Secondus: Those against Military Deployment During Elections Have Hidden Agenda

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Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, in this interview,  spoke on several issues including  the PDP presidential campaign, the political violence in Rivers State, especially the Okrika crisis, and the deployment of military during elections. Chuks Okocha presents the excerpts

How has the PDP presidential campaign been so far?
We have made a lot of progress going round the country and received warm reception. In the next phase of our campaign we are going to emphasis on townhall meetings, meeting face to face with the people and get to know what is going on. That has been going on in virtually all the states of the federation. Some of our governorship candidates have carried the campaigns to the market, mechanic workshops and so on. We are dealing with the people directly. So the campaign is on and strong.

If you have to reflect on the campaigns so far, are there things you wish you would have done differently?

Not at all. The only regret was the actions of some misguided youths who threw stones when we visited some of the states in the north. I believe they were not civilized enough. Those were the issues. However, APC and its leadership are putting together their propaganda. In fact, in their propaganda machine is to misinform Nigeria by attacking Mr. President, part of which was arranging the youths in part of the northern states to throw stones as if the president was not liked by Nigerians. They want to create impression both inside and outside the country that they are more popular than the PDP. But they are not. The fact of the matter is that if you do a comparative analysis you will see that a party that has been on the ground for over 16 years, has the structures across all the wards and the polling units in the country.

This is what is their major headache; how to dislodge us that is why they resorted to actions of throwing stones, blackmail and propaganda to turn the people against us.

But I can assure you that those things are not working because we know their tricks. Part of it is to imagine meetings that never held, and make up what they discussed in meetings that never held as well as monies that were never distributed. I am quite sure you are aware of the text messages people received about the distribution of $20bn. Also, Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State accused the leadership of the church in Nigeria that they received N6bn from the presidency. The onus is on Amaechi to name the person who received the money or the bank where the money was paid into. But let me tell you this is aimed at causing division in the body of Christ and Amaechi is a satanic agent to cause problem in Christendom.

Those are part of the misinformation to the public and this is evil. I regard it as a satanic verse by the APC. It is going to cause crisis because when it heigthens everybody will know the consequences of politicians being so bitter. You can reflect your mind to what happened in 1965 and 1966. It was the same situation of politicians accusing themselves. It is particularly painful that a party that is barely less than one year, which came about as a result of some small parties coming together, now think that by propaganda they can take over government. It doesn’t work that way rather it will create confusion in the country and they are already in the mission of misinforming Nigerians as seen in text messages, emails and all sorts of things from the internet, against the President and Nigeria. Their target now is that if they don’t win the election then the world will believe that they were rigged. And of cause you know that when Buhari lost election in 2011, he said he will make the country ungovernable. Thereafter, the majority of the states in the Northeast were taken over by Boko Haram. He never made any contribution on the ways and means to bring peace to the North. So those are the things we want to reveal that APC plan is to come up with all these stories to misinform Nigerians in order to cause instability. This was the trend in 1965-66 and APC is beating the drum for crisis, bloodshed and threats. Amaechi and the national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun, said they will form a parallel government  if they don’t win and they are carrying it out in the misinformation and propaganda but this has to stop because the country has reached a level where people need to know the truth and the lies being disseminated by the APC leadership.

But the governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, said those who stoned the president in Bauchi were PDP members, how do you reconcile that with your position on the stoning in some northern states?

The governor and the minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have their own problems. But the statement I made was that some part of the North, not all. Not only Bauchi alone. What happened in Bauchi is unfortunate but I think that the two or three major office holders theer are trying to blame each other. But obviously what I saw, because I was there that day, it is not a question of PDP. Our people were at the stadium, we went to the Emir’s palace to pay courtesy call, so we came out of the Emir’s palace…  It couldn’t have been. But as it were, there is blame game between them, indicating that they are not united. But that is left for them to sort out. But generally, we believe and I believe that they were sponsored by the APC.

You went round the country for your campaigns, is PDP ready for the election?

PDP is 100 per cent ready for the elections. As you are aware we have contested this general election from 1999 to 2011. So we are more on the ground than any other political party in this country. We are ready and we went to each state of the federation. We didn’t invite a state to go to another state like some other parties did. We wanted to see things on the ground for ourselves and the people came out to welcome us and we campaigned. Ours is not to bring zones to one state and do media gymnastic, but we were meeting with our people directly for our elections. We have won elections in the past so we know the styles of winning elections. We were ready for elections even on Feburary 14. But before that date, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, called all the political parties to a meeting. I represented our party at the meeting and 16 political parties accused Jega directly that INEC was not ready for the election. It wasn’t just about the issue of insecurity. On page 11 of his memo, Jega said if INEC has a little time they will perfect their preparations. And as you can see from that time he had that meeting with us, some millions of PVC has been distributed and people have received them. But we were ready then and we are ready now for the election.

