Sambo using religion to divide Nigerians —APC

 Vice-President Namadi Sambo

The All Progressives Congress has accused Vice-President Namadi Sambo and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, of using religion to divide Nigerians.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, said Sambo, while addressing PDP supporters in Kaduna, said the APC was pushing a Christian agenda and should be rejected at the polls because its vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), has “5,000 churches.”

The APC said, “It must baffle every right-thinking Nigerian what the vice-president stands to gain by his resort to basic instincts. It is more baffling against the background of the fact that it was his party, the PDP, that first labelled our party, the APC, as a Muslim party.

“Not even when the APC elected a Christian as its National Chairman, supported by many party officials who are also Christians, did they back off from their incautious claim. It did not occur to them that our party is more religiously diverse than they have sought to portray it to Nigerians.”

The party urged voters not to be swayed by those who were using religion as a campaign tool.

It said some unscrupulous politicians had already begun distributing leaflets portraying the APC as a religious intolerant party.

It said, “They are hoping that by further inflaming passion with the highly emotive issue of religion, they can revive their shrivelling political fortunes. That is why they have devised the latest strategy of pitting Christians against Moslems through the circulation of satanic leaflets. Nigerians should not be taken in by this cheap plot.

“We ask Nigerians to disregard anyone peddling religion as a tool for securing votes in any part of the country. Faith is a personal thing to individuals and no responsible government will seek to use religion to divide the people.”

CAN got N7bn to campaign for Jonathan –Borno pastor

 CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

Fresh facts emerged on Thursday about the allegation by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party gave some pastors N6bn to campaign against the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the 2015 presidential election.

A Borno State-based Pastor, Kallamu Dikwa, said the money allegedly given to the pastors by the Presidency was N7bn and not N6bn as alleged by Amaechi, who doubled as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation.

Amaechi had alleged that some unnamed leaders of the PDP paid N6bn to Christian clerics to campaign against the APC.

But reacting to the Northern States Christian Elders Forum, who challenged Amaechi to name those pastors involved in the bribery scandal, Dikwa told journalists in Kaduna on Thursday that the said money was channelled through the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Dikwa, who is the Executive Director of the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, said CAN got the said money (N7bn) on January 26, 2015 and disbursed N3m each to state Chairmen of the CAN across the country.

He was also an Associate Pastor with the E. Y. N. Church (Enklesiyan Yan’uwan A Nijeriya) Farm Centre, Dikwa Road, Maiduguri, Borno State, under Rev. Emmanuel Kwajihe between 2002-2004.

But the Presidency and CAN had denied this allegation. While the Presidency said that Dikwa was an agent of the APC, the General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Ayake, maintained that the allegation was total falsehood.

However, Dikwa, said the CAN had started threatening Christians in the state (Borno) that they must re-elect President Jonathan in the rescheduled election.

He said, “It was N7bn that was given to the CAN leadership by President Goodluck Jonathan. They (CAN) later disbursed N3m each to the state chairmen of the CAN. The money was handed over to the CAN leadership on 26th January, 2014.

“This is what I know. One of the CAN officials from Abuja told me that they have collected the money. The corruption in CAN is terrible. They are corrupting the body of Christ because of money.

“They are now threatening Christians in Borno State that they will deal with anybody who refused to vote for Jonathan. And the CAN officials are now campaigning that if Buhari emerges President he will islamise Nigeria; and that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will resign soon after Buhari wins to give way for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to emerge Vice President.

“And at the same time, CAN is threatening Christians in Borno if they didn’t vote for Jonathan. And the same CAN continues to blackmail Prof. Yemi Osinbajo that Islamic world has bought Osinbajo with millions of dollars, all this is because of the N7bn bribery that they have received from Jonathan.”

But Ayake in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Ilorin on Thursday said, “At no time did CAN collect money from Jonathan to preach against Buhari or to give the impression that Buhari wants to islamise Nigeria.”

Ayake added, “I do not think I will lower ourselves, our integrity and our positions to somebody who is fake, who called himself a pastor when he is not; a liar, somebody who does not even know his left from his right. I know the person, if I want to comment, I will be lowering myself and my integrity to such a thing. Please that person is not what he claims to be.

“What he said is a lie. It did not happen. It will not happen.

“He is a liar. We should not waste our time on him. He is not a pastor. He has never been a pastor. He is just a liar. If I should reply, I would be lowering myself. What he said is between him and his God. Let him know that when this life is over, we are going to stand before God to give an account of what we said or did in this life. Let him continue with his lies, God will catch up with him one day.”

Also, the Presidency said that Dikwa was making this allegation because he belonged to the APC.

It said that was the reason he would continue to say anything that could advance the interest of his political party.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents.

Abati said, “Is the pastor a member of the APC? He probably belongs to the APC. Since he is a member of the APC, he will echo, modify and amplify whatever Amaechi said.

“I think before you do anything, you should establish the political affiliation of that pastor.

“He must be a member of the APC. Otherwise, he will face his primary responsibility as a pastor.

“I have no doubt that the man is a member of the APC. As a member of the APC, he will say whatever he feels will advance the course of his party.”

I came to Nigeria to eat, marry – Illegal immigrant

 The suspects

For 21-year-old Musa Isa, who is from the Niger Republic, his major mission to Kwara State, Nigeria was to work and get money to feed himself and later marry.

Isa was one of the 120 illegal immigrants arrested and paraded by the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kwara State Command, on Thursday for not having valid documents.

He said he had stayed in Kwara State for about 10 years without documents and without arrest until Wednesday when he was nabbed by immigration officials.

Isa also said he had been doing menial job, offloading cement in Ilorin for about 10 years.

“The immigration men caught me and brought me here. They caught me because I am from Niger. I do not have my travel documents. I have been here for about 10 years. I have all my people with me.

“I offload cement bags as a labourer. I stay at Lajorin, Muritala. I want to come back to Nigeria. I will prepare my paper. I love Kwara State because I see food to eat, but in my place we do not have much food to eat. I am also looking for money to marry.”

Another illegal Immigrant, Mumuni Hassan, said he was from the Niger Republic but came to Offa, Kwara State, about two weeks ago to work as a cobbler. He also said that he found Offa more lucrative for his work than his country.

Hassan said, “I came here about two weeks ago. I will come back to Nigeria. I will prepare my documents.”

The Public Relations Officer, NIS, Kwara State Command, Mr. Adesola Adeyemi, said the 120 illegal immigrants were arrested during the command’s periodic mop-up exercise.

