No plot against Ambode, says Pitan

 Mr. Akinwumi Ambode

A Lagos State governorship aspirant, Dr. Leke Pitan, has dismissed reports that he and some other All Progressives Congress members who are governorship aspirants in the state are plotting against Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, another aspirant in the party.

Pitan, in an interview with our Rev4mation's World, described the report that the aspirants met to select a consensus candidate to defeat Ambode as “baseless and untrue”.

The meeting, according to Pitan, was attended by Senator Ganiyu Solomon; Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Dr. Femi Hamzat, Mr. Disu Adekunle and Mr. Wahab Tokunbo.

He, however, said Ambode, was absent.

The ex-commissioner said although the meeting was held to produce a consensus candidate ahead of the APC governorship primary scheduled for December 4, it was not a plot against Ambode.

According to Pitan, all the APC governorship aspirants were invited, adding that a former commissioner in the state, Muiz Banire, was not at the meeting contrary to the report.

He said, “We were trying to reach a consensus on various germane issues. It was initiated to arrive at a common ground, which is what politics ought to be. It shows the level of maturity of an advanced party like ours.

“All the APC governorship aspirants were invited, including Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, and all acknowledged the invitation. The decision to attend or not rested with the invitees. It was reported that somebody did not attend and also reported what happened there. That should tell you a lot of things.

“There was no storming out, no rancour and sincerely it went well. The person who left earlier than the other took permission because he was a special guest of honour at an event by musicians at Eko Hotel. He was with us for two hours.”

Obasanjo’s administration took corruption to greater heights – Falae

 Chief Olu Falae

The presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy during the 1999 elections, Chief Olu Falae, has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration from 1999 to 2007 took corruption to an unprecedented level. Falae, who is the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, said this during an interview with our correspondent at the official presentation… [Read More…]

‘Insurgency is Jonathan’s strategy for tenure elongation’

Senator Kabiru Gaya

 In this interview with Rev4mation's World, the Chairman, Senate Committee on States and Local Governments, Senator Kabiru Gaya, (APC, Kano-South) alleges that the lingering insurgency in the North-East is aimed at elongating President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure beyond 2015 Why did you oppose the request by President Goodluck Jonathan for an extension of emergency rule in… [Read More…]

APC tackles Fayose over monarchs’ vehicles

 Former Governor Kayode Fayemi

The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has faulted Governor Ayo Fayose’s claim on the non-payment of vehicles bought for traditional rulers by the administration of former Governor Kayode Fayemi. The party said the governor’s deliberate distortion of fact to deceive Ekiti people negated statesmanship. Reacting to Fayose’s claim that Fayemi bought cars for traditional… [Read More…]

59 passengers, 4 crew members escape plane crash

 Overland Airways flight ATR 72

Fifty-nine passengers and four crew members of Overland Airways flight ATR 72 escaped a plane crash on Saturday as the aircraft veered off the runway after landing at the Ilorin Airport in Kwara State.

It was learnt that the airline took off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja and the incident occurred at about 5pm.

No casualty was recorded as the passengers disembarked safely from the plane.

The General Manager Public Affairs, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, said the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau commenced investigation after the incident.

He said, “An Overland flight 1186, an ATR 72 aircraft with registration number 5N-BPG from Abuja airport to Ilorin carrying 59 passengers and four crew veered off the runway at low speed after a normal landing at the Ilorin Airport.

“The incident, which occurred today Saturday November 29, at 4.45pm has no casualty recorded. However, the Accident and Prevention Bureau in conjunction with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation into the cause of the incident.”

Lagos PDP chieftains defect to APC

A former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Rafiu Jafojo, and some other chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos on Saturday defected to the All Progressives Congress.

The Rev4mation's World reported that others who defected included former Lagos State Chairman, Elders Council of PDP, Dr. Oluyomi Finnih, and former state secretary of the party, Tunde Daramola.

The declaration of the new members was held at the APC secretariat on Acme Road, Lagos.

Welcoming the new members, the state chairman of APC, Chief Henry Ajomale,said they had made a good decision. He promised that the party would be fair to them.

Finnih, who spoke on behalf of the new members, said the defectors had come for the unity of the party and not to divide it.

“We took the bold decision because we see the party as a prosperous party. We defected based on the lack of internal democracy in the PDP and our aim is winning the presidential election by APC,” he said.

The state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said that the party was glad to accommodate the new members.

Fashola urged them to ensure that the party’s interest was placed above individual interest, saying that there would be a level-playing ground.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of PDP described the defection of Finnih and his group to the APC as a welcome development.

The PDP Publicity Secretary, Gani Taofik, told NAN, “Finnih and his group have long been out of PDP. The defection ceremony today is just a charade for people who have long left our fold.

“Finnih and his group had always worked against the PDP even when they were our members. Their roles of playing moles and fifth columnists in our party have been extinguished. They had no choice but to be part and parcel of the APC, their real party.”

He advised other members of the party who were not willing to abide by its rules to exit or risk being disciplined.

Taofik said, “The Lagos PDP can no longer tolerate insubordination. It is no longer business as usual. We want to enforce party discipline to the letter.”

He, however, assured PDP’s loyal members that the party would emerge victorious in the 2015 general elections.

Boko Haram: America not Nigeria’s friend, says Gowon

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon

A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has taken a swipe at the United States on its refusal to sell arms to Nigeria to fight the insurgency by the Islamic group, Boko Haram.

Gowon, in an interview with Rev4mation's World, criticised the US for not selling military hardware to Nigeria, saying if the US was truly a diplomatic friend to Nigeria, it should do everything possible to keep the corporate existence of Nigeria.

This, according to him, includes assisting Nigeria to fight aggression from any quarter.

The US had on November 12, 2014, defended its refusal to sell cobra helicopters to Nigeria, saying the Federal Government was free to buy fighter jets from any other country.

The State Department’s spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said, “Nigeria has purchased helicopters that originated in countries other than the US and nothing in our decision prevents Nigeria from obtaining weapons and equipment from other sources,”

Psaki had reacted to the allegation by the Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, that Washington declined to sell arms to Nigeria.

Adefuye had told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on November 10 that Washington was not doing enough to assist Nigeria in combating the Boko Haram insurgency in North-East geopolitical zone of the country.

He said, “The U.S. government has up till today refused to grant Nigeria’s request to purchase lethal equipment that would have brought down the terrorists within a short time on the basis of the allegations that Nigeria’s defence forces have been violating human rights of Boko Haram suspects when captured or arrested.

“We find it difficult to understand how and why, in spite of the U.S. presence in Nigeria, with their sophisticated military technology, Boko Haram should be expanding and becoming more deadly.”

But Psaki had stated that the US refused to sell the helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about the ability of the military to use and maintain them.

The cobra is a combat aircraft with the ability to climb at the rate of 8.2metres per second. It is equipped with a 20 mm M197 3-barrelled Gatling cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret (750 rounds ammo capacity).

The spokeswoman also said there were ongoing concerns about Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations, adding that these had been discussed with the Nigerian authorities.

Gowon, while speaking to one of our correspondents, however, alleged that the US did same to the Nigerian government during the Civil War, when it refused to sell fighter jets to Nigeria to stop Biafra’s bomber jets.