What is the position of the PDP on the use of military for the elections?

Honestly speaking, issues of security should be handled by the experts, they are professionals. But I believe that it is not the first time the country would deploy military to safeguard, and not to conduct elections. If you see what happened in Ekiti State, the military was put at strategic positions in case there were uprising or thuggery. And that is what it is supposed to be. Today the world is at the palm of the internet, you will recall that the capital of France, Paris was bombed and the leaders of European Union (EU) and other world leaders flew into Paris to give solidarity to the French government. On that particular day, the French government deployed 10,000 soldiers to safeguard the city of Paris. The soldiers were not walking with the leaders of Europe, but they were In strategic places to keep the city safe. It is not new, it has been done before, soldiers are not involved in elections, neither are the police. But they are kept in strategic places to safeguard the nation. Whoever is afraid of the security, whether army and police, and wants to have their own private army conduct the elections, are the ones that want to throw this country into crisis and destabilise the nation. Don’t forget that the United States had predicted that there will not be a country in 2015, but God forbid. The PDP will support the government to make sure that they protect lives and property. Remember what happened in the First Republic, the infamous wild wild west. No one was ready then but we have moved further and we are advanced now. In Ekiti State, the APC alleged that Army was used in Ekiti, Army was never used to rig. Moreover, the report from the election monitors shows that the election was free and transparent, soldiers were never found at polling booths rather they were strategically positioned for the unforeseen.

But the recent audio tape involving the Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and some military personnel seems to have informed the fears of the APC?

Whatever they cooked up as video was not on the day of election. And we believe and Fani-Kayode has said that it was concorted by the APC. However, we also showed what happened in Osun State, where people were taken to a safe place and they were thumb printing for the APC. Such thing never happened in Ekiti State. So you can see the difference.

PDP has also been accused of trying to use military to suppress the opposition because it is afraid of the popularity of APC?

Mr. President as Commander-in-Chief, is a different person from the previous leaders. You can’t say so of others. Jonathan is such a quiet man that will not want it hurt a fly. This is part of what I said earlier, about the imaginations being cooked up by the APC. But there is no truth in it. As a commander-in-chief, Mr. President has never given order to the military to harass not only the APC but any other political party. In fact you can see the case when we conducted election in Osun State, they won. If he is that type of president he would have used the army to get the victory. The same thing happened in Edo State, where the APC won. But the APC is a propaganda freak such that in every issue there must be propaganda in order to malign and blackmail the PDP. The allegation is not correct at all.

There is this notion that if the PDP had put its house in order by not allowing its governors to defect, the leadership was not arrogant, and not allowing the former President Olusegun Obasanjo to leave, there wouldn’t have been this crisis and tension now. How do you react to this?

Obviously, human enterprise is the most difficult. When a child is grown to an age to marry and he feels he is independent, he goes out to marry. He separates himself from his original family. So most of the governors felt they could do it on their own. There is no way you can control them. There were a lot of peace talks and meetings. It happens that if any man feels he can do it on his own, he goes and that is what we find today. It is HEALTHY for the democracy in Nigeria but we should play by the rules of the game. So PDP is intact, there is no problem. For those who left there was no way to stop them. It was not deliberately done on our part. In the case of Obasanjo, I believe that he can best be described by his children Iyabo and Gbenga. So I will not make any further comments. He is their father. So if you can have that kind of father you will know the kind of trouble that PDP has gone through.

You are from Rivers State, what is your take on the spate of crises in the state viz -a-vis the last one that happened in Okrika?

