2015: North’s governors back Buhari’s warning

By Tony Akowe

Gen. Buhari

Again, certain facts are understood; that if this happens, that would happen... May be those who may be too concerned (about what Gen Buhari said) have not looked at what other eminent Nigerians have been talking about. I saw one that said Nigeria is going to be Somalianised... 

There is nothing wrong in Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s warning against rigging of the 2015 general elections, the North’s governors said yesterday.

Gen. Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 general election, stirred the hornet’s nest when he said violence will greet rigging of the 2015 polls.

The Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chided him. But the largest opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), backed the general whom it said could air his view freely.

The CPC also supported the former Head of State’s position, saying PDP should not intimidate Nigerians.

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, who is also the chairman of the Northern Nigeria Governors Forum,  told reporters in Kaduna yesterday after reading the communiqué of the 19 governors’ meeting that Gen. Buhari did not err by warning against rigging of elections. 

He said: “Again, certain facts are understood; that if this happens, that would happen. I think it is a natural thing to do.  May be those who may be too concerned (about what Gen Buhari said) have not looked at what other eminent Nigerians have been talking about. 

“I saw one that said Nigeria is going to be Somalianised. I saw another one who has been talking like there would be war tomorrow. So, for me, that statement should be taken on its own value. Do not go and do bad election. I think that is the thing I will take from there. 

“All of us who are involved in elections - political parties, contestants and the voters themselves - must be careful so that whatever we do, the semblance of good will be there. But, again, like I said, certain people are in a position that certain vocabularies they use, they should be careful about. So, both ways let us take it on our own stride and ensure that future elections are seen to be transparent and are seen to be good”.

Dr. Aliyu said even though people have various ways of communicating their opinion, the statement made by the former Head of State should be taken in its own value.

The governor, however, cautioned eminent Nigerians against making inflammatory statements capable of affecting the nation’s fragile unity and security. He said Nigerians must be concerned about the unity and development of the country in all its ramifications.

He noted that the central message of the former Nigerian leader is that stakeholders should strive to ensure that there is free and fair election, adding that all those involved in conducting elections must be careful in whatever they do so that the outcome will be transparent.

With the Niger State governor were other governors.

He was silent on Buhari’s threat of bloodbath, if the elections are not free and fair.

 In the communiqué, the governors expressed concern about the growing insecurity in the region and pledged to intensify efforts at finding a lasting solution to the problems by reaching out to all stakeholders.

The governors said they had decided to reposition the forum to be more effective and provide good governance, better understanding and cooperation among members.

Speaking at the opening session of the meeting, Aliyu said:”My fellow colleagues, it is very disturbing to note the emerging trend of distractive political activities in the nation, ostensibly to prepare the ground for the actualisation of some people’s political ambition in 2015.

“Whereas it is legitimate for anybody to aspire to any leadership position, subject to the provision of our constitution, we must remember that 2015 or any date for that matter, belongs to Almighty Allah (SWT) who decrees what happens to individuals or society at any given period. We should, therefore, leave 2015 or beyond unto Almighty Allah to do as pleases Him.

“We should recognise that the interest of the people is paramount and we must use the political party platform to promote such interest in fulfillment of the campaign pledges made to the people. We need to rededicate ourselves to the service of our people, especially the underprivileged in the society.

“This is contingent on the fact that we have the mandate of the people and that Allah will hold us accountable for our actions and inactions. Let us resist the temptation to be drawn into issues that may only cause us to lose focus in serving the people or gaining the everlasting favour of our creator.

“If our present opportunity as governors and leaders cannot earn us paradise, it should not send us to hell. Above all, we must do everything possible to ensure that we enter 2015 as a peaceful and united constituent, Nigeria.”

Aliyu said it was unfortunate that insecurity had not abated; rather, it is worsening and attaining very alarming dimension, with attendant negative implications for the economic growth, development and image of the nation.

