Sunday, 26 April 2015

The scramble for Tambuwal’s seat

KOLAWOLE DANIEL in this report gives an insight into the race for the Speakership of the House of Representatives in the in-coming Eighth Assembly and the top contenders for the race.

Tambuwal
The race for who is the next Speaker in the House of Representatives is becoming interesting day by day as politicians in their usual character are leaving no stone unturned to outdo one another in clinching the Number 4 seat in the country. Though the Seventh Assembly is yet to wind down, political players have kick-started moves to determine the Speaker in the incoming Assembly. The incoming ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC),  at this time, is not helping matters as to which zone is taking what in the incoming government.
Sources close to the APC leadership confirmed that the party leadership is holding consultations on how to go about the power sharing formula without short-changing any zone and interests that formed the party.
Some members of the next Assembly have already confided in Nigerian Tribune that, as an independent body, members would choose its leaders based on experience and leadership qualities irrespective of region or state. Information, however, has it that the position of the Speaker and deputy Speaker, the only elective positions in the House, are unofficially zoned to the North-East and South-South zones. The South-East will be compensated with the position of Chief of Staff or Secretary to the Government of the Federation and a former APC Presidential Screening Committee, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, is reportedly tipped for the offices.
Events in the House in the last few weeks showed how political the office of the Speaker is, as various interest groups have stepped up lobby  for their candidate or zone. The quest for the post of Speakership position has its own drama unfolding as brothers are contesting against one another.
Gunning for the Speakers include Honourable Pally Iriase and Peter (South-South), Edo State. A former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and a Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly for four years, is said to have started campaigning vigorously for his ambition. Also, the  current Minority Leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila from the South-West, Lagos State, is also interested in the position. The Minority Leader has 12 years’ experience in the House.
The North-West also has House chairman on Finance, Abdulmumin Jibrin, from Kano State, as another interested member in the race for the position. To advance his cause, the lawmaker has urged the party to place premium on merit, continuity and necessity among other factors in deciding who should be the next Speaker. Jibrin said the party should jettison zoning. This is as he promised to overhaul the operating standards of the House, which he described as moving in snail’s pace, stressing that, “We will engage the executive constructively and mitigate friction between the executive and the legislature,”.
As it is now, the North-East currently has two of its own gunning for the plum job, one of them is Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture Honourable Mohammed Monguno and Chairman, Committee on House Services, Honourable Yakubu Dogara. Dogara, who represents Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa federal constituency, was among the first set of 37 members, who defected to the APC in December 2013 from the PDP.
In a twist of event, the North-West caucus, instead of supporting their own, Jibrin, has reportedly tilted towards endorsing Dogara as Speaker. A member of North-West caucus in the House, Honourable Nasiru Baballela, who hinted that the North-West forum of the incoming 8th Assembly would soon endorse the candidature of Honourable Dogara claimed that Dogara is the choice of majority of its members.
On Honourable Dogara’s ambition, the North-West Caucus, according to a statement issued by Honourable Ila, who represents Tarauni federal constituency in Kano State, added that  “He is the most qualified and fitted for the position of speaker and he is humble, intelligent and calm. These are qualities of good leadership.
The statement added: “We in the House believe in consolidation. The current leadership of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has stabilised the House and given it a name.
“We cannot afford to go back on this and that is why we must ensure that only people of like minds such as Dogara are elected into leadership positions in the 8th assembly. Electing Dogara as speaker will go long way in uniting the people of northern Nigeria who are of different ethnic groups and religions. We want to make sure that we go back to the good old days when we coexisted as one people in the north in the days of our forefathers.
“The late Sardauna of Sokoto of blessed memory united the north as one indivisible entity and since his demise we have not been able to continue on that noble path. Now, history beckons, and a golden opportunity is in our hands to correct the many wrongs of the past by electing someone with impeccable character and proven integrity as our Speaker. Electing a Northern Christian as speaker will give a sense of belonging to our Christian brethren that we are one people and they too can become anything in a united Nigeria. More than ever before our people, have been divided along ethnic and religious lines, we must correct this.”
South-West
A member of the House from Oyo State Honourable Sunday Adepoju, who is also in the race for the pleaded with the party’s leadership  to zone the speakership position to the South.  Adepoju said for equitable distribution of position, all the zones should be considered.  The lawmaker, who represents Iddo/Ibarapa East Federal Constituency of Oyo State, explained that should the Senate Presidency be zoned to the North, the position of speaker should go to the South.
He said that the zoning arrangement in the coming Assembly would only  reflect the principle of Federal Character required by the 1999 constitution (as amended). He, however, appealed to the APC that, in the spirit of fairness and adherence of federal character, the position of Speaker be zoned to the South-South geo-political zone. Adepoju stated that, if the party decides  to zone the position to the South-West, he would be interested to contest for the position.
Also a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly Professor Mojeed Alabi, has joined the race for Speaker. The professor of Political Science, who is banking on his experience as a former Speaker, is reportedly seeking the favour of the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, to clinch the top job. Alabi, who holds two doctoral degrees (PhDs) in Law and Political Science, is a lecturer at the University of Ilorin.
Another second timer from Osun state is also said to be interested in the race. Honourable Israel Ajibola Famurewa, who won his re-election bid in the just concluded elections represents Atakunmosa East/ Atakunmosa West/Ilesha East/Ilesha West in the House.

