When sleeping dogs lie…

 Gani Adams

I had made up my mind not to write any piece relating to politics this week. Partly because I wanted a breather from all things political, as Nigeria gets closer and closer to the appointed time for the 2015 elections. But, you know how it is; man proposes, God disposes. As soon as you look away for a moment in these times, something else happens that you simply cannot ignore, which is exactly what happened to me this week.

Many Lagosians will not forget in a hurry, the protests by the previously dormant Oodua People’s Congress, a Yoruba ethnic militia group based in the South West, and the so called Coalition of Concerned Nigerians against the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, last Monday, because of what they claimed was the poor distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards in the South among other issues. The faction of the OPC which carried out the protest was seen brandishing weapons such as guns, machetes and knives, harassing motorists and pedestrians as they disrupted traffic in major parts of Lagos, particularly on Ikorodu Road, where they destroyed any campaign poster of certain political parties in their path.

It is also important to note that the other day, there were protests by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Sovereign State of Biafra in Awka, Anambra State. They were also calling for the resignation of the INEC chairman and rejecting the use of card readers in the forthcoming elections. Could this be a coincidence? Or, the last ditch efforts of a sinking government to ensure enough confusion in the land and hassle a good number of the populace into voting the President for a second term. The President met with the leaders of the OPC in Lagos in a calculated move to secure their votes and those of their members and less than four days after the meeting, the streets of Lagos knew no peace, thanks to the group. The Yoruba proverb, “The witch cried yesterday, and the baby died today…” readily comes to mind and rings so true in this scenario. Yet, the leader of the faction of the OPC group that executed the protest claimed that it was non- partisan! When it was clearly a pro Jonathan rally. If the OPC is truly non-partisan, why didn’t the protest take place at any other random time or before the President’s alleged largesse?

It is a well-known fact that politicians employ different strategies and tricks during the politicking period in a bid to woo the electorate to vote for them. However, when a politician of the stature of the President who is still battling terror caused by a militant group in a section of the country decides of his own accord to “resurrect” another militant group (who also have a bit of a violent history, but by some miracle have been mostly reduced to playing the role of security guards in residential areas of the South-West) by engaging them for whatever purpose, then there is a big problem and we all might just be sitting on a time bomb which will explode sooner than later. It was not enough that the OPC was awarded a lucrative contract worth billions of naira to secure crude oil pipelines in the South-West, the group had to be used as agents for fomenting trouble all because of the desperation of one man to cling to power at all costs!

At this stage, the President should be aware that the die is all but cast. Most people know who they are going to vote for come Saturday, and no amount of coercion will change most minds that have already been made up. Trying to win votes by intimidation or violence will always be a move in the wrong direction. It is rather sad that the one who should be aware of this the most appears to be too desperate to care. With Boko Haram still proving to be a huge mountain to surmount despite the relative success of the Nigerian Army in tackling them in recent times, and the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta as an ever present threat to national peace should President Jonathan lose the March 28 election, it is foolhardy and portends no good for anyone to wake a sleeping dog, which in this case is the OPC who have been generally quiet and peaceful in the last few years.

Mr President may just regret this costly mistake he has made by frolicking with the ethnic militia group if he wins the election, as he will have to deal with the monster he helped create…or in this case re-create.

• Ms. Ajekigbe, a blogger on socio-political issues, wrote in from Lagos

Gun-wielding soldiers ransack vehicles

The Military

Travellers to Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states were briefly delayed on Wednesday as gun-wielding soldiers manning strategic points on the highway stopped their buses for search.

The soldiers peeped into the boots of the buses, asked the drivers about the contents of the bags and thereafter waved to them to drive on upon being satisfied with the responses.

The driver of a Hiace bus who drove at a high speed had to suddenly apply the brakes at Ita Ore Junction en route Ekiti when a soldier menacingly pointed his gun at him.

One of the passengers travelling to Ekiti State, Mr. Solomon Ilori, told our correspondent that he noticed the presence of the soldiers on Monday when he was travelling to Oyo State.