Nigeria, he said, is “passing through a very difficult phase in the history of the nation, a period that put our patriotism, nationalism, sincerity and responsibility collectively to test.

“This is the period that we have to demonstrate individually and collectively our abiding faith in our nation, when we must confront the common enemies of the nation, those who are sworn to destroying the spirit of nationhood through wanton destruction of lives and property.”

Aliyu praised the Federal Government for its readiness to dialogue on security issues with various interest groups, adding: “We should, therefore, encourage any individual or group that can make positive contributions to the peace building process, while at our own level, we should do everything possible to bring peace to reign in our states.”

ACN Tackles PDP over 2015 Poll

ACN’s Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Joe Igbokwe 

By Omololu Ogunmade

Lagos State chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has lashed out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its recent “boast” that it will capture power in Lagos and other South-west states, in 2015 describing it as the continuation of its “usual boasts of serial failures.”

In a statement by the state’s Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, ACN advised “PDP to start atoning to the country for turning a rich and well endowed country into a cringing hell hole where life totters on the brinks after 13 years of unmitigated plunder.”

According to Igbokwe, the recent boast smacks of a “dull rehearse that advertises the abject lack of ideas and creativity for such a party,” saying the PDP knows nothing except to loot the treasury and capture every election via crude means.

“It is not surprising that the PDP is sounding like a cracked gramophone on its elusive desire to capture Lagos, a futile desire that is as old as the life of the tenuous democracy we are burdened with. It is not surprising that each fresh resolve to capture Lagos has been met with more resounding electoral defeat because the PDP thinks that it does not need to work for the hearts of Lagosians but want to capture them through its vile means of stealing every election in sight.

“Because the PDP is daft to the feelings of the people and blind to what makes Lagos unique, it continues to repeat such awkward resolve to ‘capture’ Lagos with each election only to meet more humiliating failures. Nigerians know that PDP does not believe that electoral victory or ‘capture’ as they fondly dub it, go with performance and this is the reason a party that has come to symbolise the grand failure of Nigeria as a nation still talks shamelessly of capturing Lagos, seen a beacon of hope and performance in Nigeria and still keeps a straight face after a joke,” the statement said.

Did Buhari go too far?

General Muhammadu Buhari.

General Muhammadu Buhari’s recent warning against rigging in 2015 elections has pitched the opposition against the Presidency and Peoples Democratic Party. Sam Egburonu, in this report, examines the allegation that the retired general went too far in his choice of words.