He stated that 97 of the immigrants were from the Niger Republic while 23 were from the Republic of Benin. He said officials of the command also intercepted a truck with registration number, KATSINA XA 621 KAT, that was loaded with 46 passengers in Ilorin on the suspicion that the passengers were from the Niger Republic.

According to him, after investigation, it was confirmed that the travellers were from the Niger Republic.

He said it was not established that the immigrants were to be involved in electoral malpractices.

“We could not find anything on them that showed that they came for election, but we should move to make sure that we nip any security threat in the bud.”

Adeyemi said the illegal immigrants were ECOWAS citizens, but were to be repatriated to their countries because they did not have travel documents.

He advised them to go through the laid down procedure and get their documents if they genuinely wanted to return and work in Nigeria.

Lamido, Mu’azu meet over Obasanjo

 Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

The Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, met in Abuja on Wednesday on how to convince former President Olusegun Obasanjo to return to the party.

Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday indicated that the meeting took place at the Abuja residence of Mu’azu.

The meeting, it was learnt, was at the instance of Mu’azu, who was said to be worried about the political implications of Obasanjo’s decision to dump the PDP.

Obasanjo, while announcing his decision to leave the party where he was once its Chairman of Board of Trustees, on Monday, also ordered that his membership card be torn to shreds.

At the meeting between the governor and the national chairman of the party, it was learnt that Mu’azu expressed sadness over the turn of events in the party, which has been ruling since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.

One of the aides of the chairman, who was at the meeting, said the former governor of Bauchi State was “visibly sad that the once-cohesive party” was becoming a joke in the country.

It was learnt that at the meeting, the national chairman of the party sought the opinion of Lamido on how to approach the tirade being thrown by the former President at the party and its Presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

The chairman’s aide, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said that the governor warned the party against trading accusations with the former President.

Lamido is considered as one of the governors very close to the former President.

The chairman’s said, “The governor warned the party against fighting the former President. He also asked Mu’azu to warn some members of the party, including a governor from the southern part of the country to stop abusing the former President.

“He told the chairman that the party and the President do not have the capacity to fight the President, saying that before the former President would open his mouth to say a word, he has his facts.

“Besides, he added that there are other sympathisers of the former President in the party and that any attempt to rubbish him (Obasanjo)would make many of them uncomfortable.”

But the party has said it would not relent in its desire to have the former President return to its fold.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday, said that having led the party to victories in the past, it would be wrong for the party to let its former chairman of Board of Trustees leave like that.

Alfa kills, shares friend’s body parts

 Afobaje, Tanko and Suleiman

AN Alfa in the Badagry area of Lagos State, Fatai Afobaje, has been accused of conspiring with some security men in his area to kill his friend, Rafiu Suleiman.

Police sources said after the 40-year-old was dead, Afobaje, along with five others, shared his remains among themselves for ritual purposes.

It was gathered that what remained of the late Kwara State indigene was recovered by men of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday, after an intensive search.

The incident happened at Oko Agbonla, Magbon in the Badagry area.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Afobaje and Suleiman had been friends for a long time, and the deceased had given a lot of money to the suspect.

Afobaje was said to have conspired with the Chief Security Officer of the area, identified only as Tanko, to kill Suleiman on Friday.

Our correspondent learnt that apart from the corpse, the police also recovered a clay pot which contained the fingers of the deceased with a few naira notes.

A source said the two men had met in a commercial bus and became friends that lasted for years.

He said, “The two men met in a commercial bus. Suleiman had offered to pay the transport fare of Afobaje after the conductor was about embarrassing him because he had no change.

“The Alfa then said he would like to know him better for being so gracious to him (Alfa). So, Suleiman gave the Alfa his address and asked him to visit.

“That was how the friendship started. From what we found out, Suleiman, who worked as a crane operator, would collect his salary and give half of it to Alfa at the end of the month and that happened for a long time.”

The source, who added that investigation was still on, said Afobaje suddenly connived with his friends to kill Suleiman.

Another source said on Friday, last week, the victim was called by Alfa to come for a meeting around 8pm.

He said, “As soon as the victim got to the street’s gate, the security guards surrounded him and asked who he was looking for. When he told them, they flogged him with charms and he died.

“They then called the Alfa to come and when he arrived, they shared his body parts. While one collected his head, another demanded all his intestines, while another asked for his breasts, which were given out.”

Our correspondent learnt that when the victim’s boss did not find him, he made a call to his wife, who explained that she had yet to also see him.

His boss was said to have contacted policemen from the Morogbo division who then launched a search for him.

The deceased’s brother, Yinusa Wahab, told PUNCH Metro that the victim’s wife asked him to search Afobaje’s house, adding that the victim was there.

Wahab said, “We went to the house, but he was not around. We searched everywhere and didn’t see my brother. Later, we saw a mutilated corpse floating on a stream near the house. It was swollen and there was no head. The breast had been cut off.

“We went back to the house and as we looked around, I saw some fingers in a pot which were still being burnt and when I saw them, I could recognise that they belonged to my brother.”

The police were said to have apprehended the suspect, and he reportedly named the chief security officer as an accomplice.

Afobaje, when queried, owned up to the act, saying he divided the body with the other suspects.

He said, “He was on his way to my house when he was killed. When I got there, he had been killed and then we shared his body. I urge my accomplices to also confess because the act has been uncovered and there is nothing we can do about it.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident.

He said, “The decomposing corpse of the victim has been recovered, while Alfa Fatai has been arrested.

“The matter has been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba.”

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Bury tenure extension idea, lawmakers warn Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

Members of the National Assembly have vowed to resist any ploy by President Goodluck Jonathan to extend his tenure by six months on the pretext of insecurity.

There has been speculation since the February elections were shifted that the President is on the verge of sending a tenure extension proposal to the National Assembly, using the insecurity in the North-East as an excuse.

However, senators and members of the House of Representatives, in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday, said the President should bury the rumoured plan.

On Tuesday, the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate, Senator Femi Ojudu, had alleged at a forum that Jonathan had tried to get some members of the National Assembly to elongate his tenure, but that he had so far met a brick wall.

He reportedly spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State at a social discourse organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group, held in honour of a former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi.

He had said, “President Jonathan has been begging us to allow him do two more years but the Yoruba must cry out and also be strategic in their call for change.

“We are resuming in the next one week and the President might likely bring the proposal for the election to be postponed for the next six months or one year.”

