and Garta – are close to Madagali and Michika towns.
In another attack in Azare, Bauchi State, five people were killed in a bomb blast.
Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed that five persons killed in the bomb explosion that also left 12 others injured.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed, said in a statement that the blast occurred at about 21.45 hours on Wednesday when an improvised explosive device planted at a motor park in Azare was detonated.
He disclosed that the injured persons are now receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, adding that investigation into the incident has commenced.
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, refused an application for the trial of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume who is accused of sponsoring the Boko Haram sect, to be conducted in secret.
Mohammed Ndume
The application was filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN.
The Federal Government had alleged that Ndume who is currently representing Borno South Federal Constituency in the Senate, was the one that hitherto furnished the sect with information that aided their terrorist operations in Nigeria.
He was among other things alleged to have furnished them with the telephone numbers of top government officials and Judges, among which included the phone number of the AGF himself.
The sect was said to have called some of those whose numbers were given to them and threatened to visit them with ‘fire and brimstone’.
The government had earlier tendered a proof of evidence that indicated that Ndume who is answering to a 4-count criminal charge, made contacts with the Boko Haram sect 73 times.
Though some call logs and three digital video discs (DVDs), containing call-data records, as well as documents containing findings based on investigations carried out by a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) set up by the Department of State Security, DSS, were previously admitted into evidence by the trial court, it was subsequently expunged from the trial record on the order of the Appeal Court in Abuja.
Meantime, following the decision of the Federal Government to produce two more witnesses to testify against the accused lawmaker, it urged the court to order a closed-door hearing on the matter.
ABUJA—IN a rare show of solidarity, the two factions of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, temporarily put aside their year-long differences, yesterday, to fight against the National Assembly proposal granting autonomy to the country’s local governments.
R-L; Governors Martins Elechi, Godswill Akapbio, Segun Mimiko; Deputy Governor Kogi, Yomi Awoniyi, Governors Jonah Jang, T Orji and Others after their meeting recently in Abuja. PHOTO; Sinday Aghaeze
The two factions, led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Jonah Jang of Plateau State, in separate reactions said the autonomy proposal for the local government system was out of sync with the operation of a federal system.
The two houses of the National Assembly had adopted the proposal for autonomy for the local governments as the third tier of government in the federation. The move which has been received with joy among some stakeholders in the local government system was, however, opposed by the two factions of the NGF.
The Jang-led faction of the NGF walked out from the mainstream faction led by Governor Amaechi after supporters of Jang disputed the outcome of the election which returned Amaechi as chairman of the governors’ association last year.
Reacting to the decision of the National Assembly to grant autonomy to the local governments, the Amaechi-led faction speaking through its Director-General, Asishana Okauru, affirmed that the body would not change its opposition on the issue of autonomy for local governments.
Amaechi’s NGF
Speaking in a telephone interview with Vanguard, he said: “The NGF does not support autonomy for local governments. The governors are against it, they have said it and still maintain that they will not support autonomy for local governments.
“There is no country in the world that there are three federating units; there are only two all over the world. Why should you say that there must be a third federating unit in Nigeria?”
According to him, chairman of the forum, Governor Amaechi aside making a similar call last year, had at a session with journalists recently said that the governors would continue to push against granting autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.
Jang-led NGF
In an unusual concord with the Amaechi-led forum, the Jang-led NGF in a statement by its secretary, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, said: “The NGF under the leadership of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has differed with the NASS over the move to amend the constitution and grant local governments full administrative and financial autonomy.”
The governors in the statement accused some members of the National Assembly of using the conference committee to force through an amendment that was clearly rejected by the Senate during the constitution amendment debates and votes.
Onaiwu in the statement quoted the governors as saying that “it was improper in an issue of this magnitude for the conference committee to overturn the position of a majority in the upper house.
“The push for local government autonomy by the National Assembly was hasty without first considering the problems of executive recklessness and ineffective administration at the local level.”
The governors thus warned that “the amendment will lead to the hijack of some local government administrative structures by a few powerful individuals without the oversight the state government currently provides.”
The forum, however, expressed confidence that the amendment will be rejected by a majority of the states houses of assembly.
IN a publication that pictorially showcased ex-governor Kayode Fayemi’s exploit in Ekiti, titled: ‘Leapfrogging Ekiti from Obscurity to Prosperity’ the conception and funding of the new controversial government house were clearly stated that ‘’The administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State places much premium on infrastructure which it believes is a catalyst for modernizing the state.
Fayemi
Infrastructural development is the second policy thrust of the 8-point agenda of the Fayemi administration otherwise known as the “Roadmap to Ekiti Recovery.