If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,”- General Muhammadu Buhari.
Former Military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, may not have anticipated the kind of controversy the statement he made on Monday is generating across the country, considering that he probably considered the occasion to be a mere family meeting. As the National Leader and Presidential Candidate of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the retired army general was addressing a delegation of the Niger State chapter of his party. So, like a father to his children, he spoke freely in Hausa language: “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,” he said.
Perhaps because of his stature as former Head of State, the statement, which many Nigerians described variously as weighty, unbecoming of an elder statesman, deep, reckless or forthright, immediately struck a major chord that has both electrified the Nigerian polity and pitched opposition political parties against the Presidency and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The Buhari’s utterance has also brought to the fore sensitive issues like fears over 2015 elections, rigging, violence and such like. Above all, politicians and observers, while reacting to the comments are sharply divided, as they debate whether the former Head of State erred in his criticism or exceeded his limits in his diction.
Blunder or forthrightness? 
While his political party, CPC, and most of the other opposition political parties have insisted that the general’s criticism was in order, the presidency, the ruling People’s Democratic Party and some other Nigerians have expressed disappointment at his choice of words, arguing that he went too far when he alluded to a bloody aftermath of 2015 elections.
First to react harshly was the presidency. In a statement, signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Dr Reuben Abati, the president said the former head of state’s statement was “unfortunate and unbecoming of a former head of state.”
The statement reads: “The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to unfortunate statements in the media made by former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in which he allegedly predicted bloodshed in 2015 and labelled the Federal Government led by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as “the biggest Boko Haram”.
“But perhaps the most unfortunate part of the statement was the portion in which Buhari said that, “Since the leaders now don’t listen to anybody but do whatever they wish, there is nothing the north can do.”
“We find it very sad that an elder statesman who once presided over the entirety of Nigeria can reduce himself to a regional leader who speaks for only a part of Nigeria.”
The Presidency also said: “When Buhari says that “if what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood”, we hereby state that it is Buhari himself who does not listen…
 “Indeed, such a reaction from Buhari is not totally unexpected since he has become a serial election loser who has never taken his past election defeats graciously even when such elections were generally acknowledged to be free and fair.”
Some other Nigerians have also come out to condemn the general utterance.  For example, Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, described the statement as “provocative” and “unguided” and must be checked, noting that the former Head of State was in the habit of threatening the nation as he similarly threatened the nation that he would make government ungovernable for the president if the election of 2011 was rigged.
Speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, during the week, he said” “Nigeria belongs to all of us, we have no other place to go and we should watch our utterances, no matter our status.
“We are in a very trying time and we need to be prayerful and work our prayers; we need to be positive and concrete in our thoughts and work our thoughts.
The clergy added that “The former Head of State ought to have been invited by security agencies for questioning if we are in other climes. I don’t know what our security agents are still waiting for. No matter whose ox is gored, if another person had made such a statement, they will say he is planning something against the country.
Buhari and his supporters were not perturbed by the presidential tongue-lashing and condemnations by some Nigerians. Reacting to allegations that the presidency may be considering the option of issuing arrest warrant against Buhari as a follow up to the explosive utterance, the former military leader said only those currently contemplating to rig the 2015 elections could have been afraid of the threat of a violent response.
The National Secretary of the CPC, Alhaji Buba Galadima, explaining the Presidency’s response said, “They are picking on the General because it is him they are afraid of and because once you take away rigging, they are gone; but they have forgotten that their master, Obasanjo was the first to talk of do or die, do or die means blood, if you don’t do what I want I will kill you, that is what he said.
“The issue is very simple; if you are not a thief why should you be afraid if they say whoever steals should be killed? That is why they are afraid.”
A member of CPC Renewal Committee, Comrade Wilfred Frank Agbotobo, from Bayelsa State, who defended Buhari told The Nation that PDP response to Buhari’s statement lacks content and logic. “The presidency and the PDP should realise that contrary to their distorted, narrow thinking, Buhari has over the years cultivated love, loyalty and respect in the hearts of the multitude of living fellowership in the South-South who cherish him in high esteem. Presently, there is recovery and deep regret over the manipulation that led to the emergence of the present apparently confused PDP administration. 
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the leading opposition political party in the country, was also not impressed by the response of the Presidency. The party therefore scolded the administration for launching a personal attack on Buhari, just because he gave “a valid warning against election rigging.”
The ACN added that the verbal attacks against Buhari were reflective of the determination of the ruling administration to use the instrument of power to return itself to power.
In a statement, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued in Osogbo, Osun State, the party said Buhari’s statement was “nothing but a warning against those who may be planning to rig the 2015 general elections hence should not have rankled anyone who believes in free, fair and transparent polls.”
‘’We hold no brief for anyone. But it is true that if elections are rigged, as they have been so shamelessly and brazenly done by the PDP since 1999, naturally people will react, and in doing so it is impossible for anyone to predict how far things can go. This is what, in our opinion, Gen. Buhari warned against. If the presidency and the PDP have no intention to rig in 2015, why are they so worried about the consequences of such action,’’ ACN queried?
The party said Buhari’s warning was in order, considering that the 2011 general elections remain the most systematically-rigged polls in Nigeria’s history, irrespective of the so-called endorsement by some visceral foreign election monitors. The debate is still ongoing.