But in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH, lawmakers across political parties called on President Jonathan to jettison the idea, if indeed there was such.

APC caucus leader and minority leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, dismissed the thought of tenure extension as “baseless and impossible.”

He told one of our correspondents that the idea of tenure extension was strange to him since there were no grounds for it.

“It will not pass; there will be no support for it. There is no point wasting time and energy on that issue,” he said.

The Deputy House Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, also argued that, tenure extension would not get popular support, and that Jonathan did not have such a plan.

The lawmaker from Delta State added, “Mr. President is running a campaign for his election. What does he need tenure extension for? Is he afraid of elections like the APC, who know they will lose?”

Another lawmaker from Plateau State, Mr. Bitrus Kaze, said members would oppose a tenure extension proposal because the mood of the nation was not prepared for it.

Kaze said, “The mood in the House of Representatives and even the nation right now will not support tenure extension; it will not fly.”

Similarly, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance from Imo State, Mr. Eddie Mbadiwe, said any plan to extend the elections by six months would be dead on arrival.

“Nobody will table such a proposal and even if it comes, it will not pass. There is no way anybody will contemplate tenure extension,” he added.

On his part, the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Planning, Senator Barnabas Gemade (APC, Benue North East ), said, “As a democrat who has been the National Chairman of two major political parties in this country in the past, I can never support such an undemocratic arrangement few weeks to a general election that we have been preparing for as a nation for about four years.”

Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, (PDP Ondo Central) described the alleged tenure elongation plot as “a fallacy, cheap blackmail and an unwarranted allegation to heat up the polity”

Akinyelure said, “Nobody would bring such bill to the National Assembly except if the person is an enemy of democracy.”

A senator from the South West geo-political zone told one of our correspondents in confidence that the plot was real because there were moves by some members of the red chamber to sell the idea to their colleagues before the current break.

He said, “I can confirm to you that the idea of tenure elongation was sold to some of us before we went on break.”

Other senators who corroborated this view, also on conditions of anonymity, noted the idea might come up when the chambers resume on Tuesday.

One of them said, “The real reasons why the election was shifted by six weeks was probably to perfect the tenure elongation saga by using the National Assembly members who would resume next week Tuesday, to execute the plot.”

The senators, however, vowed to resist any attempt to extend the tenure of the current administration beyond the May 29 handover date.

When contacted, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, said it was not true that the President planned to use the Senate to extend his tenure.

Efforts made to get the reaction of the Peoples Democratic Party were not successful. Calls made to its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, indicated that his telephone line was switched off.

Also, the call made to the party’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Olisa Metuh did not connect.

Obasanjo’s support for Buhari, kiss of death —Ezeife

Chukwuemeka Ezeife

Third Republic Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, tells TOBI AWORINDE that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), may not be worth its salt

What do you think of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who helped found the Peoples Democratic Party, endorsing the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)?

Unusual and unconventional things keep happening in Nigeria. I don’t know whether the solidarity of the military is so strong that it compels people to do such things. Is there a military caucus made up of a different breed of Nigerians such that an officer must support another officer? I hear that Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.) is also supporting Buhari, to my greatest surprise. The military caucus, perhaps, is the strongest one in the (political) system. An endorsement by Gen. Obasanjo can be a kiss of death for any political figure. I don’t know how much is left of Obasanjo’s credibility to endorse somebody and if it can have a positive effect.

 

But Obasanjo also endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. Are you saying the President didn’t profit from that vote of confidence?

You are right, Obasanjo brought out Jonathan and endorsed him in 2011, even when he (Jonathan) was contesting against Buhari. So, what has changed? Or is there another caucus of the North and northern supporters? What happened to (Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru) Jega is also happening to other northerners. But some Hausa/Fulani Muslims have taken a decision to return power to themselves—the ‘born-to-rule people’—and everyone seems to be endorsing Buhari for that reason. The ways of Obasanjo are sometimes inscrutable, but I pray that, for him and for all of us, the will of God will happen. Jonathan is a tool in the hands of God, chosen to do God’s purpose for Nigeria. If he has finished that purpose, he will leave. But if he has not finished God’s purpose, he will be there and no man born by a woman can remove him.

Is it normal for an elder statesman of such prominence to go against his party’s mandate and endorse a member of the opposition?

A former head of state is a human being and has human rights. I don’t think anything is wrong with that. But if you are in a party and you endorse another party’s candidate, it means you are indulging in anti-party activities. In honour, he should therefore resign from the PDP.

Are you, therefore, in support of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose’s proposition that the party suspend the ex-President over ‘inter-party activities’?

Let me tell you something: we don’t have parties. After the presidential elections, we will work to build two parties in Nigeria. The two-party system has been demonstrated to be what Nigeria needs; what works for and integrates Nigeria, crushing religiosity and tribalism. We have one of the parties already surfacing—the Social Democratic Party. We will define the ideology of the SDP properly and the people who want to be on the other side will define their ideology. That way, we would give Nigeria a two-party system. After the presidential elections, even with Jonathan as president, the PDP may have to go. Look at how they cause all kinds of problems for themselves. One is not sure where a member of the PDP is heading. You can see that the President is a member of the PDP. But some people say even the PDP chairman is not with the party. The PDP may eventually leave the scene, even with the President in office.

Obasanjo, in endorsing Buhari, claimed Jonathan had allowed corruption to creep into the military and undermine its operations. Do you agree with this point of view?

No, he was just looking for something to say. Obasanjo was far more corrupt than Jonathan and he never fought corruption. Instead, he fought his enemies who were corrupt. His friends who were corrupt were never fought. That is not how to fight corruption. While I cannot say that President Jonathan has fought corruption seriously, I know that corruption is just an issue that Obasanjo can use against anybody except himself. A worse form of corruption is to prosecute people you don’t like. Imagine two people commit the same offence; one is your friend and the other your enemy. You take state power to crush your enemy and you think you are fighting corruption. That alone is corrupt. Impunity is part of corruption. The effect of an endorsement is uncertain; whether a blessing or a curse, nobody knows.

Obasanjo warned that any manipulation of electoral process by the Presidency could lead to a military coup. Do you suppose the presidency might have had a hand in the postponement of elections?