As the military Head of State, Gowon had prosecuted the Nigerian civil war, aka Biafran War, which began on July 6, 1967 and ended on January 15, 1970.

The war was declared after an attempted secession by the Eastern Region of the country, which declared itself the ‘Republic of Biafra.’

Gowon said, “The same thing happened during the Civil War. The Americas refused to sell arms to us. I wanted them to help me with some modest aircraft so that I could chase out Ojukwu’s (Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu) B52 or B56 as they called it. That was all I wanted; not to shoot it down but to chase it away so that it does not drop bombs and kill innocent people.

“But the Americans refused to help us and they even refused to sell arms and ammunitions and the spare parts of the equipment that we got from them. And at the same time, they (America) were shipping aircraft and loads of arms and ammunition to Zaire. What sort of friends are they?

“You call them your friends and they say that they are helping us to fight terror. We don’t want their people (Americans) to come and fight the war (against Boko Haram) for us but, at least, we need the equipment.

“During my time (as Head of State), I had to go to the Russians to get the equipment we wanted in order to prosecute that war. If they cannot help us, they should allow us to go elsewhere and get what we want to ensure that we deal with this particular problem.”

A former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), corroborated Gowon, while decrying that Western allies, who were paying much attention to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the Middle East, “have decided to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Nigeria.”

He pointed out that Boko Haram is to Nigeria what ISIS is to the Middle East, saying they both threaten global peace and security.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also backed Adefuye’s position on arms purchase from the US.

The Director, Public Communication Division, Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ahmedu Ogbole-Ode, said the Nigerian ambassador had said it all on the relationship between Nigeria and America.

“Our ambassador to the US has spoken. He did not send himself there, so there is nothing more for me to add,” he said.

The US, however, said despite its insistence on not selling arms to Nigeria, it was committed to helping the country address the threat posed by Boko Haram and other violent extremist organisations.

The Press Attache, US Embassy, Abuja, Sean McIntosh, in his response to SUNDAY PUNCH’s enquiry on why the US avoids supporting Nigeria internal wars, said his country had been working and continued to work with Nigerian authorities to provide assistance with humanitarian programmes, intelligence and strategic communications.

When asked to also explain the US policy that states America’s non-committal posture to Nigeria and to name other West African countries affected by the policy, McIntosh said the US had continued to advise the Federal Government to adopt a comprehensive approach to violent extremists.

He said such approach emphasises respect for human rights including the freedom of religion, prioritises civilian security, and responds to the needs of victimised communities.

McIntosh listed the assistance rendered to Nigeria by the US to include the provision of $19m for the vulnerable and conflict-affected households in Nigeria by the American government in 2014.

He said, “More than $7m from the US Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance supports health, water and sanitation services; the delivery of emergency relief supplies and protection activities for women and children in north-eastern Nigeria.

“USAID/Food for Peace has provided nearly $7m in emergency food assistance and the US Department of State has provided more than $5m to fund protection activities in affected areas.

“In addition, the US government provided more than $54m in humanitarian assistance in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, targeting refugee populations from neighbouring countries, including Nigeria.”

The American embassy spokesman explained that the USAID was also in the process of starting two new programmes that would address critical educational needs for both boys and girls in northern Nigeria.

These, according to McIntosh, include a ‘crisis response’ programme to be funded with about $20m to $30m. He said the programme would reach out with basic education to internally-displaced persons and others affected by the violence in the north-east, including Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa states.

“The programmes also include a ‘flagship’ five-year education programme that will strengthen systems to provide greater access and learning (increasing reading skills) for primary school children, principally in Sokoto and Bauchi, and other states of the North as conditions allow,” he explained.

McIntosh stated that two additional large USAID projects focused on maternal and child health and democracy and governance are geographically co-located in Bauchi and Sokoto states in an effort to maximise their developmental impact. He added that expansion into additional post-conflict states would be considered as conditions and resources allow.

Egypt court drops murder charges against Mubarak

 Egypt court drops murder charge against Mubarak

 A court in Egypt has dropped charges against former President Hosni Mubarak over the killing of 239 protesters during the 2011 uprising against him.

The Cairo court erupted in cheers when the judge said Mubarak should not have been a defendant in the case as the charges against him were added late.

Charges against seven senior ex-officials were also dropped. The decision could be appealed.

Victims’ relatives expressed dismay and frustration.

In a television interview after the ruling, Mubarak said he had done “nothing wrong at all.”

The former president, 86, is serving a separate three-year sentence for embezzlement of public funds.

He is currently being held in a military hospital, and is expected to serve at least a few more months of this sentence.

Mubarak, his former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, and six others had been convicted of conspiracy to kill and were sentenced to life in prison in June 2012, but a retrial was ordered last year on a technicality.

In all, about 800 people are thought to have been killed as security forces battled protesters in the weeks before Mubarak resigned on 11 February 2011.

However, the court documents at the retrial related to the deaths of 239 people and injuries sustained by 1,588, across 11 of the country’s regions.

As well as the murder charge, Mubarak was cleared of a corruption charge involving gas exports to Israel.

His sons, Gamal and Alaa, were also cleared of separate corruption charges by the same court on Saturday. As supporters cheered the verdict, his sons and co-defendants stooped down to kiss his forehead.

Mubarak’s lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, told Agence France Presse the verdict was a “good ruling that proved the integrity of Mubarak’s era.”

Jonathan supervises a corrupt govt, says Amaechi

 Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has said President Goodluck Jonathan “is supervising a highly corrupt government.”

He also claimed that “there is no democracy yet in Nigeria.”

The governor, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday, insisted that he had no personal quarrel with President Jonathan, adding that if governance could be separated from the President, he (Jonathan) “remains a good man.”

He, however, regretted that the President “is supervising a highly corrupt government.”

He described the form of government being practised in Nigeria today as diarchy.

While reacting to the invasion of the National Assembly by the police on Thursday, Amaechi described the action as uncivilised.

He said the actions of the police in recent times had shown that they had been pocketed by the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

He said, “We don’t have democracy in Nigeria yet. What we have is diarchy. We don’t have a democracy. Diarchy is dictatorship. The Federal Government has appropriated the police as its personal property. The FG has taken over the police. See the way the police took over the National Assembly. By law, the police have no power to invade the National Assembly and they have no power to stop the Speaker from going in or out of the National Assembly complex. But they don’t obey law.”

He insisted that his party, the All Progressives Congress, would not go to court if the PDP decided to rig the 2015 presidential elections.

Instead of going to court, he said the APC would form a parallel government.

He said, “What is the essence of going to court when the Federal Government don’t obey the law. That’s why the APC say we won’t go to the court any longer. If you rig us out, we would rig ourselves in; which means if you think you can rig us out in 2015, we will form our own government. We have met on that and we have agreed on that. We will instal our own government and there would be two governments.

“The only way to avoid a parallel government is to have a free and fair election. You can’t continue to use the police as if it is a private agency or company of the government.”

While saying that the Police in South Africa is currently investigating President Jacob Zuma, he wondered if the police in Nigeria would be allowed to play such a role in the country.

“Are you aware that the President of the South Africa is being probed by the police? Can that happen here? In this country, they slap judges. Seven members of a state (Ekiti) House of Assembly claimed they have sacked a Speaker,” he added.

On Boko Haram, the governor said it would be difficult to convince Nigerians that the Federal Government was not deliberately allowing the crisis to continue in order for it to decimate the votes that would come from the North-East in 2015.

