FG shortlists four INEC commissioners to succeed Jega

0

The Federal Government might have shortlisted four national commissioners to take over from Prof. Attahiru Jega as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Prof Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman

SUNDAY PUNCH reliably learnt that Jega might be asked to hand over to one of the commissioners in INEC and also proceed on a three-month terminal leave.

During a presidential media chat on February 11, President Goodluck Jonathan had reassured Nigerians that he had no plan to remove the INEC chairman from office. The President’s reassurance came at a time when speculation was rife that government had perfected plans to remove Jega. But some stakeholders who spoke after the interview had dismissed the President’s reassurances as needless, adding that the laws of the land do not confer on the president powers to remove the INEC chairman.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the Supervising Minister of Information, Mr. Edem Duke, had also said the President had no plan to sack Jega.

“On the issue of the INEC chairman, I align myself with what the President said that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman.

“That is not to say that if it is time for the INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of things will not take place.

“It is like saying a civil servant has done 35 years or achieved the age of 60; we now begin to say that he must not retire or he must retire,” Duke had said.

However, the minster drew parallels between Jega’s conditions of service and those of civil servants, reigniting speculation that the Presidency might go ahead with the plan to remove Jega.

Earlier, there had been reports that Prof. Femi Mimiko, brother of the Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, had been pencilled in for the position but investigations by our correspondents showed that the former Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State was no longer in contention.

Sources said the national commissioners that might take over from Jega could come from a list made up of Dr. Mohammed Wali from Sokoto State, Mrs. Amina Zakari from Jigawa State, Colonel Mohammed Kurmi Hammanga (rtd.) from Adamawa State and Dr. Ishmael Igbani from Rivers State.

It was learnt that the person that would take over would act as chairman till June 30 when the tenure of Jega would expire.

The Federal Government, it was learnt, had decided against appointing an ‘outsider’ because preparations for the elections had reached an advanced stage.

Investigations further showed that the FG had yet to decide on whether to appoint the acting chairman from the North-West, where Jega hails from or to take the post to another zone.

It was learnt that Wali and Zakari were shortlisted because they hailed from the North-West.

Igbani and Hammanga were included on the list because of the argument among some top government officials that the INEC chairmanship should not be subjected to the principle of zoning.

A top Federal Government official, who confided in SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said, “None of the commissioners have been informed because the government has not decided whether to retain the post in the North-West or take it to another zone.

“The terminal leave letter that the All Progressives Congress senators were talking about has not been written, but I cannot deny the fact that government wants Jega to proceed on terminal leave.

“Anytime the letter is written and Jega gets it, it will contain the name of the person he will hand over to.”

It was learnt that the government officials, who advocated that one of the INEC commissioners should be appointed, argued that with less than three weeks to the elections, getting Jega’s replacement from outside of the commission could be complicated.

A top government official, who is privy to the discussions in government circles in relating to Jega’s fate, said, “Time is of the essence. The truth is, if you bring someone from outside, he or she will need time to understand the place and know what is happening. It will be difficult for such a person to fully understand what is on the ground.

“However, if we get someone who is already within the system, it will be easier for the person to identify areas where errors were made and correct them within the time left.

“There are also those who are making a case for a neutral person. This set of people argue that after all, Jega himself was brought in from outside and he did a good job of the 2011 elections.”

Several calls and a text message to the Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, were not replied. Reports have said Jega’s terminal leave letter was written by the SGF.

Also, attempts to reach the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters Prof. Rufai Alkali and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe were unsuccessful. Calls to their mobile phone indicated that it was unreachable. A response to text messages sent to them were still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, could not be reached as his telephone lines were not connecting.

Viewed 1 times
FG shortlists four INEC commissioners to succeed Jega

Jonathan planning to freeze Tinubu, Amaechi bank accounts - APC

0

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday condemned an alleged plot by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party to cripple the campaign of the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

Bola Tinubu arriving yesterday

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential campaign, Mr. Garba Shehu, in Abuja.

He said the APC Presidential campaign condemned the plot by the Jonathan-led ruling Peoples Democratic Party to clip the electoral success wings of the opposition APC, through a proposed grounding of aircraft and freezing of bank accounts belonging to stalwarts of the party.

According to him, the plot to destabilise the APC and cripple its flag-bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari, may be linked to the global attention on its candidate’s performance at the United kingdom’s Chatham House last Thursday.