He said, “I know it is because of the election holding on Saturday. I think the soldiers are trying to make sure that everything works well. I hope they know that they should also check the people entering the states apart from the vehicles.”

The drivers of some trucks were delayed for sometime by the soldiers who demanded to know what they were conveying.

UPN dumps Abiola’s wife, endorses Agbaje

Dr. Frederick Fasehun

The Dr. Fredrick Fasehun-led Unity Party of Nigeria has dumped its Lagos State governorship candidate, Mrs. Dupe Onitiri-Abiola, who is the wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola.

The UPN subsequently endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje at a rally on Wednesday.

Fasehun, who is also the Founder of the Odua Peoples Congress, openly called on supporters at a rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday and Agbaje on April 11.

While delivering his speech titled, ‘Why Nigerians want Jonathan back on March 28, 2015, and should vote Jimi Agbaje of the PDP, Fasehun, told the crowd that “Jonathan is the best man for the job because as President he has recorded unassailable achievements in the area of education, infrastructure, agriculture and others.”

He said, “Jimi Agbaje is the best of those available for the job of Governor of Lagos State. Agbaje comes with a sound pedigree, with ideals and programmes rooted in the Awoist and Afenifere stock. He will break the cycle of corruption and self-serving system entrenched in Lagos today.”

While calling on all Nigerians to vote for Jonathan on Saturday, Fasehun said, “Of all those contesting the Presidency today, Dr. Jonathan remains the best fit for the job. Jonathan has shown himself a lamb of peace, committed to the peaceful existence of a strong, formidable and united Nigeria

“Jonathan convened the long-awaited and critical National Conference. He recognises the National Conference as a roadmap to the Nigeria of the future and is committed to its implementation. In contrast, the opposition leaders have positioned themselves in hostility to the agreements reached at the confab and are sworn to jettisoning its far-reaching and epochal agreements and resolutions.”

He said Jonathan should be allowed to rule for another four years because he is from the South-South geo-political zone and it is their turn to rule.

Fasehun stressed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was not the messiah but an impostor.

The UPN national chairman said Buhari could not claim to be an anti-corruption crusader because he was surrounded by corrupt politicians.

APC urges voters to end misrule, vote Buhari

 Mr. Dele Alake

The All Progressives Congress has urged voters to end alleged misrule by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, saying Nigerians should vote for its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

In a statement signed by the Director, Strategic Communications Unit of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Dele Alake, the party urged Nigerians to “vote out 16 years of hunger amidst plenty, poverty in spite of oil wealth by voting Muhammadu Buhari as the next president.”

The statement said, “In the week of Nigeria’s landmark presidential elections, the world has been paying glowing and deserved tribute to the founding father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, who died last Sunday. The passing of Mr. Lee bears a poignant and direct resonance to all Nigerians.

One of his recurring lamentations was with regard to what became of Nigeria’s lofty dreams and the great potentials that our country had at Independence.

“Leadership does make a big difference in the life of a nation. As we prepare to make what is perhaps the greatest choice in a generation on the leadership of our country, we are summoned to think large and to think deep; to challenge ourselves to be part of charting a path to development and in the process build a truly great nation.

“Having surveyed the avoidable descent of our country from the heights of global respect into the abyss of ridicule, our party, the All Progressives Congress, is offering all Nigerians a choice to a part of re-making our collective destiny for the better.”

Buhari escapes disqualification

 Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned till April 22 and 23, all the suits challenging the eligibility of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to contest in the March 28 poll.

By implication, the court will not make any judicial pronouncement on Buhari’s eligibility till after the   March 28 and April 11 elections.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, after fixing the new dates for the suits, explained that his decision was informed by the court’s impending Easter holiday and the judges’ conference that would follow.

The judge fixed the new dates without entertaining suggestions from lawyers to the parties.

The plaintiffs in all the suits want the court to declare Buhari ineligible to contest in the presidential election on the basis of his alleged failure to submit his school certificate   along with his Form CF001 to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The plaintiffs claim that Buhari’s failure to submit the certificate contravenes provisions of sections 131 and 318 of the 1999 Constitution and section 31(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010.