The zone is considered to be a stronghold of the APC.

Amaechi said Nigerians knew the capability of their soldiers, who he said went to Liberia and liberated the country from the hands of the rebels only for them to be having problems dislodging a rag-tag army of insurgents in the country.

He said, “The Federal Government deliberately allowed the Boko Haram to overrun many villages in the North-East. If it is not a political agenda, why would the military not be able to chase away the rag-tag army of Boko Haram?

“They don’t want elections to hold in the zone so that there wouldn’t be election in the zone. If there is no election in the North-East, they believe that the APC would lose.

“If they are not afraid of the APC, let them restore law and order. The zone is in the hands of the APC. Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Yobe states are all APC states. The only state where it could be 50:50 is maybe Taraba State. Apart from this, other states in the zone have always voted for Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, one of our presidential hopefuls.”

PDP moves to stop Jonathan’s removal

 National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu

The Peoples Democratic Party may have started offering ‘re-election tickets’ to its members in the National Assembly as a means of dissuading them from supporting the reported   drive by the All Progressives Congress lawmakers to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.

In the House of Representatives in particular, the bait was said to have “toned down” the anger of some PDP members, who ordinarily would have backed the bid to remove Jonathan.

An influential National Assembly source said on Sunday that “many of these lawmakers have long fallen apart with their state governors.

“They have been told before now that they should forget any ambition to return in 2015.

“Attempts they made to use the Presidency to intervene in their case also did not turn out in their favour.

“But, with the impeachment move against Jonathan, the party is now assuring some of the members to keep supporting the President as the tickets can still be theirs.”

About 113 lawmakers, largely of the APC fold, began collecting signatures   to impeach Jonathan after the police and Department of State Service operatives locked the gates of the National Assembly on Thursday.

Many of them,   including the Speaker,   Aminu Tambuwal, were held out for hours as a result of the security action.

The development led to commotion as angry members resorted to scaling the gates to enter the National Assembly premises.

Amidst a rain of tear-gas, the enraged lawmakers also forcibly took Tambuwal into the chambers to preside over the day’s proceedings.

The security action was said to be connected with the October 28 defection of Tambuwal from the PDP to the APC.

However, the police claimed that they acted on a security report indicating that some persons planned to invade the National Assembly.

Investigations showed on Sunday that the PDP immediately started reaching out to its members after it turned out that the collection of signatures was real.

The party was said to be mobilising the PDP caucus against joining their APC colleagues in any bid to impeach Jonathan.

A senior PDP member, Mr. Bethel Amadi, confirmed to Rev4mation's World that the caucus would be mobilised to stop any impeachment move against Jonathan.

Amadi said, “Jonathan has not committed any offence to the best of our knowledge. There is no reason to drag Mr. President into any crisis happening at the National Assembly.

“In any case, we (PDP) are in the majority, both in the Senate and the House. So, any talk of impeachment can only make one laugh.”

But, Rev4mation's World gathered that the PDP was wooing Senators and House members with the return tickets to keep them in check.

Another source said, “You know that to impeach the President there must be a joint effort of the Senate and the House.

“While one arm can initiate the process, it cannot get far without two-thirds support of both chambers.

“That is why, getting senators and House members to stay out of the APC’s plot is vital.”

Findings also showed that the ‘return tickets bait’ was the reason some PDP legislators were still not showing strong interest in the impeachment move.

It was learnt that by the first week of December when the picture would have become clear on whether they would get   return tickets or not, the PDP lawmakers “will begin to come out in their true colours.”

A third source, who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja said, “After the primaries, you will see surprises. Many PDP members in the House are as angry as their APC colleagues.

“They have only two weeks to decide on many issues.

“By December, those saying that there will be no two-thirds will be surprised.”

When contacted, the APC caucus told our correspondent that its members were not retreating on the issue.

One of the front-liners in the collection of signatures, Mr. Ahmad Ali, claimed that more members had signed up since the first set of 113 began on Thursday.

Ali, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Justice, said,”In the House, the collection of signatures is gaining traction.

“I cannot tell you the exact number now.” House Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, also said that the “impeachment is on course.”

“PDP people have plans, we have plans. We are all planning,” he said.

Jonathan to Obasanjo: I’m Nigeria’s best leader

President Jonathan and Obasanjo

President Goodluck Jonathan has described himself as the best leader to be produced by Nigeria.

The President said no leader since the country gained independence in 1960 had done better than himself for the country.

He, therefore, said the comment made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which the ex-President described Jonathan’s performance as below average, was untrue.

Jonathan said this in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in Abuja on Sunday.

Okupe’s statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to comments made by a former President of this country, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, regarding the performance of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Obasanjo had at an event over the weekend declared that he rated the President Goodluck Jonathan administration ‘below average’.

“We aver that Obasanjo’s comments are untrue, misleading and clearly do not tally with the facts on the ground.

“We therefore wish to assert without equivocation that in terms of performance and achievements, no administration since 1960 when Nigeria gained independence from Britain, has done as much as that of President Jonathan.”

He said that every discerning and unbiased Nigerian would definitely attest to this “as the evidence stare all of us in the face.”

Okupe, who had also worked with the former President while in office, added that contrary to Obasanjo’s position, the Federal Government under Jonathan had performed excellently given the prevailing circumstances and resources available to it.

He said while it was true that Nigeria had been faced with incidents of insurgency and terrorism, especially in the last few years, the Jonathan administration had successfully contained the initial widespread activities of the insurgents, which he said were prevalent in 12 states of the North, including the Federal Capital Territory.

He added, “While it is true that the present activities of the terrorists in the three north-eastern states have become more deadly in mindless killings, kidnappings and supposed territorial seizures, government has made giant diplomatic strides with our neighbouring countries in order to checkmate the crisscrossing of the insurgents.

“The military and other security agents, which have engaged the insurgents since inception, have done a great job in spite of recent challenges.

“The truth of the matter which we must know and accept is that we have an internal enemy supported by internal and external resources waging a major warfare against our nation.”

DSS operatives, soldiers storm Lagos APC office

Vandalised data office of All Progressives Congress after an invasion by security operatives in Lagos ..

Operatives of the Department of State Service and soldiers attached to the security unit code-named Operation MESA on Saturday stormed the All Progressives Congress data centre in Lagos and arrested 25 data agents and three security guards.

Rev4mation's Word learnt that the security agents also ransacked the duplex located on Ajibola Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, and confiscated computer hardware, which contained the data of APC members in several parts of the country.

Our correspondent, who visited the office, observed that all the rooms were turned inside out, while computer parts were scattered in the building.

It was learnt that the security operatives arrived at the centre as early as 6am and ransacked the building for about two hours before arresting those found on the premises.

According to sources, the DSS acted on a tip-off that the centre was allegedly being used as a warehouse by a former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, to produce and issue fake Permanent Voter Cards, while another version had it that weapons were being kept at the centre.

However, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement that the act was part of a ploy by the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government to intimidate the APC ahead of the 2015 elections.

Narrating what transpired, Mohammed said, “In the early hours of Saturday morning, a combined team of men of the DSS and OP-MESA stormed the Bola Ajibola Data Centre belonging to the APC in the Ikeja area of Lagos and arrested 25 APC data agents and three security guards.