Still on Buhari’s comment

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd),

Ex-Head of state’s statement might have been failure of statesmanship, but only the guilty should be afraid

Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 general elections is not new to controversy. Before the 2011 elections, his statement calling on the people to defend their votes against riggers generated uproar and was believed to have goaded the violence that engulfed some parts of the northern region after the elections. Perhaps, this must have informed the Presidency and the ruling People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) vituperation against the brutally frank admonition of Buhari while recently receiving CPC’s supporters from Niger State in his Kaduna office. 
Buhari reportedly said “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,’’ He further alluded to Prof. Ango Abdullahi’s statement that there are three ‘Boko Harams’, including the original one led by Muhammed Yusufu who was killed and his supporters tried to take revenge in attacking the law enforcement agencies and politicians; another Boko Haram of criminals that steal while the third and the biggest one he calls the current Federal Government.
Buhari has since been attacked from the Presidency that described his utterances as quite unbecoming of a statesman. The PDP was unsparing; it said the general is ‘inflaming the orgy of violence’ and proclaiming him a ‘bloodthirsty leader without democratic credentials.’ The ruling party cockishly wants the Federal Government to send him, a retired general, to lead the ECOWAS military contingent to Mali or Guinea Bissau so as to, in its view, ‘exorcise the bloodletting demons apparently haunting him. ‘Isn’t this a mockery of the government’s decision to send troops to Guinea Bissau and Mali to help maintain the peace? So, the soldiers are being sent to those countries so as to ‘exorcise the bloodletting demons apparently haunting’ them?
We condemn all forms of violence that can destabilise the already volatile security in the country. In the past, we had unequivocally condemned such statements from Buhari and others in that class. We recollect pointedly too in 2011 that we chastised Buhari for the statement he made calling on the almajiris to defend their votes with anything, at a period that was very close to the election.
At this point in time, the election is still very far and people are beginning to see desperation on the part of those in power who are ready to cling to power at all cost. The symptoms of an old political malaise is manifesting in the touted ‘Jonathan 2015 Project’, while the people are getting worried and hopeless that their votes may not count again in 2015. That must have informed Buhari’s statement. 
Rather than seize the opportunity to assure Nigerians that nothing of such will happen, the Presidency and the ruling party joined issues with the general, resorting to official blackmail and intimidation in the process. Yet, it is very clear that the ruling party has the worst electoral record since the inception of this democratic dispensation in 1999. Even the late President Umaru Yar’Adua under whom the current president served as deputy publicly acknowledged that the election that brought him to power was flawed. So, the fear of rigging has always been amongst the populace. 
We would have expected the Presidency and the ruling party to douse the tension by allaying the fears of the public about the suspicious manner in which the Federal Government has so far conducted elections in the country. After all, Buhari’s comment has received positive remarks from other segments of the society other than those benefiting from the ruling party. The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), CPC and other opposition parties have shared the views expressed by Buhari. Even the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has lent its voice in support of the critical issue that Buhari’s statement raised, at the same time cautioning the general against inciting statements.
Aliu Babangida, Niger State Governor and Chairman of the NSGF presented the position of the group after its recent meeting in Kaduna, to wit: ‘Again, certain facts are understood; that if this happens, that would happen... May be those who may be too concerned (about what Gen Buhari said) have not looked at what other eminent Nigerians have been talking about. I saw one that said Nigeria is going to be Somalianised....’ 
We share their views that a government that cannot guarantee free and fair elections and can still not provide good roads, effective transportation system, workable healthcare delivery services, good security and more importantly, stable electricity like Jonathan’s has no business aspiring to continue in power. Yet, it would want to rig election to sustain itself in power.
We want to make it known to those whose plan it is to rig the 2015 elections that the John Kennedy’s universal dictum of 1962 that “those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable” was not just a paper statement. Nigerians have been pushed to the wall- if they turn back, the consequences may be better imagined. Buhari might have needed to bring some finesse to bear in his utterances, given his status in the country. But then, the Jonathan administration too has to check itself and review its policies. Any government that takes the people for granted as this government has done, especially in the arbitrary fuel price hike, must expect some unpleasant consequences. Moreover, the winner-takes-all attitude of the government is not helping matters. Above all, we must say that electoral violence is itself an act of violence against the people and no one can legislate about how people will react to such.  

