Boko Haram: National Security Adviser blames PDP

Gen. Azazi

The contribution of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency was exposed yesterday by an unlikely source.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoeye Azazi, said the party’s brand of politics, especially the way it picks its candidates for elections, is partly responsible for the menace now being visited on Nigeria and Nigerians by the Islamic sect.
“A situation where a political party insists on fielding a particular candidate over another to get a massive win, and that if they get that massive win the party has arrived, is the source of the problem,” Azazi said at the second South-South Economic Summit in Asaba.
Azazi, who himself has been widely criticised for the inability of the security agencies to put Boko Haram in check, added: ”How come the extent of violence did not increase in Nigeria until the public declaration of the people that were going to contest election by the PDP? And I would also like to say this, though the PDP people will not agree with me, they would like to attack me, but I hope they do it in private:   PDP got it wrong from the beginning by saying Mr A can go and Mr B cannot go, and these decisions were made without looking at the constitution.
“Is it possible that somebody was thinking that only Mr. A could win and that if he could not win, there would be problems in this society?
“Let’s examine all those issues to see whether the level of violence in the North East just escalated because Boko Haram suddenly became better trained, better equipped and better funded or something else was responsible.
“And in any case, how did they get it all done? It takes very long for somebody to be a sniper. But I can assure you that Boko Haram can garner that level of sophistication over time, if it has not got it already.
“There are a lot we know that they are doing and there are a lot that could be done to address the problem. But then, I must also be quick to point out that today, even if all the leaders that we know in Boko Haram are arrested, I don’t think the problem would end, because there are tentacles.
“I don’t think that people would be satisfied because the situation that created the problems are not just about the religion, poverty or the desire to rule Nigeria. “I think it’s a combination of everything.
“Except you address all those things comprehensively, it would not work.
“It is not enough for us to have a problem in 2009 and you send soldiers to stop the situation, then tomorrow you drive everybody underground.
“You must look at what structures you need to put in place to address the problem holistically.
“There are economic problems in the North, which are not the exclusive prerogative of Northerners.
“We must solve our problems as a country.”
 “Some people were wearing white garments 22 years ago and calling themselves Republic of Afghanistan in the north, and some people said they were only keeping to their religion and that there was nothing wrong.
“We try to play the ostrich and think things will blow over. I believe we should stop the politicisation of security issues in Nigeria.
“I believe there is a strong element of politicisation of the crisis, where some people were assured that they would win 80 per cent and they did not win. 
‘’Is it not amazing that after the elections, the Boko Haram (sect) became better trained, better armed and better funded? But I can assure you that Boko Haram could not have that kind of sophistication without a backing.
“Today, if you arrest all the leaders of Boko Haram, I don’t think the problem will end, because the situation that created the sect has not been tackled e.g poverty and the desire (of some people) to rule Nigeria. These issues cannot be isolated unless they are handled comprehensively.”
Azazi said the present security challenge in the country was getting complicated on account of the 2015 election with different interest groups desperate to have it their way.
He called for economic empowerment and enlightenment of the masses with a view to checking poverty and crimes.

Why I can’t pray for Jonathan -Pastor Bakare

Written by Nurudeen Oyewole & Femi Akinola.

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The convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and Vice Presidential candidate of Congress for progressive Change (CPC),  Pastor Tunde Bakare, in this interview, spoke on the planned protest over the implementation of the subsidy probe report, the alliance between ACN and CPC ahead of 2015 elections, among other issues. Excerpts:

At your last press briefing, the Save Nigeria Group gave ultimatum to federal government and also said it planned to protest if those fingered in the fuel subsidy probe are not prosecuted. Why do you want to embark on this protest?

We said at the press conference that we gave two weeks ultimatum to Federal Government to put concrete steps in place, such that those who stole the country blind will not go scot-free nor the matter swept under the carpet. We are not trying to stampede government to take a decision. Even from the way we couched the thing, we made it clear that this should not be like any other probe report. The power probe, nothing has come out of it up till today. Instead government is still investing in it without checking the excesses that go into it. To answer your question directly, on or before the expiration of the two weeks ultimatum, we are going to come out with facts that will really show Nigerians that those in leadership positions in this country double-speak and have double standards. Our emphasis is that this particular probe report doesn’t go the way of others.

Several other probes that exposed corruption have been dumped by government, without any civil society organization raising an eyebrow. What exactly makes this different?