“In what was a Gestapo-like operation, the APC membership data centre located at Number 10, Bola Ajibola Street, came under siege between the hours of 5.30am and 7.30am on Saturday.

“An operation of terror and brigandage was unleashed on a legitimate operation of a leading national party. They came without a search warrant for the premises.

“Over 50 security operatives drafted from Abuja operations blocked the two major street entrances to the APC data entry centre, pulled down the gates and spent over two hours ransacking and vandalising the centre. More than a dozen computers were destroyed. The server was also vandalised along with other equipment in the building.

“Just like the Watergate scandal in the USA, the state-sponsored security operatives, apparently acting at the behest of the ruling PDP government, turned the office upside down and pulled out and vandalised everything in sight.

“If the PDP-led government and the security agents had done due diligence and acted professionally, they would have known that the APC data centre is a legitimate operation and the (members of) staff are Nigerian youths who were left jobless by the Jonathan government.

“They chose to believe the lie that it was a warehouse belonging to one of the national leaders of the party where dangerous weapons were being kept, when in fact it is a centre for entering the data provided by the millions of Nigerians who registered as members of the party (APC) during its membership registration exercise.”

Mohammed said the DSS were acting on “weak and misinformed intelligence,” describing the incident as “the worst political scandal in Nigeria’s history.”

He maintained that the action must not go unpunished.

Also, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, in a statement on Saturday, described the raid by security operatives as “a bestial expression of the dangerous desperation with which the PDP wants to retain after wrecking the country and leaving it prostrate in sixteen years of tragic misrule.”

Igbokwe warned that Nigeria was “at the very precincts of a brute, callous and dangerous era occasioned by the deadly means a party that has failed Nigeria and humanity strives to retain power at all costs.”

The statement partly read, “Coming after the unsuccessful bid to remove the Speaker of the House of Representatives through an illegal police action, and the sponsoring of direct attack aimed at a takeover of the Ekiti State House of Assembly by seven out of the 26 members of the Assembly, we see PDP’s increasing resort to foul and illegal means as capable of destroying the fragile Nigerian democracy.

“While we join in the demand for an independent enquiry into the armed invasion of our data centre, we warn that nothing, not even the deployment of illegal brute force, should deter Nigerians from pursuing and securing change needed to recover a badly wrecked country in 2015.”

Reacting to the invasion, the President, Trade Union Congress, Mr. Bala Kaigama, warned the political class and security agencies against stressing the patience of Nigerians in the interest of democracy.

Kaigama urged politicians and security operatives to exercise restraint in the performance of their responsibilities.

The TUC President urged security agencies to create conducive environment for the growth of democracy in the country.

He advised that emerging problems should be dealt with in accordance with the rule of law.

Kaigama said, “The politicians should allow us to rest in the country. That is part of what we say we don’t want. If there are problems, the rule of law should take care.

“We urge politicians and security agencies to exercise restraint in their exercise of security. We urge the security agencies and the politicians to Nigerians the necessary peace so that this democracy would thrive.

“We don’t want overzealousness from security agencies and politicians so that they don’t stress out the patience of Nigerians.”

When contacted over the matter, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, said he would get back to our correspondent but he did not, as of the time of going to the press.

Legal practitioners also condemned the attack on the APC office.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, said invasion of a political party’s office by security operatives was inimical to the nation’s democracy.

He said, “Nobody is above the law; not even the law enforcers. Unless the security operatives who searched the office of the All Progressives Congress did so with a search warrant, their action is absolutely unacceptable. That this happened is a sad thing for me. No authority in this country should act with impunity. Invading the office of a political party is a new height for our security agencies.

“The Federal Government should order the security operatives to put a stop to all this unwarranted attacks on harmless citizens. The security operatives seem to be insensitive to criticisms. They must see themselves as vanguard of the rule of law. They should be upholding the law.”

Another SAN, Dr. Joseph Nwobike, described the involvement of soldiers in the attack as inconceivable.

“I’m not justifying it or criticising it. If the DSS visits the office of the political party in furtherance of its investigative activities, that may be acceptable. The whole issue is not clear now. But for the soldiers, it is completely inconceivable. Soldiers are not involved in internal security,” he said.

The senior lawyer advised that security agencies should stay away from offices of political parties, as parties are also stakeholders in the overall management and development of the country.

Similarly, human rights lawyer, Fred Agbaje, who condemned the action, however stated that nobody could prevent security agencies from investigating any offence.

He said, “If any of the political parties is planning or is engaging in any act possible of breaking law and order, the Police or any concerned security agencies of the nation can act to intervene. But if at the end of the day, there is no concrete outcome to their investigation and invasion, they might have acted unlawfully.

“By invading the office of the APC, the security agencies have exposed themselves to wanton violation of right to privacy, right to dignity and all that. There is something negative about all these things. They can’t just invade a political party’s office without justification.

“Let me also add that the constitutional infraction by the security agents will only make the PDP-led Federal Government more unpopular in the eyes of the electorate.”

When Rev4mation's Word contacted the Department of State Services for explanation on its action, the organisation’s Deputy Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, stated that the service received a petition that the building was being used to clone the Independent National Electoral Commission Permanent Voter Card, adding that the agency carried out an operation to investigate the allegation.

According to her, DSS operatives retrieved a server, three hard drives and 31 ‘Ghana must go’ bags of hard copies of data, adding that a number of people at the office were also arrested.

Ogar stated that the building had no sign to indicate that it was an APC office, noting that investigation had commenced.

She said, “Nobody knew it was an APC office because there was no sign to indicate that it was their office. Based on a petition that some people are cloning INEC Permanent Voters’ Card in the building at 10, Bola Ajibola Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, our personnel carried out an operation there this morning (Saturday) and recovered a server, three hard drives and 31 ‘Ghana must go’ bags filled with hard data, for analysis.

“We have commenced investigation and this would show whether the allegations in the petition are true or not. There was no sign that the building belonged to APC or any other party, it was when they got to the office after they recovered the data captured, that they learnt that the building was being used by the APC. We are being proactive on account of the security situation in the country, you know that the Boko Haram has been targeting Lagos and so, we cannot afford the petition lying low.”

Here's the puzzle:

Here's the puzzle:

"Three guests check into a hotel room. The front desk officer says the bill is N30,000, so each guest pays N10,000. Later the front desk officer realizes the bill should only be N25,000.

To fix this, he gives the attendant N5,000 to return to the guests. On the way to the room, the attendant realizes that he cannot divide the money equally. Since the guests didn't know the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest N1,000 and keep N2,000 as a tip for himself.

Each guest got N1,000 back: so now each guest only paid N9,000; bringing the total paid to N27,000. The attendant has N2,000. And N27,000 + N2,000 = N29,000 so, if the guests originally handed over N30,000, what happened to the remaining N1,000?"

Please, feel free in your urgent comment......

Supreme Court reinstates impeached Taraba deputy gov

Sanni Danladi

The Supreme Court has ordered the immediate reinstatement of Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Sanni Danladi, who was impeached by the state House of Assembly in October 2012.

In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court held that the impeachment panel set up by the House of Assembly to investigate the allegations against Danladi violated his rights to fair hearing.

The impeachment panel was said to have gone ahead with its proceedings without hearing Danladi and recommended his impeachment, while the panel snubbed his court papers which he served on it to challenge its composition.

