10 posers for an aspiring VP- Anambra APC

We welcome His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi to the 2019 presidetial election where he will run as Vice Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

We acknowledge Obi as an Igbo and native of Agulu in Anambra State, but will quickly state here that Obi is neither a candidate of Ndigbo, nor the South East, who both agree on a more altruistic corporate strategy for ascendency to the presidency of Nigeria outside 2019 time-mark and Obi’s individual ambition,that he is not in control of.

Again we need to remark that if HE Obi is not tainted himself, he will run on a tainted ticket,in which his principal VP Atiku Abubakar is in the eye of the storm for matters of integrity and reputation,in and out of Nigeria,and nothing in the horizon promises a recovery from the factual negative impression.

However ,with this lone- standing ambition of Obi’s comes an opportunity for the governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, to introduce his real self to Anambra State and Nigeria. Obi’s first and last public office was Governor of Anambra State, but the state and the nation will now have a second chance to know the ‘stranger’ that the imperfections in Nigeria’s polity threw up to preside over their affairs.

While we acknowledge that there is time enough ahead  to deal with specifics, we quickly request, in reaction to Obi’s candidature and in the public interest,from HE, Mr Obi, 10 clarifications/causes of action in the immediate:

1- His Excellency Mr Peter Obi should personally present a Curriculum Vitae that Anambra State and this time, the entire Nigeria can rely on to know him, as the conflicting ones so far in the air are either scanty or inconsistent, lacking vital parameters than should be contained in a CV. We do not agree yet with those who think this is deliberate, but will have no option if within this week, ending October 19, 2018 this request is not honoured.

2- We request HE Obi to explain in clear detail how Anambra State paid the majority amount,but got minority shareholding in SABMiller Breweries, yet another company NEXT INTERNATIONAL  in which Obi has commanding interests and which built NEXT SUPERMARKET within Obi’s governorship tenure,combined with a traditional ruler under the outfit INTERFACT BREWERIES to bag majority shares without input. By extension, Obi should explain who he handed over as Chairman of Next International , prior to resuming as Governor of Anambra State ,what the performance trajectory was in his absence, and if he has returned as Chairman of the Company, which warehoused N250 million cash from Anambra State vaults in Lagos office under his watch as governor.

3- We request HE Obi to explain what his role was under President Jonathan in returning N135bn as cost of Second Niger Bridge,without connecting roads, and his interest in the company slated to install toll gates and collect money from users of the bridge ,mainly Ndigbo for an estimated 30 years , based on amortization of the given cost.

4- We request a clear explaination regarding the non- award of the Second Niger Bridge Contract under President Jonathan which ran against the grain of Obi’a campaign words as Cordinator of Jonathan’s campaign in Southern Nigeria. We are aware that it took the APC administration to execute the contract on the project and source funds to free Ndigbo from a 30-year toll- gate slavery under merchants with Igbo names.

5. We request HE Obi to explain what ecological projects the N8.4 billion accruing to Anambra State in August 2013 from ecological funds were expended on and what handover indications there were for that particular fund.

6- We request HE Obi to explain why he bribed INEC officials throughout Nigeria, during 2015 elections channeling the funds through a commercial bank he has major interest in, the slush funds for which INEC officials are under trial and if he is considering repeating that game for the tainted ticket on which he has been enlisted. 

7-We request HE Obi to explain why the bigotry of religion which served him unmerited favours well but left debilitating rifts  between christian denominations in Anambra State, will not rear up its head, to unstatesmanlike ends, in the national stage if Nigerians go out of their way to elect himVice President.

8- We request HE Obi to explain why under his watch over 100 Nigerians mostly of South East extraction were in 2012 killed to his knowledge and consent, and thrown into Ezu River,which ought to have been one of the base resources in Obi’s failed water supply project in Anambra State.

9- We will also humbly request  HE Obi to explain why in seven years and a half, out of eight years of Anambra governorship , no local government elections were conducted in Anambra State, yet his principal Atiku eulogises the provision of opportunities for the youth using the local government, an idea we do not oppose.

10. Finally, in this initial piece,we request HE Obi to explain his appointment as governor by interests extraneous to Ndigbo and the coincidence in the repeat of history, where the same extraneous iinterests appointed him as Vice Presidential candidate without the input of any fly from the South East, and correspondingly,with an agenda unknown to a zone with a different plan. This is particularly important because shortly after the system was manipulated for him to become governor, he ordered the shooting at sight  of agitating and unarmed members of the Movement for the Sovereign Statr of Biafra (MASSOB) , working on a set agenda from the extraneous interests.