Cleric expresses concern over state of the nation.

Written by Olayinka Olukoya.

The Bishop, Remo Diocese (Anglican Communion), The Right Reverend (Dr) Michael Olusina Fape, has expressed concern over the state of the nation, calling on the federal government to rise to the challenges confronting it.
Bishop Fape said this in his presidential address delivered to the Second Session of the tenth synod of the Diocese on Friday, at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ipara-Remo, Ogun State with the theme, “They (Christians) are not of the world.”
He urged Christians to be actively involved in the activities of their immediate environment by remaining in the Lord.
The cleric noted that the all social vices confronting the country had continued to increase on a daily basis, despite several calls to governments at all levels to checkmate those problems.
The  Bishop said, “ As Nigerians, we have no other country than this one. Therefore, we must make it as Nehemiah to seek the welfare of this nation. While so many social evils have been identified in the past year in our charge, there seems not to be respite yet for Nigerians.
“Kidnapping is still in place, the power sector is still in comatose, and corruption has become an established evil staring at us in the face as a nation in all the three tiers of government.
“Today, those who are supposed to bring succour to the masses have added to their plight. The Pension Fund that is supposed to bring succour to the retirees has been embezzled by the custodians!”
Bishop Fape noted that different probe panels investigating the corrupt practices of Nigeria’s political office holders and public servants was a pointer to the fact that the corruption was the bane of our national development.
“It now seems as if the primary assignment of the National Legislators is to probe, and revelations from the unending probes on Power sector, Petroleum subsidy, Nigerian Stock Exchange Council and Pension Fund make a mockery of our national leaders as bunch of hypocrites, who though know the truth, but cannot speak the truth because their hands are already soiled. Certainly, corruption is the bane of our development in this nation. But the question is,who will deliver us from this monster of corruption?”, he queried
On Ogun State, the Bishop commended the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented at the ocassion by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Olayinka Kukoyi, on his administration approach to tackle insecurity in the state.
The Bishop advised Amosun to beware of political sychopants who are were only interested in deceiving him.
The cleric lauded the gesture of the Chief Executive Officer, Tanus Communication, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, for sponsoring the Synod which was hosted last year by the matriach of the Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo

Jonathan and the Buhari burden

Is it time for President Goodluck Jonathan to bare his fangs against Gen. Muhammadu Buhari? OLALEKAN ADETAYO examines the feud between the duo which might be a long-drawn battle

One of the steps always taken by people who desire to do well in any position (political offices inclusive) is to keep in touch with their predecessors and tap from their wealth of experience. Such steps are aimed at learning from the successes and failures of such predecessors in order to avoid some pitfalls.

The position of the President is not an exception in this regard. Apart from the various advisory bodies, incumbent Presidents sometimes rely on their predecessors for advice on issues of national importance.

Interestingly, the nation’s constitution also recognises the importance of tapping into the experience of former presidents with its provision for the Nigeria Council of State as an organ of government. The council’s functions include advising the executive on policy making.

The Council of State consists of the incumbent President, who is the Chairman; Vice President, who is the Deputy Chairman; all former Presidents of the federation and all former Heads of the Government of the Federation; all former Chief Justices of Nigeria; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives, all state governors and the Attorney-General of the Federation. Such is the importance attached to the wealth of experience of former Nigerian leaders.

 It will therefore naturally be a thing of concern for a sitting president to have one of those who he should ordinarily rely on for advice and support to be his number one public critic.