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta who delivered the lead judgment held that there seemed to be conspiracy between both the Taraba State High Court and the “kangaroo” impeachment panel to frustrate the appellant.

He held that set aside the judgments of both the Court of Appeal and the Taraba State High Court, which had dismissed Danaladi’s suit.

The apex court held that the two lower courts ought to have resolved the issue of fair hearing in favour of Danladi.

Danladi was impeached about a month before the governor of the state, Dambaba Suntai, was involved in an air accident.

Garba Umar, who was appointed to replace Danladi, was later elevated as the acting governor, following Suntai’s ill health that resulted from the crash.

Assembly crisis: Oshiomhole, Fayose exchange hot words

Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his Ekiti State counterpart, Governor Ayodele Fayose, on assembly crisis exchanged hot words over the state of the legislature in their respective states.

While Oshiomhole told Fayose not to drag his (Oshiomhole) name into the “political gangsterism that has become peculiar with the Ekiti State Governor,” the Ekiti governor said his Edo counterpart lacked the moral right to question developments in Ekiti when he had not managed well the crisis in his state legislature.

The Edo governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, said there was no crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly, and that 15 of the 24-member Assembly were members of the All Progressives Congress, while the other nine were of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He explained that out of the nine PDP members, three were on suspension while the seat of another member had been declared vacant.

But Fayose, who also reacted through his Special Adviser on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, on Thursday, insisted that Oshiomhole allegedly perpetrated illegality by shifting the sitting of the Edo Assembly to the Government House and that he should face the administration of his state and stop meddling in the affairs of Ekiti.

Okhiria’s statement read, “We find it utterly laughable and as the height of political childishness for the Ekiti State governor to hide behind his media aides and seek to drag the name of the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, into his crude gangster tactics, which he has re-introduced into Ekiti politics less than two months after assuming office.

“If the Ekiti governor is too lazy to read and too politically-illiterate to know what is happening in Edo State House of Assembly, we expected his psychedelic media aides to simply shut their loud mouths rather than behave like capering neophytes.

“Even a kindergarten knows that 15 is greater than 5. So if five PDP members decide to sit with three suspended members and another, whose seat was declared vacant, in a chamber which is undergoing renovation, then we can at best regard that as the height of crass legislative irresponsibility.

“It is ridiculous to even contemplate that the Ekiti governor and his media aides do not know that 15 is greater than five. For sure, they seem engrossed with their stomach infrastructure mantra, such a dubious contraption which can only be contrived by an ideologically-clueless and gluttonous administration.

“But for the kind of democracy we practice in Nigeria, where the PDP promotes and condones all manners of illegalities, inanities and shenanigans which have become the second nature of that party, Ayodele Fayose would have been cooling off his heels in gaol rather than brandishing the appellation of being a governor.

“We are thoroughly ashamed that Ekiti, hitherto known as the fountain of knowledge, is being reduced to a mindless bubble by a man running her affairs without a discernible direction like a drowning man clutching desperately at flotsam.”

Olayinka’s statement, sent to Rev4mation's World, said in part, “Is it proper for a state House of Assembly to sit in the Government House? Should a state House of Assembly complex be put under lock and key for six months? And can actions taken at the sitting of a House of Assembly held inside the Edo State Government House be said to have the stamp of legality?

“Here we are with a supposed progressive comrade governor perpetuating illegalities in Edo State with lawmakers of his party, APC, sitting exclusively in the Government House where he resides with his wife and children; and instead of his aides to remove the timber in their boss’ eyes, they are getting concerned with the toothpicks in another person’s eyes.

The reality is that whether the APC lawmakers are 15 or 5, the lawmakers cannot sit anywhere else apart from the state House of Assembly. Or are they saying that the National Assembly can also relocate to Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos?

“It is our advice that Governor Adams Oshiomhole should solve the problems in the Edo State House of Assembly and stop meddling in the Ekiti State affairs because on June 21, 2014, the people elected their governor in person of Ayodele Fayose, and millions of APC evil machinations cannot stop him from governing Ekiti State for four years.”

APC ticket: Senator asks Buhari, Atiku to withdraw

former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Kabiru Gaya, appealed to a former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); and a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to step down for Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso in the struggle for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

Gaya, who was also a former governor of Kano State, stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

He said since Buhari and Atiku were elder statesmen, they should allow a younger Kwankwaso to be the candidate of the APC.

Gaya said, “I am not trying to introduce politics into the situation but we have to tell ourselves the truth. Governor Kwankwaso was a minister of defence, and now a serving governor. He was a legislator, once being a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

“He was also Special Adviser to the President on Dafur. He was a member of the Niger Delta Development Commission, hence he has the credentials. He is a young man too. He can work for 18 hours a day.

“I believe that all our elders and leaders in the APC would support him. If you look at the situation in other countries, their citizens are going for young people to become their president.

“Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama for instance were young men who became president, having youthful hair but grew grey hair in power because of mainly the external problems that their country was facing.

“We won’t mind if Kwankwaso is elected president, he will grow grey hairs in the course of tackling Nigeria’s internal problems. Look at how he had ensured peace in Kano. He will do the same for the country, being a former minister of defence.

“As governor, his budget is 75 percent capital project while 25 percent is for recurrent expenditure. If he can come to the federal level and replicate that, Nigeria will be very happy. Kano is the most beautiful state in Nigeria today, both during the day and at night.”

Tambuwal suspends presidential bid, to pick gov form

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Tuesday bowed to pressure and opted out of the race for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

The Speaker made his decision public in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

Tambuwal said the decision to suspend his bid was taken after due consultations and considerations of the overall interest of the party.

He equally noted that going ahead with such a bid at this time, would alter calculations on the political chessboard of the party.

The Speaker, however, stressed that he had what it takes to be the President of the country.

This, he said, led him to embark on extensive consultations towards taking a decision as to whether or not to participate not to actualise a personal ambition, but rather to actualise “our dream for a new Nigeria.”

The statement partly read, “Having consulted widely, taking into consideration the concerns of some elders of the party, I have decided to suspend my participation in the presidential contest for now.

“I have done so as a sacrifice for the cohesion and unity of the APC. I am suspending my participation in the presidential race for now, because I do not have any inordinate ambition to occupy any office. Nigeria is a country too great to sacrifice on the altar of partisan politics and personal ambition. What anyone becomes in life is exclusively in the hands of God. Only God gives power to whoever He pleases.”

He noted that since the news of the possibility of his participation in the presidential contest got into the public domain, it had generated monumental interest, analyses and commentary.

Although he made no direct reference to his next political move, Tambuwal said, “I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and interest. On my part and with the greatest sense of modesty and responsibility, I wish to assure Nigerians that I am fully prepared, ready, willing, determined, available and armed with the requisite plans, programmes and ability, to undertake the great mission of rescuing our dear country from the clutches of institutionalised corruption, gross incompetence, greed and divisiveness.

“I am prepared for the great task of rescuing Nigeria from the security problems, the scandalous youth unemployment, and the economic and social malaise that plague her.”

The Speaker expressed confidence that when given the chance, an APC government would operate a clean, corruption-free, competent and purposeful government to deal with the inexplicable paradoxes that had held the nation hostage for over 100 years.