After Jega was advised by the National Security Adviser and all the security chiefs, there was a National Council of State meeting that raised doubts about readiness for elections. At the state council meeting, Jega was advised to make wider consultations and he did immediately. He then found out clearly that, in addition to the allegations made against him by some southern leaders, in the face of insecurity and other challenges, he could not go on with the elections without people crying foul. People say Obasanjo and others don’t want Jonathan at all because he is from the minority or he is too gentle; because he’s not behaving like Obasanjo, persecuting everybody. It may be true that the military has been planning a coup. But those who are targeting Jonathan can only succeed if God allows it. Whoever is coming to rule us, even if, against my expectations, it turns out to be Buhari, God must approve it.

Soyinka flays Mbu over comment

Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has criticised the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Joseph Mbu, for urging the police to kill 20 civilians for a policeman that is killed before, during and after the general elections.

Mbu, on Thursday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, had also ordered his men during his official visit to the Eleweran Command headquarters, to arrest even the governor of the state if they find him to be violating the law on election day.

“If one of my men is killed, I shall kill twenty of them but don’t shoot first. If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence. Our actions and activities will go a long way to decide this election, so, I have come to tell you that we must remain impartial in ensuring free, fair, peaceful and violent-free polls.

“As far as the law is concerned, we are not going to respect anybody and whoever is coming to the booth should vote and leave peacefully. Anyone who comes there to campaign, even if it is the chief executive of the state, a constable at that polling booth would stop him,” Mbu said.

In a letter made available to our correspondent on Saturday, Soyinka described Mbu as a “political jobber” ready to be used by the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government.

“Goliath Mbu is the latest kid in town, fresh from his triumph in ‘taming’ governors all over the nation, and reveling in his new elevation for jobs well done. A political jobber by instinct though a clamberer through the police profession, he has wasted no time instructing his men to return violence for violence, fire for fire.

“He has been displaying his new attire and pips all over the place, demanding to be noticed – as if his facial snarl is not already plastered over the pages of media annals of police infamy, reminiscent of the good old days of one Inspector-General (Sunday) Adewusi, who would appear on television dripping with gas-canisters and grenades, with a detachment of Kill-and-Go,” the Nobel laureate stated.

According to Soyinka, Mbu’s actions and words are similar to that of Adewusi.

He said, “Is history about to repeat itself in microcosm? Adewusi was sacked by the Buhari coup and vanished from the police political rostrum.”

Soyinka also expressed his regrets and anger over the failure of governments to punish persons like Adewusi for his impunity rather he said, those who have acted with impunity were usually accorded state recognition.

“This warped apportionment of deserving it must be that drives such officials to treasonable conduct under democracies. If the trend changes and even the police are made to account for abuses of office, abuses of the collective rights of citizens, then perhaps we might see the end of arrogant partisanship in the performance of police duties,” he added.

In a related development, the All Progressives Congress in a statement issued on Saturday, described Mbu as a “lawless and barbaric” policeman who should urgently be called to order by the police authorities.

“Since his posting to the Zone 2 Command, this contumacious policeman has exhibited an egregious act of lawlessness by barging through the Lekki Toll Plaza without paying toll and then ordering the arrest of policemen and workers at the Plaza. Is it not an irony that a man who is trained to enforce the law is the same who is breaking the law?” Said the APC publicity secretary, Mr. Lai Mohammed.

IG counters Mbu: Police will use arms with caution

 Joseph Mbu

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has cautioned police personnel against misuse of firearms during the forthcoming elections in the country.

Abba stated that arms would be used only in extreme circumstances, stressing that all police officers must protect the rights of citizens at all times.

Apparently refuting a statement credited to AIG Joseph Mbu, who said “If one of my men is killed, I shall kill 20 of them but don’t shoot first,” the police boss reassured the public that “the Nigeria Police has a mandate to save and protect lives, and not to kill, contrary to recent statements in the media.”

The IG said this during a meeting with senior policemen at the Force headquarters, Abuja, according to a statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, on Saturday.

“IG Suleiman Abba, advised all officers of the imperative necessity to apply caution in the use of firearms, warning that except in extreme circumstances, arms shall not be used during the forthcoming elections,” the statement read.

While admitting that there were circumstances under which an officer might be provoked in the course of duty, the IG stressed that the attributes of a police officer as contained in the Police Regulations, required him to exercise “tact, patience and tolerance and the control of his temper in trying situations.”

He observed that the rule of law is the underpinning tenet of democracy, which he noted would guide police officers in the discharge of their roles during the polls.

Abba restated his commitment to observance of the rule of law and the respect of the fundamental rights of citizens and residents alike by all police officers.

He cautioned officers to avoid excesses, pointing out the dire consequences of abuse of human rights as contained in the recently released Human Rights Practice Manual.

He also restated the preparedness of the Force to provide the requisite security before, during and after the elections.

Five reasons Nigeria’s poll delay is fishy

Prof Attahiru Jega

There was a whiff of something rotten in my kitchen on Saturday – and it wasn’t the cooking. No, it was emanating from the press conference I was watching live on my smartphone, in which Nigeria’s national electoral commissioner announced that polling, scheduled for February 14, was to be postponed by another six weeks.

So now, tens of millions of Nigerian voters will have to wait until March 28 to choose between an increasingly embattled incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan (Peoples Democratic Party) and his challenger Muhammadu Buhari (opposition All Progressives Congress). Governorship races (including my friend and former CGD visiting fellow Nuhu Ribadu running as the PDP candidate in Adamawa State) must now wait until April 11.

Karen Attiah in the Washington Post also noticed the smell. The official reason for the postponement is that the military needs six weeks to launch a new offensive against Boko Haram and cannot guarantee election safety at the same time. This is potentially plausible. But here are five reasons why I’m sceptical.

1. What’s really going to change militarily in six weeks? There is close to zero chance that after years of losing ground, the Nigerian military can launch a successful counterinsurgency in the next few weeks and defeat Boko Haram. Even with massive external assistance (which Nigeria had been avoiding rather than encouraging), this is highly unlikely. So, what happens in late March when Boko Haram is still a major threat?
2. Why the last-minute change? Any election in Nigeria is a security risk. The 2011 elections went pretty well and still some 800 people died. Even if the military is correct that all of their capacity is required in the North-East and thus can’t be deployed to provide poll security in the rest of the country, this was also known many months ago. The timing, so close to a tight election, is certainly suspicious.
3. Those with the most to lose still want to move ahead. Buhari’s base is the north and encompasses areas terrorised by Boko Haram. He would lose the most votes if turnout were suppressed by militant disruption (or fear of it). So, logically, it ought to be Buhari who is calling for a postponement to allow a counteroffensive. Yet, the opposite is true: Buhari wants the elections to go ahead on time. He is now wisely calling for calm, but his position suggests something is amiss.
4. Imperfect elections are often better than none. Elections have been conducted under extremely difficult circumstances in lots of countries and still come off pretty well. A good analogy here may be Mali’s decision to proceed with national elections in July 2013 despite widespread concerns about insecurity in the north. It wasn’t perfect, but the election helped move the country forward.
5. Return of a politicised military? Nigeria has a long history of military coups (1966, 1975, 1983, 1985, 1993), an era everyone hoped ended with democratic elections in 1999. But are we confident the military’s rationale for postponement was entirely security-related? Any suggestion that the Independent National Electoral Commission might have been pressured by military chiefs for political reasons is worrying.