Once again we welcome HE Obi to the race and wish him an enjoyable participation.

For : ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS,ANAMBRA STATE CHAPTER.

Arc. Okelo Madukaife

State Publicity Secretary 

Awka. October 16,2018

WE DON'T FORGET

President Buhari has stabilized the economy. The reserves have been boosted to close to $50billion again, up from $29billion they reduced it to by May 28, 2015.

What they refused to acknowledge is that GEJ did not save a dime in the time of plenty - living like there'll be no tomorrow. He spent the boom in oil revenue the time of plenty and depleted the reserves he inherited from Yar'adua. 

With low oil price for 3 years, and the unprecedented social intervention schemes like School Feeding Programme, N-Power Programme, payouts to the elderly and vulnerable, and payments of decades owed to Pensions and Gratuities, not forgetting the massive infrastructural development drives across the regions of the country, he still set aside so much because of prudent allocation of resources. Buhari's traducers will always turn blind eyes to these. 

Those bunch of guys, bandits all, that stole the country blind for 16 years and into recession, are now fighting tooth and nail to come and loot the resources again. 

The Snake Oil Salesman - you know who, is deceiving those who are only driven by hate for Buhari.

For those who are feigning ignorance of the timely warnings given by Soludo, Lamido Sanusi and Okonjo-Iweala between 2013 and 2014, these are the words on marble by Prof Charles Soludo:

"Whoever wins 2015 will NEVER find it easy to govern. Over 30trillion is mismanaged, unaccounted for or missing under Jonathan."

We don't forget. When mischief makers embark on their ignorant revisionism, we take them down memory lane.

Voting in looters once again is not an option.

Indiscretion goes with consequences.

Atiku owns 16 % of Intels.

Atiku owns 16 % of Intels. A company between the Volpis of Italy and a number of other international merchants of villainy against African states. Intels started in Nigeria as Nicotes, but eventually transformed to Intels. 

For years this company has held the monopoly of generating revenues from all marine activities in Nigeria for NPA. It’s been making massive revenues, making more money than perhaps any of the 36 states in Nigeria except Lagos. 

Anyone who knows the damage Intels has done to the Nigerian economy through its monopoly and extortionate rates, without remitting proper revenues to govt will stop Atiku from being President. 

Intels by compromising everyone at top level in govt, Presidents, ministers of transport, MDs of NPA got away with gross violations of the law. They couldn’t buy Buhari this time around or the young lady who is MD of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman. She broke the monopoly of Intels allowing another yard to build the FPSO for Egina, the Total project. Other companies are also now allowed to run base services at Onne instead of Intels alone, which has been the case for years.

Intels has been a cash cow for years, generating over $200m a month with very little going to govt. This has gone on for years. The company has controlled all marine revenues for decades making billions of dollars. 

This is the primary source of Atiku’s enormous wealth. By breaking the monopoly, Buhari threatens the wealth of Atiku, reason he outspent every contestant in Port Harcourt to become the candidate of PDP. For Atiku it isn’t about Nigeria though he feigns that. It’s an existential fight. His vast empire of patronage, with Intels at the center is threatened. His Italian and Lebanese mafia are threatened with extinction. They will fight dirty, they will fight with everything they’ve got. 

If Atiku wins, Intels becomes a monstrous behemoth Controlling all govt revenues. They are behind Eko Atlantic City, a mega project built for the rich and well heeled, to separate the corrupt and opulent rich from the wretched poor in the country. Just like Atiku’s American University of Nigeria where the lowest fee is N5m per annum. 

Atiku is the ultimate exploitative bourgeois. Taking advantage of access to govt to make as much money as possible. The ultimate benefactor of a corrupt rentier economy, where state resources are shared by the powerful and the connected to amass enormous wealth at the expense of the country. That’s been Atiku’s life. You can’t point to any notable business with his name on it, but exploiting access to govts to buy NITEL or Intels monopolizing govt marine income for his use is his style. Cronyism, patronage that continues to enrich Atiku and impoverishes the nation.