“I have carefully considered the concerns expressed by some of our leaders, whom I deeply respect and whose support and counsel I enjoy, to the effect that my entry into the presidential race at this point may necessitate having to rework some equations on the political chessboard of the party,” he said.

While pledging his loyalty to the APC and the five presidential aspirant – Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Governor Rochas Okorocha and Mr. Sam Ndah- Isaiah, Tambuwal appealed for understanding.

Inquiries from the APC National Secretariat on Tuesday evening, revealed that eventhough Tambuwal was speculated to be eyeing the governorship of Sokoto State, he had yet to pick an expression of interest or nomination forms.

Things falling apart within Lagos PDP

George and Obanikoro

In this piece, ENIOLA AKINKUOTU examines the conflict within the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2015 elections

On June 22, 2014, the day Mr. Ayodele Fayose was declared the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election, it seemed the fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West had changed for the better.

Weeks later – precisely on July 11, 2014 – Fayose arrived at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, along with several leaders of the PDP on a ‘thank you’ tour to Lagos State. Many observers, however, believe that the aim of the event was to create awareness for the PDP and mock the All Progressives Congress, which has been ruling the state since 1999.

At the event, some PDP leaders such as the then Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; the Chairman, PDP Mobilisation Committee in the South-West, Chief Buruji Kashamu; and six other governorship aspirants in the state; made it clear that their mission was to wrest Lagos State from the APC.

Another event involving the Lagos State PDP held on August 29 at the National Theatre, Iganmu, in honour of the leader of the PDP in the state, Chief Olabode George, when the Mandela Award was bestowed on him by the National Association of Nigerian Students. At the event were the Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko; a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; a former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala; a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole; a former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; a former Minister of Works, Mr. Adeseye Ogunlewe, and many other party leaders in the state. Their mission was clear; they wanted to ‘rescue’ Lagos from the firm grip of the APC.

George did not mince words when he stated that Lagos was being run by a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who has been largely responsible for the success the APC has always enjoyed at the polls in Lagos State.

The PDP leaders, who referred to Tinubu as the ‘Lion of Bourdillon,’ said just as the late South African leader, Nelson Mandela, freed his country from apartheid after spending 27 years in prison, George, who is also a prison returnee, would free Lagos from the firm grip of Tinubu.

Mimiko, who is of this view, said he had a ‘spiritual revelation’ that the PDP would win Lagos next year. Mimiko said, “I can see; I have the gift of clairvoyance that by 2015, we shall come to celebrate with Chief Bode George when he has produced the next governor of Lagos State. You better believe it. I am speaking under divine inspiration.”

On his own part, ex-governor Daniel, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for alleged financial impropriety, said it was unfortunate that Lagos had never been ruled by the PDP despite the fact that George is an indigene of the state.

He said, “In 2000, the Yoruba nation was in a quandary and we had a President (Olusegun Obasanjo), who had no political support in his home. So, Chief Bode George led us to tour Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and everywhere and the PDP won everywhere in 2003 but Bode George’s state. It now behooves all of us to understand the concept of one good turn deserves another and now that he is no longer as strong as before, we must stand by him to ensure that he can inaugurate the next governor of Lagos.”

Three months later, however, it seems the PDP’s attempt to ‘sack’ the APC and Tinubu has suffered a setback, following emerging acrimony and infighting between the supporters of Obanikoro and another governorship aspirant, Mr. Jimi Agbaje.

Agbaje, who is alleged to be enjoying the strong support of George and Ogunlewe, was said to have been promised the governorship ticket long before he joined the PDP from the Democratic People’s Alliance, which was deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission. Since Obanikoro was still a minister at the time, it was believed that with the support of such influential leaders of the party, Agbaje would be accepted by other aspirants.

However, the political calculation changed when Obanikoro resigned his ministerial appointment and joined the governorship race. Since then, it had been allegations and counter-allegations between the two camps.

A source close to Obanikoro, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “When Agbaje joined the PDP and declared his intention to run for governor, he was highly favoured by the party leadership and was rumoured to have the President’s backing. They probably believed that Obanikoro would not contest. But now that Obanikoro has declared, it has now dawned on them that things will not go as smoothly as they thought.”

As the crisis deepens, the warring parties which have the Agbaje, Ogunlewe, and George camps on the one hand; and Obanikoro on the other hand, have not had a direct confrontation. They have not traded accusations in the open. However, various groups have sprung up in support of each of the two major factions, issuing press statements on their behalf.

For example, a group, the Lagos Integrity Watch, told Obanikoro to forget his bid for the party’s ticket. The group slammed Obanikoro for allegedly criticising George over the conduct of the ward congress in the state. The coordinator of the group Olarinde Onitolo, in a statement, said, “We read with alarm and disgust the outrageous claim of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, alleging that our national leader, Chief Olabode George, was somehow partisan in the ward congress held in Lagos State. This is unfair. It is crude, illogical and foul. The fact of the matter is that Obanikoro is a rejected aspirant. The stakes are too high. Obanikoro should apologise immediately to our party and Chief George for this gross indiscretion.”

However, another group, which is loyal to Obanikoro, The Patriots, berated George for being a dictator in the party. The group, while adopting Obanikoro as its sole candidate, said it believed that George was planning for the PDP to fail because he wanted to remain the leader of the PDP in Lagos. The group explained that if a PDP governor emerged next year, the governor would assume the leadership of the party and thus make George redundant.

The Organising Secretary of the South-West PDP, Mr. Femi Carenna, who is a staunch supporter of The Patriots, said, “Only Obanikoro can face Tinubu and even Tinubu knows this. Obanikoro is the only person that can take the PDP to Alausa Government House next year. We saw how he performed in Ekiti and even in Osun. We are sure that he is the only one capable of fighting the opposition.”

As the fighting intensified, another pro-George group, asked an Ikeja High Court to stop the governorship ambition of Obanikoro over an alleged falsification of age. Besides, the group asked the court to determine Obanikoro’s citizenship, alleging that the ex-minister had acquired the citizenship of the United States without renouncing his Nigerian citizenship.

Specifically, the respondents, Michael Babatunde Ogun, Suleiman Olayinka Saheed and Wasiu Adeniyi Odusan, all PDP members in the state and initiators of the suit, asked the court to determine Obanikoro’s eligibility to participate in the party’s governorship primary fixed for December 8, 2014.

They also asked the court for an injunction barring Obanikoro from accepting what they called “the PDP’s candidacy or nomination” to contest the next year’s governorship election in Lagos State until the matter was favourably disposed of.

However, another group, The Group of Concerned Lagosians, slammed Ogunlewe and George for sponsoring a campaign of calumny against Obanikoro. The group, in a statement by its coordinator, Olayinka Sotade, on Monday, said it was mischievous for them to have brought up the issue of citizenship a few weeks to the PDP primary even though Obanikoro had served as a minister and an ambassador. The statement read in part, “Let it be made clear that Obanikoro is a natural born citizen of Nigeria and nowhere else, not USA, not UAE, not Outer Mongolia. Instead of meeting him at the party primary, desperate individuals are resorting to the same dirty tricks they used in years past to, at the most, frustrate his aspiration, and, at the least, confuse the electorate.

“We are solidly behind Senator Obanikoro and wish to let Bode George and his cohorts know that Obanikoro is a true son of Lagos, who has served Lagos decently all through his public service career without any criminal record, accusation or litigation. He will not be intimidated by half-baked politicians who are already afraid of meeting him at the primary.”