Buhari, Change is Actually an Active Verb


0101 SK-backpagex(1).jpg - 0101 SK-backpagex(1).jpg
SimonKolawolelive! By Simon Kolawole; simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Months have slimmed down to weeks, and soon we will be counting days and hours to the historic change of baton between President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Soon and very soon, Buhari will start dominating the headlines: Buhari did this, Buhari did that. Jonathan will take the back seat, except he wants to be like that megalomaniac interloper in Abeokuta. The front-page pictures of the newspapers will be all Buhari. The subject of discourse by columnists and TV analysts will be Buhari. If the weather is too hot, it will be Buhari's failing. If a policeman collects N20 bribe somewhere in Ode Omu, it will be Buhari's fault. That's the way we are.
God save Buhari if the PDP propaganda machinery is half as effective as that of the APC: he would be in hot soup from the word go. But the PDP, as things stand, is crushed and in disarray, and it may take the party years to get its bearing. So Buhari should at least have some breathing space in the meantime. Given the global goodwill he enjoys — backed by his reputation as an honest and modest man — Buhari will likely be given a chance. Typically, electoral success produces the initial euphoria, followed by the honeymoon after inauguration. Next, the people begin to size up the new leader and, finally, the hard reality sets in. That's the way life goes.
Buhari won the presidential election promising "change". Now that APC has captured power, "change" must move from slogan to action. During the campaign, "change" was a noun, an idea, a jingle. "Change" must now function as a verb, an active verb at that. Verb, we were told in primary school, is a "doing" word. Active verb "does"; passive verb is "done". So Buhari must change Nigeria else Nigeria will change him. He must be the subject, not the object. If he does not "do", he will be "done" for. If he does not "change" Nigeria very soon, trust Nigerians to become nostalgic and romantic about the past. You'll start hearing: "Even Jonathan was not this bad!"
In Nigeria, we always think a former president is better than the current one. After all, it was suggested at some stage that Gen. Sani Abacha was better than President Olusegun Obasanjo. I heard arguments about how Abacha kept the exchange rate at N80 to $1 and how it had fallen to N120 under Obasanjo. While I would agree that Abacha and Obasanjo were alike on many counts, I wouldn't suggest Abacha, who spent five years torturing and murdering Nigerians, was better. However, if people could say late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua — who did virtually nothing — was better than Jonathan, then I have seen it all.
Three things will define the Buhari administration in its infancy: one, his first cabinet; two, his first decisions; and three, his first budget. Will his first cabinet be dominated by jobbers, losers and other hopeless nominees intended to settle political IOUs like Obasanjo's team in 1999? Will Buhari spend his first days in office reversing policies, instituting politically motivated probes and cancelling contracts like Yar'Adua did in 2007? Will Buhari's first budget be overloaded with overheads and subsidy payments like Jonathan's in 2011? These could end up shaping the direction of any administration. The morning foretells the day in many instances.
For Buhari to make a difference, he must start from his first cabinet. If he gets it right, he has a good chance of getting his initial decisions and first budget right. If he gets it wrong, he will have misappropriated his goodwill so quickly. One of the most enduring self-destructive traditions of new governments in Nigeria — and I include states as well — is the tendency to assemble cabinets that are heavy on regular politicians and light on men and women who have more than politicking to offer. The conventional wisdom is that the full-time politicians helped the president to power and he will need them for re-election. Hogwash. You only need a few full-time politicians in the cabinet.
If I were to advise Buhari, he just has to break with tradition. At 72, he has seen it all. He has nothing to lose. I don't think he is planning to build more houses or buy private jets or marry more wives. He can afford to throw himself into changing a system that has ruined us for ages. He has to put his feet down on the kind of cabinet he wants. He must resist the suggestion to transfer people from APC headquarters to the federal executive council. Those who have proved that they can manage party affairs very well should continue to do so — after all, APC still has a lot of electoral battles to fight. You don’t disband a structure that has served you so well.
In setting up his first cabinet, Buhari should insist on having nominees who must have more than politicking to offer. He should state the criteria. They must be men and women who have demonstrated competence in their fields and careers, not only in partisan politics. I would suggest that rather than getting one nominee per state, Buhari should request at least three so that he can have a choice and will be able to weed out those who are not fit and proper to be in his team. At every turn, he must maintain that only the best should be nominated so that he can have a quality shortlist of 36 ministers, as provided for in the constitution.
In my opinion, a ministerial nominee should be asked to prepare a brief proposal, stating their preferred ministry, highlighting the sector's problems and proffering the solutions. The nominee should then defend the proposal before Buhari and an interview panel. It will be very glaring if the nominee knows what he is saying or he is just a piece of matter seeking to occupy cabinet space. A tough nomination process will serve Buhari extremely well. If you have a competent team, your job is half done. All you need do is give them the political backing and the leadership needed to translate "change" from a noun to a verb, from slogan to action.
In 2003, Malam Nasir el-Rufai actually faced a panel chaired by Obasanjo, with Vice-President Abubakar Atiku and Chief Audu Ogbeh, then PDP chairman, in attendance. According to el-Rufai, Obasanjo asked him specifically: "If you are appointed FCT minister, can you restore the Abuja master plan?" El-Rufai responded: "Of course, I can do it if I get your backing because those violating the master plan are your friends!" At the end of the interview, it was clear to all that el-Rufai could do the job. We remember what followed. This shows the importance of screening, matching nominees with positions and allowing them to prepare for the job ahead.
If Buhari makes the mistake of appointing funny characters into his cabinet without a thorough fit-and-proper test, he should just forget about "change". We would return to the very thing we are trying to run away from — that system of patronage at the expense of Nigeria's development. The time has come for us to put our best feet forward. The cabinet must be dominated by bright minds who must understand the technocratic and political skills needed to deliver reform. If Buhari gets that right, it has the potential of ballooning his goodwill and sending a clear message to 170 million Nigerians that, indeed, something is about to happen.
And Four
Other Things...
XENOPHOBIA VS XENOPHILIA
I have noticed, with concern, threats by Nigerians to "retaliate" the xenophobic attacks in South Africa. I can understand the anger, worsened by the pronouncements of South African leaders who are too shallow to recognise the ramification of their tacit endorsement of the barbaric behaviour of these street urchins. However, we should not allow this uncivilised behaviour to change who we are. Nigerians, by nature, are xenophilic: we are very accommodating of foreigners. We should not allow them to infect us with xenophobia. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. That is what Apostle Paul said. Maturity.
SULEIMAN'S SACK
Before his appointment as the inspector-general of police, Mr. Abba Suleiman came highly recommended. All I ever heard about him was that he was a thoroughbred professional, one who was above board and very straight. But there is something about Nigerian politics that keeps killing our best. His misadventure into trying to remove Aminu Tambuwal as speaker of the House of Representatives, even brazenly attempting to interpret the constitution — a preserve of the judiciary — damaged him. He has now been sacked, reportedly for almost turning himself into the ADC of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari after the March 28 presidential election. Opportunism.
MIGRANTS' MISERY
Every African, every African leader should be ashamed of the Mediterranean migrant tragedies, which have claimed up to 1,700 lives this year alone — and a possible 30,000 overall by year end. The image of desperate Africans who sardine themselves into unseaworthy boats on illegal journeys to Europe breaks my heart. It is all the more saddening because most of the people on these boats are not running away from war or persecution. They just have this perception that they are better off as second-class citizens in a developed country. So what are we going to do about our continent? Distressing.
BUHARI AND JONATHAN
I hope I'm not getting too excited about this, but I never imagined that I would see an outgoing president and an incoming one — from opposing parties — behave so responsibly in the transition period. I've been impressed by President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari so far. They've held several meetings and always come out with warm smiles. It could well be for the cameras only. It could well be that after May 29, it will be fire-for-fire and media war over legacy issues. But, please, let me enjoy this unusual moment in Nigeria's political history while it lasts. Gratifying.

Those Who Will Chart a Course for Buhari


Brand-New-Buhari-2011.jpg-Brand-New-Buhari-2011.jpg

Behold the men and women who will chart the course for the government of General Muhammadu Buhari, who assumes office on May 29. These men, made up of a blend of old and new generation, were chosen after weeks of consultation and character evaluation and were drawn from the country’s six geo-political zones to make up the transition committee
Ahmed Joda
The chairman of the 18-member transition committee, nominated by the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, and Ahmed Joda is an administrator, journalist and politician. He is a former permanent secretary in the Northern Nigerian public service, Federal Ministry of Information, Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Industries.
He was among a class of super permanent secretaries in the 1970s that played a major role during the Nigerian Civil War. In the 1960s, he worked with Ahmadu Bello in the Northern regional government.
In 1999, he headed a committee on assessment of Federal Government parastatals and also a panel on poverty alleviation. He currently serves as the chairman of ABTI-American University of Nigeria, Yola and is the principal founder of Benue Valley Farms.
Joda was born in Girei in Adamawa State. He attended Yola Elementary and Middle schools before proceeding to Barewa College. In the 1950s, he attended Pitman College, London and gained practical experience in journalism while staying in Britain.
After completing his secondary education in 1948, he was admitted to Moor Plantation, Ibadan. He worked briefly at an agricultural centre in Yola before entering the field of journalism at Gaskiya Corporation, Zaria. He later worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission serving as the editor of NBC Kaduna and then joined the Northern Nigeria civil service as Chief Information Officer and later permanent secretary in the regional Ministry of Information. In 1967, he became a federal permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and subsequently moved to Lagos.
After, the civil war, he was seconded to the Ministry of Education when the ministry was involved in rehabilitation of facilities in the old East Central State, launching of the Universal Primary Education and the establishment of the Nigerian Universities Commission. In the mid 1970s, he became permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry at a time the Nigerian government was trying to launch a national steel programme. He has also served as chairman and board member of various bodies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Nigerian Communications Commission, Pastoral Resolve, SCOA, Nigeria, Chagouri and Chagouri Construction, Flour Mills, Nigeria, and the Nigerian LNG.

Doyin Salami
Dr. Doyin Salami, the vice-chairman of the committee, holds a PhD from Queen Mary College, University of London.
He is a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria and had been a member of the Federal Government’s Economic Management Team.
He is currently a full-time member of the faculty at Lagos Business School (LBS), where he is senior lecturer. In addition, he is also an executive director of the UK-based African Business Research Ltd.  At LBS, he leads sessions in economic environment of business and had also served as director of programmes for five years until January 2005. Dr. Salami’s research interests include: issues in corporate long-term financial management; macroeconomic policy; corporate competitiveness and risk management; and characteristics of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
In addition to teaching, Salami is a consultant. His consulting activities included assignments for the Department for International Development (DFID), World Bank, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Presently, he is retained as a consultant by British American Tobacco (BAT), BGL Securities Ltd; Coca-Cola Nigeria and Equatorial Africa (CCNEAL), Kakawa Discount House and he has facilitated or participated in corporate retreats for Zain Nig Ltd., MTN, and African Petroleum Plc., among others.

Tam David West
Prof. Tam David West is a former minister of petroleum and energy under General Muhammadu Buhari  military government between 1984–1985, and  minister of mines, power, and steel under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida (1986). He was eventually removed as minister and arrested by the Babangida regime for allegedly contributing to the economic adversity of the country. He was discharged and acquitted of these charges by Nigeria’s Special Appeal Court on August 8, 1991.
He had earlier served as commissioner of education and a member of the Executive Council of Rivers State (1975–1979), as a member of the 50-person Constitution Drafting Committee for the Federal Military Government of General Murtala Muhammed .
David-West was born in Buguma, Kalabari, in what is now Rivers State. He received his higher education at the University of Ibadan (1956-1958) and earned a BSc degree at Michigan State University (1958–1960), an MSc degree at Yale University (1960–1962), and a PhD degree at McGill University (1964–1966). David-West was consultant virologist and senior lecturer at the University of Ibadan in 1969 and was subsequently promoted to professor of virology in 1975.

Festus Odimegwu
Another member of the transition committee, Mr.  Festus Odimegwu, is a former Managing Director of Nigeria Breweries Plc and immediate past chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC). He replaced Chief Samaila Makama at NPC.
Odimegwu was an appointee of President Goodluck Jonathan after he helped to rally the organised private sector to support the enthronement of the Umaru Yar’Adua presidency in which Mr. Jonathan served as vice president.
He remained close to President Jonathan, who appointed him chairman of the National Population Commission. He however left the position in controversial circumstances after he made comments considered critical of a section of the country.
While at the Nigerian Breweries, he embarked on a modernisation programme that has further strengthened the distance between NB and its competitors.
He also served as a Director of Dangote Cement Plc until March 2012.  He served as Director of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc between 2004 and December 31, 2011. He served as Director of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc. He graduated with B.Sc Chemistry from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and M.Sc Brewing from Beriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.
He was Chairman & CEO, FS Group of Companies Ltd and a non-executive Chairman, Royal Lifestyle Services Group of Companies Ltd. Odimegwu was also a non-executive chairman of Quintessentially Nigeria Ltd.