Like the power probe, the aviation probe and all other probes, they all came out of the endemic corruption in our system. But they didn’t touch the lives of the citizens directly the way the fuel hike did. They were not as strong as the fuel subsidy issue was. I’m not saying they do not matter at all because eventually, it is still the people that will suffer for it if anything goes wrong in all of these. For instance, they said there would be increment in electricity tarrif. If those who were stealing the country blind had not been doing that, there won’t have been any reason for the new hike. If there had been a stipulated law in Nigeria or a recognized punishable law, then those who go ahead to steal the country’s money would have been more reasonable and avoid getting engaged in endemic corruption.

I’m sure you know that I’m a preacher. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes Chapter 8:11 that when judgment is not speedily executed, the hearts of men are certainly going to do evils. Ultimately, because of the excesses that took place in the power sector without anybody found culpable, citizens are now going to pay a higher tariff. If any services should be paid for, it should be for a service being rendered. If we had uninterrupted power supply and you are asked to pay tariff increment, not many people will grumble because they have seen things working.

The difference between the power probe and fuel subsidy probe is that the fuel subsidy touches the skins of every Nigerian. We were paying N65 before and all of a sudden we started paying like double of the same price or even more. Everyone said, ‘ha! enough is enough.’ But for you to now refuse to do anything on the report submitted by the probe panel is terrible? We would not allow that to happen! Every Nigerian who has conscience will not allow it to be swept under the carpet.  The money earmarked was not known to many people. But this particular one has caught the attention of everybody. Every Nigerian knew that there was allocation in the year 2011 for subsidy, which was N240 billion. And without appropriation, we have spent N3.1 trillion. The House put the excess at N1.3 trillion. In decent climes, that is not an issue to be swept under the carpet. It must be accounted for.  That is all we are saying. There is not much (turanci) in it.

Don’t you fear that government would say you’re being sponsored by the opposition again?

Let’s make something very simple for ourselves. You see, when many people speak, they don’t take certain things into consideration. And the question to ask is, in presidential system of government, where is the opposition? We are not running  a parliamentary system where there are members of the opposition in your cabinet. What you are simply saying is that Nigerian people cannot express themselves because they belong to other parties than your own. There is no opposition. In the presidential system of government, there is no opposition because winners take it all. Were we in opposition when we marched through the streets of Abuja at a time Jonathan was being schemed out of power equation? President Yar’adua was alive but was ill and yet we took to the streets. Were we for, were we against? No, we stood on the part of the constitutionalism. Sometimes when I heard some people make this kind of comment, permit me to say, they are unintelligent. Who is opposition? What has opposition got to do with this? That you are not doing what you’re supposed to do is the reasons we took to the streets. And the judgment will be delivered on the 24th of this month as it affects what happened at Ojota when they rolled out tanks there.

You were in touch with President Jonathan. Have you attempted to reach him on this matter? If so, what was his response?

Do I need to contact the president? That’s my choice. It’s my freedom. Let me put it this way, do I need to contact the president on the need for him to sit down and do what he is allegedlly voted for? Save Nigeria Group is not a one-man show. You don’t go behind and be contacting the president on your own. If the Save Nigeria Group wants to meet with the President, we know how to put things across to him. But nobody has helped the blind by switching on the light and nobody helps the deaf by increasing the volume of music. All these ideas of haggling around Abuja, giving fat envelopes when you are returning and all that, are irritations to us. Let’s not get out of the main issue. The issue at stake is a public interest issue. How many people have contacted him and what have they gotten out of it?

Talking about going to Abuja, you may be seen as a different kind of Pastor. Others go to Abuja to pray for him, but you want to engage in a protest. Why?

Pastor Tunde Bakare does not hang around the corridors of power and those in government, because it is my choice. And you know what my choice is? Because I didn’t see Jesus pray for President. He is my role model. Show me in the Bible the number of those who were in the position of authority and Jesus went there and prayed for them, that’s one. Number two, is it a must that we should pray for those in government and authority? For me, what is paramount is for us to pray for peace because when you have peace, there would be growth and development. Those things are connected. We keep on praying for those in authority and yet nothing has changed. Pastor Tunde Bakare does not hang around the seat of government and be praying for government officials. If I can speak the truth to you, there is no point trying to reach you behind the curtain. In fact, some of those who are in the corridors of power do not even deserve the prayer of the saint.

General Muhammadu Buhari met Asiwaju Bola Tinubu last Sunday in Lagos and you were at the meeting. Can you tell us why the meeting took place and some of the issues discussed?