The postponement matters to the tens of millions of Nigerians who were preparing to choose their leaders in a highly-competitive election. That process is now thrown into deep uncertainty, just at a time when citizen confidence in the election has plummeted.

It matters for the region too. As the continent’s biggest country and largest economy, Nigeria is both the engine and the emblem of Africa’s rise. Its leaders should be champions for inclusive democratic development not voting shenanigans and backroom dealing.

And it matters for the West: America’s relations with Africa rely heavily on Nigeria’s role as a crucial economic and security partner. This explains why the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, flew to Lagos last month to urge a credible election and then why he issued an immediate statement expressing deep disappointment in the poll delay. The Kerry statement included a warning that “political interference… is unacceptable,” hinting that the US government isn’t quite convinced by the rationale for postponement either.

If the polls come off as planned on March 28 and April 11 and they go well enough, then this six-week delay will be forgotten. But if this is the beginning of a new period of political instability for Nigeria and an erosion in its democracy, then we will all come to regret the events of the past few days.

Soldiers lay siege to Tinubu’s home

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

A former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says soldiers have placed him under surveillance for the past three days.

Tinubu,   in a statement on Tuesday by his Media Office, claimed that the soldiers numbering 30 were first noticed in a truck close to his Ikoyi, Lagos residence around 11pm on Sunday.

A soldier, Capt. Sagir Kooli, who exposed the alleged rigging of the June 2014 Ekiti State governorship election,   had in a video which went viral last week said   that Tinubu’s telephone was bugged by the Department of State Services.

The former governor said in the statement that the soldiers were initially stationed about 500 metres from the gate of his house   before they moved closer.

Tinubu   explained   that on Monday night , the soldiers returned   in two vans and stayed throughout the night.

He claimed that some of them alighted from the vans and walked back and forth in front of the house.

The APC leader,who   alleged that   the vans   were stationed on both sides of the house on Tuesday morning,   vowed not to be intimidated by the government.

He said, “I remain resolute in my advocacy and support for the rule of law. President Goodluck Jonathan’s government has through the service chiefs staged a coup against Nigerians and the 1999 Constitution and now wants to silence his critics. I will not be muzzled through the barrel of the gun.

“The guns and bullets they should use to defeat Boko Haram are now being turned against the opposition and innocent Nigerians.”

Tinubu advised Jonathan not to take Nigeria back to the days that followed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election and   urged the Yoruba to hold Jonathan responsible should anything happen to him.

He said, “As the scaremongering by the army continues, Nigerians must come to the realisation that the military has abandoned its statutory role and have now being dragged into partisan politics.

“Nigerians and the South-West should hold the Jonathan-led military responsible if any harm or danger comes to Tinubu and his family. The case of the Unknown soldier is too recent in our memory.”

In a separate statement, the Lagos State chapter of the APC described the development as unfortunate and an evidence that Jonathan was abusing the military.

The statement by the state Publicity Secretary of the party,   Joe Igbokwe,   noted that soldiers were used in harassing and arresting leaders of the APC in Ekiti State during the governorship elections.

It described the abuse of soldiers as ‘‘an act of desperation being perpetuated by a dying regime.’’

The party said while Chad and Niger Republic were deploying soldiers to fight Boko Haram, the Federal Government was using soldiers to intimidate the opposition.

The statement read in part, “We see the attempt to intimidate and harass Tinubu as one of the desperate efforts by a dying regime to arrest the forces of history and warn that the PDP and the Jonathan presidency are struggling in vain for nothing will save them from being thrown to the dumpsite of history.

“A nation that is being assailed with the sordid details of the misuse of the army to rig elections for the PDP in Ekiti is today being treated with the scenario of using the same army to intimidate opposition forces so as to procure another extension for a failed regime that ranks not only as the most corrupt but the most clueless and incompetent in the history of the country.

“It is a pity that when poor countries like Niger and Chad are sending troops to fight insurgents in Nigeria, our own troops are being deployed to fight the opposition and intimidate the nation for the sole purpose of forcing through the dead ambition for continuation by a failed and bankrupt regime.”

However, the Deputy Director of Information, Nigerian Army 81 Division, Col. Mustapha Anka, denied that   soldiers were deployed to monitor Tinubu.

Don’t play politics with insecurity, EU tells FG

The European Union Election Observation Mission has however cautioned the Federal Government against playing politics with insecurity in the country.

The mission which expressed concern over the postponement of the general elections,     challenged the   security agencies to support the Independent National Electoral Commission in the conduct of the general elections on March 28 and April 11.

The EUEOM Chief Observer, Santiago Fisas, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, acknowledged the different views by stakeholders on the postponement of the   elections.

He said, “We are seriously concerned at this delay and the reason given. Security is critical but must not be political. People have to be able to vote, elections have to be held so that government is accountable. We look to the security agencies to give full support to INEC and all the people of Nigeria in the holding of polls on   March 28 and   April 11.”

While commending the peaceful reactions by stakeholders to the polls’ postponement, Fisas said that the EU would continue to monitor the electoral process in Nigeria.

He encouraged all the political parties, their candidates and other stakeholders to consider the extra time as an opportunity to prepare better for the elections.

“The EU EOM commends the peaceful reaction so far to the postponement and will continue observing the electoral process. We encourage all political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders to consider the extra time as an opportunity to further prepare for the election days. More voters can collect their Permanent Voter Cards, candidates can elaborate on their proposed policies,” the   Chief Observer said.

Fisas emphasised that for citizens to have confidence in the electoral process, the elections should not be further delayed.

“We will be here in different parts of the country observing the next crucial weeks in the run-up to the election and beyond,” he promised.

