EFCC Nabs Imo State Commissioner of Finance, Accountant General

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today arrested two Imo government officials for fraud related charges. The agency interrogators are currently quizzing the Imo state commissioner of finance, Deacon, Okafor Chike John and the accountant general of the state, Eche Ezenna  George.
The two officials are currently in the Abuja office of the EFCC. It is unclear how the agency effected the arrest of the two officials however, a source at the EFCC office in Abuja involved in the investigations said their arrest is linked to  various capital market transactions dating back to the Ikedi Ohakim leadership in the state.

Conflicting Reports as PDP BoT election ends in stalemate

BY OLALEKAN ADETAYO

PUNCH (2013): The three-hour meeting of members of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday failed to produce a new chairman of the board as expected.

The meeting was meant to elect a replacement for former President Olusegun Obasanjo who resigned from the position last year for personal reasons.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting which ended at about 11.30pm, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, said a committee was set up to streamline membership of the board in preparation for the election of a new chairman.

The committee has three weeks to conclude its assignment.

Maduekwe was joined at the briefing by the board’s Secretary, Senator Walid Jibrin; former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, and presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati.

Maduekwe said the mandate of the committee was to properly align membership of the board in such a way that the election of the next BoT chairman would be a model of internal democracy.

He however said apart from the procedure for the election, the meeting did not come close to discussing the aspirants or endorsing any of them.

“The meeting did not come close to election, nomination or endorsement of any aspirant. There was no deadlock and no gridlock,” he said.

Gana, on his part, admitted that the decision to set up the committee arose because some members were already challenging the legality of some people to vote.

He also faulted reports that some PDP governors were planning to unseat the party’s chairman, Bamanga Tukur, saying the governors were law abiding party members.

Jibrin said so far, 12 members of the board had shown interest in the chairmanship job.

He said it was when Gana’s committee concluded its assignment and submit report that a date for the election will be chosen.

Maduekwe however added another dimension when he said the BoT had no constitutional duty to conduct election in the meeting.

He said the latest move was to reduce likely area of challenge since the simplest of election would stand the risk of being challenged.

Maduekwe said the committee, which would be headed by Gana, has Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Governor Ibrahim Shema, Chief Olabode George, Hope Uzodinma, and Mrs. Stella Omu as members.

He added that the meeting resolved that Jibrin should continue in his position as the secretary.

He denied reports of any rift or cracks in the PDP.

Maduekwe however said as a big party, minor disagreements based on interests could not be overruled.

He said while efforts were being made to resolve issues, including that of Adamawa State, members of the National Working Committee had been directed to stop media war.

On the Adamawa issue, Gana said a committee of party elders including the President, Vice President, leaders of the National Assembly and some others would resolve the issue.

President Goodluck Jonathan presided over the meeting which was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, David Mark; and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwwal.

Obasanjo did not attend the meeting.

Others who attended the session were former Vice President Alex Ekwueme; Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur; Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Women Leader, Kema Chikwe; former chairmen of the party -Bello Haliru Mohammed; Ahmadu Ali; Barnabas Gemade, and Vincent Ogbulafor.

Others are former Presidents of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara and Ken Nnamani; former Speakers of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba and Patricia Etteh; former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu; Governors Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Don Etiebet, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Danjuma Goje and Shuaibu Oladokun.

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe; his United Kingdom counterpart, Senator Dalhatu Tafida; Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief Olabode George, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chief Emmanuel Nwanyanwu, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Don Etiebet, Senator Bode Olajumoke, David Jemibewon, Victor Attah, Shuaib Oyedokun and Ebenezer Babatope also attended.

LibertyReport

Photo of the Day: Omo Sexy & Son

Check out Nollywood superstar, Omotola and son. So cute!

Naijaurban

South African woman stabs Nigerian husband to death

Nigerian man, Tony Rholand  (pictured above on the right) was stabbed to death by his South African wife, Lungi, at their home in Willims town, Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday January 1st.
The couple, who have a kid together, got into an argument in the early hours of January 1st and before anyone could stop it, Lungi stabbed Tony severally in the stomach. Tony died in the hospital a few hours later. Lungi has been arrested.
 DailyPost

Jonathan, two bishops and the rest of us

 by Uche Igwe

Uche Igwe

President Goodluck  Jonathan comes across as a very humane, compassionate  and calm person.  He is always quick to brandish his less privileged upbringing as a unique selling point to anyone who cares to listen. However, he also often portrays himself in public as someone who is hardly on top of his game.  Many of his responses appear clueless, colourless, insipid, lacking in both depth and rigour fit for his exalted office. One finds it extremely difficult to continue to support such a person. His approaches seem impulsive, less well contemplated and, as many observers posit, habitually “unpresidential”.