‘’Desirous of being remembered for good by citizens of the State, the Fayemi administration conceived what it called “Legacy Projects” bequeathed to the generations yet unborn.
‘’In conceiving the projects, the administration took cognizance of the need to execute projects that accord with the needs of the government and people of Ekiti and critically also, positively project the Land of Honour in the comity of states in Nigeria.
‘’Not ready to be encumbered by the meagre allocations from the Federation Account as the state is 35th out of 36th on the nation’s revenue ladder, the administration secured a N25 billion bond from the Capital Market.
‘’Upon accessing the first tranche of N20 billion, the administration immediately embarked on the mission to change the face of the state with the Legacy Projects which the new Government House is one of them.”
According to Fayemi, ‘’Ekiti State has lived with the challenge of having a befitting Government House since the state was created on October 1, 1996. The first Military Administrator, as he was designated, Col. Inua Bawa (rtd), was holed-up in a borrowed apartment before building an official residence with bricks sourced from Ire-Ekiti Burnt Bricks Factory.
‘’Successive administrations since then made do with some buildings in the Government House complex, including the present abode of the state’s number one citizen known as the Osuntokun Lodge. The fact that the Lodge lacked many facilities befitting of the residence of a governor and therefore “very inferior” to other Government Houses in the country, made the need for a new Government House in Ekiti very imperative.
‘’This inadequacy came even more to the fore at the death of the former Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka, with guests pouring in from all over the country to commiserate with the government and people of the state on the monumental loss. To add to the state’s sorrow, the governor could not receive two sets of guests at the same time.
‘’But that rather embarrassing experience has become history with the construction of the new Government House situated on the Ayoba Hills in Ado-Ekiti, the new edifice, like the biblical “House on a Hill” can be seen from all parts of the city.
‘’While dismissing the claims of the opposition that the project is self-serving, Fayemi argued that the new Government House belongs to the people of Ekiti and not his personal property.
‘’He added that it would continue to serve as the official residence of all coming governors, long after he would have left office. The new Government House, will go down as an important statement of the New Ekiti that the Fayemi administration has always thought possible: It is an Ekiti State that plays second fiddle to none.’’
Lagos – A 31-year-old driver, Tola Omoleke, on Thursday appeared before an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, charged with pouring fuel on two police officers to set them ablaze.
Omoleke, who resides at No. 33, Moshalasi St., Ejigbo, Lagos, is being tried for threat to life and assault.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Oct. 3 at Dopemu, Lagos.
He said the accused assaulted two police officers — ASP James Agboru and Cpl. Ali Sakuru — while performing their lawful duties.
“The accused assaulted the officers by fighting and punching them. He also poured fuel on the policemen and threatened to set them ablaze.
“It was the quick intervention of people that averted the disaster,’’ said Olatunde.
The prosecutor said the accused, who drove his car without a driver’s licence, damaged a Toyota Sienna car, property of one Mr Sheu Yisa, in his escape bid.
“The accused damaged a car while trying to escape from the law enforcement agents.
“He refused to stop but unfortunately for him his truck broke down at Dopemu.
“The complainants tried to arrest him but he resisted; instead, he started assaulting them,’’ he added.
According to Olatunde, the offences contravene Sections 172 and 238 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Section 238 prescribes life imprisonment for offenders.
The accused pleaded innocence of the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N50, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
The Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola, adjourned the case till Oct. 31 for mention.
ARGUABLY, Nigeria has never had it so bad. Seven months to a presidential election, the aspirants are not known.
The political atmosphere is not charged or astir. Consultations, if any, are done in low and hushed tones. The electorates do not know what to expect from those who will want to govern them because nothing has been said or promised.
There is no flurry of activities in the political parties especially the opposition parties that should keep the ruling party on its toes. Does it mean the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan are doing well? If not, who is going to stop them? What will the person or party do differently for Nigeria and Nigerians?
There is loud silence in the polity less than three months to the beginning of presidential primaries. Does it mean that the political class and would-be candidates are taking the electorates for granted?
It has not always been like this. Several months before the April 21, 2007 presidential polls won by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the PDP with Dr Goodluck Jonathan as vice president, the polity was awash with a horde of aspirants, who criss-crossed the length and breadth of the country consulting stakeholders and seeking endorsements.
They were upbeat to succeed President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose perceived Third Term Agenda was shot down by the Senate President Ken Nnamani-led National Assembly with the support of Nigerians.