Nigerians shouldn’t be deceived. Atiku will connive with Lebanese, Italians any foreigners to sell off Nigeria. If he became President, a few Nigerians in his circle will be very rich, but Nigeria will be worse off for the mass majority.

Above this the Lebanese and Italians in particular would have gotten a presidential accolyte that will work with them to enslave Nigerians.

If you doubt, go to Intels Onne and see the segregation. Italians, Lebanese and all whites treated like gods with the Nigerians as inconvenient appendages. Atiku will be bad for Nigeria. Nigerians open your eyes.

May God save us from Atiku.

The Osborne Towers in Lagos where evil men pay Two hundred and Fifty Million

The Osborne Towers in Lagos where evil men pay Two hundred and Fifty Million of our stolen money annually is the issue of discussion today. Chief Peter Obi and a few others are the occupants of this evil apartment known as Osborne Towers.

Sure, at 20 Million Naira a month, Chief Peter Obi has three apartments in the towers!

Now here is the real information, each of the apartments has four bedrooms and two sitting rooms. 

Why will Chief Peter Obi have three apartments at the Towers meaning he has twelve bedrooms and six sitting rooms? It is authoritative that the last rent of apartments 7A and 7B was paid by Peter Obi! The story of Osborne Towers will continue to explain the thrifty behind the saintly Peter Obi who wants us to believe that he carry his bag at the airport, books economy on air trips and and eats once a day so as not to spend so much money but pays rent of 60 Million a month on three apartments in Osborne Towers. He even want us to believe that he eat just one piece of kpomo in his soup for lunch! Biggest lies from the biggest lier of the century.

I am beginning to believe that Chief Peter Obi is not straight. If not, how can one be paying 250 Million a year for rent in a four bedroom apartment and still go about preaching saving culture. This to me is hypocrisy and idiocy joined together. Do Peter Obi thought that we all are fools? What the hell is wrong with Ngerian leaders. I am surprised that Peter Obi is not what he preaches. He is a stark opposite of who he wants us to believe he is. The gathering of the evil men at Osborne Towers has finally exposed Peter Obi and confirmed what people has been saying all along that he is the a human with the most complex characters. From what I have read about Peter Obi as a former Governor who lead the other Governors to court and obtained that judgement that forced Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to share our National savings, I am forced to believe that Chief Peter Obi is the most flexible mind ever to come out of the South East.

Allow me to borrow this line from Mr. Aghaduno that thoroughly describes Chief Peter Obi inter alia “The trouble with Peter Obi is that he thinks that he is cleverer than everyone else. He maintains a bland and colorless surface that conceals a grandiose interior. He talks with the voice of a woman in labor but carries a heart of stone. He maintains a well-cultivated religious outlook but his soul is the engine room of demons. The former governor of Anambra State reminds me of a luscious apple with a large maggot neatly embedded in its middle”. He is a contradictory person who will tell you a story in the morning and come out in the afternoon to tell the exact opposite of the story he told in the morning.

How can the world ever trust Peter Obi again? How do we believe him again each time he mounts a podium to display his craft of petty lies? Peter Obi should just disappear before he becomes an object of caricature. A friend once told me I want to do ‘Peter Obi’. I was bewildered but he laughed and told me that doing Peter Obi is just pretending to be who you are not.

Please the new generation should not do ‘Peter Obi’ as it is not in the character of the Igbos to pretend. Only God knows where Peter Obi picks his unusual unlike Igbo character.

Benson Nweke writes from Nnewi, Anambra state.

STOP FIGHTING THE WIND; YOU CAN'T WIN

Prof. Usman Bugaje wrote this on President Muhammadu Buhari

You don't change a government with hate and malice, you change government with tact and intelligence. This sustained onslaught against Buhari cannot move him from that seat. Never seen such a people who sleep and wake up with constricted venom against a man who aspired to be where he is today. 

The Nigerian presidential seat is not for Christians or Muslims, it is for that Nigerian who is a Nigerian and has the Nigerian blood in him. A nation bedevilled by calamity and the only advocacy by some of her citizens is that the president should resign or be voted out. Nothing is more sickening and illogical than this. 

Sincere people rally around themselves to solve problems, but here people gather in mosques and churches plotting the removal of a constitutionally elected man. The man you are so maliciously blackmailing has his own supporters who are doing everything to return their candidate. Instead of your surreptitious plot, why not promote  your candidate, polish him and sell his candidacy? 