Responding to the crisis within the PDP, a former Minister of State for the Interior, Mr. Ademola Seriki, who was a vice chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, before defecting to the APC, said the disunity in the Lagos PDP was expected and that it would affect the party’s chances next year.

He said, “They have not and cannot win Lagos because they are not united and can never be. They have never had power in Lagos before and don’t know what it is like to have it. So, when power is approaching, all of them will be hungry. It is like putting food in front of people that are not just hungry but starving. You know, when they see the food, they can just start slapping one another because no one would want to be cheated. That is what is happening now.”

In a move seen largely as a bid to unify the party, President Goodluck Jonathan visited the state last month when he reportedly charged the party leaders in the state to come up with a consensus candidate or prune the large number of aspirants to three so that the party could forge ahead.

This seemed to be more difficult than expected as only one aspirant, Dr. Ade Dosunmu, dropped out of the race to contest the Lagos-Central senatorial ticket. Reacting to the crisis, the Publicity Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of the PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani, said the party was aware of the infighting. He, therefore, warned those disparaging George to be careful as they risked being sanctioned by the party. Gani said there was no reason to believe that George was supporting anybody and reaffirmed George as the leader of the PDP in the state.

He said, “The Lagos PDP is reading the Riot Act to all those who are out to foment trouble in the name of any aspirant or group. Issues that are meant to be resolved within the party should not be discussed on the pages of newspapers. Let it be known that the activities of the aspirants and their groups in the open or secret are being noted by the party. Elections are approaching and this is not the time not to be seen as united.

“We are not precluding that people can agitate for rights and privileges but they should not be overambitious. We particularly condemn any aspirant or group that has come to put a bad label on Chief Olabode George, he remains the leader of our party but that is not to say that his opinion will always be final. Anyone that continues to attack him will not only suffer punishment but may lose some privileges and will be labelled a mole of the APC and Tinubu.

Fayose has sealed my office, says Speaker

Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin

The Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, said on Tuesday that Governor Ayodele Fayose had ordered the sealing off of his office.

This, the Speaker claimed, followed the action of seven PDP members of Ekiti State House of Assembly who illegally sat to attempt to change the leadership of the House, but only succeeded in approving the reconstitution of the local government caretaker committees and confirmation of the commissioner-nominees sent to the House of Assembly last week by Fayose.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Wole Olujobi,ý said the governor had earlier employed threats and coercion, including freezing the accounts of the Assembly, cutting off the electricity supply from the Speaker’s Lodge and stopping statutory votes for the Speaker’s upkeep and protocol to intimidate Omirin and have firm control of the House.

He added that on Tuesday, the governor announced the sacking of the Speaker’s aides, ýincluding that of the Deputy Speaker and Majority Leader.

Olujobi claimed that the Speaker’s official vehicles had been demobilised because their keys had been taken to the office of the governor, while his official drivers had been redeployed.

Efforts to get the state government reaction to this failed.

But Fayose had earlier denied involvement in the purported removal of the Speaker of the Ekiti House of Assembly.

The PDP lawmakers had cited the absence of the Speaker and his deputy, Taiwo Orisalade, as reasons for the appointment of the Acting Speaker for the Monday’s business.

Although, the PDP has seven, members in the Assembly, 10 persons attended the plenary on Monday including three whose identities remained unknown as of press time.

The APC on Tuesday maintained that only seven members of the Assembly including three ‘fake’ legislators sat at the plenary when it required nine members to form a quorum.

The party challenged the governor to name the 10 lawmakers that sat on Monday and to provide the video recording of the proceeding.

The situation is already generating heat in the state.

But Fayose’s Special Assistant on Information, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, on Tuesday said the government would not allow the situation to degenerate into a crisis in the state.

Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Ogunsuyi said the Speaker had yet to brief the governor on the incident.

Maintaining innocence of the governor, he said Fayose had once saved Omirin from impeachment.

He said, “We are waiting to see if the Speaker was removed or not. But we know the Assembly is empowered to appoint a Speaker extempore. What happened yesterday (Monday) was an affair of the Assembly. He (Fayose) has no hand in it. He is not a beneficiary of any of the action.

“When they need us they will come to us. Up till now the Speaker has not come to the governor.”

Ogunsuyi, however, said what happened at the Assembly with the approval of the three commissioner nominees was in the interest of the state.

He said the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice was needed to draft document for the state to access the N220bn Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises’ Development Fund of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He added that the Commissioner for Works also needed to represent the state at a World Bank event.

Ogunsuyi said the government did not expect a smooth relationship with the Assembly because of party differences.

“We don’t expect the relationship to be very smooth because of the party differences. But honestly speaking, the Assembly is for the state. They have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in the interest of the state but they don’t have the right to reject a thing if it’s not in their party’s interest.

“Nobody should use the government platform to advance party’s interest.”

The governor’s aide also frowned on the branding of the Ekiti people that went to witness the Assembly’s sitting as thugs.

He said, “My people should not be addressed as thugs anytime they take interest in the activities of government. They are no thugs. They were the people that voted and are interested in the government. Some of these people have their business under threat while some have their shops locked by the former government.”

Ogunsuyi also justified the sacking of the aides of the Speaker by the government.

According to him, the last administration made a law that the governor will appoint aides for the principal officer and Local Government chairmen.

“What happened was that the Governor had to revalidate the appointments. It is left for the Speaker to put heads with the governor. If he is interested in retaining those people, the governor would appoint them for him.

“But he passed that law knowingly or unknowingly that the governor would appoint aides for him.”

The Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, who also attended the briefing, recalled that former Governor Kayode Fayemi did the same thing by sacking all the political appointees on assumption of office.

Senators divided over emergency rule extension

Senate President, David Mark

 

The Senate on Tuesday abruptly adjourned plenary till Wednesday (today) following a sharp disagreement by its members over President Goodluck Jonathan’s fresh request to extend emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

Plenary had commenced smoothly with Senate President David Mark reading a letter from Jonathan amid murmuring by some of his colleagues, especially those from the affected states.

Sensing that the letter titled, “Extension of the period for the proclamation of a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states” might generate tension, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, moved a motion for the Senate to dissolve into a closed – door session to consider the request.

When the senators reconvened after a two-and-half hour extensive brainstorming, Mark announced that further discussion on the issue would hold on Wednesday(today).

He said, “The Senate in a closed session met and discussed the letter from Mr. President on the extension of a state of emergency.

“We had a very extensive debate on it. And we will continue with the debate tomorrow (today).

The letter by Jonathan read in part, “May I respectfully draw your attention to the state of emergency proclamation 2013 in respect of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states which was approved by the National Assembly and extended for a further period of six months as conveyed by the Clerk of the National Assembly dated May 21, 2014.

“By virtue of the provisions of Sections 305, (6) c of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the proclamation aforementioned will elapse after a period of six months from the date of approval of the National Assembly except the period is extended by the National Assembly.

“It is important to state that despite concerted efforts by this administration to stem the tide of terrorism and insurgency in the affected states, the security challenges that necessitated the proclamation are yet to abate.

“Consequently, it has become imperative to request the approval of the senate for extension of the period for the state of emergency for a further period of six months.