To the best of my knowledge, the two leaders of the parties have been talking even before the 2011 elections. And it is customary that parties seek ways of joining their resources together to win elections.  It happens everywhere in the world. The Yoruba would say: ta ba nja, bi ti ka ku ko, meaning that “though we may be fighting yet we aren’t praying for any of us to die”. The CPC is not practising do-or-die politics. However, you may want to know what was discussed at that meeting. I think it is better you reach any of the two leaders. Either General Buhari or Tinubu himself.  It should not be over sensationalised. We were coming from a Life Time award given to General Buhari. We finished late and it was around 12 midnight when we got there.  We didn’t even spend up to 15 minutes or maximum of 30 minutes there. That couldn’t have been anything political. If I know you and I’m passing through your neighbourhood, I can decide to say ‘hi,’ to you. That was all that transpired.

Come 2015, will you say the CPC will merge with ACN to win power at the centre?

As far as I know, the party’s hierarchy has formed a reform committee to look into the past activities and prepare for the future. Until the committee finishes its assignment, anybody talking about CPC affairs is just shooting into the air and singing what he likes to say. When that committee finishes and submits its report and strategic position taken on how to move the party forward, then it would be made public. Until then, it is mere guesswork.

The Vice President just called on Boko Haram to dialogue with government, what do you say to this?

I will answer by using a Yoruba adage that says when your mother’s concubine is stronger and richer than your father, you call your father’s concubine, daddy. That’s my answer to that.

Do you see the Boko Haram insurgency as a plot by the North to destabilise Jonathan’s government?

Anybody who says that should prove it. I don’t know. There is a possibility but I don’t know because I’m not a party to that. Yes, in democracy, it is normal that changes take place. But there is a stipulation that even if there would be a change that may be when the president dies, resigns or is impeached. If any of this happens to Jonathan, he has a deputy that will take over from him. And if any of these also affects the vice, then the Senate President will take over and be acting in that capacity. So whosoever is planning to scuttle another person’s administration, such a person is only trying to inflict pain on himself and invariably, the people will suffer. I do not subscribe to violence. I’m not a violent person. I believe we would achieve more through peace and dialogue. If there are those who are using Boko Haram to scuttle his administration, such people are not doing anybody any good, whatsoever.

So if you are to advise the president on how to tackle the insurgence, what will be your advice?

Boko Haram . Some people call it BH. If you look at it, you will discover that there are many atrocities being carried out today, using the label, Boko Haram  and yet they are not part of the original Boko Haram . The president said recently that there are members of Boko Haram  in his government and every arm of government. That is, we have Boko Haram members in executive, legislature and judiciary. The president knows so much about Boko Haram  that he should tell those of us who do not know.

But if you are the president, what are the likely steps you will take to address the insurgency?

When I find myself there, I will know what to do.

Would you want to be Buhari’s running mate in 2015, if Buhari stands for presidential election?

Today, May 11, 2012, sufficient for today is the evil thereon. There are so many challenges the nation is facing now that should preoccupy our minds now than what will happen in 2015. Is it that Nigerian people do not deserve better services than what they are getting now? How to tackle corruption should also be of paramount concern to us. If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us. In Nigeria, officials are not just corrupt but corruption has become official in Nigeria.

Every nation around us has something to celebrate, but we have nothing to. Ghana, for instance, is witnessing influx of business activities because of stable power supply. Fifty-two years after independence, Nigeria can’t even generate sufficient power supply that can serve one big state like Lagos. I mean, if Lagos is fully industrialized and all the industries are working to capacity, the entire power generation for the whole of the country won’t be sufficient enough to power Lagos. Many of our young graduates are not getting any employment. That shouldn’t have been. Those who are already thinking of 2015 are enemies of the country.

But in order not to look as if I’m shying away from your question, in 2011, I did not seek any post. I did not lobby for any elective post. I was just doing the bit I could do when I received a call from General Muhammdu Buhari to be his running mate. I went through lots of thinking and consultations with some good people of Nigeria. So we agreed to give the chance a try and that was it. So, if in 2015 such opportunity presents itself again, it will surely go through the same process. And if I’m not called upon, there is no problem. All along, I have never been involved in politicking or at any political party until now. I am not a die- in-the-wool politician, someone who wouldn’t do anything because there is no politics. I have a lot in my hands. All I’m interested in is to see a Nigeria that works in my lifetime.