The aspirants included most of the governors, who were doing their second term then. We had Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida; Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Sani Yerima and his Abia State counterpart, Orji Uzor Kalu. Among those whose aspirations were not in doubt and whose political moves electrified the polity included Dr. Peter Odili, then governor of Rivers of State and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
As of July 2010, about nine months to the April 16, 2011 presidential elections, many aspirants had emerged, declaring their readiness to do political battle with President Jonathan. Within the ruling PDP, Gen. Babangida had declared his intention.
There were also the likes of Atiku Abubakar; then Kwara State Governor, Dr Bukola Saraki; and General Muhammed Gusau (rtd). Among the opposition parties, those whose aspirations were known included Mr. Donald Duke, the former governor of Cross River State, who was warming up to fly the flag of Labour Party; Otunba Dele Momodu of the National Conscience Party (NCP); Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and General Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Change (CPC) among others.
Even President Jonathan declared his intention on September 18, 2010, about seven months to the election.
But things are different now despite early release of the 2015 election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
With the INEC fixing February 14, 2015, seven months away as the date for the presidential election, one would have expected that the political climate would be turbo-charged now with hundreds of aspirants showing interest to remove President Jonathan from Aso Rock.
One expected the PDP, All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), etc, to have commenced the process of producing their presidential candidates. It appears that the coast is almost clear for PDP’s Jonathan, who has not even declared his intention against the backdrop that the House of Representatives caucus of the PDP endorsed him, this week, for second time, with the PDP Governors, National Executive Committee (NEC), Board of Trustees (BoT) and others to follow, thereby clearing the political bush for the president.
2015 election timetable
According to a breakdown of the timetable of activities for the elections as contained in a document signed by INEC’s Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, the presidential primaries of the various parties should be held between October 2 and December 11 while campaigns for the election will commence November 16.The dates are in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010.
Campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on November 16, 2014 while campaigns for governorship and state houses of assembly will start on November 30, 2014.
According to INEC, campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections would end on February 12, 2015 while those of governorship and state houses of assembly would stop on February 26, 2015 and February 28, 2015 respectively.
With political activities so dull six months to the election, Saturday Vanguard asked politicians and stakeholders what the scenario portends for the polity.
APGA is not focusing on the presidency now –Umeh
Reacting to the development, Chairman, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, said that his party was for now concentrating on governorship, state houses of assembly and National Assembly elections and not the presidency because that requires so much resources.
He said: “Who are the presidential candidates of the other 24 parties? We are interested in building our party with more governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly victories across the country in the 2015 general elections! A Presidential election is not a local government election.
You need much resources to contemplate participation. When we muster enough strength, we will join the contest. But, we shall play a major role in determining who wins the presidential election in 2015 through alliance engagement.”
Politicians‘re not taking voters for granted –Ben Obi
Asked if politicians were not taking voters for granted with their approach, Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi said, “I don’t agree with you. INEC has a time table and you have to follow the time table.”
Told that campaigning is different from signifying intention to run, he said: “But you have to follow the time table. If somebody wants to run and he is consulting quietly, how would you know? I know of people who have interest. Running for presidential election is not a child’s affair. For you to go into the presidential race you have to consult to be sure of what is on the ground.
You have to have a structure. APC thought it was easy but as you can see they are now facing their own internal wrangling. If they don’t sort that out now before going to talk about, who will fly the flag of the party, your guess is as good as mine. Even in the PDP, we are doing some reconciliation.
As you can see the National Chairman who people refer as the game changer is moving around and he has brought some innovations, which are making the party come alive by trying to make sure that he reaches out. Fortunately for him, he has been a governor and most of these problems emanate from governors that want you to do this or that.
But at the end of the day they are leaders of their various states. So, they have found their equal match and colleague in Ahmed Muazu. So it makes things much easier.”
Why our politicians are timid –Odumakin
Asked a similar question, Mr.Yinka Odumakin, a leader of Afenifere and a delegate at the confab, said he does not think the presidential aspirants were taking voters for granted.
His words: “I do not think so. I think what is happening is that the country is unsettled with bombings, killings and crises. If you have a thinking political class, next election should not be the issue now. How do you want to conduct a successful election in seven months time in the midst of these?
“In Ekiti, we saw many things. Yes, the election was peaceful but how many soldiers and police did you deploy there? How many will you deploy all over the country in a general election?
“First, we have to settle 2014 and resolve the future of Nigeria before 2015 election. If those who want to scuttle the National Conference report succeed and we are talking about going for election next year, then we are going for war… that is why politicians are timid. We know the presidential aspirants but they cannot come out because the water is not settled, it is muddled. And the water is not going to clear unless we address the issues about the future of Nigeria.”
Scenario is amazing –Victor Attah
In his contribution, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, who described the scenario as amazing, stressed that the PDP and APC are simply the same as they are only politicking while the country was being underdeveloped.