Nike Aboderin
Nike Aboderin, a member of the committee is also a representative of the private sector on the transition committee.
Her private sector experience was majorly in the banking sector where she rose to the position of Group Head, Large Corporates at Skye Bank Plc in 2014. She also had a stint at Citibank Nigeria.
She was Special Adviser to the Ogun State governor between July 2011 and August 2014. She was a member of the executive council and was responsible for the trade and investment portfolio, reporting directly to the governor.
She was once Head, Treasury/ Financial Services of Premium Securities Ltd. (FBN (Merchant) Bank Ltd.)

Olawale Edun
Another private sector operator on the committee list is former commissioner of finance, Lagos State from 1999-2004. He has considerable experience in Economics and International Finance at national and international levels.
He worked at Chase Merchant Bank Nig. Limited (later Continental Bank Plc) – including spells at Lehman Brothers and Chase Manhattan Capital Markets, New York, USA and The World Bank / International Finance Corporation, Washington DC, USA .
He returned to Nigeria in 1989 as co-founder and executive director of Investment Banking and Trust Company (now Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc. He is the founder and current Chairman of Denham Management Limited (now Chapel Hill Denham Group). He serves on the board of African Paints Nigeria Plc, among others. He is also the Chairman, LiveWell Initiative, a health education and literacy non-government organisation (NGO) as well as Sisters Unite for Children – another NGO which assists street children.

Bola Adesola
Bola Adesola is a banker and a lawyer by profession. She joined Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited in 2011 as the managing director/chief executive officer. Her main responsibilities include the provision of leadership for the Group in Nigeria, through the development of overall country strategy/direction; the provision of leadership on corporate governance issues; and the achievement of the overall country’s financial and headcount budgets.
Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bank, Adesola served in senior leadership capacities in Citibank, Nigeria and Tanzania for a period spanning over nine years. She also served as Managing Director of Kakawa Discount House Nigeria and executive director in First Bank Nigeria, with responsibility for managing the business in the Lagos Directorate including retail, corporate and commercial banking.
Muhammed Hayatudeen
Muhammed Hayatudeen is remembered as perhaps, the first Nigerian bank managing director to turn around a sick and dying financial institution.
He used his wealth of experience in 1992 to transform the hitherto dormant Federal Savings Bank into a thriving commercial bank.
His effort led to the establishment of the now defunct FSB International Bank.
Hayatudeen is one of the moving spirits behind the Nigerian Economic Summit that has set the agenda for restructuring the Nigerian economy and putting it on a firm foundation. The Nigerian Economic Summit served as a precursor of the Vision 2010 where Hayatudeen also played a prominent role.
He had earlier worked in the Northern Nigerian Development Company where he retired as managing director. He set up a private consulting firm which he managed before coming to FSB.  He is an Economics graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria.
He served as member of numerous regulatory bodies such as the Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation (TCPC)

Abubakar Malami
Abubakar Malami, SAN, was born April 17, 1967 in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State. He attended Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto. Between 1995 and 1996 he worked as Magistrate II, Kebbi State Judiciary. He was a member of the Local Government Election Tribunal for the 2003 Election and National Publicity Secretary, Muslim Lawyers Forum of Nigeria - 2002 - 2004. He  served in various capacities including being a state counsel and magistrate in Kebbi State and teaching law at the Usman Dan Fodio University before going into  private legal practice. He was also the National Legal Adviser to the defunct  Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Audu Ogbeh
Audu Ogbeh, an Idoma, was born on July 28, 1947, in Otukpo, Benue State. He attended King’s College, Lagos (1967 - 1968), then studied at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1969 - 1972)
He also attended  the University of Toulouse, France (1973 - 1974) before returning home to commence a teaching career at the Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1972 - 1976) and headed the Department of Humanities, Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology (1977 - 1979).
Ogbeh began his political career in 1979 when he ran for office in the Benue State House of Assembly on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), becoming deputy speaker of the Assembly. In 1982, he was appointed Federal Minister of Communications, and later became Minister of Steel Development. His term of office ended in December 1983 when a military coup brought Major-General Muhammadu Buhari to power.
Ogbeh’s political influence  blossomed when  he was appointed National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in  2001 replacing Chief Barnabas Gemade. He held this position until January 2005, when he was forced to resign due to his criticism of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s handling of a crisis in Anambra State.  He returned to his farming career afterwards. As at 2009, he was chairman and managing director, Efugo Farms, Makurdi, and a member of Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships Incorporated, based in Philadelphia, United States of America. Ogbeh later became a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria ( ACN) and played a prominent role in the merger that gave birth to the APC.

John Odigie Oyegun
Chief John Odigie Oyegun was born on August 12, 1939 in Warri, Delta. He attended St. Patrick’s College, Asaba and proceeded to the University of Ibadan where he obtained Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Oyegun served as a federal civil servant and in various capacities as a development planner. He served in the Federal Civil Service for 13 years and  was appointed Permanent Secretary at the age of 36, thus making him the youngest at that time. In 1985, Oyegun retired voluntarily from the Civil Service.
The former Edo governor was to have his first taste of politics in 1992. After retiring from the Federal Civil Service, Oyegum. was elected the civilian governor of Edo on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) under the transition to democracy launched by the then Military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida between January 1992 to November 1993. Oyegun joined  forces with Pro-democracy activists who campaigned for a return to civil rule using the umbrella body of NADECO.  He later became a prominent member of the now defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and chaired the technical committee set up by the party to advice it on sensitive national issues. But in 2012, Oyegun parted ways with the ANPP and joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and shortly afterwards, they went into merger talks with ANPP, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). On June 13, 2014, the former governor was elected the first substantive national chairman of the APC.

Ogbonnaya Onu
Chief Ogbonnaya Onu was born on December 1, 1951 to a family of His Royal Highness, late Eze David Aba Onu, Eze Adul of Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi  State.
He obtained grade one with distinction in his West African School Certificate examination at Izzi High School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. He also obtained distinctions in physics and chemistry at the Higher School Certificate examination at the College of Immaculate Conception (CIC), Enugu. Onu went ahead to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Lagos, graduating in 1976 with a first class honours degree in Chemical Engineering. For emerging tops with first class honours, Onu enrolled for his Doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering without passing through a Master’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, United States of America.
Onu continued in  pursuit of  his academic career, taking up teaching appointment at St. Augustine’s Seminary, Ezzamgbo, Ebonyi state and later at the Universty of Port Harcourt. He was appointed the first head of the department of Chemical Engineering. He later acted as Dean Faculty of Engineering and was later elected into the Governing Council of the University. Onu has held many administrative positions and served on the boards of several establishments. He was President Raw Materials Society of Nigeria and Visitor, Abia State University, Uturu.
The APC chieftain began his political life in 1991, when he was elected first governor of the old Abia state. He later became the first Chairman Conference of Nigerian elected Governors in 1999. The former governor also emerged as the presidential flag-bearer of the then All  People’s  Party (later known as All Nigeria Peoples Party). He and other progressive politicians initiated the process of merger of a coalition of  opposition political parties in the country which has metamorphosed into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
Outgoing Rivers State Governor and Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, played more than just the role of an average party man in the success of the Buhari election. Amaechi, among others, was believed to have put in huge financial commitment to the Buhari campaign, aside buying into the vision of change. It is not expected, therefore, that he would be part of the Buhari presidency from the scratch.
Although from the South-south region as President Goodluck Jonathan, Amaechi, against the many labels of a traitor, greed and over-ambition, was the first to wage a potent war against his own, citing incompetence, corruption and orchestrated security to cow and intimidate the opposition. His idea of change seemed impossible ab initio; he however trudged on until the dream was realised on March 28.

Senator Hadi Sirika
Senator Hadi Sirika, a former pilot and senator from Katsina North Senatorial District, is currently the vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Millennium Development Goals (MGDs). A very close ally of Buhari, Sirika is one person who stayed the course, despite the menacing challenges.
Also a member of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Sirika always believed that President Goodluck Jonathan lacked the gravitas to run a complex nation like Nigeria but has a rather poor grasp of his brief and a number of topical issues. He has always hoped that whenever Buhari emerges president, things might begin to take a different turn. He is close and honourable enough to deserve membership of the transition committee.

Solomon Dalong
Fifty-one years old Solomon Dalong is the son of a retired Director of Health in the Taraba State Civil Service. Immediately after passing out from the Law School, he took up a job as Personal Assistant to the late Chief Solomon Lar. He was then appointed Adviser Emeritus to President Olusegun Obasanjo. This job lasted till 2003. In 2004, he took up an appointment with the Faculty of Law, University of Jos, as a lecturer. As a lecturer, he has had the opportunity of attending leadership trainings, courtesy of international human rights organisations.
In 2005, Dalong combined his job as a lecturer and study while pursuing a post-graduate degree in Law. His LLM programme successfully ended in 2007 and he was appointed Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Area the same year. His tenure as council chairman ended in May 2008. He then returned to the University of Jos. He made an attempt at representing Langtang North and South at the National Assembly but lost.
His condemnation of the political class is a family thing, as power abuse is said to irritate him. He is coming on board the committee on the strength of credibility and personal recognition.