One of such scenarios played out during the exchange between the President and the Archbishop of Bomadi during the burial of the former National Security Adviser, the late Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi. During the funeral service for the late NSA, which was broadcast live on television nationwide, Archbishop Hyacinth Ogbebor, in a rare display of apostolic liberty, brought the attention of the President and others who attended the ceremony, to the increasing incidence of corruption and decaying infrastructure especially in the Niger Delta region.  Trust Jonathan, he quickly responded by passing the buck to the attitude of Nigerians and woefully referring to some bizarre statistics from the Federal Road Safety Corps about  lower frequency  of accidents on bad roads. Does the courage of Archbishop Ogbebor during the burial of Azazi and the sincerity in a similar speech of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah during the burial  of the late Governor Patrick Yakowa in Kaduna State days later bear a resemblance worth further reflection? What role could the clergy play, potentially, to mobilise against decay and enthrone good governance in Nigeria? Should Jonathan have replied the Bishop instantly?  How do such actions impact on his waning support base?

I commend both Archbishop Ogbebor and Bishop Kukah, for speaking the truth to power at different times during the burial of those who lost their lives when the helicopter came down in Okorobia. Both clergymen offer courageous examples of the potential role of the clergy in promoting good governance. I argue that these potentialities are currently being underutilised in the country. The clergy in Nigeria command a lot of respect and “immunity” which can be used positively to confront the divisive politics of plunder that our elite have inflicted on this nation. Kukah was clearly on point in his homily at Fadan Kagoma, Kaduna, where he expressed his disapproval at the elite corruption, abuse of office and how the northern political cabal often use religion to disguise their greed. Coincidentally, both clergymen not only spoke on similar issues, they also belong to the Catholic Church. At a time when some other churches are consumed by prosperity preaching and ostentatious display of wealth, these examples offer a positive direction for the rest of the clergy to follow. Sometime last month, President Jonathan was at the Holy Ghost Congress organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Lagos. Such a gathering should not only have been used to offer prayers for the President but also to remind him that he cannot continue to squander the goodwill and expectations of Nigerians who elected him to office. This, sadly, did not happen.

Another point to ponder over is whether the President should respond to every criticism especially when such criticisms are based on facts. That is where President Jonathan dropped the ball. It was former President Olusegun Obasanjo who acquired fame or notoriety for replying to everything said about him. Such an attitude is unbecoming for someone occupying such a dignified office. The best Jonathan could have done was to note the comments of the Bishop and respond by expediting action on the points that he raised. Again, is a burial ceremony the right venue for such an “unpresidential” exchange? 

On a related note, the state of the East-West Road which Bishop Ogbebor referred to is a big assault on the conscience of the people of the Niger Delta region in particular and the nation in general. The contract was awarded to a construction company said to have links to a prominent politician from the Niger Delta. How come work on the road has been very slow and many people are dying daily due to the sorry state?  I travelled on that road several times during the Christmas and New Year holidays. It is as dangerous as the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Unless something drastic is done urgently, that road may not be finished by 2015 which will be a shame on this administration. Where are all the funds appropriated for this road in the past?  Many people from the region are now keeping quiet because we live in a country where criticism is equated to opposition. Be that as it may, President Jonathan’s face-saving reference to the statistics from the FRSC must be challenged. Is it true that less road accidents happen on roads that have potholes and those that are not tarred? So, why then do developed countries tar and pave their roads? Where did this research originate from?  How come we have not heard of such a retrogressive research before now?

The emergence of President Jonathan enjoyed tremendous support from ordinary Nigerians. We believed that his humble background would make him a leader who will listen to the pulse of the street. The civil society, women and youth groups galvanised themselves into popular movements to lend their support to the “Doctrine of necessity” that we saw as an opportunity to dismantle the grip of the cabal that prevented him from assuming full presidential powers when Yar’Adua was incapacitated by ill-health. Were we wrong? From my crystal ball I can see that the quantum good will is becoming a thing of the past. Hopes of ordinary citizens appear to have been dashed, and expectations betrayed. The support base of the President, sadly, is diminishing by the day. He is popular with more rhetoric and less action.

On a final note, we must take two positives from what happened in Yenagoa and Kaduna. Imagine the quantum harvest that our nation will potentially reap if our spiritual leaders must unite for good governance? These politicians are part of their congregation either in churches or in mosques. They must use that sacred opportunity to raise their voices against corruption, divisive politics, underdevelopment, bad governance, and other vices plaguing our nation. Those spiritual leaders who currently prefer to remain politically correct to continue to feed off politicians must realise that they are on the wrong side of history. We must deploy our collective creativity to continue to make the parasitic elite uncomfortable. Archbishop Ogbebor and Bishop Kukah are patriots that other spiritual leaders in Nigeria must try to emulate if we must move this country forward. For President Jonathan, what our country needs now is action. He still has a little time to demonstrate that he is capable of using the powers that destiny has bestowed on his shoulders to etch his name in the sands of time.  