CPC/ACN merger is to save Nigeria -Osita Okechukwu

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Mr Osita Okechukwu was the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Enugu State during the April 2011 general elections. In this exclusive interview with Sunday Trust, Okechukwu spoke extensively on recent talks on possible merger of the CPC, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), among other parties. Excerpts:
Can you give an insight on the recent resumption of alliance talks between the CPC and the ACN?

The CPC set up a Renewal Committee last year to look inward to see what we did during the last general elections which we could have done differently. And this issue of alliance or merger or whatever you can call it was very topical on the agenda and luckily the leadership of the CPC and the Board of Trustees (BOT) are in support of the new move. Let’s take it that you are aware of the pregnancy that was aborted.

Let’s take it that this is the real pregnancy (laughter). We are trying to contrive a new pregnancy and we are hoping that it will be delivered safely. We regretted the abortion of the previous pregnancy between the ACN and the CPC. But in doing this now, they say, necessity is the mother of invention, General Muhammadu Buhari as a patriot and democrat and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his own group as patriots and democrats, they have seen what they could do differently and they said okay how do we now help Nigeria? As of today Nigeria is sliding dangerously towards a failed state. Nigeria is not a failed state yet but it is sliding towards that direction.

Is the ANPP being considered in the proposed alliance?

Yes, we are talking to them because we are saying that if we believe Nigeria has to be saved, the best way to save it (Nigeria) is through democratic court and the democratic court is through voting. And if we need votes to confront a monster that PDP has become, unveiling the Federal Government of Nigeria with the oil revenue; proceeds from the taxation; custom duties, it means the only principled maxim is that we must unite this time around. So, a large number of ACN members and a large number of CPC members agreed that there are things we could have done differently.

In 2011, it was quite clear that both the ACN and the CPC had an understanding that if they unite, they would be able to vote out PDP. But with this power sharing, we don’t know whether it is an issue now because that was what caused the collapse of the alliance?

No. It wasn’t. I will tell you what caused it. It wasn’t about power sharing. If I understand your meaning of power sharing, it is either the ACN is saying they want to be President and the CPC is saying they want to be President. Nobody did that. In all deference and honesty to the ACN, the party never did that. They knew that in political elementary analysis, the ACN is not at par with the CPC because it is a stronger party.

So, the ACN was very clear about that. Even when we were talking about the move for a mega party, nobody ever said that General Buhari would not be presidential candidate. They concede the fact that he has uncommon integrity and that he is one person who can stop corruption. Everybody agreed on that. It wasn’t part of the reasons for the collapse. The collapse happened because the General himself said that since he entered politics in 2002, some people had contrived this dangerous trend of religious bigotry. He said for God’s sake, can we escape from that? He wanted to correct that notion....By my understanding, that was what happened. So it’s not a question that the ACN said they wanted to present a presidential candidate.

But the difference now is that we agree that given the plight of Nigeria sliding dangerously towards a failed state, each person, each group should, first of all, forget about their own special interest and lay a real strategic foundation that will get the members of the CPC in Oshogbo, Ogbomosho to also key into the alliance with the members of the ACN in Oshogbo and Ogbomosho. The same thing will happen in Daura, Mubi, Oran in Akwa-Ibom and Udi Local Government. Luckily, don’t forget that CPC is a very new party, and there was 2011 election, so there wasn’t this kind of time to do a broad strategic thinking. So the good luck we have is that General Buhari has already gotten all members to agree on this position.

There is this thinking that Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is going beyond his mandate in the CPC. What is your take on this?

Naturally, there has always been that kind of misconception. A lot of people do not know who General Buhari actually is as regard democracy. He is one person that if he had a meeting with the core group of the CPC, he wouldn’t insist that everybody must say something. But a lot of people do not know. They thought Buhari will just say this is what will happen and it happens the next day. No. And el-Rufai himself, in all private discussions I have held with him, his major position is how do we save this country. So every authority that exists is based on proper consultations with the leadership of the CPC headed by Buhari, the Chairman of the party Tony Momoh, the Secretary and others. But the point of the matter is that I used to antagonise El-Rufai myself. I had a shoot-out with him in 2006 in America’s Ambassador’s house because he led the government and I led the opposition. But the point is that he is a very misunderstood person and it becomes very easy for people to theorise that. More so, a lot of people did not know that el-Rufai wasn’t really poor before he became a Minister. He was a top Quantity Surveyor. He consulted for a lot of projects in this country. A lot of people did not know that.