The crisis in Rivers State is Amaechi. He shut down the court and locked the gate. He also shut down the State Assembly and locked the gate. He is now the sole administrator and maximum leader and the people are resisting it. Salaries are not paid as at when due, monies are taken away from the state to sponsor Buhari; our jet now is owned by Buhari. where in this world will you see that such people will be happy? So all the news of crisis is being generated by Ameachi because he has lost the state, he is sustaining himself on the pages of newspapers. All his projects have failed. He has collected so much money on monorail and it has failed. No people-oriented project is going on in Rivers State in the last two to five years. We are not playing politics with the development of the people. Take for instance if there is infighting in the National Assembly and the President goes there to be a partaker. The governor of Rivers State, who is the architect of the crisis in the state, moved from the Government House to the House of Assembly and was supervising and giving direction on the beating of people. He supervised the beating of a guy whose head was so bruised. Is that a governor that is free from crisis? We need journalists to do their investigative journalism. So Amaechi is the architect of the crisis. Nigerians should tell him to stop, he is now planning to release persons waiting trial, who were caught in criminal activities to use them for election. He is planning to release them. Is that a governor who wants peace? In the Okrika matter it was APC against APC. Amaechi is orchestrating it as if it is PDP and even bringing the name of the wife of the President. Amaechi has insulted the intelligence of the Rivers people. He is now permanently based in Lagos. He is no longer the governor. In fact the government in Rivers State has collapsed because Amaechi is no longer governing. What is important to him now as director general is how APC will win. He has left the governance of the state, because when the doors of the legislature are closed and the judiciary which is the third arm of government is shut down, where then is the government? Have you ever seen in this country where a governor will put a budget in a day and one hour after, the budget is approved? Is that not a shame to democracy and the man will come to the media and say he is democratic. The media knows the fact but it is not reporting.

What will you do to stop this?

All we are doing is praying for the safety of the state and asking the security to take charge. We don’t have private army so it is God and security. Journalist should also go and investigate, we are not hiding anything.

What is your reaction to reports that the National Working Committee (NWC) of your party is polarized on the issue of the president?

It is not correct. It is false and propaganda by the APC. My first statement in this interview is that the APC leadership has package a propaganda of misinformation to the public. And what you just said now is part of it.

Will your party be able to win Rivers State against the background of the post primary disagreements?

All those issues have been settled. We are coasting to victory. We are at a comfortable cruising level and Amaechi himself knows that Rivers has been taken away from his hand. The PDP will win back that state and of course he left the party and he can’t get the mandate of the people overnight to take them to APC. They have been with PDP for the last 16 years so it is not easy to just change the people.

There is an evolving concern over the campaigns particularly in the North. There are reports that some of your candidates and governors are afraid of campaigning for your presidential candidate for fear that it would affect their own chances. How is the party addressing this?

I don’t think it is correct. Those are part of the propaganda that APC is sending out. That is falsehood. We were in Jigawa, Kebbi and our governors there came out openly, canvassed for votes and campaigned. What else do you want to know? They all came out and campaigned openly for the president. It is the APC that is misinforming the people. Our members are intact. Sometime ago they said Sule Lamido had decamped. Amaechi visited him to do gymnastic, but, of course, Lamido came out and said he was remaining in the party. He has since met with the President and he is the zonal coordinator of the presidential campaign.

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Secondus: Those against Military Deployment During Elections Have Hidden Agenda

Omotola: Campaigns Have Focused on Propaganda at the Expense of Economic Issues

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Mr. Lai Omotola presides over the Forward Nigeria Initiatives and chairs CFL Group of Companies. The quest for a new Nigeria has brought him into socio-economic and political advocacy, tracking policy initiatives of presidential and governorship candidates, and providing useful guides on how to build a better economy and polity. In this interview with Gboyega Akinsanmi, Omotola faults the trend of political campaigns ahead of the general elections, saying it has deviated from real issues. Excerpts:

What kind of changes does Forward Nigeria Initiative want to see in Nigeria?

The group is basically to identify initiatives that will move Nigeria forward. It involves two things. First, we identify past initiatives that have been well-implemented and that moved Nigeria forward. Second, we develop new initiatives that will move Nigeria forward. From time to time, we look at initiatives that our governments are proposing. Even in the course of this campaign, we look at different initiatives that candidates are putting forward. Basically, initiatives are to solve our problems. When ideas are initiated, it is left for the initiators to implement and institutionalise the initiatives. That is what our platform stands for and the idea is to commit candidates contesting for different political offices to take initiatives that will transform our society and add value to our countrymen.

In the light of the group’s mission, are you satisfied with the content of the current political campaign?

It depends on where you are looking at it. At the state level, for instance, you find quite a number of initiatives that have come to bear. If you look at the campaign of APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, he has unveiled a new initiative to address youth unemployment. This is contained in its Employment Trust Fund. He promised to set up the fund with a sum of N25 billion.  This initiative is fresh. What he intends to do with the fund is to tackle access to capital by the young ones, unemployed youth. How that going to be achieved is another thing entirely. But we identify with that initiative that Ambode will set up a trust fund for the youth. There was a similar trust fund that Governor Babatunde Fashola set up when he assumed office. This is called Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). We are living witnesses to how the fund works. From time to time, we, as a group, identify with different initiatives that governments and institutions would bring to bear on our society. We are already tracking new initiatives that have come up and reviewing them.

