Sylva Accuses PDP Of Plotting Violence During Bayelsa Elections As Tensions Continue To Rise

On Wednesday, the former Governor of Bayelsa State and the candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC), Timipre Sylva mocked Governor Seriake Dickson, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, over the alleged plot to disrupt the January 9th supplementary election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) and the other 101 units.

 
Seriake Dickson And Timipre Sylva 
 
Mr. Sylva’s accusations come amidst fears that tensions are rising in Bayelsa State as the supplementary election approaches. A war of words has emerged between the two candidates with both accusing the other of fomenting violence ahead of the supplementary polls.

Earlier this month SaharaReporters published a story regarding Governor Dickson’s claims that the APC was attempting to use the security services to rig the supplementary elections.

As tensions continued escalating on Tuesday, the PDP reported that several gunboats of armed men stormed the Peremabiri Community in Southern Ijaw LGA which were claimed to be sponsored by the APC.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, Mr. Sylva stated that intelligence reports gathered by the APC noted that there were indications of the stockpiling of dangerous arms. The purpose of this weapon stockpiling, according to Mr. Sylva, is the disruption of the Southern Ijaw LGA supplementary elections.  

“Therefore, the PDP government knows it is on its way out and are plotting to perpetuate violence in Southern Ijaw LGA.

“Governor Dickson has shown that his desperate accusations against the APC are actually plots set in motion by the PDP,” Mr. Sylva explained.

However, Mr. Sylva has yet to provide copies of these intelligence reports to the media with specifics about the threats APC agents found.

Continuing his attacks upon Governor Dickson, Mr. Sylva accused the governor of fabricating reports about APC-led violence in Southern Ijaw LGA.

“All the problems that Mr. Dickson is crying about ahead of Saturday poll are in his head, hence, he needs to have his head examined, ” Mr. Sylva stated.

The former Governor expressed misgivings about the redeployment of State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Baritor Kpagih, claiming that local representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are corrupted by the PDP.

“The manner in which INEC in Bayelsa State was constituted by the outgoing President [Goodluck Jonathan], was designed to deliver the State to the PDP,” he stated.

These accusations have raised fears that the violence witnessed in Southern Ijaw LGA during the December 5th elections will be repeated this Saturday.

Fresh Violence Hits Peremabiri Community In Bayelsa

Tensions are mounting in the Peremabiri Community of Bayelsa State following reports that armed men attempted to attack ex-militant Eris Paul (AKA Ogunboss). Community youths were able to arrest one of the attackers, Mr. Attitude Ebi, after a hot pursuit.

 
Eris Paul, ex-militant leader of MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) 
 
The suspect was subsequently turned over to Naval officers who delivered a brutal beating to the man.
Following his beating, Mr. Ebi was formally arrested for attempting to cause mayhem in the Peremabiri Community. He confessed that he was told by a friend that he would be paid N50,000 if he came to the community to cause trouble and vote.

Numerous community youths are now said to be patrolling the area armed with sticks, cutlasses, and clubs.

EFCC Arrests Buhari’s Associate, APC Chieftain, Jafaru Isa

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday night arrested a former military governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Lawal Jafaru Isa.  

Jafaru Isa 

Mr. Isa is the first chieftain of the APC arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by officials of the immediate past administration.
Mr. Isa, Military Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and one-time governorship candidate of the defunct CPC in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Mr. Isa, also a close political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested at his Abuja residence located at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro.

A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that operatives of the anti-graft commission invaded his residence around 9 pm, and then whisked him away a few minutes later.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) to clear the air on “some questionable receipts” from the former NSA.

Investigators believe the retired soldier received over N100million from Mr. Dasuki.
Rather than honoring the invitation, sources said, Mr. Isa wrote a letter to the EFCC through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of the death of a relative.

Apparently dissatisfied with his excuse, the EFCC, however, arrested him to clarify the “questionable receipts”.

The spokesperson of the EFCC, Wilson Ujuwaren, could not be reached Thursday morning for‎ comments on the arrest.

But a top official of the commission confirmed the development.
”He has been wasting our time, and we just have to pick him up for our investigation to continue,” the official said.

 

US Hands Over 24 Military Vehicles Weeks After Zaria Massacre

On Thursday, the United States government handed over 24 Mine-Resistant Vehicles (MRAPs) to the Nigerian military.

The exchange, which took place at the Ikeja Cantonment in Lagos, comes about one month after the Nigerian army brutally massacred up to 300 Shiite Muslim civilians.