With three of the suits earlier struck out on Tuesday, there are now three   challenging Buhari’s eligibility.

The judge fixed the new dates for the cases after he dismissed separate applications by two persons – Chukwuma Ochu and Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa   – seeking to be joined as defendants in one of the suits.

The judge described the intending parties as “busybodies and meddlesome interlopers.”

The particular suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/01/15, in which the judge ruled on Wednesday was filed by Chukwunweike Okafor.

But Justice Ademola said the ruling on both the intending parties’ applications to join the suit and the adjournment would bind other pending suits challenging Buhari’s eligibility that are pending in his court.

Buhari, APC and INEC are the defendants in the suit and the other pending cases.

Okafor was represented by his lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) while   Akin Olujinmi (SAN) represented Buhari.

Sikiru Adewoye represented the APC and   Hassan Liman, INEC.

The court had on Tuesday struck out three of such suits. one of them was filed   by Ayakeme Whiskey (FHC/ABJ/CS/68/15); and the others by Friday Ojelaro (FHC/ABJ/CS/20/15 and FHC/ABJ/CS/3/2015).

The three suits were struck out because they were mere replica of one another and the remaining pending suits.

Justice Ademola ruled on Wednesday that he would hear the main suits together with the preliminary applications filed by the defendants on the next adjourned date.

Chibok girls are in Gwoza, freed captive says

Abducted Chibok girls

More than 200 girls who were abducted by Boko Haram from government secondary school, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 are in Gwoza, The Cable, an online medium, on Wednesday quoted Mbutu Papka, a woman who was recently freed after eight months in the sect’s captivity, to have said.

Papka, who made the revelation to the international centre for investigative reporting, said she was transferred from a poor condition in Mdita to a fairly tolerable facility in Gwoza where the abducted girls were being held.

She said, “In the camp at Gwoza, there were clear demarcations between where people were kept. The Chibok girls, other captives and Boko Haram members and their family members all had their separate areas secured, though the security in the area where the girls are kept is visibly different and much tighter.

“When we got to Gwoza, things changed because there were facilities there and the place was 10 times better than Mdita.

“We had a normal life in Gwoza, except the trauma of living in captivity. Whatever we wanted to eat, they were provided. They would bring water, firewood, etc., and leave them outside. They even provided perfume for anyone who requested for it.”

The 56-year-old woman added that no one was allowed anywhere near the specific location of the abducted girls, which was being guarded round the clock.

Papka was reportedly seized alongside many others when Boko Haram attacked Gwoza on July 4, 2014 and taken to Mdita, a remote village near the notorious Sambisa Forest, bordering Askira Uba and Damboa. She and many others, including children were kept in Mdita for five months before they were taken to Gwoza, where she was held for another three months before being released on March 15.

The woman said the facilities provided for them in Mdita were so poor that some captives died of ill health.

“There was a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor who was killed during the attack on our village, and his wife was abducted with us. She died at Mdita due to the condition of the place and the death of her husband,” she said.

The pastor’s wife was said to have had diabetes and had been on a special diet, which could not be provided by the insurgents.

Though she said she could not speak for the abducted girls, Papka said she and the other women abducted were neither raped nor assaulted, saying the insurgents lived with their wives and children in the Gwoza camp.

When she was to be released by the sect on March 15, Papka was given a sick two-year-old boy who had been crying uncontrollably. She was driven home on a motorcycle and asked to pay N8, 000, which her family did.

Buhari planning to send me to prison –Patience

 Mrs. Patience Jonathan

The wife of the President, Patience Jonathan, says the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) will send her to jail if he is elected.

In a manner typical of a prayer session, Patience, at the Peoples Democratic Party rally in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, invoked the ‘Holy ghost fire’ to consume PDP’s opponents.

Patience also called on the crowd to vote for the PDP at the polls.

Patience, who had earlier entertained the crowd of supporters by dancing to household music tracks such as ‘Kukere’ and ‘Personally,’ said the Goodluck Jonathan-led government was a lover of women and youths in the country and should, therefore, be encouraged to continue.