“In view of the foregoing, I most respectfully request distinguished senators to consider and approve by resolution the extension of the proclamation of the state of emergency by a further period of six months from the date of expiration of the current period.

“I look forward distinguished Senate President to the usual kind expeditious consideration of the above request by the Senate.”

The Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Bello Tukur, who briefed journalists after the adjournment , did not give details of what transpired at the closed-door session.

Tukur merely said, “The Senate met behind closed – doors to consider the letter from Mr. President but we did not conclude deliberations on it.

“I want you to reserve whatever questions you have on the issue till tomorrow (today) when we would have concluded discussions on it.”

However, senators, especially those from the Northern part of the country, who spoke on what transpired at the meeting, said they opposed the extension of the emergency rule.

Their objection was based on the fact that the declaration of the state of emergency in the affected states had not achieved the desired objectives since it was proclaimed in May 2013.

Three of the senators, who spoke were Ali Ndume (Bornu South), Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North),   and Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central).

Ndume stated that he was totally opposed to the request by Jonathan because it would further worsen the security situation in the three states which are ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency.

He said, “The state of emergency since it was declared in the three states had taken us from bad to worse.

“Our fear now is that if we extend it again, we are inviting more problems to ourselves because the insurgents would capture more territories during the period.

“As the representative of my people, my entire constituents are totally opposed to the extension of the emergency rule because it restricts movements of the civilian populace while the insurgents move freely and have a field day.

“When people are sleeping in the night, the insurgents are freely moving around. By 6pm, the whole towns are closed but the insurgents are busy taking control of everywhere.’’

Ndume doubted the sincerity of the Federal Government to the fight against insurgents and urged the relevant military authorities to adopt fresh strategies to confront them.

Lawan, who boasted that the President’s request would not be granted, advised that “after 18 months of the state of emergency, we should look at other avenue.”

He said, “Although we will continue deliberations on the issue tomorrow (today), but I can assure you that we will not approve the emergency rule extension because the president can deploy the military to any part of the country without declaring a state of emergency.

“We have a very strong military in Nigeria and nobody can doubt their capacity to handle this insurgency except if the government is telling us that so many things are fundamentally wrong.

“Discussions on it will definitely continue tomorrow (today) but I want to tell you that I am totally opposed to it.

“So many options are being advanced which would be concluded tomorrow.

What we need at the moment is the massive deployment of troops to quickly

launch serious attacks because we have lost so many territories already.

“The request for the extension of the state of emergency is only a waste of time because we had it for 18 months which ended in total failure.”

Marafa said, “The emergency rule extension is unnecessary because previous ones had failed. Even if you are a student and you fail three times then something is either wrong with the student or the teacher. We need a different strategy now.”

Mark leads Senate leadership to Jonathan

Hours after adjourning sitting, Mark led his Deputy,   Ike Ekweremadu;   Ndoma-Egba; the Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi;   the Minority Leader, George Akume, among others to the Presidential Villa for a closed-door meeting with Jonathan.

All the senators arrived and left the villa in a convoy without talking to State House correspondents.

A Presidency source however said the meeting was a troubleshooting effort by the President to ensure that his request to extend the emergency rule scales through at the National Assembly.

House to hold special session Thursday

The House of Representatives will reconvene on Thursday (tomorrow) to hold a special session on the extension of emergency rule in the troubled Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

A meeting of the House leadership presided over by the Speaker, Aminnu Tambuwal, on Tuesday (yesterday) endorsed the special session.

Tambuwal confirmed the reconvening in a statement he signed on Tuesday evening.

Part of the statement reads, “On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, I received a communication from the President, requesting the extension of the existing state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states by the House of Representatives.

“Pursuant to the powers conferred on me by Section 305 ( 2 ) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires me to ‘forthwith convene or arrange a meeting of the House’ and in order to treat the extension before the expiration of the current state of emergency in accordance with Section 305 (6) (c) of the constitution, I hereby reconvene the House which is currently on recess.”

The statement added that the session would hold on Thursday by 11am.

The Chairman, House Committee on Rules/Business, Albert Sam-Tsokwa, told reporters that a decision on the special session had been taken.

“Now, they (leadership) have resolved that the House should reconvene on Thursday to consider the extension of emergency rule”, he said.

The spokesman for the House, Zakari Mohammed, said, “There is going to be special session on the emergency rule on Thursday. The speaker’s office will convey a statement on the reconvening shortly.”

The House has been on break since October 28 to resume on December 3. However, the urgency attached to the emergency rule extension reportedly forced the leadership to approve the special session.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Peoples Democratic Party, Friday Itulah had said it would be proper for the House to reconvene since the issue at hand (Jonathan’s request) required some urgency.

Itulah claimed that the emergency rule had yielded “positive results so far”, adding that the extension was necessary to strengthen the war against terrorists in the affected states.

He said, “I think the extension is worth it as long as the reason for it has not been realised. So, there is a need to extend the emergency rule. Some aspects of it also need to be revisited to make it more effective.

The House is supposed to reconvene on December 3, but since this is a national emergency, let us see how it goes.”

An All Progressives Congress lawmaker, Pally Iriase, also backed the extension of the rule.

He said, “We have been moving back and front; one step forward and 10 steps backward, but that notwithstanding, we still believe the requisite environment be created to enable the Armed Forces to do their work.”

However, investigations by Rev4mation's world showed that many lawmakers in the House were against the extension.

One of them said, “Let us face the truth. Has emergency rule worked? More lives and property have been lost in those states with emergency rule in place.

“Where are the abducted Chibok girls? If anything, Boko Haram has become more daring, taking control of more towns and hoisting flags under the emergency rule than when there was no emergency rule.

“The facts are there for all to see. Why continue to deceive ourselves with this emergency rule?”

Shettima, Ngillari back emergency rule extension

Although Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima and his Adamawa State counterpart, Bala Ngillari,   backed Jonathan’s bid to extend the emergency rule, they called for the evaluation of the gains or otherwise of the previous proclamations.

Shettima, through his Media aide, Isa Gusau, said, “I do not have doubts about the sincerity of Mr. President in seeking an extension to make it easier for our security agencies to continue their services to our fatherland and I think an extension is reasonable in the circumstance we have found ourselves much as it is also reasonable to take stock of what previous declarations have achieved.

“No democratic government would wish to have military men roaming its streets with armoured vehicles. However, we are very much aware that in most guerrilla warfare, insurgents sometimes dictate the pace because they can disguise and pretend to be friends whereas the security agencies are by their systems, known so they can be identified by citizens.

“I have strong hope that Borno will get out of this situation just I have for the Nigerian state. The problem is however how long it takes and those who suffer while it lasts. This is why we must make common sense sacrifices as leaders, political party members and those in positions of influence to help our military and security agencies to remain focused and not to make the slightest attempts of diverting their attention for whatever reason we seek to achieve.

“We must at the end never fail to remember that no matter how long, we would be required to give accounts of how best we managed our influences, whether we blindly limited our thoughts to our individual and group goals or we used our influences for our people who entrusted us with rights to decide their fates. We owe them the right to live.”

Also, Ngillari,who spoke through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, P. Elisha, said the President had absolute powers to seek extension of emergency rule in the affected states.

The governor however warned against rumours on the situation in the affected states, saying they were capable of making nonsense of the efforts to flush out Boko Haram fighters from the North-East.