But the point of the matter is that when somebody is thinking ahead of you, your tendency is to think that he wants to advance himself. And I don’t see el-Rufai thinking like that. One, none of el-Rufai’s friends have said that they are idiots. They know that we, the CPC is not in the South. And they are also aware that if tomorrow, Jonathan decides he is not running and the CPC is calling for a new candidate, won’t our calculation change? If Jonathan says he is running, won’t our calculation be determined by his ambition to run? We are all aware of this. Unluckily, Jega has also put INEC as a department of PDP.

We are aware that PDP will fix the timetable. And if they fix the timetable and the presidential election come first as usual, it may mean that we may have to be strategic enough. So we are open to all these unintended variables that will determine who runs and who will not run. So I do not see El-Rufai actually thinking like that and he never told me as well. The little he has done, I appreciate it a lot. Some in the party are not happy. Yes, I agree. Some may be doing that because they never see him on the desk of the accountant trying to collect money to run certain activities on behalf of the party. Some of these are drawbacks. Between I and you, both privately and publicly, from what I discussed with General Buhari and Mallam El-Rufai, they don’t have any discordant tune on this issue. If you notice as well, you will notice that Bakare was there during Buhari’s trip to Lagos. So the group is working as a team. They are more concerned about the survival of the country. What they are interested in and on which we all have agreed on is that this country must be saved from the brink of collapse.

One major concern is that few months, weeks or days to the election, the personal agenda that led to the collapse of previous alliance talks resurfaced again among the main contenders. Don’t you foresee that development again?

Your question is very relevant. It is relevant in the sense that these are human element factors. But that is why I told you that the little effort we are putting in today is to block those areas that might prop up that. And I have told you that the ACN has been very generous in this participation. If, as I said, Jonathan decides to run, by then we will have finalised everything. The party will now say who among this group has a better chance because we are going to study the environment. If Jonathan is not running, the activities go to the North. For God’s sake, you won’t go to Enugu state or Modakeke to bring somebody. So these are issues that will be resolved as we move along.

We don’t have any fear that the issue of who becomes the presidential or governorship candidate in 2015 will become a problem. I also accept their fears but don’t forget that the CPC leadership that failed on her own side to get the pregnancy to be delivered were also burnt. The ACN leadership that also allowed the pregnancy to be aborted and went and voted Jonathan had seen that they threw away their votes.

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Written by Muideen Olaniyi Sunday, 13 May 2012 05:03

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Mr Osita Okechukwu was the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Enugu State during the April 2011 general elections. In this exclusive interview with Sunday Trust, Okechukwu spoke extensively on recent talks on possible merger of the CPC, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), among other parties. Excerpts:
Can you give an insight on the recent resumption of alliance talks between the CPC and the ACN?

The CPC set up a Renewal Committee last year to look inward to see what we did during the last general elections which we could have done differently. And this issue of alliance or merger or whatever you can call it was very topical on the agenda and luckily the leadership of the CPC and the Board of Trustees (BOT) are in support of the new move. Let’s take it that you are aware of the pregnancy that was aborted.

Let’s take it that this is the real pregnancy (laughter). We are trying to contrive a new pregnancy and we are hoping that it will be delivered safely. We regretted the abortion of the previous pregnancy between the ACN and the CPC. But in doing this now, they say, necessity is the mother of invention, General Muhammadu Buhari as a patriot and democrat and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his own group as patriots and democrats, they have seen what they could do differently and they said okay how do we now help Nigeria? As of today Nigeria is sliding dangerously towards a failed state. Nigeria is not a failed state yet but it is sliding towards that direction.

Is the ANPP being considered in the proposed alliance?

Yes, we are talking to them because we are saying that if we believe Nigeria has to be saved, the best way to save it (Nigeria) is through democratic court and the democratic court is through voting. And if we need votes to confront a monster that PDP has become, unveiling the Federal Government of Nigeria with the oil revenue; proceeds from the taxation; custom duties, it means the only principled maxim is that we must unite this time around. So, a large number of ACN members and a large number of CPC members agreed that there are things we could have done differently.

In 2011, it was quite clear that both the ACN and the CPC had an understanding that if they unite, they would be able to vote out PDP. But with this power sharing, we don’t know whether it is an issue now because that was what caused the collapse of the alliance?

No. It wasn’t. I will tell you what caused it. It wasn’t about power sharing. If I understand your meaning of power sharing, it is either the ACN is saying they want to be President and the CPC is saying they want to be President. Nobody did that. In all deference and honesty to the ACN, the party never did that. They knew that in political elementary analysis, the ACN is not at par with the CPC because it is a stronger party.