Punch

EFCC Moves Against Three Governors

 ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, KOLA NIYI-EKE, and TONY AMOKEODO

Strong indications emerged last night that the high-wire politics and horse trading for 2015 are under way: three serving governors -- Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Emmanuel  Uduaghan (Delta) --  are being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
LEADERSHIP further gathered that the operatives of the anti-graft agencies had launched investigations into the activities of some state governors and compiled certain alleged infractions against them.
Though the governors are protected from prosecution while in office by virtue of the immunity clause, the Supreme Court had held that the governors could be protected after the completion of their tenures.
Some stakeholders in the ruling PDP are rooting  for Lamido/Amaechi ticket on the grounds that there is the need to put in place a young and dynamic team that will effect positive change on governance.
Though President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to make a formal pronouncement on whether or not he is going to contest the 2015 presidential poll, some analysts believe that the president has the constitutional right to seek a second term.
The situation was further compounded when Jonathan’s posters flooded Abuja on January 1, 2013, informing those eyeing Aso Rock to forget the dream on the grounds that there was no vacancy in 2015.
The development prompted the spokesman of Jonathan, Dr Reuben Abati, to deny the involvement of the presidency in the matter, adding that the sponsors of the posters were on their own.
But a source close to the presidency confided in LEADERSHIP yesterday that the political permutations might not be too simplistic for those promoting the ascendancy of certain state governors to take over from Jonathan.
The source added that the three governors might get impeachment threats or receive the treatment meted out to a former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
According to him, certain situations will soon take place which will send some messages to the governors that they are being monitored and may be embarrassed.
The source also confirmed that Lamido, Amaechi and Uduaghan are under the watchful eye of the EFCC, saying that the EFCC boss, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, had submitted their files to the president last week.
He said: “Before the middle of this year, you will see serious dramas between Mr. President and some governors. Already, Sule Lamido,  Amaechi and Uduaghan are marked. Everything will be done to embarrass them including impeachment threats. May I inform you that Lamorde has already submitted their files to President Jonathan last week.”
When contacted over the matter, the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, claimed that he was not aware of the development.
The presidency has feigned ignorance of the development as none of its spokesmen is willing to speak on the matter.
Telephone calls and text messages sent to Abati and the senior special assistant on public affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, were not replied as at press time.

Amaechi’s govt is used to EFCC’s attacks - Official
Meanwhile, an official of the Rivers State government and immediate past chief press secretary to the governor, Mr. Blessing Wikina, has said the administration of Amaechi is used to the constant attacks by the EFCC.
Wikina, the director of information and communication technology (ICT) in the State Ministry of Information and Communications, told LEADERSHIP on telephone that the rumours of planned prosecution of the governor by the EFCC heightened because the country was approaching an election year.
He said: “We are not aware that the EFCC is investigating Governor Amaechi. But if they do, we will not be surprised because that is how the EFCC always behaves whenever the country is approaching an election year.
“The fact is that we are used to their antics and it will end the way other efforts of theirs ended. We are not afraid of them.”
The governor’s former aide wondered why the anti-graft agency would try to prosecute a government whose administration has received credit ratings from international organisations such as Standard & Poor’s as well as Fitch for the past six years.
Wikina said: “Another point is that, for six consecutive years, Rivers State under Amaechi has been getting ‘A’ ratings from international organisations. If the Amaechi government is corrupt, why would an international organisation give the state government such rating?”
Efforts by LEADERSHIP to get the reactions of the state commissioner for information and communications, Mrs. Ibim Seminatari, as well as that of the chief press secretary to the governor, Mr. David Iyofor, proved abortive as their phone lines were switched off.

Delta is being investigated over airport project - Commissioner
Also reacting to the issue, the Delta State commissioner for information, Barrister Chike Ogeah, said: “Yes, it is true that some persons who claimed to be in the opposition have written a petition to the EFCC regarding the airport project. Yes, I am aware that as the chief executive of the state, he has to answer the case, because it beholds on him to answer; it is normal in a state like ours where the opposition keep an eye on projects, whether properly executed or not, as their weapon. All the same there is no cause for alarm.”
But the Jigawa State director of press, Mr. Umar Kyari, stated that he was not aware of the issue.
Leadership

How we’ll crush PDP in 2015 – Opposition parties

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & GABRIEL EWEPU To present a popular presidential flagbearer, meets tomorrow
DETERMINED to beat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at the 2015 presidential polls after suffering a series of defeats collectively and individually since 1999, opposition party leaders engaged in merger negotiations will meet in Abuja tomorrow barring unforeseen circumstances.
At the parley, Vanguard gathered that leaders drawn from six leading opposition parties will hammer out modalities for a merger. Parties involved in the talks are the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance and Labour Party.
After agreeing on the issues of party name, logo, manifesto, constitution, symbol, composition of state and national executive committees among others, the leaders said the next hurdle would be presenting a nationally acceptable and popular presidential flagbearer, who would confront and beat President Goodluck Jonathan or any other candidate the PDP would field for the race to Aso Rock in 2015.