At the federal level, what do you say about the economic policies of  APC and PDP?

Globally, the economy is always the hotbed for discussion. Until recently, we have been able to bring economic issues to the fore in this campaign. What have been taking the media space are General Muhammadu Buhari’s certificate and a lot of propaganda. When former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Soludo, came up his mind-boggling write-up, economics has been brought to the front burner. There are certain issues that we all have to look at. Every government will always have policy direction, that this is the way we want to go. For instance, Soludo believes in economy that helps expansion. Sanusi believes in an economy that is well-regulated and even over-regulation. But Soludo believes in a little bit of regulation and let the market forces contribute to it.

But do not forget that the issues that Soludo raised have now become an agenda for their economic policies. The issues are very simple. He raised issues on inflation, interest rate, FOREIGN EXCHANGE rate, foreign reserves, and then unemployment. Those are the issues that Soludo raised. Till now, the political parties have not addressed these issues. Today, we all know our economy is in a bad shape. The indices show that our economy is in a bad shape. It is even going to get worse. So, we have a common ground on the poor status of our economy. But what we have not heard from the political actors is: How do we intend to stabilise our economy? What is the strategy for growth? But we have not agreed on how we intend to stabilise. We have not seen any strategic for growth. Candidates have not articulated how they intend to stabilise and grow our economy.

What is your take on the welfarist bent of the APC manifesto?

One of the issues Soludo raised is that if APC wants to introduce welfarist policies, they have not articulated how they intend to implement the policies and how they will raise funds. However, APC has responded to how it plans to raise funds to implement its initiatives. APC has promised to block a lot of leakages and funds from those leakages are sufficient to feed people. Economics is very important. As far as this campaign is concerned, 99 per cent should be devoted to economy because a weak economy cannot fight insurgencies. It is not possible for a weak economy to wage war against Boko Haram. If we are talking about insurgencies, unemployment and infrastructure and we do not articulate how we can stabilise the economy, every other thing will fall like packs of cards. But what is taking the headlines now is more of propaganda. Every person is asleep on economic issues. If we do not have a clear-cut perspective and direction on how we are going to salvage our economy that is at the lowest ebb, whatever happens after the elections, there will still be agitation. The reason is that people cannot see the transformation President Jonathan has brought about in the last six years.

Beyond economic issues, do you think President Jonathan is ready to hand over power if he loses at the poll?

For everyone that wants to take over power, we all know it is not a tea party. The present government will be reluctant to hand over. But the problem is that at the end of the day, they will have no other choice than to hand over because Nigeria cannot avoid the backlash of doing otherwise. I believe when it gets to that point, as we have witnessed in the past, leaders of thought and elder statesmen will gather together and salvage this country. I believe that it may be tough, but we will get there. The handover, like the president said, will be sacrosanct.

You just talked about the transformation agenda of President Jonathan. Which aspect of the agenda are you talking about?

Nigerian political actors just throw word at the people. When you talk about transformation, the first impact is that transformation gives “a wahoo effect”. For example, let’s talk about Oshodi. We all knew how Oshodi was. If you travelled over 10 years ago, you now come in the night and pass through Oshodi, the first thing that happens is the new face of Oshodi.  This is not political. It is just a natural thing. We are going to have a wild effect. In all sectors the president has been working, can we look back and have “a wahoo effect”. The Jonathan administration has talked so much about rail. The rail project they are talking about is the rehabilitation of rail tracks. These tracks have existed since the era of our colonial masters. In fact, our rail system had been existing before our independence. What the president has done is rehabilitation. This is good, but it is not enough. It is sad that the federal government now puts locomotives on the tracks. That is not transformation. They are just reforming the system. If they have brought high speed train, you can talk of transformation. President Jonathan said our children can now see trains. That is an insult. This is not high speed trains.

Let me give you an example. When you take what Fashola is doing in Lagos and all Jonathan has done in terms of rail development, the cost implication of what Fashola is doing on the Blue Line alone is far more than what Jonathan has done. By the time the Blue Line is completed, everyone that goes there will be amazed because it is high speed. We have elevated tracks in Lagos. But Jonathan does not have one elevated track. It does not stop there. We are going to have elevated tracks across Lagos lagoon. This is an example of transformation. You can be in high-rise building on Marina and see the train pass through the lagoon. That is what we call transformation. It has never happened anywhere in Nigeria. When you complete the process, can you compare the Blue Line with the locomotives? It is a bold move for Lagos State Government to commit itself to $1.3 billion Blue Line project. Do not forget that it is not just one rail project. The state has a blue print for seven high-speed rail lines. It is already on the table. It is left for implementation. The immediate impact of transformation is that it gives “a wahoo effect.”