She said, “I want to warn you not to listen to the All Progressives Congress. The APC does not have materials to match what the PDP has on (the) ground. Their candidate was there in governance initially. What did he do? They only sent your fathers to prison.

“They are planning to even send me to prison. Holy Ghost fire! Holy Ghost fire! Holy Ghost fire! They have nothing to offer. They only say ‘I will’, ‘I will’.

“A train is moving and it has now got to Oyo State. When we talk about train, some of you may have not seen a train before now. The last time a train moved in this country was when I was small and in primary school.

“When my children were small, they asked me what a train was. I had to take them to London and we entered a train from London to Paris. But the PDP government has brought this back to Nigeria. If you want to see train working today, you don’t need to travel again.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide, who spoke earlier, said Jonathan deserved to be re-elected because he gave women 35 per cent representation in his cabinet.

She said, “I enjoin the women and youths of Oyo State to vote for our party on Saturday. I have seen a campaign advert by the APC in the newspapers saying ‘God give us men’. But our prayer in the PDP is different. We pray that God gives us men and women.

“Jonathan is the first President in Nigeria to give women 35 per cent. Going by the National Conference report, the President has said that if women have 35 per cent, youths will also have 30 per cent.

“I was looking at the list of the universities set up by this administration, and I saw that one of them was set up even in the hometown of his opponent – Gen. Buhari. I think that if Buhari could not set up a university in his own state, Jonathan has done it and, therefore, deserves to continue.”

Other dignitaries at the event were the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Senator Teslim Folarin, his wife, Angela; wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Kemi Mimiko, and the party’s senatorial candidates in Oyo State.

FG plans ‘troublemakers’ arrest on election eve

 Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba

There are strong indications that security agencies may clamp down on “troublemakers” ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

The PUNCH learnt in Abuja on Wednesday that the “troublemakers” would be arrested based on intelligence reports on “persons of interest.”

The names of the “troublemakers” could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, but security sources said they might be arrested on the eve of Saturday’s elections.

One of the sources, who confided in one of our correspondents, said armed security personnel   would also be drafted to streets where the “persons of interest” reside.

He added, “Security agencies are working hard to ensure a hitch-free election and one of their strategies is to arrest those that may want to foment trouble; already, there is an intelligence report that some people may want to sponsor crisis but this will not be allowed; the suspects and their sponsors will be apprehended.”

Shortly after the security sources spoke, the All Progressives Congress said it was worried about the plot to arrest some of its leaders, especially Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.

The party said it also learnt there was a move by the security agents to restrict the movement of the Director-General of its campaign organisation and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

The APC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, however expressed confidence that Nigerians would resist any attempt by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to use security agents to harass, intimidate and arrest opposition figures during the elections.

It said, “Does Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu qualify as a troublemaker? What we are saying is that they must allow a level playing field and not resort to arbitrary arrest of political party leaders to give undue advantage to the ruling party.

“We can tell you authoritatively that we have obtained a court injunction to restrain the Chief of Army Staff and his agents from arresting   Tinubu.”

It will be recalled that some APC governors were prevented by security agents from entering Ado-Ekiti   a day to the June 21, 2014 election in Ekiti State.

The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi, who was one of the     governors was reportedly harassed in Odudu, Ondo State, by armed soldiers   as he tried to enter the state capital from the Akure Airport.

The chartered plane that took him   to the Akure was detained after landing

The other governor stopped from entering     Ado-Ekiti   was Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. A helicopter that was   take him   from Benin to Ado-Ekiti was not granted permission to take off from the Benin Airport.

When contacted on the alleged plot by security agents to clamp down on “troublemakers,” the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said anyone who caused trouble or violence during and after the polls would be arrested.

Ojukwu, who reaffirmed the readiness of the police to raid all dark spots, added that people who refused to obey the electoral law would be treated as “troublemakers” and be made to face the law.

He however explained that no member of any political party would be targeted by the police.

Ojukwu added, “We have intelligence report on those that may want to disrupt the elections and we are going to arrest and detain them all to ensure that the election holds without any disruption or hitch.