On December 12 members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) clashed with the Nigerian army on the streets of Zaria in Kaduna State. The military claimed that members of IMN set up a roadblock in an attempt to trap and then assassinate Army Chief of Staff Lt. General Tukur Buratai. However, the IMN alleged that they were merely holding a peaceful protest.

Two days after the massacre, SaharaReporters obtained a video depicting a pile of dead Shiite Muslims along a street in Zaria which were being looted by passersby.

On top of the killing hundreds of Shiites, the army also captured the leader of IMN Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky after laying siege to his home for 11 hours. Grim photos subsequently emerged of Sheikh Zakzaky badly wounded and plopped into a wheelbarrow by Nigerian soldiers. More photos later emerged of Nigerian authorities destroying the home, properties, and important Shiite sites by fire or turning them into rubble.
As details emerged regarding the massacre several human rights organizations and foreign governments issued condemnations of the Nigerian military. The US government called upon President Muhammadu Buhari to launch an independent probe into the actions taken by the Nigerian army.

The 24 MRAPs provided to the Nigerian army by the United States are intended to assist Nigerian soldiers in their fight against the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, according to US government officials.
The vehicles arrived on New Year’s day and were provided as part of the US Excess Defense Program which allows the American military to offload excess military hardware to its allies.

During the brief handing over ceremony Colonel Patrick Doyle, the US Defense Attaché to Nigeria, referenced US-Nigerian military cooperation.

‎”For many years the Nigerian armed forces has been a strong partner of the United States,” he said.
“We have asked for your support in many endeavours, in particular throughout West Africa and you have responded,” Mr. Doyle added.

Major General BT Ndiomu, who also spoke at the ceremony, expressed gratitude for the vehicles.
“We express our most profound gratitude for the gift of Mine Resistant Ambush-protected vehicles to the Nigerian army. It couldn’t have come at a better time especially considering the challenges that confront our armed forces in the northeast,” Mr. Ndiomu noted.

The vehicles will require some repair, according to Colonel Doyle, but the US believes the Nigerian army is more than capable of making the adjustments.

It has also been reported by other media outlets that eight more vehicles are expected to arrive in Nigeria in the forthcoming days.

When contacted by a SaharaReporters correspondent, Amnesty International’s Nigeria Researcher Daniel Eyre noted that “there have been persistent human rights violations by the Nigerian army.”

Mr. Eyre added that “Amnesty International calls on all governments providing military assistance to do so without committing to human rights violations.”

Despite the transfer of military vehicles to the Nigerian army, a US State Department spokesperson told a SaharaReporters correspondent that “we remain deeply concerned by the December clash between members of the Nigerian army and a Shiite group in Zaria, Kaduna State.”

The same State Department official emphasized that the US expects its international partners to respect the rule of law.

Members of the public and human rights groups in Nigeria have questioned the anticipated outcome and credibility of the military-led investigations into the Zaria massacre, citing the conflict of interest involved in the army investigating itself.

Anenih Undergoes Heart Surgery

A member of the family, who confirmed the development, said it was “only God” that saved the life of the 82-year-old politician.

 
BOT CHAIRMAN, ANTHONY ANENIH State House PHOTO 
 
The heart condition was accidentally discovered, TheCable learnt, when the former minister of works and housing was preparing to return to Nigeria after a visit to the UK.

He was said to have complained of “irregular heartbeat”, prompting a family member to make an emergency call for an ambulance.

“The ambulance arrived within five minutes and he was taken out on a stretcher, with paramedics giving him oxygen support. It was at the hospital that it was discovered that he had some heart issues which he had not experienced before,” the source said.

Anenih was immediately booked in for a surgery, which was successful. He returned to Nigeria shortly before Christmas but he is “looking pale”, another family source told TheCable.

Anenih is regarded as one of the most powerful politicians in Nigeria between 1999 and 2015 when the PDP controlled power.

He was very close to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan while they were in power.

In 2007, he fell out with Obasanjo following a tussle for the chairmanship of the board of trustees – a position Obasanjo coveted but which Anenih eventually got.

The PDP constitution, amended to pave the way for only Obasanjo to assume the position, was re-amended to allow others to have a go.
Anenih marked his 82nd birthday on August 4, 2015.

Kerry says implementation of Iran nuclear deal 'days away'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday the implementation of a nuclear deal agreed between Iran and six world powers was only days away, allowing tens of billions of dollars in sanctions against Iran to be lifted.

There is no date set yet for "implementation day" of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed on July 14 in which Tehran agreed to shrink its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief.

Outlining foreign policy milestones of the past year, Kerry pointed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action "from which we are days away from implementation, if all goes well."