UN   seeks restraint from politicians

The United Nations also   advised politicians to continue to exercise restraint and keep the electoral process clean ahead of the polls.

Its Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, said the global body was happy that the delay in the conduct of the elections had been accepted by the stakeholders.

Ban’s Special Representative,   Mohammed Ibn Chambas, disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after a closed-door meeting he had with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Tuesday.

“In short, the message is that we appreciate the pure manner in which the electoral process is proceeding, the Secretary-General commends the President and other political leaders to continue on that parth,” he added.

Chambas,   a former President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, said his visit was a follow-up to telephone conversations the UN boss had with the President and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, last week.

He added that the UN believed that the delay   would provide an opportunity for   more Nigerians to collect their PVCs .

The Special Representative said, “The Secretary-General told me to commend Mr. President and other leaders of the political parties and Nigerians as a whole for the maturity that has been demonstrated so far in this whole preparation towards the general elections that are now scheduled for later in March.

“We saw first of all the primaries; there were a lot of speculations about how they will go and they transpired in a very calm and peaceful manner.

“The campaigns started, and again Nigerians have demonstrated a lot of maturity in the general manner in which the campaigns have taken place.

“Naturally in periods such as this, there will be heightened tension, heightened rhetoric, but on the whole, we have very little violence associated with this process.

“And this is the same also with the postponement where there were a lot of speculations about what will happen but so far this process has been proceeding in a calm, peaceful and credible manner.

“This is the wish certainly of the UN and also many friends of Nigeria. It is our expectations that all will continue to exercise retraint and keep this process clean. And that at the end of the day Nigerians will all accept the outcome of the vote of the people.”

I won’t go on terminal leave – Jega

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said he does not have any plan to embark on terminal leave.

This was contrary to unsubstantiated report that Jega would proceed on a forced terminal leave on March 1.

But Jega’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kayode Idowu, denied this saying his boss was busy preparing for the conduct of the elections.

He said, “Jega is busy preparing for the elections and you are asking about terminal leave. Does anyone planning to conduct elections go on terminal leave? There is nothing like that.”

Idowu had in an interview on a TV programme monitored in Lagos, on Tuesday, said Jega’s appointment was not guided by civil service rules and would serve until the end of his tenure on June 30.

He said the postponement of the elections would make INEC better prepared for the elections scheduled for March 28 and April 11.

Idowu also denied the report that Jega had resigned his appointment due to pressure from the Presidency.

Idowu said, “No, that’s (resignation) is not true, he has not resigned. He didn’t resign. It is a mere rumour.”

Similarly, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, said Jega could not be asked to go on a terminal leave because he was not a civil servant.

He said, “I do not consider the Chairman of INEC as a civil servant subject to civil service rules the same way I, as a member of the House of Representatives, is not a civil servant. There is a difference between a civil servant and a public servant or officer. Jega falls under the latter.”

However, it was learnt that by norm, political appointees had at several times in the past been ordered to go on terminal leave even though they were not civil servants.

The provisions of Public Service Rules 100238 states that officers are required to give three months notice of their retirement from service terminating on the effective date of their retirement. This means Jega might be forced to proceed on terminal leave before the elections.

For instance, the tenure of Jega’s predecessor, Prof Maurice Iwu, was due to expire on June 13, 2010 but on April 28, 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan, ordered Iwu to proceed on terminal leave.

Obasanjo endorses Buhari, warns against coup

 Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

After months of berating the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared his support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Obasanjo, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, made his opinion known during an interview with the Financial Times at the launch of his controversial autobiography titled, ‘My Watch’, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Obasanjo said Buhari, who ruled Nigeria between December 1983 and August 1985, was aware of the challenges of Nigeria today and was qualified to rule the country.

He said, “The circumstances he (Buhari) will be working under if he wins the elections are different from the one he worked under before, where he was both the executive and the legislature – he knows that. He is smart enough. He is educated enough. He’s experienced enough. Why shouldn’t I support him?”

Obasanjo said he was confident that Buhari would be able to effectively tackle corruption and insecurity.

The former President said Buhari would restore the morale of the military which, he said, was needed in the fight against terrorism.

He said President Goodluck Jonathan betrayed the armed forces by allowing corruption to undermine their operations.

He said, “It is a question of leadership – political and military. I think you need to ask Jonathan how he let the army go to this extent. Many things went wrong: recruitment went wrong; training went wrong; morale went down; motivation was not there; corruption was deeply ingrained; andwelfare was bad.”

Obasanjo added that he was saddened by the rate at which the nation’s resources were dwindling, adding that when he left office, Nigeria had $45bn in its reserve but the resources had been depleted by more than half despite the increase in oil prices.

Reacting to the postponement of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission for security reasons and a better distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, Obasanjo said he hoped the Federal Government was being truthful.

He urged Jonathan to put the interest of the nation ahead of his own ambition.

He said warned that manipulating the electoral process could lead to a coup d’etat, adding that the May 29 handover date remained sacrosanct.

“I sincerely hope that the President is not going for broke and saying ‘look dammit, it’s either I have it or nobody has it’. I hope that we will not have a coup. I hope we can avoid it,” he said.

Jonathan absent at Sanusi’s coronation

 President Goodluck Jonathan

The Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Saturday presented the staff of office to the 14th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II.

The News Agency of Nigeria report that among dignitaries who attended the ceremony were the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar El-kanemi.

Others were Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

Also in attendance were the governors of Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe, Niger, Edo, Kwara and Borno, members of the diplomatic corps and members of the business community.

President Goodluck Jonathan was, however, absent.

Sanusi was appointed the 14th Emir of Kano on June 8, 2014 after the death of Alhaji Ado Bayero, on June 6, 2014.

At the ceremony held at the newly constructed Coronation Hall at the Government House, Kwankwaso described the Emir as a knowledgeable person who acquired both the Islamic and western education.”

He said the appointment of Sanusi was based on his personal track record of service and education, which are important prerequisites.

Jega’s speech on poll timetable

Professor Attahiru M. Jega, OFR

 
STATEMENT ON THE TIMETABLE FOR 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS BY THE CHAIRMAN, INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC), PROFESSOR ATTAHIRU M. JEGA, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FEBRUARY 07th, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction
We invited you here today to make known the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the timetable for the 2015 general elections. Let me state from the outset that the Commission’s position was reached after carefully weighing the suggestions from briefings held with different stakeholders in the electoral process.