If you look at the campaigns of Akinwunmi Ambode and Jimi Agbaje, do you see change coming to Lagos as some people have canvassed?

The annoying thing that I have found in recent time is the way we have responded to Jimi Agbaje’s campaign. Whenever a man applies for a job, two things are very important. The two things are qualification and experience. The two things go hand-in-hand. Experience is even more important because qualification is just an attraction. Experience is the key element. The only position that will not require experience is the placement for trainee. We can situate this argument to what Agbaje is doing. In 2007, Agbaje contested the Lagos governorship race. Eight years after he contested, he came back again. We all know Lagos State has moved tremendously. The question I will like to ask Agbaje is, what values has he added to himself for eight years. What is Agbaje bringing to the table in term of self-development and self-achievement? I will give an example. Agbaje contested against Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. In the last eight years, Obanikoro has become an ambassador. He has become a junior minister. He has become a head of parastatal. For eight years, Agbaje cannot show us that in terms of personal achievement, this is what I have been able to do. In terms of personal achievement, this is the leadership course I have been able to attend. This is the advocacy I have been able to do for different social fabrics. We cannot see anything. What we see is someone that is a serious greenhorn.

I think we take the administration of Lagos State for granted. We take it for granted because we think things work easily and we think that is how it is going to be forever. A lot of things go into it for Lagos to work. If Agbaje enters today, he is going on two-year training to understand how Lagos will really work. Because Lagos is in a hurry, we cannot afford someone just coming to learn. Lagos is now positioned to get a governor that will hit the ground running because four years are too short. The good thing about Lagos today is that the governor does not have to reinvent the wheel. Already, a system has been created. All he has to do is come and be part of the system. The transition must be SEAMLESS. That is why the transition of Fashola to Ambode will be seamless

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Omotola: Campaigns Have Focused on Propaganda at the Expense of Economic Issues

Jang Drags INEC to Court over Skewed Distribution of PVCs

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Governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang said he has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over skewed distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to his state, and warned INEC not to destroy the hard earned democracy.

PVC voters card

Speaking with newsmen in Jos, Jang, who was expressed disappointment with the poor distribution of the card in his state and other parts of the country, noted that the issue has started generating controversy among political parties, especially between the ruling party and the main opposition party.

“If these elections were held on the 14th of February, can we sincerely say INEC was ready? There are several areas in Plateau State that have not received their PVC; not that these PVCs are in Abuja, but based on what I have been told, they have not been printed.

“What is the guarantee that these PVCs would get to Nigeria before 8th of March deadline for collection? Honestly, we appreciated Prof. Attahiru Jega when he conducted the 2011 elections, but whether some people are sabotaging him and he is not aware of this, only God in heaven knows.

“But when these PVCs came to Jos North, one section got theirs and other did not, in Jos south the same thing happened, and indeed other places,” he added.

Jang, who said he has gone to court to compel INEC to allow usage of Temporary Voters Cards (TVCs) if the commission is unable to provide the PVCs, added that he would announce to the people of his state to go to their respective polling centres with their TVCs if the commission is unable to provide their PVCs before the March 8 deadline date for collection.

While charging all the political parties to mount more pressure on INEC to do the right thing and expedite action on the provision of the cards, the Governor advised them to stop playing unnecessary politics with the issue.

A cross section of Jos residents that spoke with THISDAY equally expressed dissatisfaction with the PVC distribution in the state. A resident, Mr Clinton Garuba, said, “I have repeatedly gone for my card for over five times now, and all they kept telling me was that my card was ready but they can’t find it; only God knows what that means.”

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Jang Drags INEC to Court over Skewed Distribution of PVCs

In Change of Strategy, Jonathan, Buhari Opt for Town Hall Meetings

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APC debunks Osinbajo’s oath-taking allegation, alleges plans to freeze opposition leaders’ accounts

Fani-Kayode: We stand by our claim

As the two main political parties for this year’s general election await the new poll dates, which were fixed after the conclusion of their nationwide presidential campaign rallies, their candidates have turned to public meetings involving socio-political, economic, and cultural groups in a continued bid to ingratiate themselves with the electorate. President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, and the candidate of All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari, have been meeting stakeholders within and outside the country to campaign for votes.