This is the scenario currently playing out between President Goodluck Jonathan and one of his predecessors, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

The Daura, Katsina State-born general was the Head of State between December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985. Since the return of democracy to Nigeria, Buhari has attempted to become a civilian president three times (in 2003, 2007 and 2011) without success.

In 2003, Buhari contested the presidential election as the candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party.  The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in that election, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Buhari was defeated with a margin of more than 11 million votes. He contested the result of the election up to the Supreme Court but lost. Till today, Buhari still holds the belief that he won that election but that he was short-changed by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the courts.

Buhari, as a candidate of the ANPP also contested the 2007 election which was won by his kinsman, late President Umar Yar’Adua of the PDP. In the election, Buhari polled 18 per cent of the votes cast against Yar’Adua’s 70 per cent. Like what happened during the previous election, the general rejected the result and again contested it to the Supreme Court but lost.

Yar’Adua’s admission that the election that brought him to office was largely flawed and a promise to carry out electoral reform, seemed to have confirmed Buhari’s fears that such polls since 2003 were anything but democratic.

In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP for the Congress for Progressive Change, which he founded, with which he contested the 2011 presidency Jonathan won that election. Buhari polled 12,214,853 votes, coming second behind Jonathan of the PDP who polled 22,495,187 votes. He repeated the same ritual of approaching the courts and again lost.

Having lost three presidential elections in a row, Buhari became understandably critical of government.

Such criticism reached its crescendo last Monday, when Buhari reportedly threatened that there would be bloodbath in 2015 if its general elections do not reflect the will of the people. He thundered:  “God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood,” Buhari reportedly told the party members who paid him a courtesy visit in Kaduna last Monday.

He also blasted the Federal Government under Jonathan’s leadership as the real Boko Haram (Boko Haram is the Islamic sect that has claimed responsibility for most of the bombings in the North).

Not ready to allow him have a field day unchallenged, the presidency and the ruling PDP in separate reactions fired back at the general, describing him as a frustrated serial election loser and a sectional leader. While the presidency said the statement by Buhari was “saddening,” the PDP said it portrayed the ex-Head of State as a “blood-thirsty person who lacked democratic credentials.”

The presidency, in a statement by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, said it found it very sad that an elder statesman who once presided over the whole of Nigeria could reduce himself to a regional leader who spoke for only a part of the country.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh,  also said, “It is unfortunate that at this time of grave security challenge while Nigerians are burying their dead and counting their losses, Buhari, who wants to rule them, is further inflaming the orgy of violence. What a bloodthirsty leader in Buhari! If the retired general was suffering from combat withdrawal syndrome, then the Federal Government should allow him to lead the ECOWAS military contingent to Mali or Guinea Bissau to enable him have an opportunity to exorcise the bloodletting demons apparently haunting him.”

Metuh touched a sensitive area when he said that Nigeria has yet to recover from the huge losses it suffered due to such “reckless and provocative remarks” by Buhari before the 2011 general elections which led to a spate of bloody post-election violence across six states of the federation.

In making that assertion, Metuh apparently relied on the report of the Dr. Sheikh Lemu-led Federal Government Investigation Panel on the 2011 Election Violence and Civil Disturbances which was set up by Jonathan to probe the post-election violence recorded in some parts of the North.

While presenting the report to the President in October 2011, Lemu said the panel identified provocative utterances by many individuals and widespread charge by prominent politicians including Buhari to the electorate to guard their votes as possible cause of the post-election crisis.

Lemu said such charge by politicians appeared to have been misconstrued by many voters to include recourse to violence, which they did.

He however attempted to give Buhari a soft landing when he added that it was discovered during a long interactive session between the former Head of State  and a five-member delegation of the panel on September 14, 2011 that the CPC candidate himself was a victim of the violence as his property were reportedly destroyed.

Not a few Nigerians believe that Buhari’s latest outburst could also spark off another round of violence.