So, the ACN was very clear about that. Even when we were talking about the move for a mega party, nobody ever said that General Buhari would not be presidential candidate. They concede the fact that he has uncommon integrity and that he is one person who can stop corruption. Everybody agreed on that. It wasn’t part of the reasons for the collapse. The collapse happened because the General himself said that since he entered politics in 2002, some people had contrived this dangerous trend of religious bigotry. He said for God’s sake, can we escape from that? He wanted to correct that notion....By my understanding, that was what happened. So it’s not a question that the ACN said they wanted to present a presidential candidate.

But the difference now is that we agree that given the plight of Nigeria sliding dangerously towards a failed state, each person, each group should, first of all, forget about their own special interest and lay a real strategic foundation that will get the members of the CPC in Oshogbo, Ogbomosho to also key into the alliance with the members of the ACN in Oshogbo and Ogbomosho. The same thing will happen in Daura, Mubi, Oran in Akwa-Ibom and Udi Local Government. Luckily, don’t forget that CPC is a very new party, and there was 2011 election, so there wasn’t this kind of time to do a broad strategic thinking. So the good luck we have is that General Buhari has already gotten all members to agree on this position.

There is this thinking that Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is going beyond his mandate in the CPC. What is your take on this?

Naturally, there has always been that kind of misconception. A lot of people do not know who General Buhari actually is as regard democracy. He is one person that if he had a meeting with the core group of the CPC, he wouldn’t insist that everybody must say something. But a lot of people do not know. They thought Buhari will just say this is what will happen and it happens the next day. No. And el-Rufai himself, in all private discussions I have held with him, his major position is how do we save this country. So every authority that exists is based on proper consultations with the leadership of the CPC headed by Buhari, the Chairman of the party Tony Momoh, the Secretary and others. But the point of the matter is that I used to antagonise El-Rufai myself. I had a shoot-out with him in 2006 in America’s Ambassador’s house because he led the government and I led the opposition. But the point is that he is a very misunderstood person and it becomes very easy for people to theorise that. More so, a lot of people did not know that el-Rufai wasn’t really poor before he became a Minister. He was a top Quantity Surveyor. He consulted for a lot of projects in this country. A lot of people did not know that.

But the point of the matter is that when somebody is thinking ahead of you, your tendency is to think that he wants to advance himself. And I don’t see el-Rufai thinking like that. One, none of el-Rufai’s friends have said that they are idiots. They know that we, the CPC is not in the South. And they are also aware that if tomorrow, Jonathan decides he is not running and the CPC is calling for a new candidate, won’t our calculation change? If Jonathan says he is running, won’t our calculation be determined by his ambition to run? We are all aware of this. Unluckily, Jega has also put INEC as a department of PDP.

We are aware that PDP will fix the timetable. And if they fix the timetable and the presidential election come first as usual, it may mean that we may have to be strategic enough. So we are open to all these unintended variables that will determine who runs and who will not run. So I do not see El-Rufai actually thinking like that and he never told me as well. The little he has done, I appreciate it a lot. Some in the party are not happy. Yes, I agree. Some may be doing that because they never see him on the desk of the accountant trying to collect money to run certain activities on behalf of the party. Some of these are drawbacks. Between I and you, both privately and publicly, from what I discussed with General Buhari and Mallam El-Rufai, they don’t have any discordant tune on this issue. If you notice as well, you will notice that Bakare was there during Buhari’s trip to Lagos. So the group is working as a team. They are more concerned about the survival of the country. What they are interested in and on which we all have agreed on is that this country must be saved from the brink of collapse.

One major concern is that few months, weeks or days to the election, the personal agenda that led to the collapse of previous alliance talks resurfaced again among the main contenders. Don’t you foresee that development again?

Your question is very relevant. It is relevant in the sense that these are human element factors. But that is why I told you that the little effort we are putting in today is to block those areas that might prop up that. And I have told you that the ACN has been very generous in this participation. If, as I said, Jonathan decides to run, by then we will have finalised everything. The party will now say who among this group has a better chance because we are going to study the environment. If Jonathan is not running, the activities go to the North. For God’s sake, you won’t go to Enugu state or Modakeke to bring somebody. So these are issues that will be resolved as we move along.

We don’t have any fear that the issue of who becomes the presidential or governorship candidate in 2015 will become a problem. I also accept their fears but don’t forget that the CPC leadership that failed on her own side to get the pregnancy to be delivered were also burnt. The ACN leadership that also allowed the pregnancy to be aborted and went and voted Jonathan had seen that they threw away their votes.

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.