Jonathan and Buhari

This is as APC dismissed as sickening and outlandish a claim by the Jonathan campaign organisation that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the opposition party, planned to replace Professor Yemi Osinbajo as vice president through the back door. Spokesman of the PDP presidential campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, had claimed at a press conference on Friday that the APC vice presidential candidate had sworn an oath to yield his position to Tinubu within six months of the inauguration of an APC federal government if the party wins the March 28 presidential election.

But in a statement on Saturday, APC’s national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the PDP oath claim was a lie merely being sown to try to dampen Buhari’s rapidly expanding popularity that was markedly enhanced by his emotional speech at London’s Chatham House think tank last week.

Mohammed stated, “Our presidential candidate’s globally-acclaimed outing has presented Nigerians, and indeed the global community, with a choice between a bumbling, ineffective, incoherent, clueless, visionless and incompetent president and an assertive, knowledgeable, dignified, purposeful and principled president-in-waiting.

“Having failed to discredit that outing with a rented crowd, some of whom confessed to have been paid to carry placards they do not even understand, the PDP and the Jonathan administration have now resorted to making nauseating claims that are totally untrue, absolutely incomprehensible, and nothing but sheer bunkum…

“They have thrown everything imaginable at Buhari, but he has continued to wax stronger and stronger.”

APC added regarding the PDP claims, “With everything working against them, they engaged in a show of shame at The Chatham House that backfired badly, on the heels of their bare-faced lies that Buhari was hospitalised in London.

“The preposterous claim of a secret oath – reminiscent of what they do in their own party – by the apparently ailing spokesman of the Jonathan campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, is their latest desperate act.”

APC also alleged plans by the PDP-led federal government to cripple the opposition party’s campaign by freezing its accounts and grounding its planes. Director of the APC presidential campaign council, Garba Shehu, described the alleged plot as “bestial and undemocratic.”

Shehu said in a statement, “Information at our disposal has uncovered the ruinous plan by the Jonathan administration to use the aviation ministry and secret arm of the security service to hound and clampdown members of the APC, by prospecting obnoxious means that would ground private jets belonging to senior members of our party, in order to halt and slow down Buhari’s world-acclaimed phenomenal popularity as president-in-waiting.

“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 aircraft for electioneering purposes.”

Fani-Kayode, however, maintained at a press conference yesterday that he stood by his claim that Tinubu planned to supplant Osinbajo.

The PDP presidential campaign spokesman said, “From the APC response, it is clear that they have something to hide.  They clearly cannot deny this dangerous plot.  Does a vampire ever admit to being a vampire? Did Dr. Jeckyll ever tell anyone that he was also Mr. Hyde? Does a demon ever admit to being a demon? Does darkness ever admit to being darkness? Do people that are obsessed with taking power at all costs and by any means ever admit that they are obsessed and desperate?”

The two main presidential candidates have intensified public meetings with voters in key towns and areas they feel would help to improve their standing ahead of the election.

A senior official of the PDP presidential campaign organisation who preferred anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told THISDAY that the party will not adopt fresh state-by-state campaigns. Rather, it would adopt a new approach of meeting opinion leaders, artisans, and professional bodies, the official said.

He said, “As the president has commenced, the campaigns will follow the style of holding town hall meetings. Like last Friday, President Jonathan met with opinion leaders in Delta State. He met with the traditional rulers in Asaba and some former militants in the state.

“This is the pattern to be followed. The rallies are over, except for states like Yobe, the FCT, and one or two other states.”

Jonathan recently met some opinion leaders and traditional rulers in Lagos and some South-west states in continuation of the nationwide consultation. In Lagos, the president met with the Yoruba Council of Elders, Igbo traders, and market women.

Deputy national chairman (South) of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, confirmed the strategy of town meetings, saying, “In the next phase of our campaign, we are going to emphasis on town hall meetings, meeting face-to-face with the people, and getting to know what is going on.

“That has been going on in virtually all the states of the federation. Some of our governorship candidates have carried the campaigns to the markets, mechanic workshops, and so on. We are dealing with the people directly. So the campaign is on and strong.”

Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, announced via Facebook at the weekend that Jonathan would visit Lagos State today. He said during the visit the president will meet with about 5,000 youths as part of a programme titled, “Meet the President.”

Jonathan met yesterday in Asaba with a large crowd of indigenes of northern Nigeria (Arewa) resident in the 17 southern states, who endorsed him as their preferred presidential candidate. At the meeting, he promised to implement the report of last year’s national conference if re-elected.