“Our men have been adequately briefed and they will carry out their duties without bias.   Our duty is to ensure hitch-free and non – violent elections. We are going to arrest every troublemaker wherever they may be found. Anyone who does not obey the electoral law is a troublemaker and we won’t spare them.”

The Department of State Services spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, could not be reached for comment on the issue as she did not respond to calls to her telephone.

The Defence Spokesman, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, also could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.

Sources at the Presidency on Wednesday told one of our correspondents that there was no order by Jonathan to security agencies to arrest   or restrict the movement of any influential Nigerian during the elections.

They however said since   security agencies had the responsibility of ensuring hitch-free elections, they   were free to take steps within the ambit of the law to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

One of them said, “Do you think that the President will call security chiefs and ask them to arrest or curtail the movement of Mr. A. or Chief B during the elections?

“In the same vein, don’t you think it will be wrong for any security chief to be waiting for a directive from the President when he is confronted with something that can lead to a breakdown of law and order?”

When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity,   Reuben Abati, said the present administration believed in the rule of law and would not hunt anybody.

Abati said anybody who had not committed any offence should not be afraid of arrest.

The presidential spokesman said, “What everybody has seen is that in the build-up to this election, opposition party has been coming up with a series of lies with the hope of misleading the public.

“Each time one lie is exposed, they come up with another one. This speaks to their desperation, it speaks to their dishonesty.

“If leaders of the opposition party have not committed any offence, if they have not done anything wrong, they have no reason to be afraid of being arrested.

“Coming up with all kinds of tales to mislead the public speaks to their own dishonesty.

“The Jonathan government truly believes in the rule of law. It is not a government that will go and be haunting people for any reason.

“The President believes in free and fair elections and he has always said this. This last minute blackmail will not help anybody.

“Security agents have the constitutional responsibility to make sure that nobody engages in any act whatsoever that can derail or disrupt the electoral process.

“There are laws of the land in that regard. There are institutions that have the responsibility to make sure that nobody disrupts the electoral process.”

Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, ruled out the possibility of   clamping down on politicians.

Metuh told one of our correspondents on the telephone that since the   Jonathan administration believes in the rule of law and credible electoral process, no security agent would go out of his way to arrest politicians.

He said, “Our party is not under any pressure. We are confident of winning the election and since we are not running a military government, nobody would order the arrest of any politician who does not fall foul of the law.”

We’ll liberate Gwoza by Friday, says Jonathan

 President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday expressed the confidence that Nigerian troops will liberate Gwoza from members of the Boko Haram sect latest on Friday.

Once that feat is achieved, he said it would not take the nation more than one week to clean up.

Jonathan spoke while granting audience to a group of international election monitors who paid him a visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“We believe by tomorrow (Thursday) or latest Friday, we will be able to take over Gwoza. If we take over Gwoza it will not take us more than one week to clean up. Now Boko Haram is not in position to come out and disrupt elections,” Jonathan told his guests.

He recalled that when security operatives advised that elections be rescheduled for security reasons, a number of people thought it was just because of the terror attacks in some parts of the North.

He however admitted that that was a major factor too because the Boko Haram set was in three states: Borno, Yobe and Adamawa at that time.

“They were holding territories, some local governments were completely under their control and invariably there were no government in those places.

“And of course, some states like Gombe and Bauchi were also not free. In fact, it would have been difficult to conduct elections in five states of the federation.

“If we had conducted elections on that February 14, they would have come up to disrupt elections in these five states and that would have made the presidential elections in these five states inconclusive.

“This is because whoever emerged a winner though we are 14 candidates but the PDP and the APC candidates are the two that are well known.

“It would have been difficult because probably the vote difference of any of these candidates, if you aggregate the remaining five states that elections would have been disrupted, it would have been difficult to declare a winner.”

Jonathan added that Gombe State was attacked on the same day the presidential election was earlier scheduled to hold. He said the aim of the insurgents was to disrupt the elections but they were repelled.

The President assured his guests that elections would be conducted on the Saturday across the country and there would be no reason for inclusive results.