Mallam Adamu Adamu
A renowned public analyst and columnist with Daily Trust, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to many, needs no introduction. He is a public commentator with a distinct style – fearless, educated and bold enough to express his views and opinions both locally and internationally. An indigene of Bauchi State, Adamu was one of the few who constantly criticised the government of former Governor Adamu Mu’azu, now the PDP national chairman.
Beyond his state, he has written on so many issues happening in other states of the country. He has also written so many times on international politics. He has been an ardent follower of Buhari for many years and was indeed, part of those who accompanied the General to Bauchi State during the 2007 elections to sell the candidacy of Governor Isa Yuguda as the then ANPP gubernatorial candidate.
By virtue of his relationship with Buhari, many see Adamu as anti-PDP. He was even said to have once boasted that if the 2007 elections were rigged, he would be on the street demanding for justice. Adamu was very critical of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He is on board on account of his relationship with Buhari, and he is secretary of the committee.

Boss Mustapha
Mr. Boss Mustapha was one of the governorship candidates in Adamawa State. Although he did not clinch the ticket eventually, he remains one of the architects of the APC success in the state. In fact, he was said to be one of those who enjoined many of PDP members to pitch tent with the APC.
He is said to have been shortlisted on the committee on the grounds of his contribution to the success of the party, in addition to fulfilling the quota requirement. He is also said to a strong believer of the Buhari project, a major factor said to have enhanced his membership of the committee.

ThisDay

Friday, 24 April 2015

Between Buhari And The Politicians




PENDULUM BY DELE MOMODU, Email: dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com
Fellow Nigerians, this is not an easy time in our country. The period of every transition from an outgoing ruling government to an incoming opposition administration anywhere in the world is always replete with soaking tension. This is exactly what has been going on since General Muhammadu Buhari defeated the incumbent President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan. For a start, thousands of government and political operatives are about to lose their jobs. On the other hand, millions of applicants, qualified and unqualified, are anxious and eager to replace those thousands. It is only natural that it would become a do or die affair for those who see the political stage as the only way to sustain or enhance themselves.
 This is the season of the godfathers. I do not know how General Buhari plans to handle his first major test as a civilian President in waiting. The burden he is carrying now cannot be easy to contend with. It will not get easier when he is sworn in and becomes President because the weight of expectation would have increased multiple fold. Those days are gone when Nigerians kept their distance from politicians or failed to show active interest in who governed them. The manner the last election was won has made it mandatory for Nigerian leaders to realise that their citizen now plan to show more than cursory interest and concern about the colour of change they expect.
 The challenges would be daunting but not insurmountable. My appeal goes to the APC as the new governing party. They should not waste this opportunity of a lifetime. Nigeria has been kind to most of them. It is time to pay Nigeria back with love and selflessness. Buhari and Osinbajo will succeed if their party can relax its grip and help the President-elect search for a great team instead of harassing him into picking the worst of choices. It is impossible to appoint all who are qualified for the available jobs not to mention asking that unqualified people be given work on the basis of nepotism, greed or naked ambition. Our leaders should learn to take every situation as it comes. If you get the job, do it well, and if you don’t get it, there are many other ways you can be useful to your nation other than being in power or along the corridors of power.
 We must discourage the idea of thinking there is no life outside of government. Or that you can only make money when you are in government.  We must understand that government should not be an avenue for making money but a place where you are called to service.  In other countries distinguishing yourself in government is what opens the door afterwards to social acclaim and economic advancement.  But first, you must have been capable before being chosen and then you must excel at the task that you are given to execute.
 There is one vital point which must constantly be at the back of the mind of our incoming President in everything he does.  Nigerians did not vote him simply for the sake of change.  They voted for him because they want to see a real change.  A change for the better.  Nigerians whether at home or in the diaspora need a breath of clean air and they see Buhari as the catalyst for the kind of new revolution that they desire.  It will be tantamount to a waste of their time and effort at the polls for Buhari and his team to do otherwise.
 It is understandable if the power sharing formula is proving difficult and chaotic at this point in time but it must still be resolved speedily and amicably.  We can all have our say, which is the hallmark of democracy, but we cannot all have our way.  Now is the time for the President-elect to demonstrate the steel for which he is renowned and which was his major selling point to the electorate.  General Buhari cannot fold his arms in frustration because the political class are doing as they are wont to do by protecting their corner.  As the generalissimo, he should encourage and listen to strategy and tactics.  However as the Boss he must know that he is the umpire upon whom the final decision rests. Ultimately, the buck stops with the Commander-in-Chief and the success or failure of his administration will be judged by what he does and not what others did.
 For starters, the President-elect must let Nigerians know that he means business by the way he conducts himself during the transition period.  He must demonstrate that he is prepared to hit the ground running from the first day of his administration by leading from the front even now.  He is expected to act with military precision albeit in a civilian environment. This does not make him a dictator.  He should not be afraid to be tough because he has been so labelled in the past.  Those who voted for him want to see that hard part of him reflected in the government he heads.  They believe that is the only way he can stem the cankerworms of graft, waste, profligacy and impunity destroying Nigeria at this time.
 In this regard, all the solidarity visits must be toned down.  They are beginning to be an unnecessary distraction gaining him little credit in the eyes of the scrutinising Nigerians.  That is the way of the past and what Nigerians hoped would be curtailed if not eliminated by the tough unassuming General. The time has come to end the wild jubilations and face the brass tacks.
 Secondly, the President must be quick in assembling and announcing his transition team.  I shall reiterate my past my past suggestions about the principles that should underlie the composition of that team shortly.
 Thirdly, the President must act resolutely with respect to what is becoming the intractable problem his Party has with zoning positions in the National Assembly and by extension his cabinet and government.  He must not let the political class frustrate him at this early stage.  General Buhari is a fair and principled man.  He should let that guide him in his role as arbiter on this issue.  Nigerians are beginning to get jittery because of the rumours flying around about the difficulty the APC is having about sharing offices all around.
 Yes, there is a motley crowd of politicians, strange bed-fellows, making up the Party but the generality of Nigerians voted for the Party largely because of the mature and tolerant way it handled its primaries without rancour or bitterness.  Now is not the time for the APC to waste the goodwill and excitement generated by the clamour for change.  Its failure to come to agreement on what should be a simple matter is denting its image and making outsiders think that indeed nothing may change. Those who never wished them well are already hoping things would fall apart sooner than later. God forbid.
 In assembling a vibrant, skilled and visionary team to tackle the daunting challenges ahead, General Buhari must perform several balancing and dextrous acts akin to that of a deft ball juggler.  He has successfully performed the first act in his choice of Vice-President.  Prof Yemi Osinbajo is generally accepted as a perfect counter foil to the President’s age.  In addition he is a celebrated and highly accomplished and acclaimed professional with the same stern, exacting, and disciplined outlook to life as President Buhari. The combination promised by that ticket endeared both to their teeming supporters. If their right or left eyes would make them to sin they might have to pluck it. When the chips are down, Nigerians are not going to listen to whimsical excuses.
 The first balancing act that the President must now deal with in the medley of his frontline team is how to balance the age of his cabinet.  It is only natural that the General will want to include some old hands in his cabinet.  These are his contemporaries whom he has probably worked with in the past and knows that he can trust them.  It is unnatural to expect him to work only with young men and women.  He will only succeed if he has some people of his generation that he can turn to not just for the serious business of governance but also for the equally important down – time and relaxation mode.  Besides those of his generation will have the added advantage that being in the twilight of their lives you can expect that they will not have the kind of inordinate aggrandizing spirit and greedy proclivity that younger folks may sometimes have. Also they will be able to look him in the eye and tell the truth which younger members of his team may not be able to do either out of respect or fear of stalling their career progression.  The important thing is that the President-elect should know that such old hands should be in a tiny minority of his cabinet otherwise the younger generation may tune off.
 It is beginning to look like APC is not gender friendly where women are concerned and this perception must be reversed immediately.  Nigeria is blessed with enough competent, capable and honourable women who can wholly constitute a cabinet if given the chance.  Several of such women graced the outgoing government at one time or another.  It will be recalled that one of the positive spins during the election campaign was how the Government of President Jonathan was comprised of at least 30 per cent women.  Being gender unfriendly in relation to women also raises the haunting spectre of religion which General Buhari must strenuously avoid.   I would suggest that the President-elect ensures that he provides for significant representation of women in his cabinet not just because of their gender but because of their ability and credibility.
 Just like I have advocated that there must be a small dose of old hands in President Buhari’s government, so also must President Buhari make provision for youth.  President Buhari is in a prime position to know and appreciate what I am talking about because he was such a youth in the past who was given the opportunity of being in government and eventually leading this country. People of his generation served meritoriously as central figures in government in their twenties and thirties so what has gone wrong today?  I am assured that the youth of today are certainly better equipped than those of that generation because of the technological advancements that have occurred since then and so should be equally if not better able to serve competently in any government .
 The incoming President must also ensure that his government is not populated by the political elite alone. Any government which seeks to succeed anywhere in the world must create room for a lot of technocrats and specialists in their field to occupy cabinet positions and not merely act as advisers.  I am confident that it is this kind of change that Nigerians desire to see in the composition of the new cabinet.  Policy, strategy, vision and altruism are not the usual attributes of most politicians.  They are frequently more self-centred and their excesses will need to be curbed by technocrats who are simply keen on seeing the successful outcome of what they envisioned and implemented.  The political jobbers should understand from Buhari that the clime has changed and whilst they will be accommodated in the scheme of things it will not be at the expense of the Nation which is waiting on him to perform.
 Finally, General Buhari must not make the mistake of the immediate past government by appearing to take on the mantle of President of only one section of Nigeria where he comes from.  Notwithstanding that a particular part of Nigeria failed to support him in the election, he contested for and won the election as the President of a unified Nigeria. He should never forget this and must do everything to ensure that he is not seen as parochial either in terms of ethnicity or, equally importantly, on the basis of religion.  The religious issue is probably even more important given the hate campaign mounted against him as a purported Islamic fundamentalist before the elections.  His kinsmen and religious faithful must support him in this regard by not demanding of him any preferential treatment in his conduct of the affairs of the Nigerian State. What General Buhari must promote at all times is the secularity which is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.  He must strive to douse the embers of distrust which has seemingly eaten deep into the social fabric.
 Even if nobody expects a miracle from the General people are expecting a difference for the better. If that is all he achieves in the short run, Nigerians will be patient and reasonable.  The accomplishments which he would work for, and that which the citizens ostensibly crave shall ultimately come in the fullness of time.
 So help us God.