After more than a week of international engagements in the United Kingdom, APC leaders and their presidential candidate will return to Nigeria today to begin another stage of the campaigns, which sources within the party say would also consist mainly of direct consultations with strategic groups across the country.

THISDAY gathered from a party source in London that Buhari and Tinubu would come back to the country today while a number of the party’s leaders and officials had left for home yesterday. The source disclosed that the party’s new campaign strategy, which it intends to pursue until the elections, would involve series of town hall meetings in major cities across the country, especially, those not visited during the nationwide presidential campaign rallies.

“Buhari and other party leaders will be leaving London this weekend and they are due to commence series of town hall meetings from Tuesday,” the source said.

Some of the towns likely to host the APC town hall meetings include Onitsha, Aba, Asaba, and Gboko.

Following the postponement of the general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, APC decided to scale down its campaign effort, preferring to hold strategic meetings and consultations with professional groups, religious bodies, and traditional institutions. The party has also used the opportunity to inspire international sympathy and support by embarking on a trip to London, where Buhari delivered an important lecture on Thursday at Chatham House whose impact has significantly pushed up the image of the opposition party.

In the speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, in London, Buhari had assured the international community that an APC government would ensure economic and political stability of the country and fight corruption head-on.

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In Change of Strategy, Jonathan, Buhari Opt for Town Hall Meetings

Ribadu: You Don"t Change a C-in-C in the Middle of War

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By Daji Sani in Yola

Citing the latest successes recorded by the military in the ongoing campaign against  terrorists and the recapture of territories previously occupied by Boko Haram insurgents, Anti-corruption czar and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Saturday warned that changing the Commander-in-Chief in the middle of war would be inimical to the consolidation of the victories achieved so far.

Nuhu Ribadu

Ribadu, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Adamawa State, therefore urged Nigerians to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan in this month’s election so as to sustain the tempo of the ongoing onslaught against Boko Haram, a deadly group that has killed about 13,000 people, captured territories in the Northeast and displaced over one million people in the past six years.

But in a major turnaround after months of gains by Boko Haram, Nigerian troops have retaken several  towns in recent weeks that had been in extremist hands for months, and are on the verge of liberating the last enclaves of the militant sects.

Nigerians will however be going to the poll on March 28 to cast their votes in a closely contested election in which President Jonathan is seeking re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, while his main challenger, former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) is vying on the platform of the All Progressive Congress.

“You don’t change a commander-in-Chief in time of war”, said Ribadu in Mubi during  his visit to three of the liberated local government areas of Adamawa State to commiserate with the people affected by the insurgents’ occupation of their towns.

Buttressing his argument, Ribadu said, “Political stability is key to peace and security, more so at a time of instability like what we are witnessing today. We cannot afford to disrupt this operation midstream. This tide should be allowed to continue.”

Faulting criticisms that government waited for so long before effectively responding to the rampaging deadly sect, Ribadu said: “The President never wanted to have large number of collateral damage. He is a careful leader who quietly took this very measured strategy without grandstanding. Today, we see the result of this matured way of handling this difficult war, which has pushed out the terrorist with minimal civilian casualty.

“The President took his time to build this strong coalition of bringing together our neighbouring countries. The result is for everyone to see. We have seen that the table is now turned against the terrorists, and they are on the run.”

“Now, it is about consolidation of this success, on how to restore life in these affected communities and bring about stability. The President has already established the Victims Support Fund and he has a marshal plan on how to consolidate on this military successes”, the retired AIG said to further buttress his argument.

Drawing from his personal experience, he said, “I have worked in many crisis zones, including Afghanistan, I know what insurgency is all about. It is unfortunate that at a time the country should unite for action against the insurgents we were busy apportioning blame. That is why I refrained from any comment about this all this while.”

He said terrorism is a global phenomenon which is difficult to purge, adding that “No country has succeeded in eliminating terrorism altogether and within a short time. The victory may not be total and immediate. It is a gradual process.”

Thanking those he called the real heroes of the war against insurgency, Ribadu commended the Nigerian military, the police and the  ALLIED forces of other nations for the successes recorded against Boko Haram, adding that the federal government and the military deserve votes of confidence from Nigerians for what they had been able to do in reclaiming territories previously occupied by the insurgents.

“The military and our gallant members of the vigilante who sacrificed a lot and even lost their lives, I am proud to associate myself with you.

“Our security agencies are doing extremely great work and we should unite in applauding them. They have operated in the most difficult situations but they are winning even though the world refused to help us.”