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The conduct of elections in a country like Nigeria is invariably a collective venture that involves not just the Election Management Body (EMB), but also a diverse range of stakeholders, notably security agencies, political parties and their candidates, voters, as well as interest groups, such as the civil society organizations and the media. To guarantee successful conduct of elections, there are things that are wholly the responsibility of the EMB. But there are other things critical for the success of elections, which fall outside the control of the EMB.

In other words, while INEC must work hard to perfect its systems and processes for conducting elections, and take responsibility for any imperfections thereof, whatever the Commission does may not by itself be sufficient to guarantee the success of elections. There are a number of issues in the preparation and conduct of an election, the most critical of which is security, which is not under the control of INEC.


Current State of INEC’s Preparedness
On Thursday, February 5, 2015, I was invited to brief the National Council of State, which is the highest advisory to the President comprising past and present leaders in Nigeria, on the level of preparedness of INEC to conduct the 2015 general elections. I made a presentation to the Council titled ‘Preparations for the 2015 General Elections: Progress Report,’ in which I gave a detailed account of what the Commission has been doing in readiness for the national elections (National Assembly and Presidential) scheduled for February 14th, and the state elections (Governorship and State Assembly) scheduled forFebruary 28th, 2015.

The summary of my presentation to the National Council of State meeting is that, for matters under its control,  INEC is substantially ready for the general elections as scheduled, despite discernible challenges being encountered with some of its processes like the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by registered members of the public.


In addition, INEC has been doing everything it can to facilitate the collection of the PVCs by registered members of the public. As at 5th February 2015, the total number of PVCs collected was 45, 829, 808, representing 66.58% of the total number of registered voters.

In the delivery and deployment of electoral materials, INEC is also at a comfort level in its readiness for the general elections as scheduled (see the presentation to the Council of State). The Commission’s preparations are not yet perfect or fully accomplished. But our level of preparedness, despite a few challenges, is sufficient to conduct free, fair and credible elections as scheduled on February 14th and February 28th. Compared with 2011 when, within a short time, we conducted general elections that were universally adjudged free, fair and credible and the best in Nigeria’s recent electoral history, our processes aretoday better refined, more robust and therefore capable of delivering even better elections.


Other Variables
But as I mentioned earlier, there are some other variables equally crucial for successful conduct of the 2015 general elections that are outside the control of INEC. One important variable is security for the elections.

While the Commission has a very good working relationship with all security agencies, especially on the platform of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) since its inception in 2010, it has become pertinent for it to seriously consider the security advisory presented to it by the Security and Intelligence Services. I would like to reiterate here that INEC is an EMB and not a security agency. It relies on the security services to provide a safe environment for personnel, voters, election observers and election materials to conduct elections wherever it deploys. Where the security services strongly advise otherwise, it would be unconscionable of the Commission to deploy personnel and call voters out in such a situation.

Last Wednesday, which was a day before the Council of State meeting, the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) wrote a letter to the Commission, drawing attention to recent developments in four Northeast states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe currently experiencing the challenge of insurgency. The letter stated that security could not be guaranteed during the proposed period in February for the general elections.

This advisory was reinforced at the Council of State meeting on Thursday where the NSA and all the Armed Services and Intelligence Chiefs unanimously reiterated that the safety and security of our operations cannot be guaranteed, and that the Security Services needed at least six weeks within which to conclude a major military operation against the insurgency in the Northeast; and that during this operation, the military will be concentrating its attention in the theatre of operations such that they may not be able to provide the traditional support they render to the Police and other agencies during elections.


INEC’s Decision
We have done wide ranging consultation to enable us have as much input as is necessary before taking an informed decision. In the series of consultations that we held with stakeholders, the questions consistently posed to them for consideration are:
In view of the latest development, should INEC proceed with the conduct of the general elections as scheduled in spite of this strong advice; and if so, what alternative security arrangements are available to be put in place?
Or, should INEC take the advice and adjust the schedules of the general elections within the framework of Constitutional provisions?

The Commission held a meeting after the consultations, and decided to take the advice of the Security Chiefs and adjust the dates of the elections. We have done this relying on Section 26(1) of the Electoral 2010 (As Amended), which states thus: “Where a date has been appointed for the holding of an election, and there is reason to believe that a serious breach of the peace is likely to occur if the election is proceeded with on that date or it is impossible to conduct the elections as a result of natural disasters or other emergencies, the Commission may postpone the election and shall in respect of the area, or areas concerned, appoint another date for the holding of the postponed election, provided that such reason for the postponement is cogent and verifiable”.

INEC not being a security agency that could by itself guarantee protection for personnel and materials, as well as voters during elections, the Commission cannot lightly wave off the advice by the nation’s Security Chiefs. The Commission is specifically concerned about the security of our ad hoc staff who constitute at least 600,000 young men and women, together with our regular staff, voters, election observers as well as election materials painstakingly acquired over the last one and half years. This concern is limited not just to the areas in the North-eastern part of Nigeria experiencing insurgency; the risk of deploying young men and women and calling people to exercise their democratic rights in a situation where their security cannot be guaranteed is a most onerous responsibility. Under such circumstances, few EMBs across the world, if any, would contemplate proceeding with the elections as scheduled. No matter the extent of INEC’s preparedness, therefore, if the security of personnel, voters, election observers and election materials cannot be guaranteed, the life of innocent young men and women as well the prospects of free, fair, credible and peaceful elections would be greatly jeopardised.


Consequently, the Commission has decided to reschedule the 2015 general elections thus: the national elections (i.e. Presidential and National Assembly) are now to hold on March 28th, 2015; while the state elections (Governorship and State Assembly) are to hold onApril 11th, 2015. It should be noted that this rescheduling falls within the constitutional framework for the conduct of the elections, notably, Sections 76(2), 116(2), 132(2) and 178(2). See also Section 25 of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended).

For the avoidance of doubt, we will under no circumstances approve an arrangement that is not in line with the provisions of our laws. Our hope is that with this rescheduling, the security services will do their best to ensure that the security environment needed for safe and peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections is rapidly put in place.

We in INEC reassure all Nigerians and indeed the international community of our commitment to do everything within the law and to conduct free, fair, credible and peaceful elections. We call on the security agencies to honour their commitment to restore sufficient normalcy for elections to take place within the period of extension. We also call on Nigerians, political parties, candidates and all other stakeholders to accept this decision in good faith and ensure the maintenance of peace.