Blackmail doesn't change a government, disguised venom don't win elections only sincere electioneering ideas wins election. These outdated strategies of using religion and ethnicity cannot fetch any electoral values. This is more than 3 years since Muhammadu Buhari assumed leadership, yet no single person has been islamized as peddled by the wicked merchants of mischief. If I were  you, I will resign to fate in the matter of this man. This is the same man that was set to die when his car exploded in volcanic IED, this man had his character mutilated on TVs, Radios, Newspapers, in Churches and Mosques; in fact he nearly lost his life but guess what? He defied all these excruciating experiences to come out strong because God was not done with him. Do not begrudge this man, it is not him manifesting mortality, it is God manifesting his awesomeness on this man. People like this are special; he has this special anointing, like the rock in the river, he is firmly rooted. Use wisdom to dislodge not these weak conspiracies flying round.

The Muhammadu Buhari I know is not here to promote any agenda other than his sworn oath of regaining the nation from the claw of usurper, looters, vampires and the acclaimed landlords of Nigeria. 

STOP FIGHTING THE WIND; YOU CAN'T WIN

Sorry Atiku, You Can’t Buy Integrity, What is Rotten, Is Rotten

By Churchill Okonkwo

In the masterpiece, satiric comedy, The Trials of Brother Jero, Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, captured religious hypocrisy in the form of a con, or fraud, named Brother Jero, who preaches to his followers on Bar Beach in Lagos. Brother Jero was an energetic rascal that mastered the art of manipulating his followers in an obedient position by simply convincing them that their quest for money, social status and power will be fulfilled “now”. This play that goes back to 1960s captured the exact replica that is being played out by the fraud and con politician named Atiku Abubakar.  

The political rascal Atiku have been attempting to convince Nigerians that if elected President, he will feed us from the nose while we relax at the foot of Adamawa mountain. After his selection as the PDP presidential candidate, the con artist wasted no time scouting for endorsement to boost his tattered integrity. His attempt to woo Soyinka and get an endorsement failed. The fraud politician quickly conned Rev Kukah and Sherik Gumi in the “reconciliation” with another rogue, Obasanjo where he manipulated them to be seen to have endorsed the presidential bid.

As to Bishop David Oyedepo’s role, I don’t believe he was conned. His appearance was out of pure desperation and corruption. After watching the pictures of David Oyedepo celebrating the reunification of dangerously corrupt men, I wept for Nigeria. It is corruption when Bishops surrenders their integrity, a sense of wholeness and moral character, and basic humanity for the sake of money and power. Bishop David Oyedepo in desperation to regain influence of Nigerian Presidency embraced corrupt Atiku. This demonstration of crude acceptance of corruption should be a source of concern to every Nigerian that is interested in this fight against corruption.  

Atiku Abubakar’s campaign strategy is to conjure up images of a man who after corruptly enriching himself, invested the embezzled public resources to create jobs. Take, for example, Atiku recently claimed that unlike Buhari, he is “an expert job creator who has founded many successful and thriving businesses including the American University of Nigeria, Yola.” What Atiku intentionally left out was that the reason he cannot go to America is the millions of Dollars he laundered to America for a direct license to use the franchise of the American University.

Under Atiku and Obasanjo’s watch, public universities collapsed. Atiku, Obasanjo and the likes of Bishop Oyedepo quickly filled the vacuum by establishing private universities that are beyond the reach of poor Nigerians. Corrupt, short-term gains might be huge, but the human costs of this corruption emerged later when children of rich parents started sending their kids to private schools following the near collapse of public schools. Sadly, the resulting poverty and uneven educational development between the rich and the poor has sharpened the incentives for further corruption.

The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires but in his integrity. Atiku knows clearly well that his integrity is rotten. As a con artist, therefore, he attempted to buy integrity by appointing Peter Obi as his VP. The problem with Peter Obi is that he is a hypocrite that lies with sincerity, but that’s a matter for another day. The unfortunate thing is that many Nigerians, especially the youths that have been lamenting bitterly about the endemic corruption in our polity are suddenly willing to excuse the con artist Atiku from a test of integrity. Their reasoning, all politicians are the same (corrupt) so let’s make sure our side wins. Atiku might be a corrupt idiot, but he’s our corrupt idiot. 