The Dialectic of Hosa Okunbor's Politics and Ethnic Consideration.



 Francis Ehigiator
 The 2015 general elections have come and gone, but the ripples of victory and defeat that they have generated across the country have been so profound that they are yet to settle. For the first time in the annals of presidential elections in Nigeria, an incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, was defeated by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
 This has forced spontaneous realignments across the political landscape with a good number of politicians switching platforms. While a few gladiators dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC and vice versa before the March 28, 2015 presidential election, there was a gale of movements from the PDP to the APC after the defeat of President Jonathan in that election. Some founding leaders and members of the PDP who had benefited so much from the party in terms of elective and appointive positions left the party without as much as a whimper.
 With eyes, possibly fixed on the sharing of national cake in Abuja, principles took a whimsical flight. It was all a parade of absurdities and ideological somersaults for those who claimed to be guided by some form of political ideology. The development left those (especially businessmen) who have hugely invested their hard-earned resources in the development of the PDP and in support of elective office-seeking members, without getting anything in return, in a reasonable position to undertake a post-mortem and reach a decision on what next step to take.
 This is the position in which the political drum major and PDP leader in Edo South senatorial zone, where I come from, Captain Hosa Okunbo, found himself immediately after the March 28, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections. I am aware that Okunbo is a solid businessman in the billionaire league; he is, according to media reports, a good friend of President Goodluck Jonathan. This perhaps explains his decision to withdraw his support for the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Edo state in 2011 and give the same to President Jonathan and his PDP.
 Okunbo had stuck out his neck for his friend (Jonathan) in the March 28 presidential election in spite of pressure from many of his kinsmen and women to act like typical businessmen who would sponsor candidates of both the ruling and the opposition parties in the same election(s). He had chosen to act differently, preferring to publicly identify with the PDP and thus expose himself to the vagaries of the tension of political goals and objectives.
 His investments in the actualisation of the second term aspiration of Jonathan yielded results in Edo state. He was able to deliver his Edo south zone with the highest voting population to Jonathan. He won three of the four House of Representatives seats fair and square while the APC won the fourth in a controversial manner. Overall, Jonathan won Edo State but the victory was not enough to give him a countrywide presidential election victory. The new realities that crystallised after the March 28 presidential election were a mixed bag of sort: Jonathan and PDP lost the Federal Government; the PDP is not the government in control of Edo State; and interestingly, a Bini son, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, is National Chairman of the APC, whose party has just won the presidential election. What this presents to all Binis, although those in the PDP may not like it, is that their own is holding the most powerful and influential position in the ruling party whose government will swing into action on May 29, this year.
 This development and other forward-looking considerations coalesced into the strategic move by Okunbo to review his political beliefs, decide to support his brother, Odigie-Oyegun, to be able to win all the State House of Assembly seats in the April 11 elections. If Okunbo had wanted to go the whole hog, he would have won the seats for the PDP, but the question is, of what benefits will that be for a Bini ethnic nation in desperate quest for national accommodation and integration? He would have worked against the very objective of Bini development, liberation and transformation that he has over the years espoused, and for which he has exposed himself politically for possible “vicious attacks”. Now, an APC government is stepping in the saddle on May 29 while an APC government is already in place in Edo State. So, what else is there to fight for other than for all Binis to align with the present realities?
 Okunbo, from all indications, has keyed into these realities by supporting the electoral victory of Binis into the State Legislature on the APC platform. Indeed, with the role he played in the April 11 State House of Assembly elections, I believe it is time Okunbo rose above political differences to strengthen his commitment to the liberation and transformation of Benin ethnic nationality in the context of national politics.
 Having staked his reputation and business interests by not only exposing himself to politics but also taking up the position of PDP Edo South Senatorial Leader for the sole purpose of offering a strong voice and representation to the Binis (who has been largely short-changed and marginalised in terms of strategic appointments) in the Federal Government, all Binis irrespective of their political affiliations and tendencies should rally round Okunbo to accelerate the actualisation of the Benin agenda for rapid integration, accommodation, infrastructure development and transformation.
 This is the only workable and viable option that the Binis must embrace under the fast-consolidating leadership of Okunbo working in concert with Odigie-Oyegun and other well-meaning Bini leaders.
– Ehigiator, a public affairs commentator, contributed this piece from Benin City
 ThisDay

Monday, 13 April 2015

Highlights of the approach of General Muhammadu Buhari's Incoming Government.



 At the LBS breakfast session held last week, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Director of Policies for APC, stood in for GMB.
 He talked about the following issues:
 1. 1.The cardinal agenda of the government and their over-arching themes will be SECURITY, CORRUPTION and UN-EMPLOYMENT; they believe that corruption has a very strong negative link to both security and un-employment.
 2. There will be no real action until around October, partly because the 2015 budget is GEJ’s and may be fully approved in April; the new government will seek to align the electoral and fiscal calendars to avoid this type of problem in future
 3. A cabinet will be announced very quickly, within one week of inauguration; anyone with a whiff of corruption or other tainting will not be on the cabinet; GMB’s body language will reflect zero tolerance for corruption
 4. Emphasized that the APC is not a conclave of cardinals but includes the good, the bad and the ugly; in Nigeria, the bad and the ugly can be the biggest electoral assets but GMB’s government will not interfere with law enforcement agencies or the judiciary even if APC members are involved
 5. The VP elect, did a lot of work as commissioner of justice in LASG and will bring this to a major revamp of the judiciary to complement anti-corruption drive and the rule of law; he will also anchor the economic committee
 6. The new government will continue with some of the programmes in the GEJ administration, which were successful, for example Agriculture, but there will be a stronger collaboration between FGN and the states
 7. A very LEAN government is the focus; this will involve resolving overlapping and redundant MDAs; largely in line with the Steve Oronsaye presidential committee report; this report was available to GEJ’s government but the will to implement it was absent
 8. Rather than strengthen key anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and SFI, these are likely to be consolidated and a single entity will be made more effective
 9. Believe that CBN is getting over-burdened by developmental finance issues, at the expense of its core objectives; this will be changed
 10. Subsidy on petroleum products will certainly go and the industry will be reformed as a matter of priority in order to attract new investments
 11. While power reform has been commendable, and will continue, the approach will change. Transmission will be deregulated, regionalized and privatized in order to break down centralized transmission; issues of gas supply to Gencos will be addressed but the new government believes that DISCOs are the biggest bottlenecks presently; the government plan to add-on 4,000 MW of power every year and expect that output will be a minimum of 12,000 MW at the end of term of this mandate
 12. Think tank detailed work indicate that N3 trillion in savings can come out of plugged leakages; believe that the employment drive will be private sector led
 13. The government will allow market forces to prevail, including foreign exchange; debunked the view that GMB will use fiat to fix the exchange rate; however the government will keenly seek to protect the more economically vulnerable segments of the society
 14. There will be tightening of the tax noose but no tax rate hikes/FIRS will be strengthened and the LASG IGR template will be adopted at the national level
 15. While the infrastructure gap requires huge capital outlay which the government does not have, a master-plan will be developed; a situation where the recurrent budget is almost 80% and capital budget only 20% is not acceptable…(it does not appear detailed work has been done here….for example, they believe that un-employment is partly due to lack of skilled labour and hope to more actively engage the academic community to train for these skills…..but the tertiary institutions will need to be massively upgraded before they can compete )
 16. Advised that we read the APC manifesto, available on the website and also, the Steve Oronsaye reports

Friday, 10 April 2015

We Chose Buhari To Salvage Nigeria - Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, while addressing a crowd of APC supporters at the party’s presidential rally in Lagos, said he sacrificed his presidential ambition for Buhari… Who would help save Nigeria. According to Tinubu:


“People define patriotism as putting the country first but this is what the ‘Poverty Development Party’ refuses to understand. We chose Buhari not because Bola Tinubu is not interested in the Presidency. I am capable, competent, qualified, younger and richer but there comes a time that people must make sacrifices for their nation.
“I prayed that Nigeria would get better and we would not need a man like him (Buhari). But today, we are in a great crisis; we face a lot of challenges. When South Africa was in a great dilemma and was about to disintegrate, they called Nelson Mandela of 74 years old.
“He used his wisdom to save his country. When the United States was in economic depression, they called 73-year-old Ronald Reagan because he was frugal and incorruptible.
“When America was faced with depression and war, they called a retired General, Dwight Eisenhower, to rescue the country and the country was returned on a path of success. “When France was faced with war and economic depression, they called a retired General, Charles De Gaul, to rescue the country.
And added that whether Buhari presented a certificate or not, he was still qualified to rule the country.