The Senator representing Oyo South, Senator Femi Lanlehin, urged the two gladiators in the face-off to sheathe their swords in the interest of the nation.

 He said, “We are in precarious times; there is insecurity everywhere. Anything that will aggravate the situation should be avoided. If Buhari had said what he was reported to have said, the President too should have ignored him.”

Also, a politician, Chief Olu Akerele, described the face-off between Buhari and Jonathan as unnecessary. The former Personal Assistant to late Chief MKO Abiola said it was unfortunate that people including the government were misinterpreting what Buhari said.

He said, “Is the FG and the PDP planning to rig in 2015? Why are they panicking, if they are not? They should even praise the retired general for speaking the truth. What he said was conditional: rig and get into trouble. The President should not divert attention from numerous problems confronting the nation which he has not been able to solve. To me, Buhari is not the reason why he has not been able to fix power, provide security, tar roads, provide jobs and other problems bedevilling the country.  Let him face governance and stop chasing shadows.”

The current rift between the two however, appears to be a long-drawn one as Buhari who has been backed by the Action Congress of Nigeria and Northern governors against the presidency, has alleged that Jonathan plans to arrest him.

A government source however, dismissed the idea of “doing anything with the army general will suggest a clampdown on opposition,” he said.

Gowon’s distortion of facts

 by AKUTA CHINEDU

This is in response to statements credited to ex-Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), during a post-humous award ceremony for the tripod of Nigeria’s independence and First Republic leaders, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
According to a national newspaper, Gowon said Igbo leader and Biafran warlord, the late Gen. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu would have succeeded in ruling the country if he had not been checkmated when he declared the Republic of Biafra and consequently triggered the civil war in 1967.
The former head of state, who came to power during the second military putsch on July 29, 1966 and ruled till July 29, 1975 when his regime was toppled in another coup that led to the installation of the late Gen. Murtala Muhammed, spoke against the background of a documentary on the fratricidal war shown at the ceremony.
Reliving some of the events of the civil war fought between July 6, 1967 and January 12, 1970, Gowon described it as a needless war and one never to be wished for again; adding that the war would not have arisen if Odumegwu-Ojukwu had not severed the eastern part from the rest of the country.
“If there was no secession by the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu, there would not have been war. We tried all we could to avoid going to war. At the Aburi meeting (held in Ghana in January to forestall the imminent war), all that was demanded by Ojukwu, including my position, were granted. But his secession bid led to the war. If Ojukwu had not done what he did, he would have been a Nigerian and not Biafran leader. Nigerians and, indeed, the children who suffered during the war, should forgive us,” Gowon said.
Since the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Gowon has made two conflicting statements. In all, he tried to twist facts about the civil war, all in an attempt to portray Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the aggressor. This is unacceptable.
First, I wonder why Gowon has chosen to make conflicting statements about the events that happened before and during the war, only after Odumegwu-Ojukwu had died. The question is, why didn’t he make these statements when Odumegwu-Ojukwu was alive, since both of them were the two principal actors?
Indeed, Gowon should have been kind enough to tell his audience the true reasons behind the war. The author, having gone through the Aburi meeting records, could not see where Odumegwu-Ojukwu asked for Gowon’s position; so, why would he say such things? Besides, who jettisoned the Aburi Accord – Gowon or Ojukwu? Nigerians cannot be deceived. Be it known to all Nigerians that part of our problems today is the non-implementation of the Aburi Accord by the Gowon administration. Gowon should publicly accept responsibilities for the civil war.
For the records, the war was imposed on the Igbo. Biafra was the only beacon of hope for all fleeing Igbo then. If Gowon was concerned, why didn’t he stop the pogrom in the North then? Why did he impose food blockade during the war and even after the war? What did he do about the abandoned properties? What about the policy/punishment of giving every Igbo person only 20 pounds, even if the person(s) had millions in bank accounts?
Someone should tell Gowon to stop twisting facts, if only not to reopen the wounds of the civil war.