Activities ‘ll pick up next month –Kumo
Commenting on the matter, former Special Adviser on Election Matters to past PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and a delegate at the National Conference, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo, said there was a little bit of maturity in the entire political system.
According to him, in past people used to come out early because there was no fixed date, but what obtains now is that INEC has released the election time table, adding, “since the time is known with the released timetable, from August, all political parties will come up and political activities would then kick off. It is not too late, people will build on this.”
I’m worried –Zoro
Former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, and a delegate at the National Conference, Sani Zoro said: “My worry is that Nigeria is no longer a law and order country.
Some aspirants in some places had since launched their campaigns in the open, contrary to INEC guidelines. Yet, the so-called independent commission cannot bring them to book. I am not optimistic about rancour-free or free and fair elections in 2015.”
PDP’s candidate is known, we’re waiting for the opposition –Okon
On his part, a delegate representing Akwa Ibom State at the National Conference, Senator Aniete Okon said: “In PDP, the President has the conventional right of first refusal (to be the presidential candidate.) The party without excluding any other aspirant must in the manner of universal convention of parties in most democratic realms invite the incumbent to bear the party’s standard into an election on the incumbent’s record.
“In The PDP, we believe that Mr. President has more than made the mark. His record, given the distractions posed by the concert of dark intrigues that spawned hydra-headed conflicts and consequential breaches of security and eroded our sovereignty commends Mr. President to justifiably to present himself for re-election.
In the PDP, there is no credible aspiration that will be worth a passing glance. We are ready. It is the opposition that has the daunting task of house keeping to sort themselves and establish some thing akin to order.”
The opposition should come up with alternatives –Nwagwu
In like manner, Ezenwa Nwagwu, Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform and a delegate to the National Conference said: “For the position party, there is no pretending about who their (PDP) candidate will be. As it stands today even aspiration is criminalised and they started third party campaign, mobilization and group endorsements.
Worrying, however, is the opposition party, who in my view, should have unveiled their candidate considering that they may be bogged down by possible acrimonious convention. Therefore, they will need good time to get that behind to face the general election.”
Prospective aspirants are in order –Okoye
In his contribution, a constitutional lawyer and a delegate at the National Conference, Festus Okoye, said: “Parties and their candidates are products of the law and the Constitution. Their fidelity must be to the constitution and the law. Credible and transparent elections are therefore anchored on respect for the rule of law and due process.
”By the provisions of section 99 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), political parties and their candidates shall only commence what the laws refer to as Public Campaigns 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.
”Furthermore, political parties and their candidates shall campaign for elections in accordance with such rules and regulations as may be determined by the Commission.
This is also based on the fact that by section 30 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) the Independent National Electoral Commission shall, not later than 90 days before the day appointed for holding of an election under the Act publish a notice in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory stating the date of the election.
Candidates of political parties will therefore only emerge after the political party primaries held in accordance with section 87 of the Electoral Act. What we have as at present are aspirants.
”The aspirants can engage in in-house consultation, lobbying, positioning, negotiation and endorsement. They remain aspirants and cannot in law campaign in public. So, the dearth of aspirants as at today is not a minus for the electoral process. Rather, it enhances the position that public officers should concentrate on the art of governance rather than running up and down campaigning when the time is not ripe.
”However, it will be naïve to pretend that political campaigns have not started or that we do not know the aspirants and or the candidates that may likely be in the race in 2015. Watching the television, listening to the radio and driving around the major cities one sees a galaxy of billboards, posters, handbills and paintings on the wall extolling the virtues of one aspirant or the other.
”My take is that candidates must comply with the law relating to public campaigns. My second take is that candidates can only emerge on compliance with section 87 of the Electoral Act. My final take is that the Nigerian people already know the likely presidential candidates as most of them have been doing underground campaigns.”
We’re following the electoral law –Okechukwu
For Osita Ikechukwu, National Publicity Secretary, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, activities are on going except that they are not full-scale because of the electoral law. He said that with the way and manner messages are carried out on President Jonathan, there clear indications that he is the candidate of the PDP.
According to him, Nigerian Television stations are awash with programmes and advertorial on President Goodluck Jonathan comparing him with late Nelson Mandela; President Barack Obama of the United States of America, USA, among others, just as he said that meetings take place everyday with groups and associations, adding that at the local level, activities are also on with governorship aspirants, senatorial aspirants and others showing interest.
There is no flurry of activities in the political parties especially the opposition parties that should keep the ruling party on its toes. Does it mean the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan are doing well? If not, who is going to stop them? What will the person or party do differently for Nigeria and Nigerians?