The statement partly read: “The hint we gather from sources is that the government, through its agents, is plotting to ground aircraft and freeze bank accounts of APC stakeholders. But history has shown that the forces of evil can never succeed against the zeal of men and women of virtue and good deeds.”

Shehu said information at APC’s disposal had uncovered the plot by the Jonathan administration to use the Aviation Ministry and the security service to hound and clampdown members of the APC, by prospecting obnoxious means to halt and slow down Buhari’s popularity.

“There is also a plot to block or freeze the bank accounts of APC chieftains like Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi (Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Organisation), and other prominent leaders believed to be funding the General’s campaign; and availing him their aircrafts for electioneering purposes,” Shehu said.

The APC Presidential campaign spokesperson recalled that private jets conveying APC Governors, Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, were either prevented from taking-off or landing during crucial political occasions, particularly during the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections that “saw PDP’s Ayodele Fayose defeating Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a most controversial military-assisted contest now known as Ekiti-gate Tape.”

When contacted, the deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Abdullahi Jalo said, he was not aware of any such plan and challenged the APC to produce evidence if it had any.

He said, “The PDP will remain focused on its campaign for this election. We will not be distracted by the opposition. If they have evidence of any such plan they should make it public.”

Viewed 1 times
Jonathan planning to freeze Tinubu, Amaechi bank accounts - APC

Troops raid Boko Haram hideouts in Yobe, Adamawa

0

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, has said some Boko Haram insurgents were killed by troops during a cordon and search operation along Djimillo-Damaturu, Yobe State on Friday.

Nigerians soldiers with Boko Haram flag

Olukolade said the troops had a fierce encounter with the terrorists when their hideout was discovered by soldiers near a market.

According to him the soldiers killed an unspecified number of the insurgents and recovered some machine guns and rifles from them.

He added that some of the terrorists were believed to have been killed in a fire that gutted the house which they used as their base.

Olukolade said a soldier was killed in the fight with the terrorists while another who had gunshot wounds was undergoing treatment

The Defence spokesman also said the troops had an encounter with some terrorists who were in the process of blowing up a bridge to halt the military operation in Gulak, the headquarters of the Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The troops, he said, also recovered some arms and ammunition from them, adding that flags hoisted by the terrorists were being dismantled by the troops in the operational area.

Meanwhile, an intelligence source said on Saturday that military operations were going on in various communities in the three states under emergency rule.

The source stated that the military had recovered over 30 communities in 12 local government areas in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

Olukolade had said in a statement on Friday that troops liberated Bara, the headquarters of Gulani Local Government area of Yobe and Gulak, the headquarters of the Madagali.

He stated also that the troops also recaptured other towns such as Shikah, Fikayel, Tetebah, Buza, Kamla and Bumsa, during the two-day operation.

In a related development, a former United States ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell, has said Boko Haram’s loss of some of its captured territories to the Nigerian troops will not prevent it from carrying out violent attacks against government facilities and innocent people.

Though the Islamist insurgents still have swaths of lands in the North-East under their control, the Nigerian military has been able to drive out the terrorists from more than 10 communities including Mubi, Gamboru-Ngala, Hong, Monguno, Baga and Gombi.

Campbell made this known in an article he wrote for the US-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Director General of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri, had said the army was in full control of the recovered territories in Borno and Adamawa states.

But according to Campbell, beyond the recovered territories, “there appears to have been little change in the areas where Boko Haram operates.

“What is the significance of the Nigerian military’s reoccupation of the three towns? Towns in North-East Nigeria appear to change hands frequently. Unlike ISIS in Syria and Iraq, where a major goal is the permanent occupation and governance of territory, Boko Haram appears to be highly fluid. Hence, Boko Haram does not need to hold territory to be effective. Boko Haram is also adept at melting back into the countryside when confronted by superior forces.”

In a related development, the US Senate voted unanimously to condemn the vicious attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram against innocent civilians, especially women and children, and called on President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to ensure that Nigeria’s upcoming general elections on March 28 and April 11 are safe, credible, and transparent.

The resolution was introduced by Senator Robert Menendez.

The US Senate stated its support to bring an end to violence perpetrated by the Islamist insurgents, urging the Nigerian government to conduct transparent, peaceful, and credible elections.