He said he discussed implementation of the nuclear deal with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during a phone call on Thursday. They also talked about tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia triggered by the execution by the Saudis of a Shi'ite cleric, he said.

"The foreign minister made it clear to me they intend to complete their obligations with respect to implementation day as rapidly as possible," said Kerry told reporters.

"We are currently engaged ourselves in making certain that we're prepared to move on that day. And I think it could come -- without being specific -- sooner rather than later."

Kerry said the United States would continue to ensure that Iran lives up to its commitments under the nuclear deal and press for the release of American prisoners "that have been unjustly detained" by Iran.

Senior Iranian officials have dismissed speculation that Iran is considering a prisoner exchange with the United States. Among Americans held by Iran is Washington Post correspondent, Jason Rezaian, who was arrested in July 2014.

Others include Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Robert Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared in Iran in 2007. Iran has claimed that the United States holds some 16 Iranians for bypassing sanctions and around 60 prisoners for other crimes.

Rupture with Iran may not have been Saudi aim, but Riyadh has no regrets

The diplomatic rupture with Iran triggered by the execution of a Shi'ite cleric was probably a side effect of a decision taken by Saudi Arabia for domestic reasons, rather than the outcome of a deliberate ploy to enrage its regional opponent.

But whether or not they intended to raise the heat in a tense rivalry that already underpins wars across the Middle East, Saudi Arabia's new rulers have shown no sign of regret.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defense minister, reassured the world on Thursday the crisis would stop short of an all-out war between the Gulf region's main powers.

"A war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a major catastrophe in the region, and it will reflect very strongly on the rest of the world. For sure we will not allow any such thing," he told the Economist.

But in the days since the execution, Riyadh has done nothing to halt an escalation in confrontation, demonstrating a level of comfort with brinkmanship unheard of in the typically cautious kingdom before King Abdullah died a year ago and was replaced by his brother King Salman.

The night after a Saudi executioner put Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr to death in a high-security prison, Iranian protesters stormed Riyadh's Tehran embassy and Mashhad consulate. Riyadh responded by cutting off diplomatic ties.

"I do not think this would have happened under King Abdullah. Either the executions or the cutting of relations," said a Saudi political analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity in an absolute monarchy where publicly questioning rulers' decisions is taboo.

"I personally wish they had only withdrawn the ambassador. It makes it less difficult to change later," the analyst said of the decision to cut diplomatic ties.

Salman, the sixth brother to rule as king since 1953, has set in motion the first transfer of power to a new generation for six decades, appointing his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and his own son Mohammed bin Salman as deputy.

Saudis say the rupture with Iran is the latest evidence that the new rulers are less hesitant to act than their predecessors.

Sources close to the Riyadh authorities say the stormings of the diplomatic buildings in Iran came as a surprise, even though such attacks are hardly unprecedented: the British embassy in Tehran was torched in 2011 and one Saudi diplomat was killed in a similar attack in 1988.

Nevertheless, one well-connected Saudi said that while he did not believe the Saudi rulers expected the embassy attack, they would have been willing to risk Iranian reprisals to carry out an execution they believed was fully justified.

"The mood with the government is to push back against Iranian encroachment. So if Iran tries to intervene in a domestic matter, it's complete anathema," the Saudi said. He added that Iranian threats may even have made Riyadh more determined to go ahead with Nimr's execution.

"It's a Saudi citizen convicted of crimes in Saudi Arabia. They think 'we will not take international, and especially Iranian, opinion into consideration.'"

RUPTURE FOLLOWS STEPS TOWARDS THAW
King Salman and the two princes have taken aggressive steps over the past year to confront what they see as growing Iranian influence in the Middle East - going to war in neighboring Yemen to halt a takeover by Shi'ite rebels they consider Iranian pawns, and increasing support for rebel groups fighting against Iran's ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Nevertheless, many in Riyadh insist the government was not trying to pick a new fight with Iran by executing Nimr, a cleric Riyadh had long accused of stirring up unrest, and who was executed along with dozens of Sunni Muslims also accused of terrorism.

They point to a series of steps Riyadh had taken in recent months towards a thaw with Tehran, including working hard to get a new ambassador approved in Iran after a months-long hiatus, opening a new embassy in Shi'ite-ruled Iraq, and sitting opposite Iran at Syria peace talks last month in New York.

Saudi officials say that by taking offense at the execution of Nimr, Tehran has demonstrated its claim of dominion over all Shi'ites regardless of national borders, which Riyadh in turn calls a fundamental threat to the international system.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir this week told Reuters Iran needed to decide if it was a normal nation state or "a revolution".