File photo; Tinubu and Buhari – leaders of ACN and CPC

The leaders, who are conscious of the constitutional hurdles to their quest, are bent on concretizing the merger in March and approach the INEC for ratification or registration.
Most of the interested opposition parties have named their contact committees.
Senator Chris Ngige (ACN, Anambra central) said at the end of the day, Nigerians would know that the progressives mean business.
“The progressives led by ACN were already meeting with others such as the Labour Party, LP, ANPP, APGA and DPP for the purpose of forming the mega party. By a kind of metamorphosis, the affected political parties which have radical politicians in their rank and file would do everything possible to ensure the growth of democracy in the country. Fourteen years after the emergence of the present democracy, it is obvious that nothing good can come out of PDP and that is why we are determined that by the first quarter of this year, Nigerians will see that progressives mean business,” he said.
Indeed, a leading member of ANPP’s contact committee, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim said recently that the opposition parties were working hard to present the new party in March.
“Before March 2013, we are all going to reach an accord on this merger; that is the deadline for the coalition materialising. From all indications, the parties are looking forward to forming a totally new party where all the opposition parties will come together as one entity,” he said.
To ensure that the merger works, prominent leaders, who are seen as the faces of the various parties and whose interests had hampered the coalition in the past are not part of the negotiations. For instance, the CPC committee is to be headed by a former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Garba Gadi. He is replacing former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) the party’s national leader.
INEC hurdle
However, opposition parties considering a merger must meet the conditions stipulated in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2010 before they can be registered as a new party.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, reportedly said that to be able allowed to field candidates, the party has to be in the INEC register before the
He said: “The constitution has stated clearly how parties should be registered. The law also provides for when INEC must serve notice of elections. Section 25 of the Electoral Act says INEC should issue a notice of election 90 days before an election. If a political party is to participate in an election, the party has to be on INEC’s register before INEC issues such notice. If a party is not on INEC’s register by the time the commission issues a notice, such political party cannot contest in that same election.”
This time, merger will work — ANPP
One of the major forces in the merger talks, the All Nigeria Peoples Party yesterday told Vanguard that political parties involved in the talks had strongly resolved to ensure that the merger for a mega political party was achieved because they were all determined and serious to succeed based on the level of their discussions to give the Nigerian people a new era of democratic rule in 2015

Onu: ANPP leader

Secretary, ANPP National Rebuilding and Inter Party Contact Committee, Dr. George Moghalu said that the committee is out to represent the ANPP in the merger talks with the ACN and CPC to form a mega platform to dethrone PDP in 2015.
Moghalu said the opposition parties were strategically planning to exhaust democratic avenues to technically knock out PDP because of the enough time they have to resolve a lot of issues and come to a compromise.
According to him, insinuations about crisis in the merger talks concerning logo, candidate and manifesto are not true; rather the parties are making progress and will come to a logical conclusion to have a mega political platform for the 2015 general election.
Moghalu said: “There is a determination by all groups that we must succeed in the merger talks. As we talk about merger, names, logos must be dropped, and adopt new name and logo acceptable to all groups, and they are not issues, because it is not contentious. The question is whether there is willingness, commitment by the negotiating parties to build a strong political platform, and the time for talks.
“The answer is yes. It is not like the talks we had in the past, this one is clear, and what we are doing is to concretise all our discussions with a view of what will be beneficial to the Nigerian nation. But those who may not believe in the process or are scared of the process and consequences of a successful outing of our mega political platform are talking otherwise.
“The beauty of democracy is the ability to have choices, and I think that the average Nigerian would want to have very clear demarcation as to the parties to deal with. The truth is that the support base of my party (ANPP) is massive, and we have very solid support at the grassroots. Now there is a new consciousness, and what we are doing is to begin the reawakening of our supporters, and the same thing applies to other participating opposition parties. If all these parties (CPC, ACN, APGA, LP and others) come to form a mega political platform you will know that they are into a serious contest.”
However, Moghalu said there is no candidate yet to be the flag-bearer for the presidential contest in 2015 elections, but the opposition parties are working assiduously to have an all encompassing democratic mega party where people will test their popularity, and any candidate the people want will be supported.
“We are not working with anybody in mind rather we are coming up with a mega political platform that will be democratic for anybody to contest within. We will welcome anybody that wants to test his or her popularity. In our democracy there is no enough internal democracy in our political structure, but we want to create a political platform that will be democratic in all facets,” Moghalu stressed.
On the conduct of the of the 2015 elections, Moghalu urged the INEC  to ensure from now that they conduct free and fair elections that would be acceptable to all.
Vanguard