“So what do we need now? Buhari. This is the time for us. General Buhari, whether you are qualified or not qualified, we are calling you to come and rescue us in Nigeria,

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Buhari: Triumph of a resilient fighter - Michael Jegede.

SIR: General Muhammadu Buhari is one man that is highly respected and loved by many within and outside Nigeria for his simplicity, uprightness and zero tolerance for corruption. Born on December 17, 1942 in Daura, Katsina State, Buhari, a professionally trained soldier and former military Head of State between 31 December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985, has over the
years proved himself as a man of rectitude, and demonstrated his commitment towards the struggle to build a better Nigeria in the interest of the masses.
As a dogged, resilient fighter and uncompromising politician with unalloyed forthrightness, he pursued his presidential ambition with great tenacity, despite his failure at every attempt since 2003. The retired
Army General’s actually sojourn to the Presidency started in 2003, when he vied on the platform of the defunct All Peoples Party, APP. In that year’s election, Buhari garnered about 12.7 million votes, which represented 32.1per cent to lose to the then President Olusegun Obasanjo of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was seeking a second term at that time. Obasanjo scored about 24.5 million votes representing 61.9per cent of total votes cast.
Four years later in 2007, he contested under the umbrella of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), but again lost to Umaru Yar’Adua of blessed memory also of the PDP, polling a meager 6.6 million votes, a far worse performance than that of 2003. Yar’Adua had about 24.6 million votes. Not taking his eyes off the Presidency, by 2011, the unrelenting and persevering Buhari contested on the ticket of a new party he founded-the Congress for Progressive Change. Despite being a new party single handedly formed by the retired General with the support of people of like minds, just less than six months to the election, he scored 12.2 million votes to lose to the incumbent President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of PDP who got 22.5million votes in that contest.
However, the figures Buhari had in 2011, as the CPC candidate was an impressive improvement compared to his 2007 outing. In fact, he received commendations from a lot of Nigerians who had maintained that the support
for Buhari from the people since he began his journey to occupy the seat of power at the centre in the current democratic dispensation was purely based on his personality and reputation. He is believed to have distinguished himself in all the various positions he held in the past and thereby succeeded in getting endeared into the hearts of the populace.
After the conduct of the 2011 general elections, some major political parties in the country – Buhari’s CPC, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the ANPP and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
commenced talks on a merger that would provide them with a formidably strong platform to unknot the dominance of the ruling PDP. On February 6, 2013, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was founded from the merger arrangement and Buhari eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate after a well-organized, transparent, free and fair primary election in Lagos last December.
Today, the former Head of State has made history by becoming the first Nigerian politician to defeat an incumbent President. He polled a total of 15,424,921 votes to defeat Jonathan, who scored a total of 12,853,162 votes to place second in the race involving 14 contestants. His victory has been described by many observers as a welcome development heralding the beginning of a new era in the affairs of the country under a democratic setting. Indeed, most Nigerians cannot wait for this new horizon to unfurl.
•Michael Jegede,
Abuja

Tuesday, 7 April 2015

Pope Goodluck Jonathan: NOT SO SOON.NIGERIANS!

 by Okey ONYEJEKWE

The certificate issue almost led to a constitutional crisis on the eve of the Presidential Election. General Mummadu Buhari has consistently maintained that his High School certificate was in the custody of the military. He was scorned and vilified by the PDP. Several Radio, TV and newspaper advertisements ran, days on end, calling him a liar, a cheat, an illiterate. Presidential spokespersons, namely: Dr. Doyin Okupe, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and Dr. Reuben Abati all took turns to ramp up the "Certificate-gate". They saw this as their ace against Buhari. As all these efforts failed to resonate with the public, they engaged all manner of surrogates to file lawsuits hoping to find any willing and purchasable judge who would disqualify Buhari. The man himself possesses unassailable integrity and honesty, tested over decades. There must be a thorough investigation on how some in the military became complicit in this travesty. There must be accountability.

Meanwhile, Jonathan is being hailed now as the "New Mandela” of Africa for conceding defeat after he was rejected by the Nigerian electorate. I am astounded and feel insulted that we are being sold a bill of goods that a Statesman status is conferred by simply conceding an electoral defeat. Never mind that the new "Statesman" presided over a totally failed and massively corrupt administration, coopted all the security agencies to thwart the democratic process in many despicable ways at every step of the way; trying to stop the use of PVCs, Card Readers (designed to eliminate all forms of electoral fraud), including violence and massive vote rigging on Election Day. In the South-South and South East States, in full view of the security agencies, polling officials were video taped filling out ballot papers and result sheets. Bags and bags of dollars from public coffers were doled out in public view to many "ethnic brokers" to buy votes. Paradoxically Nigeria just recently made the dubious list of "extremely poor nations", with over 70 % rate.

In Ekiti and other States, touts were recruited and given military and police uniforms to intimidate and brutalize voters in order to assure victory for the ruling party.
The world watched a last ditch effort by the incumbent party to derail our democracy. While the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega was announcing the last batch of the election results, lo and behold, [Jonathan?s] former Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, [Elder] Godsday Orubebe, appeared and held the nation/world hostage in an orchestrated last ditch ploy to stop the announcement and render the election inconclusive. They expected the security forces to engage him and all hell would break loose in the room and then his touts in the Conference Center, outside and in the States were ready to cause mayhem. Thanks to the steel disposition of Jega, Nigerians will be telling a different story today. Mr. Orubebe was not a lonely wild wolf on the prowl. He was acting from a script, which came out of a meeting held the previous evening and chaired by PDP elder "statesman", former Minister Edwin Clark, also a political Godfather of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Apologists are arguing that President Jonathan deserves to be hailed as a Statesman for saving Nigeria from violence and also for setting an example for Africa on how to concede when defeated. Some are even more bizarre to suggest that he should be awarded a Nobel Prize! Obviously, Nigerians are glad that he, egged on by the insane sycophants and self-centered praise-singers, did not act foolishly in an attempt to truncate the process. But having said this, please let us not get carried away, totally out of context and proportionality. The incumbent created a situation ante, which led to a context in which the whole world was forced to hold its breath.

The question we must ask is this: when you contest an election and you lose, are you not supposed to concede? Why is this an extraordinary feat deserving of a Nobel Prize, regardless of his extremely anti-democratic record leading to the elections? Incumbents in other African states have lost elections, conceded and left office in Benin twice. Didn't President Diouf of Senegal lose and concede to Wade? Didn't President Wade of same Senegal lose to Macky Sall and conceded? Didn't President Thabo Mbeki bow out, without a whimper when he was defeated by Zuma in the ANC convention? Incumbent parties have lost elections in Ghana and all hell did not break loose. Come to think of it, didn't President Olusegun Obasanjo, a military Head of State, hand over to a civilian regime in 1979? It is even more noteworthy for a military regime to voluntarily surrender power to a civilian dispensation, given its monopoly of the instruments of violence, than from one "democratic" dispensation to another.

I can understand it when the Western world hails Jonathan's concession as an earth-shattering event because in their usual condescending way, they don't expect higher standards from us. Foreign observers will usually adjudge African elections to be "free and fair, by African Standards" no matter how flawed. We are often judged by a minimalist threshold. But it is more painful when we ourselves begin to tout the same nonsense and judge ourselves by the same threshold and expect to be taken seriously.

This whole issue has become a total distraction from what was a courageous and remarkable effort, against all odds, by the Nigerian electorate to reclaim their mandate. That should be the real story, not on President Jonathan's concession whose administration and party, had turned the whole electoral process into a war like exercise in which they were determined to hang on to power by any means necessary. Nigerians must continually ask how we got to this point where we are willing to award a Nobel Prize just for conceding a defeat. It is because we are relieved that we averted a conflagration because the incumbent was determined to stay on by hook or crook? Or because when pressured by the "big boys" and the enormity of the defeat he did the right thing at the nick of time, especially after the "Orubebe Show of Ignominy" had failed? We are glad nevertheless.

Some are claiming that he could have clung on to power had he chosen to hang on. I argue that every action of the administration, including the postponement of the election, leading to the election suggest otherwise. The electorate had spoken thunderously and the world community, in unison, had warned, in no uncertain terms, that the will of the people must not be subverted. Most of the average members of the security agencies would not have acquiesced in any forlorn attempt at foolishness. Evidence: The president lost decisively in the polling units in the Army and Police barracks, as well as those in Aso Rock, the seat of power. The appetite for Change was voracious and insatiable.

We must not forget that many were brutalized, imprisoned, even died before, during and after the elections just for daring to exercise their constitutional rights, in what is supposed to be a democracy. We must not forget that these are the real heroes before we are affected by collective amnesia in the quest to move on quickly and forget the ugly past. Not so soon please! We cannot say "Never again", if we chose the convenient path - The Big Lie!