Viewed 1 times
Troops raid Boko Haram hideouts in Yobe, Adamawa

Okada rider rapes pregnant NYSC member

0

A 20-year old commercial motorcycle operator rider, Tumi Ayileka, is currently cooling his heels at the Ondo State Police Command after he was arrested for allegedly raping a pregnant woman currently observing her National Youth Service Corps scheme in the state.

Rapist

The incident occurred at Imoru, in Ose Local Government Area, when the victim, (names withheld) boarded a motor bike on her way to her residence.

The suspect was said to have veered off the road, dragged the pregnant woman into the bush and raped her.

Confessing to the crime at the police command where he was paraded, Ayileka said he did not know what came over him while he carried the lady on his bike.

He said it was his first time of raping anyone, adding that he felt a sense of remorse after the act and had to take his victim home after.

He said, “She approached me around 7.p.m at Ifon that I should take her to Imoru community where she serves and I obliged after agreeing to pay N500.

“On our away going, I don’t know the spirit that fell on me and I don’t know when I rode her inside the bush and had carnal knowledge of her.

“Immediately after that incident, the spirit went off and I was ashamed of myself, I didn’t know she was pregnant before and I even took her home. Later on, she reported to the police station and I was arrested.

“I didn’t know the spirit that fell on me because I have never done that before.”

Ayileka was one of the 27 suspected criminals paraded by the State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke during his monthly press conference held in Akure, the State Capital.

Eke who confirmed the incident, said the rapist dragged her into the bush and “forcefully and unlawfully had carnal knowledge of her.”

Viewed 1 times
Okada rider rapes pregnant NYSC member

APC chieftain, others defect to PDP in Bayelsa

0

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary for Sagbama local government, Bayelsa State, Prince Vincent Dakoru along with his teeming supporters have defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former publicity secretary said he made the decision when he found out that the All Progressive Congress in the state has no ideology and discipline, especially in their conduct.

Speaking with newsmen in Yenagoa the Sagbama born politician reiterated that in life, it is always good to taste  both sides, pointing out that there is no seriousness in the activities of APC in the state.

He wondered why till date, the party is yet to inaugurate its executives both in the local government and at the state levels.

His words, “The APC as a party is made up of characters with questionable behaviour. The change they claim to portray is full of falsehood, all they know is their stomach without the people they want to govern at their heart.

“The exco both at the state and local government levels have not been inaugurated up till now, so tell me how the exco can work, not to talk of sanitizing the system. Therefore, I and my supporters have decided to come back to PDP where there is transparency”.

Prince Dakoru therefore enjoined other APC members in the state to have a re-think and come back to the ruling PDP and support other Bayelsans in making sure that President Goodluck Jonathan is given a second term to pilot the affairs of the nation.

 

Viewed 1 times
APC chieftain, others defect to PDP in Bayelsa

Farmer drags Buhari to court over certificate saga

0

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA – A farmer from Abia State, Mr. Sergin Onuka Ibe‎ has approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, begging it not to allow Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, to contest the March 28 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Buhari and Certificate

‎The plaintiff, through his lawyer Mr. U.O. Ukairo,‎ prayed the court to invoke its original powers and compel ‎Buhari to not only withdraw from the presidential race, but to equally stop parading himself as a bonafide candidate for the poll.

He contended that the 1st defendant (Buhari), is not legally FIT to vie for presidency in view of the pendency of a perjury charge against him.

The plaintiff maintained that Buhari violated the provision of section 31 of the Electoral Act by lying on oath about his educational qualifications.

He told the court that a personal investigation he conducted revealed that Buhari lacks the basic educational qualifications, adding that the information the 1st defendant supplied to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his Form CF001, were false.

‎Aside Buhari and the APC, INEC was also joined as a defendant in the suit marked FHC/UM/C9/13/15.

Meantime, Justice Ademola Adeniyi has ordered the service of the court processes on Buhari at his official residence at 4A and B Sultan Lane, Off Sultan Road in Kaduna.

‎The Judge said the defendant could as well serve the Originating Summons on the 1st defendant via substituted means, to wit; publishing same in any national daily.

The case was subsequently adjourned to March 26 for hearing.

Specifically, the plaintiff is among other things, praying the court to make ‎a “declaration that the information contained in Form CF001 the 1st defendant supplied on oath to the 3rd defendant in accordance with section 31 of the Electoral Act, are false.

“An order that upon ‎determining the falsity of the above depositions that the 1st defendant is thereby disqualified from contesting the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015, on the platform of the 2nd defendant.