He however decried the politicization of the anti-terror war saying, “It is sad that politics is brought into this issue of insurgency. Those making such comments do not know that they are hurting us, we that are living in the epicenter of this insurgency. Our people have suffered for too long, those hauling words from their comfort zones should please shut up and give us chance to confront what directly affects us,” he said.

Speaking further, Ribadu said, “President Goodluck Jonathan is a very compassionate and kind-hearted person but it is being misunderstood to mean something else. But to me, it is an attribute of a good leader. We have seen the President demonstrating compassion in a number of ways. Our lives have been turned upside down here. He has visited us, he has assured us of his commitment to restore back our lives. And I believe he will live up to those promises.”

He also noted that the Adamawa State Governor Bala James Ngillari had demonstrated strong leadership in the fight against insurgency by cooperating with the security agencies and pioneering strategic civilian involvement in tackling the activities of the terrorists.

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Ribadu: You Don"t Change a C-in-C in the Middle of War

Northern leaders seek Jonathan’s backing for 2019

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Wants GEJ support for N/West candidate

Political leaders from the North were said to have reached out to President Goodluck Jonathan in a bid to secure assurances that their preferred candidate would be supported to succeed the President in 2019.

Jonathan in Borno

In a move seen as a follow up to the pact said to have been reached with the strategy Committee, comprising mainly northern leaders, some elders, led by elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, had visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja last week for further talks.

Though the group met with Vice President Namadi Sambo, sources confirmed that the key message conveyed through the Vice President to Jonathan was the need for assurances that power would revert to the North in 2019.

Sources confirmed that Jonathan had given indications that the North would take power in 2019 after his second term during the week long discussions that yielded the pact produced by the Strategy Committee.

But it was learnt that the elders came specifically last week to get words from the Villa that the North-west would be backed for the Presidency in 2019.

It was learnt that the northern elders had wanted to secure the assurances so as to be in the best position to define their messages to strategic elders and leaders of the North.

“The deal right now is to see how the North would reciprocate years of South-south backing with support for Jonathan, while the President will in turn back a northern candidate to succeed him in 2019. With that pact sealed, we have a concrete message for the North,” a source in the know said.

It was learnt that the team reiterated their message during the meeting with Sambo at the Villa last week and was told to expect words from the President directly through its chairman.

“I can tell you that the President was immediately briefed on his return to Abuja and words have been communicated to Alhaji Yakassai on the way forward,” the source further said.

 

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Northern leaders seek Jonathan’s backing for 2019

Jega alleged terminal leave, illegal - Falana, Ubani

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Rights lawyers, including Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan lacked the power to either sack Jega, or send him on a terminal leave. A former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Monday Ubani, and Mr. Malachy Ugwummadu, also spoke to SUNDAY PUNCHin separate interviews.

They cited provisions of Section 158 of the constitution as providing that the INEC Chairman could only be sacked with the approval of two-third majority of the members of the Senate.

Falana also explained that Section 155 of the constitution conferred independence on the INEC chairman with immunity from any directive or influence from any person or authority.

The senior advocate said, “At his last presidential chat, the president gave the erroneous impression that he could hire and fire the chairman of INEC. With profound respect, that is not correct.

“By virtue of Section 155 of the constitution, the INEC chairman has a renewable five-year tenure. The appointment and removal has to be by the resolution of no less than a two-third majority of the Senate.

“Before the resolution is passed, the President will need to address the Senate and justify the reasons on the need to remove the INEC chairman on account of his inability to discharge his duties.

“On the issue of sending Jega on terminal leave, the President has no power to do that because once appointed, the INEC chairman is not subject to the control or directive of any power or authority by virtue of Section 158 of the constitution.”

On his part, Ugwummadu, said beyond the constitutional provisions conferring immunity against undue influence on the INEC chairman, Nigerians were paying close attention to any plot to remove the INEC boss.

He said, “The idea of sacking Prof. Attahiru Jega has been making the rounds and should be watched carefully just as we have remained circumspect regarding the further shift of the elections.”

Ubani threatened to personally lead a “nationwide crusade” against the President should there be any attempt by his administration to remove Jega, having earlier publicly promised that he (President Jonathan) had no such intention.

In the same vein, the President, Nigeria Voters Assembly, Mashood Erubami, the Nigeria Voters Assembly condemned the alleged move to ask Jega to go on terminal leave.

The group in a release signed by its President, Mr. Mashood Erubami, strongly warned that the removal of Jega would show that the Federal Government had a hidden agenda.

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Jega alleged terminal leave, illegal - Falana, Ubani