Professor Okeychukwu Onyejekwe was African Governance Expert at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA

Monday, 6 April 2015

Buhari: The Aftermath....

The Flipside - Eric Osagie



The aftermath of presidential cam­paign, especially the kind we had before March 28, 2015 poll, is like the morning after a rancorous party: Broken bottles and plates, messed up dancehall and garbage-filled kitchen and sinks full of leftover rubbish. An eyesore that testifies to the rowdy evening that heralds the reality of the morning after, the aftermath.
The campaigns were more than the riotous evening described above: All kinds of hate mes­sages, calumnious adverts, poisonous words and acidic punches. War drums and threats of Arma­geddon. Pockets of violence here and there. The possibility of the doomsday prophecies coming to fruition was high. Everyone held his breath. Some with livers of lily held swift dialogue with their feet and bundled their families to their hometowns and villages, far removed from vola­tile cities and combustible enclaves, which had been theatres of war in times past.
You couldn’t blame them. Anyone who had witnessed the mass slaughter of the civil war or seen the macabre dance of blood occasioned by political violence would not wait to be told that everything would be okay this time around. Dis­cretion is the better part of valour, as the old say­ing goes.
Then, it happened. An anti-climax. No dispu­tation of presidential election results. No bon­fires. No blood flowing on the streets. No citizens chanting: ‘We no go gree o. We no go gree.’ No mass killings. It was as if a dove had descended on the nation, enveloping us with the cover of peace and tranquillity. Those you expected to de­nounce the poll results lost their voice or rather, got the tongue of peace and conciliation: No trouble. ‘Let the General have his day in the sun, and swim in the tide of victory.’ First, President Jonathan, then, governors of the ruling party and the bruised party; then, the international commu­nity, diaspora Nigerians. The world spoke in one language: Language of peace and brotherhood. Language of one nation, one people, though votes and preferences may differ. It was one moment to be proud of Nigeria, the black man and humanity. Because it was unexpected, the moment would remain memorable and frozen in eternity.
Many people have been eulogising the duo of President Jonathan and Professor Jega, the na­tion’s chief electoral umpire for what happened in our country on March 28; the latter for con­ducting a free, fair and credible election, and the former for having the grace to accept his defeat. The argument is that, if President Jonathan had failed to congratulate the winner, General Buhari, the stage would have been set for the festival of blood, which was bound to ensue from the dis­putations. The other leg of the argument is that, Jega, through the ingenuity of the card reader and PVCs (Permanent Voters Card) set the ground platform for a credible process, which made vio­lent reactions to the electoral outcome improbable. I agree only partially to the above postulations.
And here are my reasons: In my view, it is God’s, not man’s doing. God intervened at the na­tion’s breaking point, which forestalled violence and bloodletting. God only used Jonathan to fore­stall the cataclysm that would have engulfed us if violence had taken over. When God uses a man, he really has no choice in the matter. He becomes a mere instrument in the hands of the Almighty. Look at David in the Bible, the shepherd boy who slew Goliath; Samson, the man of war; Solomon, the wise king. It is God who gives strength and wis­dom. We commend him all the same for allowing God to use him…
As for Jega, we give him credit but not full credit. The erratic card readers, muddled up voting process and glaring electoral malpractices in many parts of the country, are not what should make us dress the electoral umpire in superlative adjectives. The real credit for March 28 goes to God and ordi­nary Nigerians. As I noted last week in this column, March 28 was the triumph of the Nigerian spirit, triumph of the human will to make the impossible, possible. To make the change they desire happen, in spite of all odds. In all my write-ups pre-election, I had canvassed for the voter to simply let his con­science be his guide. Let him ponder within if he wanted change or preferred the status quo? If his life was better the old way or he sought change? It was the voter’s right, I argued, to decide if he preferred a retired General, Ph.D or professor to be his president? It was not anyone’s duty to dictate to the electorate. What we saw on March 28 was largely the will of the people, even if we agree that it was not a flawless process. In the future, hope­fully, things could get better. No personal animos­ity or ill-feelings Prof!
Now, the rowdy party is over. We are faced with the aftermath. When the party is over, it becomes the duty of the host or owner of the facility to clean up the mess of the night. Buhari has emerged pres­ident-elect. In the next four years, it will be his un­enviable duty to clean up the mess in our country. At this time, it doesn’t matter whether you voted for or against him; supported him or not. What would matter for him and our nation is what he does with his mandate. What do we expect of and from him? What should be his agenda? Can he deliver on his promises? I can’t tell you I have answers to some of the posers raised above. The answer to some of the questions lies in the bowels of time.
But, here are my agenda for the General, which he should tackle if he will leave his name engraved in the sands of time. First, he must be president of the whole Nigeria, not president of APC, or president of Daura or Katsina. Even if some parts of the country didn’t vote over­whelmingly for him, he must resist the tempta­tion to ‘extract his pound of flesh’ from any part of the country for their preference in the polls. Fortunately, his acceptance speech has allayed such fears, as he has promised to do justice to all Nigerians irrespective of region, religion and gender. As an officer and gentleman, we expect no less of him. I believe we know the evil venge­ful actions or pandering to parochial interests can do to a government and a country. We saw what it did to Obasanjo’s government and how it contributed to the fall of Jonathan’s administra­tion. Once I wrote against the ‘Ijaw-nisation’ of Jonathan’s government and all hell was let loose on me. If Buhari must succeed, he must resist from day one, the many ethnic or tribal jingoists in our country who are ever ready to derail every government. I trust he will rise above this fray.
I have interviewed Buhari thrice, in 2004, 2010 and 2012, and from what he says, I believe he will be broadminded. There really isn’t any alternative to that.
Then, he must tame the ugly but familiar mon­ster, running riot over our country: Corruption. He says he will fight it to a standstill. This is where he needs the prayers and support of all Nigerians. Corruption, as we all know, is the deadliest mon­ster ravaging our land, and it is a formidable foe. We also know that Nigerian politicians haven’t changed automatically since March 28, and Nige­rians, many of whom are chanting change, haven’t changed much either. We know our Senators and House members. We know what they do in the red and green chambers. The incoming president would need all the strength and wisdom to navigate the fight and crush the deadly enemy of corruption. God help him. But, again it is not his battle alone. It is only when we support him that we can all win. As military head of state, it is easy to shove every­body into one straight line. But as civilian president, it is a different ball game. This is where he needs to completely overhaul the National Orientation Agency, to begin a reorientation of Nigerians to their civic duties and responsibilities. To live the decent life and shun corruption, and indiscipline. Fortunately, with a whistle-clean leader, who will lead by example, that shouldn’t be impossible to achieve. Still talking corruption, he must beam his searchlight on agencies of government that have been cesspool of sleaze over the years. We all know them. We must do something about them.
There are other areas we will need him to take a look at: Power, security, education, health, among others. I am sure he should know what to do, hav­ing run the race for the Number One job a record four times, with a plan of action.
Finally, and certainly most importantly, the Gen­eral must as a matter of urgency heal the land of its sore in the aftermath of the most acrimonious and divisive campaigns and polls ever conducted in the history of our nation. As soon as he settles down, he must find a way to address the fears and apprehensions of Nigerians from different parts of the country, especially in the South. He must con­tinue to reassure them that he will be president of all, irrespective of the way they voted. He should continue to show in words and deeds that he is no ethnic or religious bigot, as they had tried to foist on him in the past; that he would not rule with ven­geance or allow his party men to rub their defeat in the face of their opponents. I believe that a peace and reconciliation committee preferably headed by General Abdusalami or General Gowon, would not be out of place at this point in time. A genuine and serious reconciliation team, not the circus we saw in the past. If that is not possible, he must have cred­ible Nigerians in his team, whose mere presence in the administration, would be reassuring to all Nige­rians that the new president means business. Best of luck, General. You will need tonnes of it…

Kalu and the progressive change in Nigeria
In the aftermath of the historic March 28 Presidential and National Assem­bly elections, some Nigerians have been hailed as apostles of change in Nigeria. Surely, the All Progressives Congress leaders and members, who fought the hard way to get their candi­date elected would qualify for diadem of change agents. So should ordinary Nige­rians who braved all odds to stand by the courage of their conviction in electing a candidate of their choice. It doesn’t mat­ter if their choice was right or wrong; if they elected the right man or not. In a democracy, the decision of the elector­ate is supreme and final. I suppose that is what Americans call ‘the majesty of democracy.’
However, when elections are won and lost, it is sometimes convenient to forget some people who have played significant roles in democracy and democratisation process; who have in their own way contributed to the change Nigerians now talk about. One of such persons whose contributions are easily overlooked is Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia State. Hate him or love him, no one can deny that he has made useful contribution to what is happening in our country today or rather, events leading to March 28.
Here is how: In 2007, when the then reigning ‘emperor’ Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, wanted to clip Kalu’s wings and locked him out of PDP through the so-called ‘party linkmen,’ he would not be cowed, he founded the Peoples Progres­sive Aliance, PPA, on which platform he ran for the nation’s presidency. He made an impressive showing in that race, coming third. The point he sought to make was that, no man, no matter how powerful, could conscript the political space. The PPA also wrested two states, National Assembly seats as well as House of Assembly seats in some states in the South-East.
After a while, he tried to return to the PDP, the party he co-founded with others. But the man he made governor, Chief Theodore Orji, would not let him. He again fought his way in, because of his belief that no man had the power to shut oth­ers out of a party. The battle for political space still rages in Abia State till today.
The point being made is simple: Democracy thrives when you stand firmly by the courage of your con­victions. Kalu, in his numerous battles, often seeks to make the point that democracy thrives in popular participation and plurality of views.
It is in the pursuit of his plurality of views mantra that he would not attempt muscling dissenting or opposing voices in his media group. In his news­papers, every writer is entitled to his views. You do not have to agree or share Kalu’s view points. Comments are truly free here in the real sense of the word. Facts are what will not be compro­mised. You can ask my friend and colleague, Femi Adesina. I am sure he has told his story a couple of times: A publisher and his MD sharing divergent political points and leanings, and having a hearty laugh thereafter. If that is not progressive politics, I wonder what else is, as simple as you would think it is. In the years ahead, we want to see our country rise to the level of political tolerance and relation­ships devoid of acrimony, even when we disagree. That is the way our democracy can grow.