“An ord‎er directing the 3rd defendant (INEC) to remove the name of the 1st defendant as a candidate in the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015.

As well as, “An order directing that any votes accredited to the 1st defendant at the election shall be null and void, he being disqualified ab-initio as a candidate in the election.

‎In a 14 paragraphed statement of claim, the plaintiff, told the court that he is a citizen from Amaekpu-Ohafia in Abia State and is a farmer/politician.

He said he was formerly ‎elected as a Councilor ‎that represented Isiama ward in Okasia Local Government Area of Abia State and a registered voter who is entitled to vote in the forthcoming general elections.

He averred that, “The first defendant in order to be eligible to contest the presidential election submitted to the 3rd defendant an affidavit which is by the nomenclature of the 3rd defendant, known as Form CF001.

“Th‎e said Form CF001 contains, on oath, the personal particulars of the 1st defendant.

“The 3rd defendant in accordance with electoral procedure published the said particulars of the 1st defendant in Umuahia, Abia State, being one of the constituencies of the 1st defendant.

“The plaintiff inspected the said Form CF001 and has reasonable grounds to believe that the following information are false:

“‎(1) All my academic qualification document as filled in my presidential form, ApC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary military board as at the time of this affidavit. (2) WASC-1961‎.

“The particulars and or facts upon which the plaintiff founded the reasonable grounds are: 1) The Nigerian Army like other organisations do not keep certificates of serving or retired Soldiers, but copies only, a fact known to the 1st defendant as a past military Head of State of Nigeria.

“(2) Accordingly ‎the “academic qualifications documents or some or one of them do not exist.

“(3) the defendant knowing that he does not have “WASC-61″ academic qualifications resorted to lying on oath, failed to attach any certificate.

“(4) There is a presumption against unnatural events to the effect that where a person claims that his certificates are with the office that ‎regulated his previous services, it is probable that no such certificate is in existence.

“(5) There is no office known under any law at all as “The Secretary Military Board”, a fact known or ought to be known by the 1st defendant, a retired General of the Nigerian Army.

‎”(6) Arising from above, the plaintiff has no place at which he could verify the deposition of the 1st defendant.

“The plaintiff is “a person” under section 31(5) of the Electoral Act and accordingly has the requisite locus standi to file this suit.

“The plaintiff upon inspecting the said Form CF001 applied to the 3rd defendant for a copy of it at its office at Umuahia but the 3rd defendant refused to give any copy to the plaintiff but directed the plaintiff to submit the application to its Abuja office.

“The plaintiff in obedience to the directive of the 3rd defendant at its Umuahia office submitted another application at the Abuja office of the 3rd defendant. (a copy of the lett‎er is hereby pleaded and will be relied upon at the trial) .

“Regrettably, the 3rd defendant has continued to refuse to give a copy of the said Form CF001 to the plaintiff for which reason the plaintiff went to the notice board of the 3rd defendant and took photographs of the Form CF001 with a digital Samsung Tablet which the plaintiff will be relied upon at the trial.

“The plaintiff has demanded that the 1st defendant withdraws from the presidential election but he continues to parade himself as a candidate”

 

Viewed 1 times
Farmer drags Buhari to court over certificate saga

Why don’t you want Jega sacked, PDP asks APC

0

The Peoples Democratic Party has challenged the All Progressives Congress to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its interest in his stay in office.

Adamu muazu

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said it was more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest in Jega, adding that such raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman.

He said, “Undoubtedly, the frenzy, hysteria and spate with which the APC has been inventing stories regarding Prof. Jega’s stay in office, even when nothing suggests that such was on the table, raise a lot of issues.

“We ask, is there any underlining issue or arrangement between APC and Prof. Jega which the opposition is hell-bent to protect, informing its anxiety and apprehension towards his stay in office?

“While it is noted that the APC is a party of one week, one lie, we in the PDP look beneath the surfaces to the deeper issues propelling the lies.

“We therefore challenge the APC to come out clean and tell Nigerians the real reason behind their false alarms and uncontrolled nervousness regarding Prof. Jega ahead of the 2015 general elections.

“Finally, we wish to remind the leadership of INEC that Nigerians are monitoring its activities and series of unfolding political events ahead of the elections, and will not accept anything less than the conduct of credible, free and fair general elections come March 28 and April 11, 2015.”

Viewed 1 times
Why don’t you want Jega sacked, PDP asks APC