Ndigbo have a saying that not asking questions before eating causes death without illness. Some Nigerians might reason, why should all this corruption matter to me? One reason is that corruption's connections to poverty are far more numerous and pervasive. Beyond the effect on incomes, corruption undermines outcomes in education, health, public investment, and income equality. It thwarts development, including undermining public finances.

So, how bad will the effect of Atiku-era corruption be if elected president? The best guess is worse than you can possibly think. If Atiku and his Intels can withhold billion of Naira of revenue from Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) under Buhari, imagine, just imagine what Atiku will do to one of the biggest non-oil revenue agency in the country. And who’s going to check the established greed of Atiku when his Intels, as expected, starts defrauding NPA? Peter Obi? Don’t be silly.

To the extent that corruption undermines revenue, it adversely affects government efforts to reduce poverty. Money that leaks out of the budget because of corruption will not be available to lighten the burden of the poor. Corruption damages society. Corruption matters because corrupt people corrupt other people. Corrupt Bishops and pastors corrupt the congregation and the entire society. Corruption breeds mistrust. And when citizens don’t trust their government, they stop being interested in it, stop participating in it, stop voting and stop demanding that it get better. And that makes government less efficient, less responsive and less effective for all of us.

A strategic and sustainable response to corruption is public integrity. Integrity is one of the key pillars of political, economic and social structures and thus essential to the economic and social well-being and prosperity of individuals and societies. Atiku has been facing serious credibility problems especially in relation to integrity. He knows that his corrupt past and lack of integrity is harmful to a country’s economy, society, politics, and the overall environment. A President like Atiku Abubakar who lack this basic sense of integrity will undermine the fabric of our society and do great damage to our democracy.

Yesterday, a primary school social studies teacher decided to test his students’ awareness of political development in the country. What is 1 +1? The teacher asked Aisha. Two, responded Aisha. Good, said the teacher. What is the sum of Buhari + Osinbajo? Slow but steady, responded the student. The teacher then asked, what of Atiku + Peter Obi? Corrupt dude trying to buy integrity said Aisha. What? Asked the teacher. What is rotten is rotten, you can’t buy integrity, Aisha said, without a flinch. The moral of this exchange is that even primary school pupils know that if you don't have integrity, you have nothing. They know that integrity cannot be bought. As adults, eligible to vote in the 2019 election, we should not let these kids down.

So, as a Nigerian, I cannot in good conscience support Atiku even if he adds David Oyedepo and Apostle Peter as his VPs. Atiku is terribly corrosive and a master in the democratization of corruption that inclusion of Peter Obi in his ticket is irrelevant and deceptive. Do you believe Peter Obi can do what Obasanjo and the United States government could not? Think about it, deeply. You see, even “Saint” Peter Obi cannot restore Atiku’s battered integrity. What is rotten is rotten. 

Primaries: 272 Senators, Reps may not return in 2019

About 20 senators and 252 members of the House of Representatives may not return to the National Assembly in 2019, investigations by Saturday PUNCH have revealed.

Majority of the affected lawmakers are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, who lost the ticket to return to NASS at the recently concluded primary elections by the various political parties.

Findings also showed some of the affected lawmakers withdrew from the race to pursue governorship tickets in their states while some pulled out of the race for personal reasons.

While some of the primaries are still marred in controversies, some of the lawmakers are still hopeful of getting a ticket through negotiations.

Those who have lost senatorial tickets include the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi (Niger State), David Umaru (Niger State), Fatimah Raji-Rasaki (Ekiti State), Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos State) and Ibrahim Kurfi (Katsina State).

Also, senators who lost their governorship bid are Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno State), Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara State), Abubakar Kyari (Borno State), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara State) and Sam Anyanwu (Imo State). While those who won governorship tickets in their states were Sunny Ogbuoji (Ebonyi State), John Enoh (Cross River State) and Jeremiah Useni (Plateau State).

Those who withdrew from the race for the legislative chamber were Senator Adesoji Akanbi (Oyo State); Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa State); three-term Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe State) and Senators Gbolahan Dada (Ogun State) and David Mark (Benue State).

There are also senators whose fate is hanging in the balance as controversies are still trailing their candidacy and some have become a subject of litigation. In this category are Senators Shehu Sani (Kaduna State), Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun State) and Magnus Abe (Rivers State).

Senator Jonah Jang from Plateau State lost his presidential bid while another senator from Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, is currently serving a jail term for corruption.@Apaya#we are gradually and indirectly changing the game