I've Been In Cage For 16 years, Says Jonathan.

Augustine Ehikioya 


President Goodluck Jonathan spoke yesterday about his sojourn in governance, saying  he has been in a cage since 1999.
Dr. Jonathan spoke when the Christian community in the Federal Capital Territory  (FCT) paid him Easter homage at the new Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
He described himself as one of the luckiest Nigerians, having occupied public offices from the deputy governor of Bayelsa State to governor, vice-president and president.
He said: “I thank you for coming to encourage us. This Easter period coincides with when I’m leaving but I always say I’m one of the luckiest Nigerians. From 1999 I have been in the hands of government. I am yet to see somebody luckier than me. I was in the hands of governments for 16 years, not in government as a parliamentarian, because if you are in the National Assembly or House of Assembly, you take care of yourself in your house.  I was in a cage being taken care of by the government. But I think it is enough and I am happy. Help me to thank God for that.
“I will continue to thank Nigerians for giving me that privilege. I became deputy governor because Baylesans voted for me and governor then. I became VP because Nigerians voted for me and Yar’Adua. And Nigerians voted for me and Sambo. We have to thank all Nigerians. Wherever I will be, I have to thank all Nigerians. Today is a glorious day for me.”
Dr. Jonathan noted that the key lesson of the Easter celebration is sacrifice.
He said: “Thank you for this Easter homage. It is a period to reflect on the essence of our belief. Because we believe without the resurrection there wouldn’t have been Christianity.
“Whenever we talk about this period, the key lesson there is sacrifice. Somebody sacrificed for our own salvation. So, as a people, as a government, what I always believe we should ask: ‘What sacrifice are you making?’
“Now it is not about supporting Jonathan or government. Now Buhari is coming on board; it is not about supporting Buhari or government, but what sacrifice as individual are you willing to make for government and for the nation?
“If you are a businessman and you say you are supporting government but you don’t pay tax, how do you expect that government to survive? That government will not survive.”
Continuing, he said: “While in Bayelsa State as a deputy governor, people used to come to me to say ‘I’m loyal’. Don’t tell me you are loyal, tell me  I’m patriotic to the country and that you believe in Bayelsa State.
“To me, whenever I travel to different countries and see things work, those things didn’t fall down as manna. People made sacrifice. Therefore, in Nigeria people must also be ready to make the required sacrifice.
“Whoever becomes president is immaterial so long as the citizens are happy. Our children go to school, when we are sick they go to  good hospital and of course the economy blossom.
“But for that to take place, people must make the required sacrifice. In ECOWAS sub-region, for example, Nigeria has the lowest VAT 5 per cent (Value Added Tax) payment, other countries pay up to 12 per cent.
“If for instance Buhari decides to increase VAT from 5 to 10 per cent, will Nigerians support him? That is sacrifice and we must make sacrifice.
“Nation building depends on the  sacrifice of individuals  and the patriotism of the citizens. These are two key elements. We must be ready to sacrifice for our nation. We are talking about Boko Haram or terror, soldiers are dying for us to live, police are dying for us to live; that is sacrifice. As individuals, you don’t need to die but there are various roles you need to play. You must make sacrifice.
“The economy of China was threatened but they locked themselves up for a period of time but by the time they opened their doors, they become even a threat to the biggest economy. Are we ready for that kind of sacrifice for the government? Whenever we talk of Easter, these are the key lessons of sacrifice.”
Vice-President Namadi Sambo thanked Jonathan for making Nigeria the pride of Africa and the world.
According to him, Jonathan’s name will be written in gold.
He said that the President had groomed him in the past five years to a doctorate degree level.
Sambo said: “I am proud to be your deputy. You are my brother and teacher forever. For the five years I have been with you, I have got Phd from you. I am forever loyal to you and we are of the same family.”
He prayed for God’s wisdom for the president in leading the nation.
Among the guests are Cardinal John Onayeikan, Chairman of FCT Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Israel Akanji, and the primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Primate Nicholas Okoh.
Also in the delegation are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, FCT Minister Bala Mohammed, FCT Minister of State Olajumoke Akinjide and Chief Imam of FCT Hustaz Mohammed Musa.

Saraki Dynasty: How PDP's Flaws Reunite Bukola, Gbemi

Even though she is not a candidate in any of the elections holding this year, Senator Gbemisola Saraki is about the most keenly watched politicians in Kwara State at the moment.
By Emmanuel Aziken and Demola Akinyemi
SEnator Bukola Saraki, the new king on the bloc in Kwara State is reported to have done almost everything to appease his immediate younger sister for his action in passing over her to support Abdulfatah Ahmed for the governorship four years ago.
Visits, emissaries, childhood reminisces were said to have been of no effect in assuaging the hurt of Gbemisola who lost the 2011 governorship election to Ahmed upon the support thrown to the later by her brother.
Gbemisola Saraki
Gbemisola Saraki
When the opportunity opened for her to spite her brother a year ago, she wasted no time when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP opened its doors to her after the brother left the party for the newly emerged All Progressives Congress, APC.
However, the elders in the PDP only took her in only to widen the gulf with her brother it apparently dawned on the former senator.
Gbemi and her brother Bukola and their late influential father, Olusola form a unique partnership in the country’s political firmament in being the only family to have produced three senators.
That image is, however, said to be the envy of many political stakeholders in Kwara who allege that they cannot serve father, brother and daughter.
So, when she returned to the party and Abuja sought a heavy weight politician in Kwara to serve as minister to counter the influence of Bukola, Gbemi was a top name that came for consideration, but the anti-Saraki feeling helped to ensure that she was eased out of consideration.
Gbemi it seemed took it in quietly and pushed forward the process of seeking the PDP’s governorship ticket. Again she lost out, but her associates and several other independent observers allege that the process was skewed.
Even more embarrassingly for her was the fact that Senator Simon Ajibola who emerged as the governorship candidate was one her supporters claim answered to Gbemi while they were all in the Senate together. Besides, insiders in the Gbemi camp alleged a systematic attack on her structures within the party. It was as such no surprise that throughout the presidential campaigns that Gbemi stayed away, a development that inevitably worried party chieftains.
Over time it again increasingly emerged that Gbemi was about to make a statement.
A signpost to her exit from the PDP came to the fore in mid February when she visited Ilorin and was received by a mammoth crowd who were conveyed in a long entourage of buses. Conspicuous in the convoy were beautiful posters of the radiant Gbemi noticeable by the absence of the logo of any political party.
It was not surprising that top party chieftains in the state immediately sought to woo her. Initially, she was given the slot of the deputy governor but taking it as an insult she reportedly immediately turned her back on it.
In apparent move to stave off her exit from the party the PDP state chairman, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo and the secretary Barrister Abdurazaq Hassan in separate press statements pleaded with her to consider her efforts and investments in the party and reconsider her alleged plan to dump the party.
Gbemi tactically kept her distance from them and from the speculations about her political trajectory.
That was until the eve of the presidential and National Assembly election when she arrived Ilorin to a mammoth reception organised by her supporters.
From the airport, the convoy moved to the Saraki family home where she symbolically told her supporters to vote for the broom party.
An eye witness account disclosed that Gbemi told her supporters to take into consideration that the presidential election fell on the same day as the Environmental Sanitation Day. She was as such reported to have told them to sweep their environments thoroughly with their brooms.
Defection of women leader
Senator Saraki
Senator Saraki
“All of you know that tomorrow March 28 is the last Saturday of the month and also the day for the presidential elections, I urge you to sweep your environment very well with your brooms,” a source present at the occasion reported her as saying.
She was quoted as having directed her supporters to vote for the APC at all levels.
An indication to her imminent defection from the PDP was given by the defection of the women leader of the PDP in the state, Mrs. Nimota Suleiman penultimate Sunday. Mrs. Suleiman is a well-known associate of Gbemi.
Sources close to the former senator confided that, the national leadership of the APC may storm Ilorin, the state capital anytime soon to receive her into the APC fold.
The return of Gbemi to the fold would only harden the already difficult grounds in Kwara for the PDP. But for the Saraki family compound Gbemi’s return would only soften the grounds with tears of joy.