As for us in INEC we’ll endeavour to use the period of the extension to keep on perfecting our systems and processes for conducting the best elections in Nigeria’s history. In particular, we believe that we would resolve all outstanding issues related to non-collection of PVCs, which agitate the minds of many Nigerians.

Finally, we wish to call on all Nigerians to accept our decision, which is taken in good faith and the best interest of deepening democracy ion our country.

Thank you.

Professor Attahiru M. Jega, OFR

Chairman

How Fayose, Obanikoro, others used soldiers to rig Ekiti poll — Army Captain

Koli and Fayose

Captain Sagir Koli of the 32nd Artillery Brigade in Ekiti State, who released an audio recording which purportedly has the voice of the then Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Ayo Fayose, in the June 21 governorship election and others meeting on how to allegedly rig the election, on Saturday, insisted the clip was authentic.

In an interview by Sahara TV which was monitored by Rev4mation's World, Koli narrated how soldiers were allegedly deployed in Ekiti to manipulate the poll in favour of the ruling party.

The recording purportedly captured Fayose; Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, who was in charge of the election; Osun PDP governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore; Minister for Police Affairs, Jelili Adesinyan; and former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, in a meeting where they allegedly gave directives to the military to favour the PDP.

He stated that none of Fayose, Obanikoro and other Peoples Democratic Party leaders could deny being at the meeting.

Fayose, Obanikoro and Omisore however, denied both the meeting and the voices in the audio clip.

The Army captain, who has been on self exile after he released the audio tape, said he was ready to testify against those at the meeting should they file a suit in court.

He also said, “It came as a surprise to us. Three weeks to the election, Brig.-Gen. (Aliyu) Momoh was brought in. When he came, he asked us to work with him. When we entered Ekiti State, we started to see a different thing. The commander said this is his direction and we had to follow him.

“He said he was working for the Presidency. He said it categorically. ‘Look, I’m working for the Presidency and anything I am doing, follow my directions. That was what necessitated the compromise in the election.

“The commander asked all the troops to work with Peoples Democratic Party thugs to make sure that his given assignment was done.”

Koli said he played an advisory role in the election as an intelligence officer. He said there were tactical commanders on ground who covered the 16 local government areas of the state.

“Each local government area was assigned a major or a captain, with soldiers to cover those areas adequately. Those tactical commanders were given specific directives on what to do. The PDP and its teams had what they called ‘contacts’; they were PDP supporters and thugs.

“What the commanders were ordered to do was to work directly with those contacts and make sure that whatever those contacts wanted, they should do it. That was the directive. After giving the directive, we moved round the 16 LGAs to ensure compliance by the tactical commanders,” he said.

He added, “They (security operatives) were assembled at the Forward Operational Base adjacent the Ekiti State Government House. He (Fayose) was given a task force. The task force was composed of military components, the Police, Mobile Police Force and security operatives from the DSS (Department of State Security). They were asked to go and work with the PDP contacts in the 16 LGAs.

“Additionally, a sticker was designed and a hand band. On election days, ordinarily and constitutionally, we restrict movements from 06:00 to 18:00 hours. Those stickers were given to PDP supporters; that anybody or any vehicle seen with that sticker should be allowed unlimited access on the Election Day, and that was what was done.”

Speaking with Rev4mation's World, Adesiyan on Saturday admitted that there was a conversation but it was at a scene in Ado-Ekiti, when Fayose and the General engaged in an altercation which almost resulted in a fight.

He explained that the General was accused of being bribed by Governor Kayode Fayemi and the All Progressives Congress, which led to a heated argument between him (the general) and Fayose.

Adesiyan said, “Nigerians are not dummies. These people are mischievous; somebody recorded the scene but let everybody listen to it. Listen to it yourself and get back to me.

“Fayose accused the General who supervised the Ekiti election of taking bribe from Fayemi and APC, that was two days before the election. They called me because they said the General disarmed policemen and I told him to allow the policemen to do their job.

“I was there, Fayose was there, Otunba Omisore was there, Senator Obanikoro was there. I am not denying that there was a conversation but it was not what they are saying.”

Omisore also debunked the allegation of rigging, saying it was an attempt by the APC to tarnish his image.

The media aide to the Osun PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Victor Oriola, made the denial on his principal’s behalf in a response to Rev4mation's World inquiry on Saturday.

Omisore’s response read in parts, “In order to set the record straight, we say empathically that the offensive YouTube (audio) was unfounded and meant to hoodwink the unwary and portray the PDP and its leaders across the South West in a bad light.

“How did Omisore and those mentioned in the YouTube (audio) rig election when all the stakeholders in Ekiti voted for Fayose? Initially, the APC claimed it was stomach infrastructure that won the people’s mandate for Fayose. When that would not fly, they say it was photo-chromic rigging.

“Now, it is army and police who were coordinated to rig for Fayose, what balderdash!”

Again on Saturday, Fayose dismissed the audio.

His Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, said the governor had no time for frivolities and was more interested in bringing good governance to the people.

He said, “We are not interested in this media hype. If they (APC) have such evidence, they know where to go.

“If you, as a military officer, have such information, is it the opposition that you go to?

“The tribunal is there. They can go to the appeal court and file fresh evidence, if it would work for them.

“All this noise shows they don’t know what they are doing. We are not interested in this trash because the video is a fake. Where is the military officer? Does that Captain Koli exist?

“They should provide evidence that PDP members were given special stickers and hand bands.”

A source close to Obanikoro said on Saturday the former minister would no longer respond to the allegations about his alleged involvement in the rigging of the June 21 Ekiti governorship election which was purportedly recorded on tape.

When one of our correspondents called Obanikoro on the telephone on Saturday, his phone rang out while a text message was not responded to.

Also, a text message and phone call made to his media aide, Ohimai Amaize, were not responded to.

However, the source close to the former minister told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity that Obanikoro was being careful because he had just been nominated as minister by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The source said Obanikoro was to be screened by the Senate on February 16 and the allegation could affect his chances.

Repeated calls made to the Acting Director, Public Relations of the Nigerian Army, Col. Sani Usman, on Saturday were not successful.

The calls to his mobile telephone line did not connect. Also, Sani had yet to respond to a text message sent to him on the issue as of the time of filing this report on Saturday night.

However, an intelligence source said the 15-year old brother of Koli, who was reported to have been tortured by military operatives, had since been released and was not in custody of the Army.

The source said, “I can tell you that the boy is not being detained; he was released long ago. So it is not right to say that he is in custody of the Army.”